The Fatal Stall.

[Nostalgair]

Hi All,

 

Here's a very interesting and sobering video. I have also added some commentary. http://www.owenzupp.com/_blog/Owen_Zupp/post/The_Fatal_Stall_An_Aviation_Blog_by_Owen_Zupp/

 

Cheers

 

Owen

 

 

[J170 Owner]

Seems to me he made no effort to respond to the stall horn, which comes on before the stall occurs.

 

 

[av8vfr]

High altitude and rising terrain...very hard to pick S&L when there is no artificial horizon to compare too. ie the ridge lines are not the horizon.. Most RAAus A/C I fly don't have an AH indicator but ASI will be winding back...

 

One lesson I learnt early on was to transit a valley on the RHS so I could do a 180 turn to the left (descend into the valley) if a situation occurred.

 

Of course this all depended on wind and rotors, weather etc. and the screaming of my pax.....(lol)

 

 

[kgwilson]

I learned to fly in NZ where there are mountains everywhere and before my PPL I had many years flying Hang Gliders in the mountains. I too was taught the RHS valley technique where there must always be sufficient room to make a rate 1 turn left & go back if required. I had to demonstrate this on a XC flight with the instructor just prior to my flight test.

 

On looking at the video I think my internal alarm bells would have started going off well before getting to the lake. If the pilot was flying at best rate of climb in the thin hot air his VSI should have been showing the rate was poor. Those trees were not far below just before the lake came into view. A quick glance at the map would have given a good idea of the altitude required and distance to the mountain from the lake.

 

 

[facthunter]

When an aircraft turns it loses performance. We all know that, don't we, but at times we have little height to lose before we hit something. You can also have winds on the downside of a ridge where a considerable downdraught is going to be experienced and if you don't have a bit of surplus height or power(performance) it's all over.. Flying up a valley needs some anticipation of what might happen, and always have a way out. Nev

 

 

[dazza 38]

The above video was posted on here, a year or so ago.There was a fair few comments about it.

 

 

[eightyknots]

Hi All,Here's a very interesting and sobering video. I have also added some commentary. http://www.owenzupp.com/_blog/Owen_Zupp/post/The_Fatal_Stall_An_Aviation_Blog_by_Owen_Zupp/

 

Cheers

 

Owen

Thanks for posting this instructive video, Owen.

 

I too was taught the RHS valley technique where there must always be sufficient room to make a rate 1 turn left & go back if required. I had to demonstrate this on a XC flight with the instructor just prior to my flight test.

Always a safe approach that it does us well to be reminded of.

 

On looking at the video I think my internal alarm bells would have started going off well before getting to the lake. If the pilot was flying at best rate of climb in the thin hot air his VSI should have been showing the rate was poor. Those trees were not far below just before the lake came into view. A quick glance at the map would have given a good idea of the altitude required and distance to the mountain from the lake.

That was what I was thinking too: why did the pilot not turn earlier? It shows that it is all-too-easy to get trapped in an adverse situation before you know it.