L-39 from DE down in Maryland

Training Jet Crashes In Maryland

Authorities Say Military Plane Is Privately Owned

POSTED: 2:59 p.m. EDT August 24, 2003
UPDATED: 8:37 p.m. EDT August 24, 2003

FOREST HILL, Md. -- A privately owned military jet crashed in a yard
between two houses on Sunday, killing the pilot, a federal official said.
No one on the ground was reported hurt.

The Czechoslovakian-made L-39 training jet took off from Martin State
Airport and crashed about five miles to the north in Forest Hill, said Jim
Peters of the Federal Aviation Administration.

The jet clipped one of the houses, crushing part of its roof and one
wall, fire department spokesman Rich Gardiner said.

The pilot's name had not been released Sunday afternoon. The jet was
registered to Bond Jet, LLC, of Wilmington, Del., Peters said.

The aircraft is a favorite of North American jet enthusiasts, many of
whom travel to Eastern Europe to purchase them. Peters said pilots have to
be trained and rated in the aircraft before they can fly them, and a
weapons system must be removed.

Peter Fellman and his wife, Louanne, rent the house that was damaged.
Relatives and friends helped them pack up some belongings Sunday. The
couple was away at the time of the crash and learned of it from a neighbor.

"We came right home, not knowing if it was our home," Peter Fellman said.
"I couldn't believe it."

Gardiner said the debris field in the yard was about 50 by 25 feet.

"We had a lot of fire," he said. "We had a lot of aviation fuel."

Harford County spokeswoman Merrie Street quoted witnesses as saying the
jet exploded when it hit the ground, producing a massive plume of black
smoke.

Peters said it was too early to tell what led to the crash. The National
Transportation Safety Board planned to investigate.

Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Bill Jameson wrote:

The aircraft is a favorite of North American jet enthusiasts, many of
whom travel to Eastern Europe to purchase them. Peters said pilots have to
be trained and rated in the aircraft before they can fly them, and a
weapons system must be removed.

Unfortunately for this particular L-39 jock, the ejection seats had to
be removed (or permanently de-activated) too.

-Mike Marron

"jack" wrote:
Bill Jameson wrote:

The Czechoslovakian-made L-39 training jet took off from Martin
State Airport and crashed about five miles to the north in Forest
Hill, said Jim Peters of the Federal Aviation Administration.

What does this airplane look like?

Envision a TA-4B fuselage with the T-33's straight wing/tip tanks.

Does anyone have a link to a photo and specs? TIA.

http://www.l39jet.com/pictures.html

-Mike Marron

wrote in message
...
Bill Jameson wrote:

The aircraft is a favorite of North American jet enthusiasts, many of
whom travel to Eastern Europe to purchase them. Peters said pilots have
to
be trained and rated in the aircraft before they can fly them, and a
weapons system must be removed.

Unfortunately for this particular L-39 jock, the ejection seats had to
be removed (or permanently de-activated) too.

Not according to this

http://www.l39.com/Ejection%20seats.htm



-Mike Marron

L-39 from DE down in Maryland

Group: rec.aviation.military Date: Mon, Aug 25, 2003, 5:20pm (EDT+6)
From: (jack)
Bill Jameson wrote: snip
=A0=A0=A0=A0The Czechoslovakian-made L-39 training jet took off from
Martin State Airport and crashed about five miles to the north in Forest
Hill, said Jim Peters of the Federal Aviation Administration.
What does this airplane look like? Does anyone have a link to a photo
and specs? TIA.
J.
--
-------- ------------
John wrote:

L39 ALBRATROS
Nation: Czechoslovakia-------
Manufacturer: Areo ------------
Type: trainer, year 1968------
Engine: Walter Titan tubojet, 3,792 lb thrust----
wingspan 31'1", length 40' 5", height 15'5", weight 11,618 lbs
(loaded),max speed 435 mph at sea level, ceiling 37,730 ft, range 994
miles, armament 2425 lb of bombs, crew 2

I will send you a picture.

"Leadfoot" wrote:
wrote:

Unfortunately for this particular L-39 jock, the ejection seats had to
be removed (or permanently de-activated) too.

Not according to this

http://www.l39.com/Ejection%20seats.htm

Did the Maryland L-39 have functioning ejectioning seats? Most L-39's
I've seen up close and personal in Marathon and Orlando did not.

-Mike Marron

The Baltimore Sun says the dead pilot may be real estate developer J.
Robert Martin. Officials say the plane crashed about 15 minutes after
taking off from Martin State Airport. The manager of a gym about half
a mile from the crash site said, "we heard this extremely loud noise,
a loud roar directly over our roof," shortly before the crash.

http://www.sunspot.net/news/local/ha...ocal-headlines


Which is correct, L39 or L-39? I looked around on the Web and saw that
both forms are common.

--

Paul Hirose

Did the Maryland L-39 have functioning ejectioning seats? Most L-39's
I've seen up close and personal in Marathon and Orlando did not.


If you are smart, you would have the hot seats.
I know of one guy in Florida who had the ejection seats removed and put in
leather seats because the "ejection seats are too uncomfortable". What a
dumbass. He won't be thinking that when his engine flames out and he has no
where to go.
Military airplanes are not designed for crashing.


-John
*You are nothing until you have flown a Douglas, Lockheed, Grumman or North
American*

(Ditch) wrote:
Mike Marron wrote:

Did the Maryland L-39 have functioning ejectioning seats? Most L-39's
I've seen up close and personal in Marathon and Orlando did not.

If you are smart, you would have the hot seats.

No argument there. But for whatever reason few (if any) L-39's that
I've seen have them.

I know of one guy in Florida who had the ejection seats removed and put in
leather seats because the "ejection seats are too uncomfortable". What a
dumbass. He won't be thinking that when his engine flames out and he has no
where to go.

Apparently there was also one guy in Maryland who had the ejection
seats removed.

Military airplanes are not designed for crashing.

Right. Kinda' gives ya' a warm fuzzy feeling all over knowing that
civilian airplanes ARE designed for crashing, huh?

-John
*You are nothing until you have flown a Douglas, Lockheed, Grumman or North
American*

Friends don't let friends fly metal airplanes.

-Mike Marron

The L-39 is an excellent aircraft. Easy to maintain, and you must maintain
it often. Most civilians can't afford, or maintain, the ejection seats, and tend
to fly without them. Unlike a Cessna, FOD will usually ruin your
day. Many Cessna pilots with more money than experience have been
flying these things into the ground for years. Suffice to say, if you are a
sloppy person, then the first stick deflection to the left, will usually be your
last. It always works fine on the ground, but the people who buy these
rigs are in it for the performance, and I've seen more than one pilot lose
all his change in a snap roll after take-off check complete. It ain't a
pretty site to see them upside down rocking the wings and trying to
recover all the debris. I even watched one guy try to extract a box of
donuts from behind his left rudder peddle. He finally had to take his
boot off to grab it... Everyone has a right to kill themselves, and I'm
glad to hear he didn't kill anyone else.