"Neil Gould" wrote in message
m...
A gear-up landing is not an accident, or not an *uncontrolled* accident?
Besides, it's more like scraping a guard rail on the freeway, no? It's
what happens next that counts.

Using the NTSB definition of "accident", it is not an accident. I'll accept
that it's more like scraping a guard rail (or similar roadside barrier) at
highway speeds. But again, automobiles don't fare any worse in those
situations, and in fact fare better (repairs cost a LOT less).

[...]
Doesn't it depend which car and which airplane, or would you let me pick
them and you be the crash test dummy? ;-)

I would prefer to not do the comparison in your 1959 Sprite. However, the
oldest car I ever drove on a regular basis was a 1971 model, and I certainly
would put that car or any newer one ahead of any four-passenger
single-engine airplane (anything that might be considered a comparable
vehicle). That includes the Cirrus, which as I understand it has very good
crashworthiness, for an airplane.

I think it highly unlikely, in the automobile scenario, that I would suffer
fatal injuries. I think it highly LIKELY, in the aircraft scenario, that I
would suffer fatal injuries.

I don't plan on actually doing the experiment, since in one case I doubt I
would live, and in the other case, there's still the chance I'd die, and I'd
still be assured of some heavy-duty damage to my personal structure that
could take years or decades to recover fully from (assuming I ever recover
at all). Crashing while going 60 mph just isn't that nice an experience, no
matter what.

I don't doubt that an airplane can be designed to be more crashworthy than,
say, a C172 and yet still be a viable airplane. But there are limits, and
the bulk of the advancements in automobiles require more structure. Much of
the clever engineering (as opposed to just beefing things up) still requires
more structure (adding beams to transfer crash forces around the cabin,
rather than through it, for example).

I just don't see how an airplane will ever be on par with respect to
crashworthiness with automobiles. Useful load is too important, and in too
short supply, and weight is too highly correlated with crashworthy
structures, even when adding material (weight) isn't the primary way the
structure has been made crashworthy.

Pete