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Reply to Mike Dehate:
With regard to your recent post:
1) On three Lancair IVP aircraft I have seen (N424E and N131DL and N934TD) in
none fo these cases did the position of the shoulder harness alow enough
freedom of movement that one could reach the fuel selector of the harness was
snugly adjusted. Since you have so many hours in Lancairs you may have some
insights which many on the list do not. If so please let us all know what we
have been doing wrong. However if the only answer is to leave the harness so
loose that it can be shrugged off at will, I question if it is really
providing any protection at all(?).
2) Regarding your comment that the aircraft in question had experienced
previous engine and/or fuel problems as well as your postulation that I had
some vendetta for the builder, you should search the archive for the LML and
you will see that in fact the first engine failure was CAUSED by the builder
Mr. Kerner crimping the fuel vent line when he removed the left wing tip
since it would not fit into his hanger otherwise. This information came
from the builder himself as well as Tony Durizzi who fixed the problem during
a repair stop. This crimp caused a suction to be created and as such when
Tony and I switched to the left tank the engine stopped. Furthermore, the
entire issue of fuel capacity was discovered in the initial testing when it
was determined that the aircraft only held 72 gal. In this instance Mr.
Kerner was again paid to fix this problem and he indicated that by boring out
additional holes in the rib he had repaired the problem and he and Tony were
able to fill the plane with a full 80 gallons. It is only now that we can
see from an interior inspection that the real problem was the fuel vent in
BL-141 was never built in to the wings and hence even if 80 gal were in the
wing, the missing vent would preclude it from being available. Mike, for
the record I like Mr. Kerner and do not personally wish him any harm. BUT
and this is important, the fact remains that the large percentage of Lancairs
which have crashed are planes he built. In addition I have had several
confidential emails from fellow members of the list who have identified other
aircraft built by the same builder which have had major problems with the
workmanship. This information has been passed on to the NTSB as it should
be.
3) Your assertion that finger pointing may cause all insurance to be
un-available I would remind you that the reason AVEMCO is considering bailing
out of the Lancair market is because in the past 60 days there has been three
total losses on Lancairs which they insured with a total hull coverage loss
of $1 Million. This would equate to 100 years of policy preimum without
loss in order for the insurance company to have any hope of recovery. It
should also be noted that in the case of the loss in Kisseme FL the aircraft
was not built by the owner but donated to a Church group for missionary work.
Furthermore, the aircraft in question was inspected by an expert with much
the same experience as yourself and deemed un-airworthy due to poor
construction. However the owner flew the plane anyway after getting a sign
off from somewhere and for reasons which will be known soon enough thru the
NTSB report, crashed with fatal results.
4) You mention that someone was at the crash site after the FAA/NTSB had left
to sift thru the wreckage. For your information the aircraft was under
guard by the Flagstaff Police from the time the site was discovered until the
aircraft was loaded onto the truck and removed. When I arrived the FAA was
still on site and I can vouch that neither they nor the police ever left the
scene until I watched them load the aircraft onto the trailer for removal.
Similarly, no one other than the FAA investigator was allowed to touch any
part of the aircraft and in fact I am still waiting for some personal items
to be returned which were in the plane. Simply put there could have been no
possability of any tampering with the evidence at the scene.
CONCLUSION:
Mike I hear your frustration at the events which have transpired. I also
feel sorry for the builder as I know he is taking it hard as Tony was his
friend too. But because of the attention this accident has received, several
good things have come from it, to wit:
a) The factory will start making inertia reels available for the shoulder
harnesses.
b) One of the more prolific interior shops who finish Lancairs is developing
at my request a four point restraint for the Lancair seating system.
c) A well respected DAR, Lancair owner and Insurance check pilot has started
incorporating complete fuel system capacity and total useable fuel
verification procedures into his certification procedures. This process
takes an additional 5 hours and would have told the story in the case of
N424E so I would expect that this additional procedure will catch wing
closure problems, missing vents and stuck slosh doors in the future.
d) A well respected DAR, Lancair owner and Insurance check pilot has agreed
to assist a major US airbag company in developing an aig bag system for
experimental aircraft. I in turn have agreed to finance this development.
e) The insurance markets are considering the requirement for a more
comprehensive inspection of the PLANE and not just the PILOT prior to binding
insurance. I cannot see how that does anything but increase safety and I
would find it hard to believe any Lancair owner would object to having
someone make sure their aircraft was safe.
Finally you may take exception to my comments but they are factual. The
hope was that those of you on the list who are experts may be able to shed
light on the causes of the accident which would save other lives. I would
imagine that any pilot would want the truth to come out in full and not have
a fatal accident written off to "pilot error". Since these aircraft are so
unique it is only thru contributions of experts such as yourself that the
real data required to solve the mystery will be available to the
investigators. The replies, speculations and ideas which have come from
this discussion have already proven very valuable and hence, the objective
has been attained.
Regards,
Dave Riggs
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LML website: http://www.olsusa.com/mkaye/maillist.html
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Please send your photos and drawings to marvkaye@olsusa.com.
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