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Rear engine in a crash question
I've been reading through the BD-5 thread and have a question.
I guess this is an opinion thread but what happens to a rear engine mounted directly behind the pilot in a crash? In something like an ultralight, BD-5, Cutiss pusher or Vari-EZ does an engine have a tendency to rip loose and go through the pilot due to inertia in a sudden stop? Or in many crashes is the direction of flight not straight ahead, like if the aircraft was in a stall when it contacted the ground? The force is down not forward through the cockpit. Bernadette |
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I really hate to admit it, but, to my great chagrin I once departure stalled and crashed a rear-engine ultralight. Think of a Quicksilver, except the engine was under the wing. Well, it didn't "tear loose" but rather went right over my head. A friend and a passerby together elevated the tangled mass of tubing enough for me to crawl out from under it. Amazing how hard it is to release a seat belt when your body is dangling from it... Al Mills |
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On Tue, 18 Nov 2003, BernadetteTS wrote:
I guess this is an opinion thread but what happens to a rear engine mounted directly behind the pilot in a crash? I can offer one data point. I flopped down hard enough to brake the nose landing gear linkage, during my worst landing. We stopped very fast on the runway. No prop or engine damage, as they are in the back. I replaced a rod end, and we flew home with a nasty scrape under the nose. A similar landing incident killed two neighbors when their front engined bird collapsed the nose gear on landing, which lead to a fire from which they did not escape. I like mine in the back. George Graham RX-7 Powered Graham-EZ, N4449E Homepage http://bfn.org/~ca266 |
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I really hate to admit it, but, to my great chagrin I once departure stalled and crashed a rear-engine ultralight. Think of a Quicksilver, except the engine was under the wing. Well, it didn't "tear loose" but rather went right over my head. A friend and a passerby together elevated the tangled mass of tubing enough for me to crawl out from under it. Amazing how hard it is to release a seat belt when your body is dangling from it... Al Mills +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sounds like your seatbelt was NOT an aviation approved type. If it was, it should have unlatched easily... allowing you to fall and break your neck or whatever was going to break your fall. g Barnyard BOb -- |
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BOb
Don't laugh. Saw a P-51 pour full power on after a landing attempt that went bad and bird torque rolled inverted and went into sand beside runway. Group ran out and picked wing up to let pilot get out. Bubble canopy was broken of course and when he released is seat belt fell on his head and cracked a vertebrae. Can't win sometimes for losing I guess? Big John On Tue, 18 Nov 2003 16:51:36 -0600, - Barnyard BOb - wrote: I really hate to admit it, but, to my great chagrin I once departure stalled and crashed a rear-engine ultralight. Think of a Quicksilver, except the engine was under the wing. Well, it didn't "tear loose" but rather went right over my head. A friend and a passerby together elevated the tangled mass of tubing enough for me to crawl out from under it. Amazing how hard it is to release a seat belt when your body is dangling from it... Al Mills +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sounds like your seatbelt was NOT an aviation approved type. If it was, it should have unlatched easily... allowing you to fall and break your neck or whatever was going to break your fall. g Barnyard BOb -- |
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From: BernadetteTS
Date: 11/18/2003 8:50 PM Central Standard Time Message-id: In article , (B2431) wrote: Another design that would appear to be dangerous is mounting the engine above and behind the cockpit. Dan, U. S. Air Force, retired Hi Dan Do you mean like a Republic SeaBee? Bernadette Yes. I was in the first unit in the Air Farce to get the H-60. One of the safety features they told us about was the transmission and rotorhead are built to fall forward of the cockpit in the event of a major forward crash. Dan, U. S. Air Force, retired |
#10
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BOb Don't laugh. Saw a P-51 pour full power on after a landing attempt that went bad and bird torque rolled inverted and went into sand beside runway. Group ran out and picked wing up to let pilot get out. Bubble canopy was broken of course and when he released is seat belt fell on his head and cracked a vertebrae. Can't win sometimes for losing I guess? Big John +++++++++++++++++++++++++ I'm not laughing. Just because the crash may be over... undoing a seatbelt still may require extreme care and caution. I first became aware of this early in my crop dusting career. Seems a fellow put his Stearman on its back and in haste to exit his inverted position... yep, injured his neck and back a bit. That bit of foolishness might have paralyzed him.... had he been SOBER. I'm not even going to take a stab at the moral of this story. g Barnyard BOb -- seen a lot in 50 years of flight |
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