Ultralight crash near temora

[alf jessup]

I sit here looking out the window at the drizzle, and the gloom reflects pretty much how I'm feeling at the moment. Like most of you, I knew David only through our conversations here, but I can't think of one person more ready to investigate the questions, to understand the regulations, to think through the safety issues and to make sure that he was trained and practiced, ready for whatever came. It's only human nature to look at terrible events and find reasons why it couldn't happen to me - too dark, too low, too cloudy, too poorly maintained; I'd never let that happen, would I? - but something did happen, David, and only you know how you reacted, what you tried, how you fought to manage an impossible situation.So now on this grey day, who among us can still sit here and say it couldn't happen to me.

 

Vale David.

Gnome,

 

I am very well aware it can happen to any of us on here and make no doubt about that, if you think your surname can"t be changed to "someone else" because remember we all think it happens to someone else because we are infallible and bullet proof and 10 ft tall well it can and it does.

 

Well guess what we aint because as we have seen this year so far and over the previous years fellow great pilots and human beings had their surname change that day.

 

Too all of you fellow forum members and their familes please take care, please fly safe as I am really feeling awful about the recent losses.

 

Alf

 

 

[Guernsey]

What a sad loss indeed, I, like many others did not know David personally but knew him through his many contributions to this forum.

 

To those of us who are Christians please pray for his family and friends in particular the friend who must have witnessed the accident, and those of you who are not Christians just pray anyway as God listens to everyone whether you believe or not.

 

Alan Marriette.

 

 

[Wayne T Mathews]

I sit here looking out the window at the drizzle, and the gloom reflects pretty much how I'm feeling at the moment. Like most of you, I knew David only through our conversations here, but I can't think of one person more ready to investigate the questions, to understand the regulations, to think through the safety issues and to make sure that he was trained and practiced, ready for whatever came. It's only human nature to look at terrible events and find reasons why it couldn't happen to me - too dark, too low, too cloudy, too poorly maintained; I'd never let that happen, would I? - but something did happen, David, and only you know how you reacted, what you tried, how you fought to manage an impossible situation.So now on this grey day, who among us can still sit here and say it couldn't happen to me.

 

Vale David.

Thank you SF... I knew David a little better through telephone conversations and personal emails, but you have so clearly described, far better than I am able to, how I and many others feel about what has happened.

 

Vale David.

 

 

[David Isaac]

I sit here looking out the window at the drizzle, and the gloom reflects pretty much how I'm feeling at the moment. Like most of you, I knew David only through our conversations here, but I can't think of one person more ready to investigate the questions, to understand the regulations, to think through the safety issues and to make sure that he was trained and practiced, ready for whatever came. It's only human nature to look at terrible events and find reasons why it couldn't happen to me - too dark, too low, too cloudy, too poorly maintained; I'd never let that happen, would I? - but something did happen, David, and only you know how you reacted, what you tried, how you fought to manage an impossible situation.So now on this grey day, who among us can still sit here and say it couldn't happen to me.

 

Vale David.

Bruce,

So eloquently put, thank you. David's death more than any of recent times (and I have lost a few in the last 12 months) makes no sense. I guess it shocks us and makes us realise how vulnerable we all are.

 

I got to know David via this forum, emails and various phone conversations; we shared an identical age and name, though he looked 10 years younger than me ... LOL. There was a kindred spirit and that was confirmed when I met him personally on Wednesday, two days before the fateful accident.

 

Even the meeting was touched with humour and a great way to remember him.

 

Allow me to tell you the events:

 

David along with Don Ramsay, myself and David Eyre were members of the constitutional review committee formed by the RA Aus board and had intense discussions prior to our first physical meeting on Wednesday. The plan was I would join the Newcastle commuter train at Gosford and travel up to Newcastle together with David and Peter (David's CFI) where Don Ramsay was picking us up to travel to the Airbourne factory at Red head.

 

I received a text message from David saying : "... we are in the 2nd carriage ..."

 

and in my usual smart alec response replied : " ... OK so am I looking for two old Mexicans upstairs or downstairs ..." to which there was no reply ...

 

On arrival of the Train at Gosford, I stepped into Carriage 2 to be met at the door by a guy with a big grin on his face saying "... you looking for two old Mexicans ...?"

 

That set the scene for a very enjoyable trip to Newcastle with David and Peter. We spent a fair bit of time with David and Peter and watched their meticulous attention to detail with the new trikes.

 

I texted David on Friday morning to see if they had got away the night before and the last message I received from David was at 0702 hrs on Friday morning stating : "No. Missed our takeoff time to achieve Mudgee. Just doing Daily now ...". Even that message shows their safety ethos.

 

We lost him 8hrs later.

 

To his family and friends ... he contributed greatly to our flying community ... he was sincere ... we will all miss him.

 

To Peter our hearts go out to you for what you had to witness and were powerless to prevent ... God bless you mate.

 

 

[eightyknots]

It was davidh10

Thank you Neil.

 

Along with many others, I only got to know davidh10 through these forums. The last time we communicated was a week ago (3 June) on the Bump Tolerance thread. I always respected David's contributions and he appeared to take aviation safety very seriously and, from other threads, showed that he took the RA Aus situation very seriously as well: David demonstrated a real desire to see the issue improve. I counted David as a Forum Friend.

 

Very sad indeed, my sympathies to David's family and friends.Makes me reflect life is short, very short, also reminded me of what King David wrote, like a flower it is so brief:

 

Psalm 103 "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more."

The Bible verse you quoted sums this up very well. None of us are immortal and we need to be prepared to leave this life for this is a reality.

 

What a sad loss indeed, I, like many others did not know David personally but knew him through his many contributions to this forum.To those of us who are Christians please pray for his family and friends in particular the friend who must have witnessed the accident, and those of you who are not Christians just pray anyway as God listens to everyone whether you believe or not.

Alan Marriette.

I'm praying that David's family will be upheld in this difficult time. His loss can never be replaced but God can give a measure of comfort in this time of loss. I'm also praying that God will be with Peter who, so it appears, witnessed this terrible tragedy.

 

 

[Mark11]

Very sad. RIP David.

 

 

[kgwilson]

Somehow I only got an alert to this thread a little while ago and I was as shocked as everyone else to find it was David. I knew him only as a fellow forumite and the posts before me echo my sentiments. For all his loved ones my heart goes out to you. For you I think of the immortal poem by WH Auden. These are dark days for you now. You will need some comfort in your loss and it is my hope that you will find the time and strength to read these messages of support.

 

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,

 

Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,

 

Silence the pianos and with muffled drum

 

Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

 

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead

 

Scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead.

 

Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,

 

Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

 

He was my North, my South, my East and West,

 

My working week and my Sunday rest,

 

My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;

 

I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

 

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,

 

Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,

 

Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods;

 

For nothing now can ever come to any good.

 

W.H. Auden

 

 

[shafs64]

Very sorry to hear we have lost a forum member and a fellow pilot. RIP David

 

 

[David Isaac]

Folks,

 

I received a call from Peter McLean tonight, David's CFI who was flying in company with David on that tragic Friday afternoon and he has permitted me to put some basic information up about the circumstances surrounding David's accident.

 

Peter and David had been conversing and David was impressed with the new Airbourne XT 912 Arrow and was suggesting he might buy one. David was about half a mile behind Peter as they were inbound for Temora. Peter had given an inbound status for Temora to which David responded with a single monotone word. Peter shared how he thought the response was unusual for David but thought no more about it. Peter shared how for some reason he turned to look back at David which was something he would normally not do. As he looked back he saw David's aircraft make a high angle of bank turn to the left and wondered what the hell he was doing, so Peter turned his aircraft to see what the problem was. Peter said David's aircraft straightened up and stablilised with what appeared to be no apparent input from David. David's aircraft then made a banking descending turn to the right again with no apparent control input from David and no turn of David's head as the aircraft turned. Peter could see David and he appeared motionless. Peter stated there was no change in engine pitch on David's aircraft, which could be evidenced by the strobe effect of a specially marked spinner that they had fitted to both aircraft the day we were with them both. David's aircraft continued to descend in a right turn, Peter stated that he had screamed at him over the radio to pull up, but the aircraft impacted with the ground at a steep angle, right wing tip first and in Peter's words exploded on impact. Peter said he heard the explosion from 2,500 feet. They were 2.3 Nm from Temora.

 

Peter wanted us to understand, there was no apparent structural failure or in flight fire, the aircraft appeared to be flying normally. Both aircraft were carbon copies of each other, identical in weight and had performed flawlessly on the way home. It would appear that something of a medical nature has prevented David from maintaining control. Of course this cannot be confirmed until an autopsy can be carried out.

 

As you could imagine, this was extremely difficult to witness, watching a close friend go to his death and be unable to do anything to prevent it.

 

This is particularly sad for David's family; he leaves behind a wife, a son and I believe was soon to have been a grandfather.

 

Forever at peace our friend ...

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Thank you David for giving some closure to us. Please pass on to Peter our appreciation for this gesture; he and David's family are in our thoughts.

 

Lyle

 

 

[fly_tornado]

what a horrible thing to witness. I hope Peter is coping ok. David, please send my best wishes to him.

 

 

[Wayne T Mathews]

Thank you David for giving some closure to us. Please pass on to Peter our appreciation for this gesture; he and David's family are in our thoughts.Lyle

Hear hear...

 

 

[turboplanner]

Yes, thanks Peter, information we rarely get, and for you a terrible experience - a bit like what Motz went through and is still going through.

 

 

[flying dog]

Yes, well I made a bit of a fool of myself.

 

On Saturday, I rang David to have a chat, and was told then of what happened Friday.

 

I didn't want to talk too long as his wife was still in shock from what happened.

 

Life isn't fair

 

 

[eightyknots]

Folks,I received a call from Peter McLean tonight, David's CFI who was flying in company with David on that tragic Friday afternoon and he has permitted me to put some basic information up about the circumstances surrounding David's accident.

Peter and David had been conversing and David was impressed with the new Airbourne XT 912 Arrow and was suggesting he might buy one. David was about half a mile behind Peter as they were inbound for Temora. Peter had given an inbound status for Temora to which David responded with a single monotone word. Peter shared how he thought the response was unusual for David but thought no more about it. Peter shared how for some reason he turned to look back at David which was something he would normally not do. As he looked back he saw David's aircraft make a high angle of bank turn to the left and wondered what the hell he was doing, so Peter turned his aircraft to see what the problem was. Peter said David's aircraft straightened up and stablilised with what appeared to be no apparent input from David. David's aircraft then made a banking descending turn to the right again with no apparent control input from David and no turn of David's head as the aircraft turned. Peter could see David and he appeared motionless. Peter stated there was no change in engine pitch on David's aircraft, which could be evidenced by the strobe effect of a specially marked spinner that they had fitted to both aircraft the day we were with them both. David's aircraft continued to descend in a right turn, Peter stated that he had screamed at him over the radio to pull up, but the aircraft impacted with the ground at a steep angle, right wing tip first and in Peter's words exploded on impact. Peter said he heard the explosion from 2,500 feet. They were 2.3 Nm from Temora.

 

Peter wanted us to understand, there was no apparent structural failure or in flight fire, the aircraft appeared to be flying normally. Both aircraft were carbon copies of each other, identical in weight and had performed flawlessly on the way home. It would appear that something of a medical nature has prevented David from maintaining control. Of course this cannot be confirmed until an autopsy can be carried out.

 

As you could imagine, this was extremely difficult to witness, watching a close friend go to his death and be unable to do anything to prevent it.

 

This is particularly sad for David's family; he leaves behind a wife, a son and I believe was soon to have been a grandfather.

 

Forever at peace our friend ...

David, thank you so much for posting this. At least we can appreciate the situation a bit better now that these last moments have been recounted.

 

Please thank Peter for sharing what would have been a horrible experience and pass on our best wishes to him. If you have any contact with David's family (perhaps through Peter?), pass on our sincere condolences to them as well.

 

Once again, thanks David for keeping us informed about this sad situation.

 

 

[frankmcm]

Sorry to learn of David's passing. I know him only by his postings on the forum, and clearly he was a gentleman. He will be missed.