Lsa down at camden haven

[PaulN]

First and foremost, no-one is hurt. We may all express joy that the crew are OK but lament for the owner who has suffered considerable loss.

 

Having visited the scene and spoken with the crew involved I'm getting this message in before other members pick up press reports, which at the best of times are dubious, to avoid the usual unhelpful speculation.

 

A Super Petrel with pilot under training for water landings by a very qualified and competent instructor (no names for the sake of their privacy) on Queens Lake at Laurieton, after many successful landings over the weekend and today, came to grief on its last landing this afternoon. Not pilot error. It appears that something may have malfunctioned with the retracted landing gear causing the aircraft to submarine. Extensive damage has occurred to the bow section and cabin.

 

I felt for the crew as they struggled to extract the aircraft from the water as the usual crowd of local onlookers murmered amongst themselves speculating this and that ... all in error of course.

 

And please, don't try looking for similarities with the Jindabyne incident, there are none.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

no one hurt is the most important issue.

 

 

[Piet Fil]

Paul,

 

thanks for a quick true version rather than the normal speculation and rumour. Very glad no-one was injured

 

Phil

 

 

[turboplanner]

Thanks Paul.

 

 

[Tomo]

Thanks for the heads up Paul.

 

I was looking at a Petrel the other day, and was interested to see there is no canopy latch, it just sits down and held there by slip stream obvisouly. At first I thought it a silly idea, but when you think about it, would certainly be very good in a submarine effect. All you have to do was unbuckle and push the lid up.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

It was sitting very low in the water, just saw the end of the footage on nbn news

 

 

[PaulN]

It was sitting very low in the water, just saw the end of the footage on nbn news

We spent last night until around midnight on the shore of the lake (cold and dark) disassembling the wings and removing this sad little airplane back to Camden Haven Airfield. The front end was pretty badly broken up. The forces involved from the sudden halting of forward movement when the nose submerged were quite severe causing the fibreglass hull to deform and extensively split as it was forced up and at the same time caused the windshield to explode forward and out. It appears that the aircraft may be a write-off with the whole of the cabin pod destroyed along with avionics from being flooded with salt water, etc. However, the wings, tail empenage and engine pod are all unharmed. It appears that the fibreglass hull construction is very thin for the work it is required to do.

 

A bitter sweet day indeed for the owner of just 3 months.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

covered by insurance?

 

 

[motzartmerv]

Wow. Glad all are ok. Aircraft are replaceable.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

Just reading the advert for it. Maybe the kevlar hull option would be handle the U boat function better.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Well that's a bummer, one would expect that the hull would be up to a bit of action being an amphib, and that it should be suitably reinforced, accordingly. I still like the aeroplane though, and I am happy all are ok. A wise old amphib owner once told me..."If you want to play on the water always be ready to swim !".............Maj...

 

 

[fly_tornado]

It could have hit something submerged which also triggered the wheels popping loose. You just never know with water, why I don't water ski.

 

 

[dazza 38]

The Seamax can be landed in water with the U/c extended.It was designed for it, in case it was accidently lowered.I have seen it on youtube. I dunno how to put it on here.I have put it on FB though.On Youtube, browse Seamax test. It will come up.

 

PS- I know this is a Super Petrel, not a Seamax, but they are both LSA amphibs.Maybe the footage can help.

 

 

[eightyknots]

The Seamax can be landed in water with the U/c extended.It was designed for it, in case it was accidently lowered.I have seen it on youtube. I dunno how to put it on here.I have put it on FB though.On Youtube, browse Seamax test. It will come up.PS- I know this is a Super Petrel, not a Seamax, but they are both LSA amphibs.Maybe the footage can help.

This is it, dazza:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB4WgqLImDg

 

 

[dazza 38]

This is it, dazza:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB4WgqLImDg

Thankyou 80K For putting it on.

 

 

[turboplanner]

Reminds me of the 6 wheel drive all terrain vehicle I used to have - sea water slopping in and around every crevice and piece of equipment.

 

No matter how thoroughly I washed it, next time out two switches and three lights wouldn't work and some sheet metal was rusted out.

 

Got caught on a submerged log once and it was like two whales mating for half an hour or so.