Houston JS1c crash ONLY (not in any way about a Puchaczs, or anything else!)

That's crazy. Well, here is to those daring test pilots!

That said, I just learned first hand that a modern glider is capable of losing significant wing water in flight. I visited the 2014 Canadian Nationals this summer was shocked to learn that a brand new ASG-29 returned to the airport with a bit of a surprise. The cockpit was half full of water upon landing. The pilot/owner could not be sure what had happened or how. Was it the fuselage tank or the wing, etc? We suggested that he put the wings up on horses and refill it (before attempting to fly again). He did and sure enough one of the wings leaked, alot! The inboard tank seal (a 3x4 panel on the very inboard part of the wing thru which the ballast dump valve control rod runs) somehow failed during the flight.

So, the wing water tank had definitely been draining into the cockpit at some rate during flight. Additional water was likely draining out the gap between the wing and the fuselage as well (depends on the tapes ability to withstand the water I suppose). How much total water that was out of that wing we will never know. It certainly was possible that the leak was large enough for the glider to have lost all of the water in that one wing. Scary, scary stuff.

I sure hope that scenario never happens to me (or anyone else). That said, I feel better knowing the manufactures are testing that scenario for us. Are all manufactures testing for spin recovery with a full and empty wing? I never would have imagined that that condition could be recoverable. I am impressed that the JS1 (or anything else) could pass that test albeit with a test pilot who knows that one wing is indeed empty (and which wing that is)......

Does anyone know what failures are possible (or that have happened or are known) with other manufactures wing water systems?

This is a very interesting side topic actually. No this does not mean that Punchaz comments are back on the table again ;-)!

Thanks in advance.

On Sunday, July 20, 2014 10:31:41 PM UTC-4, wrote:
Yes, it's been done before. There's a great story about the Schweizer 1-35

flight test with one tank full and the other empty. Bernie Carras (who

was the corporate test pilot for a long time) had a hard time getting

the spin to break. It finally recovered fairly low, and he landed the

plane. He gave the plane a few extra kicks once he got out, just for

good measure!



Matt