Brazilian mining magnate dies in plane crash

Comp Air 9, turboprop kit plane.

 

I don't understand how can a magnate like him end up risking himself and loved ones plus the pilot by using a "kit plane" meant to be assembled by an amateur and with very few safety resources on a flight. There were 7 people onboard, based on some reports. I only saw 6 seats on the website of the company that makes the kit plane. There is a luggage area in the rear, and this being a wedding I figure the luggage area must have been packed with bags possibly wedding gifts. I would venture to say the little plane was overloaded and had issues climbing. possibly some catastrophic failure of composite parts. local reports say there was nothing left of the composite plane. 7 people x 180lbs each= 1260 lbs lets say 6 bags x 50 lbs each= 300 lbs plus fuel at 8lbs/gal x 300 =2400lbs total (potential ) gross weight at take off would add up to=
plane dry - weigth 4300 lbs (from Aerocompic web site)
people- 1260 lbs
luggage - 300 lbs
fuel - 2400 lbs
total = 8,260 lbs !!
according to Aerocompinc/s website the plane Gross weight fully loaded should be 7,700 lbs

does it make sense to you the experts out there?

 

Business sense may not equal aviation sense..... One of the Wal Mart heirs (John Walton) killed himself in an ultralight a couple years ago. I recall growing up the Beachcraft Bonanza was known as the Doctor killer.

 

More specifically here in California, only half humorously, as the "Sunday Afternoon Fork Tailed Doctor Killer"

 

As I recall in Florida the Doctor killer was the Piper Malibu.

 

Ok ok I know about doc killers now. But do my calcs make any sense? Please correct me if wrong. Thanks

 

I'm not an ex spurt but I think you are on the right track. I'm no longer familiar with the new equipment out there but this airplane is a serious "kit plane".

 

I am not even a former "spurt" but I don't think 500 lbs overgross even at the elevation of Sao Paulo is a problem given the specs of that engine. I wonder where the center of gravity is on that airplane.

 

I highly doubt it was a performance issue. CG, maybe, or anything else, but raw performance seems unlikely.

As to your broader question of why a guy like this is flying a kit airplane, there could be lots of reasons. The issue with kit-built airplanes is the variation-- some are built very, very well, and some not so much. Impossible to say in this case.

Maybe he built it himself, and really enjoyed the process?

 

You're off a little as jet fuel is 6.8 lbs/gal so reduce the fuel load by about 350 lbs. And that's assuming full fuel. Some of the people were kids so those avg. weights are probably high. The plane probably wasn't over gross.
The plane has been flying a few years and the Comp Air is pretty robust. I am guessing there was no catastrophic failure of a composite part.


This is the plane:
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None of the pax were kids.

His two 'children' had their spouses with them on the plane. (He, his wife, his two children and their spouses, plus the pilot.)

And Sao Paulo to Rio is a pretty short flight; minutes. Full fuel is probably unlikely.

 

Still 7 adults onboard a plane that sits 6 standard.

 

SP to Rio at 230 knots is at least a 1 hr flight labding gear up to landing gear down. Even though this thing has non retractable gear.

 

You don't really know what the seating configuration is, do you?

Maybe there are multiple configurations, and his was configured for 7.

 

Yes, I was guessing about 50 minutes.

Gear up is just a figure of speech.


There are variations of the Comp Air - 7, 8 and 10 that all have more seating (7,8 and 10 pax).

 

ok folks I'm happy with the chat. learned a lot. saddened for the premature death and loss of 7 people, plus a house destroyed.