On Thursday, April 23, 2015 at 12:00:05 PM UTC-7, Jonathon May wrote:
At 14:08 23 April 2015, son_of_flubber wrote:
On Thursday, April 23, 2015 at 9:32:58 AM UTC-4, Martin Gregorie wrote:

Of course the answer is good pre-solo spin training and mandatory
annual
=
spin checks at the start of each season: no spin checks, no fly.=20

Spin and Cloud Flying training are just too dangerous in the USA. And
when
=
IMC or a spin turn out bad, it's a Tragic Accident, not a Tragic Training
G=
ap. The UK is reckless to provide training for these 'eventualities that
sh=
ould not happen' before they happen.

Sincerely, ****ed Off and Not Serious...


I related the story to my so in law a a lapsed glider instructor and
current
737 driver.
His answer before I really finished was "his pitot froze,dived to try to
regain
airspeed and pulled the wings off "
And of course that makes sense the airframe is cold soaked and the cloud
has
to be wet or it wouldn't be a cloud .

Just wish it had been so obvious to me.

I think this could be the case in a power plane but not a glider. We dont easily get fooled by a frozen pitot thanks to wind noise, especially not an experience pilot like Bob. Also his airspeed was showing over 160 knots before the wings broke off, so I very much doubt this is a case of frozen pitot. This is a simple case of loosing control due to disorientation in the cloud without proper instruments to regain control. Stall, spin turned into spiral, pilot pulls the stick instinctively to slow down which of course only make things worse in spiral, until wings broke off.

Ramy