Fatality last summer in Finland

[eurocub]

Hello. A Sonerai II L from our small airfield Ahmosuo near Oulu, built in 2009, experienced a forced landing due to engine valve failure. Landing was controlled with still working engine on a large barley/rye field but at the end of the landing the aircraft was flipped over with fatal consequences. Of course we are very sad and confused, the pilot was experienced, enthusiastic and diligent in mainaining the aircraft. The pilot was a tall man and the hood was slightly raised and it may be assumed that the broken hood did not protect the pilot enough and was the reason why the flipping over turned out to be fatal. Some pictures are attached and I hope that discussion of the accident would give ideas to make the aircraft more safe.

 

[Bil4381]

Hello. A Sonerai II L from our small airfield Ahmosuo near Oulu, built in 2009, experienced a forced landing due to engine valve failure. Landing was controlled with still working engine on a large barley/rye field but at the end of the landing the aircraft was flipped over with fatal consequences. Of course we are very sad and confused, the pilot was experienced, enthusiastic and diligent in mainaining the aircraft. The pilot was a tall man and the hood was slightly raised and it may be assumed that the broken hood did not protect the pilot enough and was the reason why the flipping over turned out to be fatal. Some pictures are attached and I hope that discussion of the accident would give ideas to make the aircraft more safe.View attachment 14560View attachment 14561

I'm very sorry indeed to learn of this accident. We all work very had to avoid such situations. What follows has been my strategy.

I learned from Bruce Olson while doing advanced taildragger training that if one has to be alert on landings. Usually it's better to over run the field at say 20 mph than come in short and hit obstacles before the runway at 80 mph. It is also wise to attempt a ground loop on the taxiway side of the runway rather than overrun into a fence, ditch or trees. Basically say 100' before the end of the field steer to one side and press that rudder to the floor and hold it there. From what I've seen taildraggers tend to stay on their wheels while swinging very quickly through 180 degrees. In some case the aircraft may roll backwards until inertia is depleted. There is no point where one can stop thinking until the aircraft stops.

(Now you will also know why I run a Jabiru 3300 engine... It can still provide thrust if one or two cylinders fail. )
Again my condolences to all of those affected.

 

[freeinhim]

It appears there is a different exhaust pipe set up and cowl is bigger in the crash pictures from the older picture. Paint scheme is different. Is this a different engine? I have a Sonerai 2L with a 2180. I am too tall for the aircraft so I can relate. I have flown it with the cushion but I am jammed in. I will fly it with the cushion out next time and just sit on the seat bottom next time (no cushion). The only other option is to increase the canopy height like he did. So sorry for the accident and his family. A picture of mine is attached. Any ideas? [email protected] In Tampa

 

[Aviacs]

Always sorry to hear of a loss.

The propeller is bent.
IOW not wooden.
Any information on the prop, how long was it used?

BTW, no suggestion that this had anything to do with the accident - it is curiosity about (successful use of) non-wooden props on VW Sonerais.

smt

 

[Mike Stewart]

Revmaster used to sell a metal controllable pitch (CS) prop but stopped back in the late 80's. It was called a Maloof and the problem wasn't with the engine but with blade failure on turbocharged Revmasters. I had one and flew it without problem on the Revmaster 2100D.

Steve Bennett of Great Plains recommended to never use a metal prop on a VW. The VW needs the resiliance of wood to reduce internal shocks.

 

[tls258]

From the damage, looks like quite a bit of energy went into the nose-over. Turtle is bent sideways, tail is flattened, and that collapse led to a fatal head/neck injury? Was the pilot wearing a 3-point harness? There was a Sonerai crash a few years back where pilot was possibly impaired and ran out of gas. Pancaked into a field but aircraft did not suffer too much damage. Pilot died at the scene from closed head injury. Ground loop is a good maneuver, but if one hits a rut before that can be done, you need a roll structure that will not collapse and gives enough margin to protect one's neck. The turtle can be reinforced without adding too much weight. Key to survival is to get rid of the energy before you suddenly stop moving. A pedestrian hit by a car moving at 45mph will leave the shoes at the spot hit while the body may fly 200 feet. Same energy is present when one is in an aircraft suddenly stopping from 45 mph regardless of direction. (Stopping or starting suddenly does not make much difference when it comes to damage). The body is moving while the plane is stopping suddenly as it impacts the ground. The bones move through the soft tissue and tear everything loose. I witnessed an autopsy of guy hit by a car going 40-45 and can tell you the damage is catastrophic. That's why I like my BRS. RIP.

One could put on skis: http://copa8.blogspot.com/2012/01/first-vans-aircraft-rv8-on-penetration.html

 

[eurocub]

When I consider risks in the light aircraft aviation, I try to separate those severe risk factors that are controllabe close to zero from those that are not. Most are, such as aircraft speed, the overall condition of the fuselage and controls, bad weather and so on. There are only very few significant severe risks that are not. Sudden engine failure is one. Because an engine failure cannot be outruled, we must be prepared for a controlled forced landing, because Murhphy's law will sooner or later realise when the risk is repeated. And in a controlled forced landing a flip over is very common to my knowledge. For a high wing aircraft like my cub it is not a big deal but for my buddys Sonerai it was fatal. So now concluding, I am tending to think that an aircraft wirh a canopy or a hood that doesn't protect the pilot in a flipover should not have a permit to fly.