[Geysers] Update: Midway Geyser Basin Airplane Crash August 4th, 2003

[Charles and Cari Manry]

Dear Geyser list.

This a synopsis of on going NSTB investigation into the "experimental" 
Hughes racer replica airplane (see the movie "The Aviator") that crashed 
August 4th, 2003.  Its currently at the "factual" stage.  The next step 
is the final report  which is called "probable cause".

First of all.  I'm not an expert at crash investigations.  I am however 
a general aviation private pilot and we have training to know airplane 
systems, performance limitations, and deal with emergencies, and what to 
do in case things break down mid-flight.  Its very rare but it does 
happen.  We train for it just in case.  We often read these NSTB reports 
to learn what went wrong, and why.

Instead of fully repeating the report I'll hit the highlights from my 
perspective.  I'm also greatly simplifying things.

The NTSB has posted the full narrative of the crash investigation at:
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief2.asp?ev_id=20030815X01342&ntsbno=DEN03FA138&akey=1

My summary:

Item 1) Pilot reported problems with the propeller mechanism. 

On "complex" aircraft the pitch of the propeller (hereafter prop) can be 
adjusted by the pilot to get the best performance possible.  One setting 
is  for power/climb performance and another for cruise power for max 
fuel economy.  Its also adjustable between these two limits.  Also 
"complex" aircraft is a FAA legal term meaning it has an adjustable 
prop, retractable landing gear, and flaps.  It does not have any meaning 
as to how hard the plane is to fly.  This is a common mis-conception the 
media makes.

Item 2) Pilot landed and tried to "fix" the prop problem at Gillette, 
Wyoming.  He called home to his mechanic, did something to try to fix 
and he then continued with the flight.  The "repair" did not work and 
prop system broke down over the Geyser basin.  This was the critical 
mistake.

This prop system uses a set of counter weights to help with the change 
in pitch.  In the narrative the NSTB notes in conversations with the 
lead mechanic for the aircraft and the prop maker.  If the system was to 
fully break; "the loss of a counterweight in flight would cause 
significant imbalance and subsequent vibration to the aircraft. It is 
possible that the magnitude of the vibration would be sufficient to 
create collateral damage to the airplane's structure."  In other words 
the aircraft could break apart in flight from the resulting vibration. 

Item 3) Due to bad vibration the pilot was forced to execute an 
emergency landing.  The mid-way geyser basin was the spot where this 
occurred.

In this case with a very bad vibration I know what I would do.  Land the 
plan ASAP before the plane shook it self apart.  I would have done 
exactly what the pilot did.  Land now.  Its part of the training we get.

Item 4) During said emergency landing attempt the pilot saw people on 
the ground, and last second tried to change his landing spot. 

The resulting maneuver, coupled with the airplane design of that era, 
caused what is known as a spin-stall condition.  If your close to the 
ground when this occurs your fate is sealed.  You can not recover.  This 
is based upon several eye witnesses accounts reported across the web.  
In my opinion, and others, this man saved lives by trying to alter, last 
second, his  landing spot.  He's a hero.

My Summary:

What is missing from the NSTB report is the explained cause of the 
accident.  However, this is still a preliminary report.  Not the final 
report.  But I bet the final report reads the same.  We might not get a 
more clear picture since the flight was with an "Experimental" craft 
flying under visual flight rules (VFR).  Under VFR you're not talking to 
air traffic control (ATC).   You using your eyeballs to avoid other 
traffic and you navigate on your own from point A to Point B.  Its fully 
legal, and most flights in the USA are done this way.  The air traffic 
system can not handle every flight, as was found post 9/11 there is not 
enough air traffic controllers to handle the load.  This however is a 
side discussion.  You can always call ATC if you need them however.

If you read the full NSTB report you seen a notice that the pilot was on 
"Zoloft, is a prescription antidepressant medication, which is also used 
for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, 
post-traumatic stress disorder, pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder, and 
social anxiety disorder."  The FAA and the NSTB are extremely 
conservative about drugs that can effect a pilot.  This is good in that 
it should be safety 1st.  However in banning all neurological drugs  I 
often wonder about pilots who would benefit, and be safer, with 
medication under proper and frequent supervision than with out.   I do 
not think this was a factor in the crash but an aside.  Pilots for the 
most part (other than FAA mandatory checks) self regulate when it comes 
to if they are "well" enough to fly.  If there is any concern you ground 
yourself.   Those of you who are nervous about this can be comforted 
that the airline pilots under go a full exam with drug testing every 6 
months.  Airlines also randomly spot check too.  There is also the best 
safety measure of all for the airliners.  The pilot that shares the 
flight deck with you is the ultimate safety device.

So here is my NSTB-like write up:  The primary cause is the pilots 
decision to continue flight with a suspect propeller system. This lead 
to an forced emergency landing. Subsequent loss of aircraft control 
during emergency landing with a last minute change in landing location.  
Contributing factors where the crowd at the geyser basin, forcing the 
last second change in the choice of landing location.  Other 
contributing factor is the aircraft design typical of the era the racer 
duplicated that causes a potential loss of control at low speeds.

What really killed this pilot is what often gets pilots killed.  We 
pilots call it get-there-itis.  The desire to get home, or to the next 
stop, makes you press on when you should stop.  In this case the pilot 
should of grounded his aircraft till a full blow mechanic looked things 
over. 

When the  final "probable cause" report is listed I'll post that here too.

Charles W. Manry Jr.
Single Engine / Land / Private Pilot.

ps: For information and an excellent summary on General Aviation see:  
http://www.gaservingamerica.org/