Um – (Always start with an “Um”) – If as suggested in another post engine malfunction was a factor in both cases, apparent uncontrolled flight into ground can only mean some level of mishandling.

Now, before anyone goes off, that is not a criticism, just a point of opinion. There but for the grace of…. Well, I guess you can’t use that term anymore.

I am sure AOA’sss would be valuable, and if I could afford it I’d stick one in, amongst other desired goodies. (Yes – two factors must be obeyed, dollars and she).

I mentioned it at the time, but last year up here in Aus., there was an accident which also was apparently due to engine malfunction. (Around the same time, a low time PPL hit the dirt in bad weather, causing the local authority to give a heads up on Lancairs and their safety. There is a bloke here who is with the SAAA who has asked for Lancair owners to make inputs to a safety forum on the aircraft.

Anyway my point is that like the old ejection seats in first generation jets, the old MB Mk 1, 2 at least, in the Lancair there is a no man’s land where you ain’t got nowhere to go but straight ahead until you know you have enough altitude and can turn to achieve a landing site better than the trees ahead. And in either case you just gotta have airspeed to have control and that has to be no less than your L/D ratio. If you have altitude, excuses for not configuring begin to drop off. At low level, you are working like a one-armed paper hanger, especially if you start from a low IAS base as from take off.

I love these discussions, except for the fact they start for reasons we all wish were not the catalysts, as they help keep safety in the forefront of ageing minds.

And remember – brevity is a gift!

Cheers chaps

Dom Crain

VH-CZJ (currently undergoing annual)