Author Topic: Another wing walker, pilot killed at an airshow (Read 4451 times)

GonzoBonzo · « **on:** June 22, 2013, 02:35:55 PM »

RIP Warning, video is extremely graphic

Tim Wescott · « **Reply #1 on:** June 22, 2013, 02:59:55 PM »

Here's a text version, if you don't feel that watching movies of people dying adds to your life: http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf/story/plane-with-wing-walker-crashes-at-ohio/9d6312bb320047dd83178a07031e1e1c

Matt Colan · « **Reply #2 on:** June 22, 2013, 05:19:02 PM »

I met Jane and her pilot briefly at Sun n Fun. Truly a loss for the aviation community.

RC Storick · « **Reply #3 on:** June 22, 2013, 05:24:42 PM »

I watched the tragedy and I will make a swag as to what happened. I am thinking that one of the ailerons controls broke.

GonzoBonzo · « **Reply #4 on:** June 22, 2013, 06:37:53 PM »

Quote from: Tim Wescott on June 22, 2013, 02:59:55 PM

Here's a text version, if you don't feel that watching movies of people dying adds to your life:

Hope I didn't offend anyone by posting this video. No, watching two people die doesn't add to MY life. Watching what the pilot, plane is doing during the crash DOES. Don't know for sure what caused this crash, may have been mechanical failure as Robert suggested, but it looks like a classic low airspeed, stall, spin to me. There was another crash involving a Tiger Moth, wing walker back in 2008 where the plane lost the engine on take off. The pilot elected to turn back for the field at around 100 ft. Again, stall, spin crash. What would have happened if he choose to keep straight, and maintain his airspeed? I don't know, can't tell in the video if there were trees in front of him, but it couldn't have been any worse. These tragedies are a wake up call to me as a low time pilot, and hopefully to all the pilots out there. Hopefully we'll have these in the back of our minds if God forbid, we are faced with our own emergencies.

Again, I apologize if I offended anyone with this post. It IS graphic, so don't click on the link if these things upset you.

Gonzo

GonzoBonzo · « **Reply #5 on:** June 22, 2013, 06:51:56 PM »

Just read the 747 thread. Looks like we've already been to this dance, and I don't want to offend anyone.

Robert, feel free to delete this thread. I tried, but it won't allow me.

I'll stick to posts on models in the future.

Again, I apologize

Tim Wescott · « **Reply #6 on:** June 22, 2013, 07:12:22 PM »

Gonzo: I wasn't offended, so obviously I didn't express myself well in my post.

I'd just much rather not watch videos of crashes when I know there's someone getting seriously injured or hurt. Unless I find myself asking "how" or "why", I'd rather just read about it.

Dan McEntee · « **Reply #7 on:** June 22, 2013, 07:35:20 PM »

I have no creepy reasons for watching these videos, just like to CSI them like others and try to determine what happened. It's a tragedy that two people died, but you never know when or if the knowledge of why will help you. It was rolling to the left entering airshow center, as the wings go past vertical in the roll, there is a puff of smoke from the exhaust. Sometimes that is residual smoke system oil. I read several articles on line when she was having the airplane built, and with all the mods and upgrades, one would guess she had full inverted fuel and oil systems. Didn't look like they were using a smoke system, and wing walkers more than often don't. He was in a shallow dive approaching airshow center. My wild guess is there was an engine failure of some kind. They didn't even get to wings level inverted, and I'm guessing the pilot tried to right the airplane, judging from the sharp snap back to the right. In the end, I'll bet it will be one of those incidents where it will be several things contributing to the incident, but what we see in the video is an engine failure, and no time or room for the pilot's attempt to save the situation. I think Ms. Wicker was supposed to be at our river front airshow this coming Independence Day. Thoughts and prayers to their friends and families.
Dan McEntee

dave siegler · « **Reply #8 on:** June 22, 2013, 08:08:24 PM »

There is a connection to the forum. Wingwalker ( the winger walkers ex husband? )is a member here.

Dan McEntee · « **Reply #9 on:** June 22, 2013, 09:34:39 PM »

Was he flying the airplane? I heard that somewhere, and I don't think that the name of the pilot has been released yet, at least not that I have seen. Just saw the video again on the evening news, and the puff of smoke out the exhaust was more visible on a bigger, better screen, and lasted longer than I thought from earlier views. No one gets into that business thinking that it will end in a bad way, but they know the risks involved and work to avoid them. Sometimes they can't. There is a line in the movie "LeMans" where Steve McQueen tells a friend's wife, whose husband was involved in a crash, "This is a dangerous business, and it can happen to you." If you were able to converse with Ms Wicker right now, at this moment, I doubt that she would have any regrets going out doing something that she loved to do and believed in. If I go to my great reward from something at the flying field, airport, race track, or on the trail racing motorcycles, I don't want anyone feeling sorry for me. I was just living my life as I saw best to live it.
Again, sympathies to the families and friends,
Dan McEntee

Mike Keville · « **Reply #10 on:** June 22, 2013, 09:54:16 PM »

Too low and too slow . . .

Wade Bognuda · « **Reply #11 on:** June 22, 2013, 10:23:00 PM »

Quote from: Mike Keville on June 22, 2013, 09:54:16 PM

Too low and too slow . . .

Yep. Spin entry.

Perry Rose · « **Reply #12 on:** June 23, 2013, 05:12:42 AM »

The smoke looks more like condensation from the fuse. making lift. It's coming off the wings also.

steven yampolsky · « **Reply #13 on:** June 23, 2013, 07:13:21 AM »

I do not wich to have others blocked from posting video's they deem appropriate but as a courtecy to tothers, adding a short warning is not too much to ask. I was epexting a local news report but nothing this graphic.

Can we please agree to include a short warning about graphic nature of video when posting them? I hope my suggestion is reasonable.

john e. holliday · « **Reply #14 on:** June 23, 2013, 07:30:50 AM »

I thank you for the video. Good ole yahoo only showed the after math of the crash in which it is a ball of flame. Also too I wish all of our media could get together on the facts.

Chris McMillin · « **Reply #15 on:** June 23, 2013, 07:36:38 AM »

Engine was fine, Dan. Airplane had full inverted oil and fuel as well as a smoke system, plenty of residual oil to make the puff (remember Bud's 450?).
Charlie was flying very slowly during the upright turn around and was very slow during the roll inverted though the airplane did it well and he had a ton of right rudder to keep the nose up throughout, he seemed to just get slow and the aileron on the wing she was riding on being deflected toward the earth, her weight, and the speed on the edge seemed to make the wing stall abruptly. Once it falls through the engine was selected to high power which you can hear due to sound delay after the video shows impact. I really expected to hear the engine run-up during the roll inverted because he was so slow.
Sad deal.
Kirk Wicker, her ex-husband was not flying this weekend. Charlie Schwenker was the pilot, he was a well known, long time acro competition and airshow pilot.
Chris...

RC Storick · « **Reply #16 on:** June 23, 2013, 10:43:58 AM »

I just watched it again and tried to analyze what happend. If you look at the elevators just before it rolls off. Watch the quick deflection in the wrong direction indicating to me some kind of equipment malfunction. You only have a millisecond before impact so you have to watch close.

GonzoBonzo · « **Reply #17 on:** June 23, 2013, 11:14:57 AM »

Quote from: Steven Yampolsky on June 23, 2013, 07:13:21 AM

I do not wich to have others blocked from posting video's they deem appropriate but as a courtecy to tothers, adding a short warning is not too much to ask. I was epexting a local news report but nothing this graphic.

Can we please agree to include a short warning about graphic nature of video when posting them? I hope my suggestion is reasonable.

Quite reasonable Steven. A warning has been added to the video.

Bill Little · « **Reply #18 on:** June 23, 2013, 02:16:48 PM »

I have not talked to Kirk Wicker in quite a while, but he has spent the weekend with me before. I offer my prayers to the family and friends of both involved.

Bill

Phil Coopy · « **Reply #19 on:** June 23, 2013, 05:04:23 PM »

So sad...I knew Kirk and Jane when they were based at the Warrenton Fauquier Airport in Virginia about two miles from my house. I belonged to both the model airplane club and ultralight club with Kirk. I havoe not seen him in about ten years.

Phil

Paul Smith · « **Reply #20 on:** June 24, 2013, 07:01:37 AM »

I saw the video. That turning aileron roll so close to the ground is life-threatening to say the least. One would expect a substantial death toll if done very often.

Add to that 120-pound weight hanging off one wingtip and the risk goes through the roof. Furthermore, the weight is a "live" weight flopping around in an unpredictiable way.

Add to all of this; a hot day with shifting crosswinds and thermals. This was clearly the type of stunt that doesn't work every time.

Steve Fitton · « **Reply #21 on:** June 24, 2013, 08:21:18 AM »

This is incredibly depressing. I met Jane many many years ago at the little airshow they did at Warrenton, such a wonderful person. Hard to find words right now.

Joseph Lijoi · « **Reply #22 on:** June 24, 2013, 10:13:43 AM »

Its been a bad couple of weeks. Jason Lefler got killed a few weeks ago and Allan Simonsen at Lemans. Its the price you pay for the life you lead. Those folks all had a lot of courage. The Aston Martin team didn't pull thier team because the family insisted that they go on. Simonsen put the car on the pole and was looking good. Very sad indeed.

Author Topic: Another wing walker, pilot killed at an airshow (Read 4451 times)

steven yampolsky