8 Killed as Skydivers plane crashes

[Rotorwork]

From ABC News

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-21/eight-killed-as-skydivers-plane-crashes-in-finland/5401352

 

A small aeroplane taking a group of skydivers for an Easter jump crashed in Finland on Sunday, killing eight people, police said.

 

The Comp Air 8 plane went down in the town of Jamijarvi in the west of the country.

 

There were 11 people on board. Three of them, including the pilot, jumped to safety before the plane crashed, police said.

 

The survivors have been hospitalised but their lives are not in danger. All the skydivers were residents of the area, police said.

 

Witnesses said the plane appeared to run into engine trouble and fell rapidly.

 

The Jamijarvi airport is a popular spot with amateur skydivers.

 

From ASN

 

Looking at ASN Website they say that the Aircraft may have had a catastrophic failure of the left wing.

 

http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=165618

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

Word spreading amongst the skydiving community of structural failure.

 

 

[facthunter]

You would think that was a good time to have a parachute on. Nev

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

3 managed to get out including the pilot. A couple of jumpers were found nearby but with closed containers. No details yet on how high the Comp Air was when it had the failure.

 

If it lost a wing as it may seem to have done then the G force from the spin would have made it extremely difficult to 'bail out'.

 

Similar event happened a couple of years ago with a Porter that lost the right wing. Only a couple of jumpers survived that event too even tho the failure occurred at over 10,000 ft. Direction and rate of the spin in relation to what side the door is on plays a big part on if you survive.

 

 

[facthunter]

Yes the rate of spin can make exit difficult but if anyone could do it you would think they could. Stick forward a fair way might be the technique. I thought they were fairly high when it happened. Unfortunate. Nev

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

Terrifying being glued to the side of the aircraft under the force of 5 or more Gs.

 

 

[flyvulcan]

There's a video of it going down, probably from around 1500' to impact. I viewed the video on another website. The aircraft is very small in the video but it appears to me to be missing about half a wing. The aircraft appears to be falling almost vertically and spinning/rotating at a high rate rather than being in a loose spiral. I expect that the g forces in such a spinning motion would have precluded any jumpers from getting out any door that was located on the inside of the spin.

 

Edited: here's a link to the video

 

http://www.mtv.fi/uutiset/kotimaa/artikkeli/asiantuntija-analysoi-mtv-n-turmavideon---koneen-sisalla-paljon-g-voimia-/3174490

 

 

[David Isaac]

From the video it looks very much a flat spin.

 

 

[alf jessup]

Yes the rate of spin can make exit difficult but if anyone could do it you would think they could. Stick forward a fair way might be the technique. I thought they were fairly high when it happened. Unfortunate. Nev

Pretty hard Nev to get the stick forward if the pilot has bailed. I guess his survival instincts kicked in and it became every man for himself unfortunately.

 

Alf

 

 

[bexrbetter]

Geesus, just a sad thing all around, 8 dead and planes up there that can't be trusted.

 

I just read a little on the Comp Air 8, not sure I agree with the idea of an "experimental" class plane built by amateurs being allowed to carry 8 passengers.

 

I also read they are designed for 6 adults and 2 kids, this plane had 11 adults.

 

Just what I read, not construing these points as facts.

 

 

[facthunter]

In flight fires and airframe failures are bad stuff. Like to see Douglas or Boeing on the side. Nev

 

 

[Gnarly Gnu]

Concur with Bex on this, the Comp Air 8 is hardly an 8 seater.... more a six seater.

 

 

[David Isaac]

Geesus, just a sad thing all around, 8 dead and planes up there that can't be trusted.I just read a little on the Comp Air 8, not sure I agree with the idea of an "experimental" class plane built by amateurs being allowed to carry 8 passengers.

 

I also read they are designed for 6 adults and 2 kids, this plane had 11 adults.

 

Just what I read, not construing these points as facts.

well if the loading is as you have read, doesn't take much mathematical imagination to work out possible excessive loads does it.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

Looks like this Comp Air had a kit added to up the gross weight. It may have also had a wider cabin. Forget about how many it has seats for. As long as you stay within the weight and balance, under the gross weight and floor loading limits, keep putting jumpers in it. No seats. Single point restraints may have prevented more from escaping.

 

Those that did get out did so very low. One photo of deployed canopy hanging in tree was a reserve. Will have to wait for the report to be issued and translated but sounds like the Finland Government will tighten up the rules based on this accident.

 

 

[bexrbetter]

Looks like this Comp Air had a kit added to up the gross weight. It may have also had a wider cabin. Forget about how many it has seats for. As long as you stay within the weight and balance, under the gross weight and floor loading limits, keep putting jumpers in it.

Jumpers have a bad habit of hanging off the wing strut, wonder if that had any influence?

 

Why do jumper pilots wear parachutes by the way?

 

 

[David Isaac]

Jumpers have a bad habit of hanging off the wing strut, wonder if that had any influence?Why do jumper pilots wear parachutes by the way?

Yep, the bastards used to do it to me all the timing hanging on the strut of the C180 with one hand and waving at me with the other with a bloody cheeky grin ... meanwhile I've bloody near got full rudder in trying to keep the old girl straight while they are hanging on and I am merrily losing height ... the buggas. LOL

Never pulled the C180 strut off ... LOL.

 

Don't know about the jumpers, but i know why I wore a bloody chute.