Gyro hits a Combine Harvester near Moree

[alf jessup]

Apparently Sunday 18th November 2018 a Gyro hit a combine harvester near Moree NSW killing the 50 y.o pilot

 

How is my question does one do such a thing?

 

Harvesters are on the ground are they not? Or do they now have harvesters flying around at 500ft these days.

 

Sounds a bit suss to me considering a harvester doesn’t sit in a back yard size paddock, there must have been a massive amount of clear paddock around it.

 

Was it another hey watch this moment of madness from the pilot, or was it the farmer heading out to the harvester? I just cannot get my head around it.

 

All that grief now for the family of the deceased.

 

Condolences to the family

 

 

[onetrack]

No-one apparently knows at this point, how this crash happened, and Police are still investigating the exact circumstances. I'm guessing there were no witnesses to the actual crash.

 

I would imagine the pilot made an error of judgement, or he was suffering some mechanical problem which made him unable to miss the combine harvester, which was in his flight path.

 

I would have to opine he didn't plan to include the combine harvester in his flight path, it would have been a developing situation that a deviation from a planned flight path, turned into a flight path whereby the combine harvester ended up, directly in his line of flight.

 

You could replace "combine harvester" with "house" or "shed", "lone tree in the middle of nowhere", or even "car on a highway". When things go pear-shaped, falling aircraft can hit anything that just happens to be in the way, at that point in time.

 

 

[CAVU Mark]

I was taught how to apply aircraft fabric by a fellow who built TBMs on Long Island, NY during the start of the war.  He later flew in the South Pacific and visited Sydney and Townsville for leave.  He passed recently and he had two pieces of advice that I take to heart: 1) airplanes will kill you if you give them half a chance, 2) cherish every moment.   Simple.

 

 

[Keenaviator]

Many learning hang glider and Paraglider pilots manage to hit the only tree in a paddock. You tend to go where you look. That applies to motorbike riders too. 

 

 

[alf jessup]

Many learning hang glider and Paraglider pilots manage to hit the only tree in a paddock. You tend to go where you look. That applies to motorbike riders too. 

I agree Laurie you tend to go where you look, but why such a close look 

 

 

[M61A1]

Just one possible explanation....

 

Farm machinery is often parked where ever it's handy for the operator.. It's not a stretch for it to have been parked close to whatever bit of dirt passes for a strip.

 

 

[turboplanner]

Just one possible explanation....

Farm machinery is often parked where ever it's handy for the operator.. It's not a stretch for it to have been parked close to whatever bit of dirt passes for a strip.

With the amount of information in the news, that's a good possibility.

 

I'm not sure how the season's going this year, but it could be that the Header had been dragged out of the shed for pre-season maintenance, or could have been parked next to the strip.

 

There's no mention of anyone driving the Header so far,  but if it does turn out that the Header was being driven at the time, it swings back towards Alf's thoughts; there's nothing like creeping up behind your next door neighbour at ground level, and shaving the top of it - he's got no RV mirrors.

 

There is a medical term for obsessive focus, but in this area there can be thousand acre paddocks; I scaled one on Jerrybang Road at 1900 m (6234') x 1330 m (4365'), so there's plenty of room, and $300,000 headers are usually parked in the shed, at the discharge site, in which case there's usually some infrastructure like semi trailers or mobile bins, or........around the homestead having maintenance work done.

 

 

[alf jessup]

With the amount of information in the news, that's a good possibility.

I'm not sure how the season's going this year, but it could be that the Header had been dragged out of the shed for pre-season maintenance, or could have been parked next to the strip.

 

There's no mention of anyone driving the Header so far,  but if it does turn out that the Header was being driven at the time, it swings back towards Alf's thoughts; there's nothing like creeping up behind your next door neighbour at ground level, and shaving the top of it - he's got no RV mirrors.

 

There is a medical term for obsessive focus, but in this area there can be thousand acre paddocks; I scaled one on Jerrybang Road at 1900 m (6234') x 1330 m (4365'), so there's plenty of room, and $300,000 headers are usually parked in the shed, at the discharge site, in which case there's usually some infrastructure like semi trailers or mobile bins, or........around the homestead having maintenance work done.

Well Turbs

 

Thst is what I was alluring too, a gyro can land in less than 5 feet, to hit it there is no possible reason to be that close to it.

 

Guess you know my thoughts on it but it is only my thoughts.

 

 

[jetjr]

This time of year the machine likely working and a low orbit over equipment common. Also can be very dusty

 

Id guess all the low slow and steep traps exist

 

 

[M61A1]

Well Turbs

Thst is what I was alluring too, a gyro can land in less than 5 feet, to hit it there is no possible reason to be that close to it.

 

Guess you know my thoughts on it but it is only my thoughts.

The point was essentially that we know nothing except a gyro hit a harvester. We don't know whether he was landing, taking off or "beating up", there are several possible scenarios, so a veiled accusation of "beating up" is a little premature.

 

 

[alf jessup]

The point was essentially that we know nothing except a gyro hit a harvester. We don't know whether he was landing, taking off or "beating up", there are several possible scenarios, so a veiled accusation of "beating up" is a little premature.

Well M61A1

 

Either scenario it was bad airmanship for which he paid dearly for.

 

Taking off to close to a harvester, silly idea.

 

Attempting to land so close to a Harvester, silly idea.

 

A beat up? Very costly.

 

No matter what it was it cost him his life which is the ultimate price to pay.

 

 

[M61A1]

I guess you've never made any silly mistakes then. It'll never happen to you.

 

 

[alf jessup]

I guess you've never made any silly mistakes then. It'll never happen to you.

Actually I am probably one few that realise it can happen to me, if you go through my posts on accidents you will see that.

 

I take my flying very seriously and know how unforgiving it can be hence why I practice many many scenarios between my BFR’s not like many who sit there fat dumb and happy for 2 years thinking the trusty engine will keep going.

 

Every flight I take I look for options along the way even when I’m flying over the great divide, I will divert off track to stay within gliding range of any valley to minimise the time over serious tiger country.

 

I am only human like the rest of us and know very well a bad judgment can be very costly hence why I try to fly as professionals as I can and minimise the risks.

 

One thing for sure is you will never read about me in a bunch of boys beating it up page.

 

If I do ever end up in this section I didn’t get it right but I will have done the best I could at the time

 

 

[onetrack]

Alf, until we know the precise circumstances of this crash, you're drawing a long bow, and extrapolating a firm opinion that the pilot was a either a fool, a risk-taker, or incompetent - from a base point, of virtually no crash information.

 

I think this is a foolish thing to do, and you could end up with some serious egg on your face, when the crash circumstances and facts are produced, and the reasons for the crash are shown to be very different from what you're supposing.

 

For all we know at present, the crash could have been caused by something as basic and uncontrollable, as a major mechanical failure.

 

Then, at the other end of the spectrum, it could have simply been a lack of gyro operating experience.

 

Gyros are not the benign flying machines, many would have us believe, they have some nasty quirks for the inexperienced gyro novice, as witnessed by the number of gyro crashes caught on video.

 

https://www.flightsafetyaustralia.com/2014/05/a-different-spin-on-take-off/

 

 

[turboplanner]

If we didn't comment there'd be no forums; we could just go to the ATSB site and get the cause for ourselves.

 

Of course we would lose the wealth of information in the process.

 

 

[M61A1]

There's a bit of a difference between commenting or speculating and making outright accusations.

 

 

[alf jessup]

There's a bit of a difference between commenting or speculating and making outright accusations.

Right.

 

Ok, we don’t know the actual cause of it as yet.

 

But, let us be realistic.

 

If the poor chap was on a cross country flight and he was happily plodding along at 1000 +-  then all of a sudden he had control difficulty and ended up under no fault of his own hit the only god damn object in a paddock it was sheer bad luck. (Highly unlikely in my own bias opinion)

 

But if he was knowingly trying to land or take off so close to the object he ended up hitting that is bad airmanship.

 

If?????? He was showing off well it is self explanatory.

 

My point all along is it was cause by bad airmanship judgment in some way shape or form, it is not rocket science.

 

Knowing trying to land or take off with something so close is risky with no margin for error and foolhardy in my opinion.

 

Please explain to me that it is not.

 

Yes some harp on about “we don’t know the cause as yet and we should wait for the investigation before commenting” which in most cases we never hear the result anyway.

 

B.S I say, if your not down in and around a known danger zone it is very unlikely this post would be up.

 

 

[M61A1]

We all know that showing off is possible, even likely, but there are other possible causes, weather, medical, or mechanical. The whole point is that we don't know.

 

 

[alf jessup]

We all know that showing off is possible, even likely, but there are other possible causes, weather, medical, or mechanical. The whole point is that we don't know.

True M61A1

 

Time will hopefully tell us.