How NOT to run an air race operation.

On June 18th at the Pylon Racing Seminar we witnessed a graphic example of how not to run an air race team, and also, the main reason we feel the jet class needs to be ended. The NTSB preliminary report reads as follows:

NTSB Identification: WPR11LA265 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation Accident occurred Saturday, June 18, 2011 in Reno, NV Aircraft: AEROVODOCHODY L-29 DELFIN, registration: N37KF Injuries: 1 Uninjured. This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. On June 18, 2011, about 1450 Pacific daylight time, an Aerovodochody L-29 Delfin, N37KF, experienced the partial failure of the primary airframe structure supporting the airplane's rudder while in the race pattern at Reno-Stead Airport, Reno, Nevada. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured, but the airplane, which was owned and operated by Ward Raju Mann, sustained substantial damage. The local 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 air race qualification/training flight, which took off from the same airport about 15 minutes prior to the accident, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who responded to the scene, while the airplane was in flight, part of the structure associated with an engine that had been installed under a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) failed. That failure allowed jet blast from the engine to be deflected onto a portion of the primary airframe structure. The melting of that structure affected the support and movement of the airplane's rudder. Although the failure occurred in flight, it was not detected until the pilot was operating the rudder pedals after landing. How does something like this happen without anyone knowing while the airplane is in the air? In Heather's defense the rudder on a jet is rarely used in flight, so she had no idea of the issue until she tried to use the rudder for ground steering on landing. However as the following picture shows, it would have been obvious to the teams spotters IF THEY HAD USED ANY! There is absolutely no excuse for operating an unlimited, or jet without 6-8 spotter around the course looking for any signs of damage to the aircraft while it is airborne.

You can clearly see the heat damage in the tail cone area. This photo was taken two laps before she landed. The next photos show the damage. The first shows the holes burned in the structure.

That is only part of the story. Once reviewed by the NTSB, the FAA was called in to do a thorough inspection of the aircraft. What they found is scary. The aircraft is one of four L-29s that have had an engine swap performed by Dave Cavanno of Aero Enterprise. The stock engine was removed, and a Rolls Royce Viper was installed that produces twice the thrust, and weighs twice as much. The first issue was the re-use of the stock tail pipe, instead of the recommended Inconell pipe. This stock pipe is what failed and caused the blow torching of the aft fuselage. When the new engine is installed, it requires ballast to be installed in order to keep the center of gravity in range. This should be done with the addition of steel plates bolted to the airframe. The next photo shows how Dave did it.....

Uh.....what?!?! Not shown in this picture was the third bag they found that had already been worn through by the straps spilling lead shot into the bottom of the aircraft. The next photo shows why the rudder control was lost. As it turns out, it had nothing to do with the fire. The arrows point to a very large crack, a large rust hole in the top plate, and corrosion by the end plate wrap.

The round flange in the middle is one of two points attaching the tail to the aircraft. In flight break up was imminent . When the crack opened up and the structure failed downward, the rudder became jammed against the top of the fuselage. They had every intention of putting this in the air at 530mph in front of a few thousand of our closest friends in Sept. Luckily it happened when it did, and Heather wasn't killed. She has walked away from the team, and all of the reengined L-29s have been grounded. Hopefully for good. There were over 50 major issues found by the FAA. I don't have the entire list but a couple more examples are listed below. First is where a bare battery cables was trying to burn the engine mount in two. The second are the grease fittings on the landing gear retract pivots. The ones shown are still the original Russian fittings. Normally the are replaced with American pieces, which takes all of about 30 minutes. These were simply painted over when the airplane was built two years ago, and never serviced since.....