Lockhead Model 12 electra jr crash in Chino

Again, pilot error. One of the nicest flying airplanes ever! I hate to hear of another one being destroyed. I had the fortune oe flying one when I was just a single engine pilot and after flying it for an hour and shooting three landings and take offs , I was completely comfortable with it. Another one of Lockheed's greats.

 

And another 12A crashed yesterday!

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/jackson-butts-county-plane-crash-starks-singley-road

 

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yikes!

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Thats no good. Makes you wonder how the hell that happened.

 

These are/were among my favorite type.

RIP

 

At least in this case the crew survived and the aircraft is probably repairable. I've seen this aircraft at a few Georgia airshows.

 

Dan Gryder seems to crash a lot of planes, I'm curious why the tailwheel was unlocked...

 

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actual landing vid shows tailwheel UNLOCKED .......... cameraman had 1 job



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recent maintenance



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The interesting thing is there are at least two Dan Gryder crashes on YouTube. If the tailwheel lock somehow failed, maybe he gets a pass.

I think the cameraman did just fine, the impact footage wasn't needed to determine cause, which he captured.

BTW, that airport is crazy - very little room for error. I think they would have gotten away with it if it was a normal field.

 

A runway lined by big strong trees doesn't seem like a great choice.

 

Many runways in the best locales have hazards, sometimes the runway itself is a hazard. But "that's where the fun is".

 

I don't fly real airplanes and certainly not antique tail draggers but couldnt he have used some right brake to check the turn?

I have seen videos of some of your "thats were the fun is" landings at dodgy strips.

One was taken down of a low time P51 pilot at a California Central Valley airport. Short, narrow strip. Challenging I understand for high time Mustang pilots. Plane got floaty, he forced it down. Prop strike, sharp ground loop and up on its nose. Oh fun.

 

I remember an old saying, "Practice makes perfect.". If you are going to do short field stuff, you better be comfortable at the slower speeds of your airplane. I flew with several guys who knew how slow and how short that they could land their airplane. It's not something you decide to do spontaneously. Trying to fly something beyond your experience isn't the smart thing to do, either.

 

There are always exceptions to the rule, and flying beyond the capabilities of the plane and/or pilot is the most common.

 

I love those contests with the guys in modified Super Cubs.

 

It appears that two beautiful, historic planes were lost/heavily damaged due to pilot error.

The sad part is that an individual that has made a reputation for himself for having 'strong' opinions, seems to have taken it upon himself to demonstrate something about the first accident and through possible 'karma' hurt himself, others and the second plane.

My only point about the runway in the second crash is it left little margin for error. A low speed ground loop caused by an unlocked (or broken tailwheel lock) tailwheel, may not have caused damage to the plane on its own, the proximity of 'stuff' including the tree changed the equation.

Regards,

Art S.

 

Interestingly, this is Dan's other YouTube crash and the second Lockheed 12 is also in it:

 

Right seater of the second Lockheed 12 crash:

 

I believe that is where the airplane is based. The owner has had it for several years, and owned a Beech 18 before that.

 

Apparently from the Owner/Pilot:

Glenn Hancock owner and PIC of the aircraft posted this comment on Juan Browne's youtube channel.

Pretty good video with all of the details you could have had. We did only work on the right gear and while tightening the brake line, didn’t tighten it enough. We tested everything on the ground before flying and didn’t see any leaks. Apparently when we started flying and the gear was retracted, it twisted the line enough to loosen the brake line. When landing, and the tail wheel lowered, it started moving to the left as the left wheel assembly is a little tighter than the right. This has been the normal operation since I bought it, and requires a tap on the right brake to keep straight. Locking the tail wheel doesn’t really stop this motion but would have kept us straighter for longer. However, if you look at a longer arc you would see we would have more than likely hit the gas tank. The Lockheed’s tail wheel doesn’t retract and has never shown any signs of trying to ground loop. If you don’t have brakes you can’t control most tail draggers. Some are light enough to control with rudders but the big ones are impossible.

It was just a tragic situation with a ton of little miracles that made it all work out. I hope to be able to get her back into the air but it is going to be a job.

 

Thanks for posting - very interesting!

 

Yup, but very unforgiving if everything isn't perfect. Even Dan Gryder, the guy in the right seat, said testing the brakes should be added to the checklist and if there is a question, go around/divert.

Regards,

Art S.

 

Just curious.......let's say they add it to the checklist......would they have known there was a problem other than by feel? I don't see any gauges that have brake pressure on them. It must have been a big leak to lose all pressure in the right wheel.

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