"Gary Boggs" wrote in message
...
Our tow pilot crashed our Wilga yesterday at dusk. He was coming in with
the flaps down and the power pulled back. At about 200ft he decided his
descent rate was too great and pulled the flaps up. He said he was too
slow
but never added power and the high rate of descent continued right into
the
ground. The leading link suspension failed but the struts held up so the
plane skidded down the runway on the ends of the struts. He then added
full
power, beating the brand new prop into very small pieces.

The good things: No one was hurt at all, the robust suspension absorbed
the
impact very well. If it had been in dirt, it would have been a completely
different story, I'm sure it would have flipped.....

The undercarriage is shot, the prop and engine are toast, and there are
some
questions about the wing structure. I think it's probably a total loss.
The owners, being gambling men, had decided to self insure. Fortunately
this loss is no big deal for them. On the bright side, we now have a good
supply of Wilga parts!

I had been feeling a little concerned about my friends flying for a while
now but he was very and angry unreceptive of any input about his flying.
He
taught me how to fly 27 years ago and I have always held him in very high
regard. I let these things discourage me from acting on my concerns.
He's
not that old, mid 60's, but his skills were starting to suffer. I feel
really bad now that I let my respect for him and his attitude get in the
way
of talking to him about my concerns.

How many more of you out there have concerns about a fellow pilot and
aren't
saying anything to them because it's not easy?




--
Gary Boggs
3650 Airport Dr.
Hood River, Oregon, USA
97031-9613



Gary, this is an important subject - thanks for posting it.

I have given this considerable thought as I am now 63. I feel I have a
responsibility to the sport to do all possible to avoid the situation you
describe. All accidents hurt everyone. At a minimum, there is the bad
press and the inevitable increase in insurance premiums. A sport struggling
to maintain members can ill afford any negatives.

I have taken several steps to deal with my own situation.

First, not trusting self-evaluation, I have approached several excellent
young pilots, whom I trust, and sincerely asked them to confront me with
their observations if they sense any degradation in my flying skills. I
have made it clear that if my flying skills start to deteriorate, I will
forgo flying as PIC but may continue flying as the second pilot in a
two-seater with a better pilot as PIC.

The absence of any such confrontations, so far, gives me confidence in my
abilities.

Second, I take every action to maintain my physical and mental abilities. I
fly often, avoid tobacco (including secondary smoke), minimize alcohol, eat
carefully and exercise regularly. I also try to remain intellectually
active. This news group helps with the latter.

I would urge others in my situation to seriously consider similar actions.

Bill Daniels