Another Trike Crash in Hawaii

[Col]

The owner of a Kauai powered-glider tour business and a passenger are presumed dead after their small sport aircraft crashed yesterday in the ocean off Kauai's south shore.

 

http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/hawaiinews/20110216_2_lost_in_crash_of_ultralight_craft.html

 

 

[Guest davidh10]

According to this story, the aircraft was an XT912-L (Although there was some talk of this being a Tundra with an SST wing - , this photo shows it to be a streak-3 with the reported registration visible). A witness is reported to have said that the wing folded up.

 

Apparently there have now been two such accidents in Hawaii, but given different wing types, there's no correlation:

 

• http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=74027
  
   
   
  
• http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=90187
   
   
  

 

 

The NTSB report for the fist accident is still only preliminary, draws no conclusion and relies on a witness statement for the circumstances. The aircraft has not been recovered, so no further conclusion is likely. Apparently the trike turned upside down during a turn at about 350' above the ocean and close to a cliff, before the wing collapsed around the pod. Photos on the operator's web site verify the trike registered number relates to an XT912-SST Tundra.

 

Searchers, for this month's crash, have now recovered the bodies and located the wreckage in about 60' of water only a few hundred yards from the aerodrome. Hopefully a cause analysis is possible.

 

Unfortunately the weather conditions at the time were not included in the NTSB report of the first accident. A strong off-shore wind could have resulted in significant rotor at or below cliff top level, but without facts, this is just speculative.

 

Condolences to the families and friends.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

sad news

 

 

[Guest Crezzi]

According to this story, the aircraft was an XT912-L Tundra with an SST wing.

The story you linked to is a different one, all the photos of the aircraft in the current accident show it with an S3 wing

 

Cheers

 

John

 

 

[Guest davidh10]

The story you linked to is a different one, all the photos of the aircraft in the current accident show it with an S3 wingCheers

 

John

Correct.

The quote you responded to was based on a story, but when I eventually found a photo that verified S3, I updated the post and linked the photo, dated in March. While it is possible that it was upgraded between March and now, it is more likely that it was not changed.

 

 

[eastmeg2]

The serial number of the trike base in the latest accident was given as XT-912-0131, which would make it a 2006 build, so would have had a streak3 unless its been retro fitted with an SST.

 

 

[Guest davidh10]

Another news story says witnesses claim the trike was flying 10-15 feet above the water.

 

If true, certainly at that height above water, it does not leave much margin for error and anything that goes badly will go very badly in a big way.

 

This report is inconsistent with an earlier report that claimed witnesses observed the trike "plummet into the sea".

 

* Usual caveats on the accuracy of news stories apply.

 

 

[Tracktop]

Industry word also has it, that apparently the thrill thing to do in Hawaii, is to fly very very low over the wave tops ( or below?) I assume the waves may be breaking and quite big! ( just like the news report from David)

 

So that puts an aircraft extemely close to terrain that is continually altering it's height. ?

 

 

[winsor68]

I thought you could plummet from any height?

 

 

[Guest davidh10]

I thought you could plummet from any height?

Technically, yes, however we don't usually use the word to describe a short fall, such as dropping an aircraft on to the runway when landing, even if it makes your teeth rattle. :thumb_down: