Quote:
Originally Posted by Flacker
These are some of the best trained pilots in the world, I highly doubt "loss of control" as you put it will be a factor. Obviously control of the aircraft was lost but at that airspeed and AoA in such an unforgiving machine very little thrust needs to be lost to plunge you into a stall.
To me it looked like the aircraft stalled (wings stopped producing lift due to lack of airspeed) and because the aircraft yawed and rolled to the right I would suspect a problem with the #2/right/starboard engine.
Spectators were quoted as hearing pops and bangs before it pitched over, that sounds mechanical to me.
As a commercially trained pilot, I always get a little defensive when someone's first reaction is pilot error.
Some Joe private pilot in his Cessna, maybe, but this pilot represents the upper echilon of Canadian aviation. I suspect his training and skill saved his life in an aging death trap, and managed to keep his aircraft on the flight line to ensure the safety of all present.
There is no recovery from loss of thrust at that angle of attack at such a low altitude which makes me wonder why the Alpha pass is still condoned for entertainment purposed. It is impressive as hell to watch but at what cost?
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Stalling in the high alpha would be considered loss of control, would it not? If it were an engine failure the rest of the fleet would be grounded until at least a preliminary investigation tok place. I have heard that this crash is not going to affect the status of the 18 fleet which usually points to either a known fod hazard, such as a bird ingestion, or an input error. Just because a crash is attributed to pilot error doesn't mean the pilot is 'bad', no need to be defensive. I don't think anyone is trying to make him look bad.