Just an Earth-Bound Misfit: The Rantings of an Aging, Armed, Pinko Chick

Words of Advice:

"If Something Seems To Be Too Good To Be True, It's Best To Shoot It, Just In Case." -- Fiona Glenanne

“The Mob takes the Fifth. If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?” -- The TOFF *

"Foreign Relations Boil Down to Two Things: Talking With People or Killing Them." -- Unknown

“Speed is a poor substitute for accuracy.” -- Real, no-shit, fortune from a fortune cookie

"Thou Shalt Get Sidetracked by Bullshit, Every Goddamned Time." -- The Ghoul

"If you believe that you are talking to G-d, you can justify anything.” — my Dad

"Colt .45s; putting bad guys in the ground since 1873." -- Unknown

"Stay Strapped or Get Clapped." -- probably not Mr. Rogers

"The Dildo of Karma rarely comes lubed." -- Unknown

"Eck!" -- George the Cat

* "TOFF" = Treasonous Orange Fat Fuck,
"FOFF" = Felonious Old Fat Fuck,
"COFF" = Convicted Old Felonious Fool,
A/K/A Commandante (or Cadet) Bone Spurs,
A/K/A El Caudillo de Mar-a-Lago, A/K/A the Asset,
A/K/A P01135809, A/K/A Dementia Donnie, A/K/A Felon^34,
A/K/A Dolt-45, A/K/A Don Snoreleone

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

B-17 Crash

The preliminary report is out.

I don't see anything in the report that explains the crash.

6 comments:

CenterPuke88 said...: Looks like 4 was feathered and 3 was perhaps being feathered, which might account for the exclusion to the right. The engine times are interesting, but don’t tell anything in particular. The fuel question appears answered, gonna take some more work.; 10/15/2019 7:08 PM
LRod said...: Making right traffic was a problem, even with just one suspect engine (#4). Add #3 and they should have gone around the left side. I've vectored engine out aircraft for approach having specifically asked which engine was out for that exact reason.

I watched Blancolirio's YouTube synopsis of the preliminary report (he's a high time, big motor, military and civilian pilot) and he interpreted the "blowing out #4" to refer to the mags having moisture in them. WX was humid and apparently big radials are sensitive to it.

He also referred to the pattern altitude flown, which concerned me as well (roughly 300' AGL, about half normal for a single engine, about 1/4 normal for a big multi. I suspect that was partly a consequence of making right traffic.

#s 1, 2, and 3 engines were essentially freshly overhauled and should have been more than sufficient to keep a B-17 not carrying bombs and with no battle damage aloft easily. He reported some 850 hours on #4, which is not dangerously high but Collings seems to be running a pretty good progressive maintenance schedule.

I keep hearing much being made about no declaration of emergency, and if ever there was a zero factor item in an incident, whether or not one is declared is utterly inconsequential.

LRod
ZJX, ORD, ZAU retired; 10/15/2019 8:09 PM
CenterPuke88 said...: Agree with the right traffic not so good with 3 and 4 out...while it was just 4, it’s not so much an issue. The no turn into an engine out is a hoary old tail with a kernel of truth and a bushel of chaff around it. I was also astonished at the low altitude reported.; 10/15/2019 9:09 PM
Sarah said...: At least the preliminary report appears to rule out fuel contamination. Clearly #4 was feathered. Was #3? If so, why?

> one of the pilots reported to ATC that he wanted to return to the airport. At that time, the airplane was about 500 ft above ground level (agl) on the right crosswind leg of the airport traffic pattern for runway 6....
...
>The pilot acknowledged the landing clearance; at that time, the airplane was about 300 ft agl on a midfield right downwind leg for runway 6.
...
>The No. 3 engine was recovered from the top of the deicing tank. One blade was impact damaged and near the feather position. The other two blades appeared in a position between low pitch and feather.; 10/15/2019 10:46 PM
Sikhandtake said...: For a landing, shouldn't the flaps have been extended? The report says they were retracted.; 10/16/2019 3:49 AM
CenterPuke88 said...: Also flaps seemed to be up; 10/16/2019 8:46 AM