Yak-9 crash in Gippsland kills pilot

[red750]

A Yak-9 has crashed near the Moe-Rawson Road, Tanjil South, killing the pilot. The plane had broken in half behind the wing.

 

 

[biggles]

“The exact cause of the crash is yet to be determined and will be investigated by Recreational Aviation Australia with assistance from police who will prepare a report for the Coroner,” a Victoria Police statement said

 

 

[Jabiru7252]

www.9news.com.au for some details...

[pmccarthy]

How sad. But hardly an RAA investigation for a Yak 9. That's a CASA job.

 

 

[biggles]

“ The Australian Transport Safety Bureau the accident, which involved a single-engine Yakovlev Yak-9UM Warbird.

 

“Initial information provided to the ATSB indicates the aircraft has collided with terrain approximately 20km west of Latrobe Valley Regional Airport,” an ATSB statement said.

 

Five transport safety investigators from Brisbane and Canberra are heading to the scene to collect evidence.

 

The ATSB said they would examine the wreckage, interview witnesses, and collect any available recorded data for analysis.”

 

Yep , looks like they’ve finally got it right ...... Bob

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

Terrible news - condolences to family, friends and those affected.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

What a tragedy. A keen pilot and a beautiful aircraft lost.

 

Here she is at Narromine not so long ago:

 

 

 

[Karren]

Very sad

 

 

[kaz3g]

Had a rebuild atTyabb after nosing over on soft grass runway 12 months ago. Sold to new owner in February.

 

Very sad for family and friends of pilot. A magnificent warbird lost.

 

Kaz

 

 

[ISA]

Oh how tragic, we all feel it when a fellow aviator leaves the living world under tragic circumstances. May the family eventually find peace in the fact he passed over doing what he loved. RIP

 

 

[red750]

This photo was taken at the 2007 Avalon Air Show.

 

 

 

[Keenaviator]

I took this at Latrobe Valley on 19th April this year. Very sad.

 

 

 

[MartyG]

Condolences to all involved.

 

 

[old man emu]

Looking at the displacement of objects that were on the ground before the impact, and the resting place of the aircraft debris, would you suggest that the aircraft was in an inverted spin, with low forward speed when it hit something out of frame to the top right of the picture?

 

 

 

[alf jessup]

Condolences to the lost aviators family and friends, never a good thing to see and hear on the news.

 

 

[Dave English]

Looks like a stall/spin.

 

Very sad and condolences to the family.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

The Yak-9 is a speed machine; small, tapering wings and 170 kts over the fence.

 

 

[facthunter]

170 KNOT's ? That seems a bit over the top. Sure it's not KM's? Russia is Metric. Nev

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

I agree Nev, but that number came from the commentary at Narromine provided by the wife of the previous owner.

 

This site Yak-3/Yak-9 specifications quotes 150km/h stall, so I guess over the fence would be at least 200km/h.

 

 

[APenNameAndThatA]

Looking at the displacement of objects that were on the ground before the impact, and the resting place of the aircraft debris, would you suggest that the aircraft was in an inverted spin, with low forward speed when it hit something out of frame to the top right of the picture?

Looks to me more like it was not inverted. (Disclaimer: I have no experience with this stuff)

 

 

[facthunter]

Stall speed with flaps is given as 81 MPH (70.5 knots) so just over 100 knots would be fine over the fence, Same as a Mustang, more or less.. 730 metres landing roll. All seems fairly what one would expect. Some commentary is over dramatic with this stuff.. Nev

 

 

[Mike Borgelt]

Perhaps stall spin while attempting forced landing after engine failure? 170 knots would be fine for a Mirage.

 

 

[ISA]

Doing some research Vs X 1.3 would be around 91 kts. Call it 100 on App, 95 over the fence. Still quick enough. Those figures are based on MTOW, not likely in most cases on Ldg.

 

Great looking aircraft, such a shame and utterly tragic. Hope the family know that there are aviators out there thinking of them in their time of need -:(

 

 

[Mike Borgelt]

There is a reason certified single engines aircraft have a 61 Kt stall speed limit in landing configuration. During WW2 there was plenty of data available on forced landings and when the survival rate vs stall speed was plotted there was a "knee" in the curve at 61 knots. Pilot survival then decreases rapidly as stall speed increases.

 

This does limit the cruise performance of single engine aircraft as the wing is too large for efficient cruise.

 

Fighters do not have this limit as it was all about performance to kill the enemy. Pilot survival was not a particular consideration as there were plenty more people wanting to be fighter pilots. Yes, the military does think like that, particularly in wartime. You could also bail out instead if high enough. For the last 30 years or so western militaries have been bombing 3rd world peasants and suffering low attrition. Going up against a near peer adversary will result in horrendous casualty rates.

 

I wonder if the pilot had a parachute and how high he was? These WW2 warbirds were flown by pilots wearing parachutes ( see the recent Grumman Avenger crash in Arizona where the guys bailed out and lived). If you are in the forces they are happy as they get a trained pilot back and the taxpayer buys another aircraft. If you own the aircraft there is a chance you can land it successfully with minimal or repairable damage. If you bail out it is a writeoff. If you are not wearing a parachute you must land it. Nasty choices.

 

 

[Roundsounds]

The Yak-9 is a speed machine; small, tapering wings and 170 kts over the fence.

You need to check your facts on that one!