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AIRSHOW CRASH DETAILED EVALUATION
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- čas přidán 16. 08. 2024
- AIRSHOW EVALUATION VIDEO TIMELINE:
00:00 Opening statement
00:28 Introduction and briefing
02:20 List of Topics evaluated
02:54 SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARISON OF FRIDAY’S PRACTICE WITH SATURDAY’S PERFORMANCE
04:08 Split-screen flight comparison begins
10:09 Split-screen transitions into the Lomcevak - 2 scenarios
12:18 - Too many maneuvers
12:41 - Aerobatic Box
13:37 WIND DIRECTION, STALL & ALTITUDE
15:50 FUEL STARVATION & ENGINE FAILURE
16:19 Engine Sound videos
17:25 Fuel pump and fuel system
18:20 Second engine sound video
18:48 Fuel tank and system
19:30 Fire
20:01 Engine failure
20:08 Bright flashes
20:30 Black smoke
20:54 NTSB Engine evaluation
21:10 Engine performance slow-motion video
22:28 CONTROL SURFACES
23:15 LOMCEVAK zoomed in and slow-motion video
26:19 MEDICATIONS & DISORIENTATION
28:05 Hotdogging - adrenaline
28:43 Toxicology report and med side effects
30:20 PILOT EXPERIENCE
33:14 NTSB EVALUATION
35:12 Dan Gryder about lack of NTSB recommendations
38:10 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
39:26 MY OBSERVATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
43:27 Tribute to Steve O’Berg RIP
44:03 Like, Share & Subscribe
WEBLINKS:
NTSB official O’Berg crash investigation
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: data.ntsb.gov/...
registry.faa.g...
FAA Aerobatics: Special nature of aerial application flying
Flight profile (G exposure, push-pull effect) & Spatial disorientation
www.faa.gov/ab...
AC 91-61 - A Hazard in Aerobatics: Effects of G-Forces of Pilots
www.faa.gov/re...
CZcams video series on Aviation101
• AQP Grassroots Series
AQP, or Advanced Qualifications Program
www.faa.gov/tr...
ACE MANUAL - Requirements for becoming an aerobatic pilot [pdf]
International Council of Air Shows, Inc.
Aerobatic Competency Evaluation Program
www.airshows.a...
International Aerobatic Club - Aerobatic Figures
www.iac.org/le...
Aerobatics - explained in detail
www.krepelka.co...
Guidelines for Pilots Seeking All-Attitude Training
www.faasafety....
CZcams CHANNELS:
MrFreshbreeze50
/ @mrfreshbreeze50enjoylife
Steve O’Berg Tribute Video: • AVIATION: The Final T...
Probable Cause: Dan Gryder
/ @probablecause-dangryder
blancolirio : Juan Browne
/ @blancolirio
Flywire - Scott Perdue
/ @flywirescottperdue
FlyWire-- Best Pilot I Ever Saw video: • FlyWire-- Best Pilot I...
AOPA - Air Safety Institute
/ @airsafetyinstitute
PITTS S-2B AIRCRAFT SPECIFICATIONS:
www.skytamer.c...
AVIAT PITTS S2B
www.aopa.org/g...
en.wikipedia.o...
www.globalair....
PITTS FUEL SYSTEM
www.biplanefor...
Header Tank
pittss1.blogsp...
AEROBATICS
Aerobatic Pilot FAQ
www.iac.org/le...
PROPELLER SOUND
Effect of Propeller RPM on Speed, Efficiency, Noise, and Vibration
www.kitplanes....
Measurement of noise & its correlation to performance and geometry of small aircraft propellers
www.epj-confer...
Sound Synthesis Model of a Propeller
intelligentsou...
Toxicology
Azacyclonol
www.sciencedir...
drugs.ncats.io...
jamanetwork.co...
Fexofenadine
www.drugs.com/...
Allegra
www.drugs.com/...
www.allegra.co...
© Donovan M. Kundiger February 12, 2023
Fresh Breeze Photography
Freshbreeze100@yahoo.com
www.viewbug.co...
#airshow #aircrashinvestigation #aircrash #aircrashes #aviationaccidents #biplane #aerobatics #aerobatic #aeroplane #ntsb #maneuvers #maneuver #airplane #airplanes #airplaneflying #pitts #crashlanding
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Copyright Disclaimer: Section 107 Copyright Act 1976, allowance made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research
I have been flying for over 45 years (civilian, military, and commercial), I have always felt so proud to be surrounded by a group of professionals who take tragedies (such as Steve’s crash) and turn them into positive learning events.
I will be watching this evaluation later but my first impression is most favorable. This is obviously a labor of love in aviation. The amount of time spent doing this is impressive as is the opening commentary. Very professional in deed.
Thank you, Charles. I read all your comments from the first video and even included you in this video. I think you not only have excellent insight and judgment regarding flight and mechanics but are also a very good judge of character. You put a lot of time into evaluating the first video. I hope what I have included in this video will be even more helpful. I look forward to your comments.
Very thorough video. Thank you.
Thank you! I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to let me know.
As I thought I saw in a related video. Rudder was not applied into the lomcevok. The S-2B doesn't like that. Nose goes hard left and recovery is pretty involved, with substantial loss of altitude. As I mentioned on the other video - I saw an identical crash a couple decades ago. In that crash I think the pilot survived because the Pitts' rear fuselage absorbed the impact with trees. This analytical video is excellent and much appreciated. Sad that we lost Mr. O'Berg in this accident...
The issue wasn't fuel starvation.... it was once he was in the spin, he tried to apply power way to early.... the S2B will continue to spin with even 1,000 RPM and the stick movements feel like it's disconnected from everything.... the power has to be all the way to idle and a firm forward stick application to "pop" it to get it flying clean.... then apply power.... the 2 times he tried power with the smoke system on just aggreviated it and made it worse.... I went to 8,000 in my S2B and with a 1,000 RPM it wouldn't come out of the stall trying every control movement possible ..once to full idle and the hard stick forward... she was flying and application of power out the bottom....
I hope others will read your comment and gain insight from it. Thank you for watching the video and taking the time to participate and add your experience for others to read. I appreciate your knowledgeable input.
Good explanation. After thinking about it more, yes. That makes sense. He realized he was too low a rushed the recovery process in the hopes it would "pop" out. Thank you for your expertise.
@@garyprince7309 your welcome....
Thats what I thought - it look like a power induced secondary spin.
I agree....he would've been better off gliding out of the situation....but he had at least two stabs of the throttle...
Steve probably flew this manoeuvre many times without incidence at higher altitude. The one time you try it at lower altitude it goes wrong and gravity takes over. I cannot imagen what went through his mind as he fought to regain control of the aircraft all the way to the end. PIP Steve.
Czech pilot Latislav Bezak who 'invented' the Lomcovak initially described it as meaning 'headache' . Whereas later described it loosely as, I quote, " Oh dear, I have drunk too much Plum Brandy and my giros have toppled." !! That does make me wonder . It's a pretty impressive but violent manoever, both for aeroplane and pilot . Steve was young and in good health, so apart from the deadly too low to complete was there something else ?
I send my prayers, love and sincere condolences to his widow, children and family .
I'm grateful and relieved that I haven't heard the awful comment of " At least he died doing something he loved. " I loathe hearing that and I'm pretty certain Steve would have much preferred seeing his beloved children grow up .
Hi, I´m Czech, and near everyone use for this maneuver bad name. It isn´t Lomcevak but Lomcovák (read it like Lomcovaaaak). In Czech it is something like "Shaking movement".
I saw in the video, the comments about the fact that the final maneuver was performed downwind. "Downwind" is a relative term. Once in the air, both the aircraft and the mass of air it flies within are moving together. From the perspective of the aircraft there is no upwind or downwind, so it doesn't matter which direction the aircraft was going when the lomcevak was performed. The wind direction had no bearing on this accident.
I would say the guy lost "situation awareness" He simply didn't realise just how much altitude he lost in the previous manoeuvre. An epic video, you obviously put a lot of time and effort into making this. Congrats on a job brilliantly done, and greetings from here "across the pound" as we say from England.
Across the pond you mean?
@@gertnood yes, typo error
Tvs k you for letting us know what accent to read this in.
Big difference in density altitude between an early morning practice flight and a noon flight over a hot runway.
I'm not an acrobatic pilot but am a Commercial pilot with over 1,500 hours flight time. I feel the combinations you suggested are accurate. Too low of an altitude, opposite direction of maneuver. With centrifugal forces from engine rotation, it can make a big difference. I also always felt there was an engine, but later a fuel supply problem. At some point he would have applied more constant throttle to get air flowing over the wings again, and it just never happened. I would say a combo of fuel starvation and pilot error on altitude and sequence of maneuvers.
Very detailed investigative explanation, thank you!
Thank you for making this video. I'm not a pilot, but I am a huge fan of pilots who fly commercial to stunt pilots and anything else that gets your heart rate up. The list is endless, and I enjoy learning about how things go right, and then when the unfortunate happens and things go wrong. I really enjoyed your video and think you did a great job on it. I see your channel going in the right direction to rocket up on CZcams. Thank you, and keep up the great work.
Thank you for your most generous comment, and thank you for watching. I sincerely hope that for pilots who watch it, it will plant awareness seeds that might sprout to the surface at various times when they are flying and might help prevent a similar tragedy. Steve was a good man. I was shocked when I saw this happen to such an experienced pilot, but it could happen to anyone. So many pilot error crashes are the result of a momentary lapse of awareness by pilots who knew better. Very sad.
This is one of the best that I have watched on this, or any other accident. Thank you for your thoughtful and detailed look into what happened. The side by side look is a wonderful tool.
He obviously began the last manuver too low. For this reason I doubt that power would have saved him, but I also believe he was too low on fuel. So low that what he had was not reaching the pick-ups at those attitudes in a fall.
Thank you again for such a fine annalisys.
Thank you very much, Gary, for watching and for your very kind comment. I confess that I struggled to put this video together, and your comment justifies my efforts. The accident was very difficult to watch in person, and I hope lessons, or simply awareness, will be retained by pilots who watch it and perhaps prevent them from experiencing a similar occurrence. Again, your comment is sincerely appreciated.
Very good job in analysing this sad crash. My thinking and experience is as follows.
Every air display flown by you (you is any pilot) should start with you all alone dry fly your display at the office desk just before you go out and enter your aircraft. When entering your plane it should be ready to start and fly, all preparations should be done before your dry flying session.
Also every one of your display maneuvers should have a minimum speed/height criteria written down on your display program in the cockpit as well as known by heart.
If for any reason speed/altitude is not reached just do a flyby, then to get back into your program make another fly by with a spare maneuver (simple like a roll).
Now you are back in headwind/tailwind pattern again.
Never take your airplane to a place where you have not been mentally before take off.
You posted a very good suggestion. As I mentioned, the spectators don't know your planned routine. If, for any reason, the pilot is uncomfortable with performing a maneuver, just pass on by it and either ignore it, put a simple roll in its place, and pick it back up if you feel safe doing so. I hadn't thought of, nor had I heard, of doing a dry fly, but that is an excellent suggestion. Thank you for watching and your suggestion.
As a former USAF trained safety investigator, I thought you did a super job analyzing this mishap. The links in the mishap chain were apparent and unfortunately the pilot didn't realize he was too low for the maneuver. Perhaps his reaction times were degraded by the OTC medications. Prayers for the pilot and his family.
I believe he had a temporary engine problem. Something at that split second caused a loss of power along with low altitude. The man was a great Pilot. I loved watching him perform.
Excellent analysis. You give a lot of attention to numerous plausible theories. Very confusing in reaching a conclusion.
Pareto ranking the failure modes I'd say this: 1A. Too low altitude. He lost situational awareness to the ground (rushed?). 1B. Power loss. The lack of smoke and lack of sound along with the "pulses" in the smoke suggest a fuel/engine issue. 1C. Loss of lift. At these low altitudes and with a potential power issue, there was simply too long of a stall with no safety factor in height. 2. A rushed performance due to position to the crowd and a more dense list of performances. 3. Pilot situational awareness.
It's obvious he was a very good pilot who pushed things to the extreme. When you are at the edge of capabilities any one or more factors can steal your safety factor(s).
RIP...a great pilot who got caught in several circumstances that took away his opportunities to recover.
He had no options in this situation that close to the ground.
I love that since the NTSB doesn't do its job anymore, we just took over. Not a terrible plan.
I have considered making a video about the NTSB not investigating air show and air race crashes. It really isn't their mandated job. I may get a lot of flak, but that is okay. It will get a conversation going. Thank you for watching and for taking the time to comment. Appreciated, MrFreshbreeze50
Only one variable that I didn't hear or see listed. Was the ambient temperature warmer on Saturday than on Friday? Density Altitude. I think Mr Breeze did a good job here pointing out the possible causes. The biggest mistake that Steve made was failure to maintain adequate altitude minutes prior to the unrecoverable dive. RIP Mr.Oberg.
You make a valid point. Sorry, but I didn't make note of the ambient temperature for the two days.
Very well put together ... from the video and what has been said , I feel the probable cause was pilot error due to cumulative g forces medications causing misjudgement in required altitude needed for safely executing the aerobatic maneuvers ... also his 200 hrs of aerobatics was not sufficient for what he was doing ...❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Excellent video production, organization, details & fact finding, etc., it is a great service to fellow pilots and observers. Whether the root cause (or multiple causes) was the engine sputtering or commanded throttle bursts attempting to recover/provide enough airflow over the rudder/elevator control surfaces, I find it appalling the NTSB would make zero acknowledgement in their report. Anyone including non-pilots can see/hear the lack of smoke and noise of the engine several times, including your excellent video analysis of the propeller rotation and side-by-side and zoomed-in video evidence.
Pilot medication/G-LOC are ruled out, in my mind, given the control inputs' activity and correct direction of application, as well as the repeated commanded throttle bursts, unless the fuel system or ignition system faulted. I agree disorientation could have been a factor, but the delayed recovery combined with engine & smoke factors were never present in the practice video, in addition to the direction of recovery (lack thereof) direction. While the prop rotation vs. camera frame rate could result in aliasing, it is at a low enough rate that it makes sense to review & consider as part of the analysis, and could very well be relevant and accurately depicted. I agree the low angle of entry and low altitude were factors, although if the engine did not have any issues like it appeared to have his recovery would have been much quicker and maneuver exit/recovery would have been likely successful and without incident.
Great job with the video and attention to detail, resources from Dan, etc. This is another excellent tribute to the pilot and his family that we are coming together as a community to find fault in appalling gov't conduct unbecoming of their mission, but also for pilots collectively interacting, discussing and learning what happened and how to avoid the tragedy. Additionally, it helps the general public learn that not all accidents are simply cut and dried 'pilot error', etc.
RIP, Godspeed & God Bless
Dear Mr. Landers, Thank you for your serious evaluation plus insight into the handling of all aviation accident evaluations. This video is by far the most difficult I've ever made, and I confess that several times I felt like throwing in the towel and saying, "What's the point? Will anyone care?" Your comments have totally eliminated that concern, and your evaluation, as well as others that are coming in, make me feel my efforts accomplished what I hoped would be the result. Aviation safety can't improve if incidents, regardless of how small, aren't closely scrutinized so awareness and recommendations can be made. Again, thank you for your detailed analysis. I hope other pilots read your thoughtful comments and add to the discussion to the benefit of all.
Absolutely, Sir! I do video production in my side consulting business and am well aware of the immense amount of time and effort you put in to assemble this entire compilation. It is far more thorough than what the NTSB appears to have done in this and many other cases over the years. Dan mentions this as well. This fact is a disgrace to the NTSB mission and pilot safety. Please keep up the great work and the good fight to help fellow pilots and the general public learn what the investigators summarily ignored and/or dismissed.
@@douglanders5558 Again, I sincerely appreciate that you recognize what I tried to accomplish. I had hoped to have it finished back in November last year. But I'd never done a split screen, picture in a picture, slow-motion, and adjusting the sound to the visual, so I had a lot to learn. And then, some of the functions of my software didn't work. I had to contact the company (not easy in itself), and tech told me to uninstall and reinstall. As you can imagine, I was ready to give it up several times and came very close to quitting.
But when I read all the comments on my original tribute video to Steve O'Berg, where viewers were asking why the crash happened to such an experienced pilot, I felt compelled to try and address their questions as best I could. And, the more I got into it, more and more possible issues came up. As it is, I left out a couple of minor points, yet still, the video is lengthy.
Another confession is that I didn't know about Dan Gryder or Juan Browne, and others making evaluation videos until after I posted the original video. Seeing that there is great interest by pilots in learning from their excellent evaluation videos is what promoted me to attempt this one. If even one pilot learns something that prevents an accident, this video has served its purpose.
I have ideas on one or two more that I'll post when I can get them made, but I'm not in a position to start an evaluation channel. I'll leave that to the experts like Dan and Juan.
Thanks again for expressing your opinion of my efforts. It is gratifying to know my efforts are appreciated. Sincerely, Donovan
@@MrFreshbreeze50EnjoyLife agreed, Sir! I know you would have a loyal following of fellow pilots and concerned citizens so we look forward to your next opportunity to release your next video. Understood that you are not set up to do a full time video analysis channel but much appreciate the ones you are able to do, with the proper due diligence requisite of an objective and fair assessment of facts and evidence, while offering a quorum for differing opinions and ideas.
@@douglanders5558 Thank you very much.
I know very little about aerobatics but i am a mechanic/racer... I watched the timing of both.. My experience says no air crash is a "single" issue.. it is a combination of holes that all line up..
Saturdays routine sure appeared to have a recovery issue.. (by time frame compared to Friday)
Fridays flight in/out of the maneuver was shorter by a noticeable amount kind of indicating an inability to recover control?
Paired up with the show smoke, Friday did not show any throttling up/down in recovery, just up..
After what looked like the 2nd or 3rd recover attempt he simply ran out of altitude? On Friday, power came up and he flew out of the dive...
I feel like he was trying to overcome a loss of power.. Combining a mechanical (fuel) issue with a lower then normal altitude and a contribution of prevailing wind... holes start to line up? These kinds of pilots are rarely tripped up by a single issue IMO.. No fuel report is kind of troubling or an omission of convenience? Experience stunt pilot on checking fuel level? tough to swallow..
There are several types of lomcevak. This was a main, entered shallow of climb and slow- so more vertical space is needed to recover and he did not acquire it.
He had pro stall ailerons and power bursts are more gyroscopic aggrevation than lift/thrust augmenting recovery.
Nice edits and sequence vs energy work, but the acro/control input cause/effect is off.
R.I.P. and condolences for his family.....
Thank you for this. It looks in the slow motion a second before impact a lack of fuel, the exhaust is a number of separate puffs (26.08) instead of continuous, again indicating fuel starvation.
smoke oil
Very thorough evaluation and video, well done. Any idea why they completely ignored the onboard video? There was clearly a running Go-Pro on the right I-strut, from the photos it looks like the mount is intact after the crash, they should have been able to get a lot of good info from that! Not even mentioned in the NTSB report, missing as a lot of info seems to be...
Thank you for watching and commenting. I confess, until your comment, I was unaware of a GoPro mounted on the plane. I just looked at the NTSB crash photos and was unable to detect the camera. Regardless, I have no association with the NTSB, so I'm not privy to how they conducted their evaluation. As I mentioned in the video, I feel their report was somewhat superficial, but that is strictly my opinion. To that point, I plan on making a couple of additional videos, one that will address the NTSB and a second that will address aircraft construction and safety.
@@MrFreshbreeze50EnjoyLife You are right, in the detailed NTSB photos in the docket, the camera mount is still attached but it looks like the camera was either removed by the accident or by the investigators. I put cameras on these types of planes all the time, and this camera wold have survived that type of crash with little to no damage at the location it was mounted. It may have been broken off the mount by the impact, but should have been right there available to the investigators. It is clearly on the plane at 17:52 and can be seen right before the crash at 24:12 as well. So sad for the loss of life, this is a great opportunity to learn and prevent it from happening agin! The onboard video would answer a lot of questions and could have helped the investigation. Again thanks for the tremendous video!
@@bardenaviation Thank you for providing additional information on the camera and for giving timing marks. I'll check them out. You are correct; a plane-mounted video would have been a great addition to providing information. Your attention to detail is greatly appreciated.
@@bardenaviation You nailed it. I just clicked 17:52 and immediately saw the camera. I wonder what happened to it? I assume if the NTSB had it there would have been mention of it. Strange. Thanks again.
@@MrFreshbreeze50EnjoyLife I cannot imagine they missed it when cleaning up the accident even if it was broken off. It should have been right by the aircraft. They usually mention if a camera is found even if it is broken and the footage files are lost. Since I install a lot of cameras like this I saw it attached immediately. Sad for the loss of human life, also sad the video seems to be lost as well. Missed opportunity for learning. Thanks again for the great work on this!
THINK! That will solve the majority of crashes.
he did not get full power from the engine when he needed to pull out.
The black smoke is definitively not from shadowing. We can observe how shadowing looks in the earlier frames where the aircraft is doing the shadow. It only goes down to light gray while the smoke at the end is more like dark gray. Also, the sound of the non-revving-up engine correlates exactly with the smoke problem. Combined with the missing fire burst on impact, my opinion is to go with the fuel-empty theory, but I am in no way experienced in such matters. Strange that NTSB doesn't say anything about the fuel level.
Agreed !
I hung on to every word avidly, determined to never repeat these errors. Then, I remembered that I don't own an airplane and I am not a pilot.
Problem solved.
It has been over 50 years since I've had my hands on the controls and I never even got to the PPL, but even I can see the wind direction, and fuel quantity seemed to have a lot to do with this unfortunate accident, as did the entry into the fatal Lomchevak to the left and at too low of altitude. Rest in peace Steve O'berg.
Looks like to me he wasn’t aware of his low altitude. It also looks like he was flying his plane well till the end. I also think there was some sort of fuel starvation. The plane would have recovered and was recovering but ran out of altitude.
Thank you for watching and for your thoughtful evaluation. You make very good points.
Just Look Up Who is Top Man at NTSB . PITIFUL !!!
Starting this maneuver to the left was his fatal decision. 400 ft tool low was the second.
The maneuver was originaly performed by Czechoslovakian pilot Ladislav Bezák in the 50s a it´s called "lomcovák".
Unfortunately it´s not possible to pronounce it right for not native czech speaker.
Given the lack of fuel issues investigated by the NTSB I would wonder why a probable cause was ever considered considering the investigation seems to be horribly incomplete. Not getting or making sure they have access to any video would probably have been helpful to but I've only investigated a couple of air crashes. And consulted on the 737 problem when NTSB was trying to figure those issues out.
Agreed! Thank you for your insight. FYI: I can't recall which department I tried to contact, but I immediately sent a message to the FAA or NTSB that they could have my videos, and I never received a response. I would have thought they would have at least acknowledged my message. They could have said, "Thank you, but no thank you, we have what we need," or even "You have contacted the wrong department. Please send your information to XYZ," but I received nothing. Therefore, I assumed they had what they needed and didn't want another video. Thank you for watching the video and expressing your opinion.
It appears he misjudged his altitude
One disagreement, the lomcevak and similar tumbling maneuvers is a big crowd pleaser at airshows specifically because of the radically abnormal behavior of the aircraft. To me it seems like steve had insufficient aerobatic experience in that airplane to be flying airshows with maneuvers at that level. I’m no airshow pilot, but I have performed in public in a couple disciplines, and invariably the stress level is much higher during a performance leading to mistakes one wouldn’t make in practice. That seems to be what happened here with the early attempt at the maneuver at too low an altitude.
PLZ...Look in last seconds of this video, a little bit before the plane crashed.......i see back smoke into white smoke.......two times and then.....we look crash!!!! May be something problem in engine???????
I want to mount some GoPro cameras on my airplane, what approved data did you guys use to mount yours?
Contact czcams.com/channels/mnAq_6tRB2oRwhLlDtkCdA.html Barden Aviation. They mount cameras on airplanes.
NFlight makes some FAA approved mounts for certified aircraft. You can also mount inside with suction cups. Never use suction cups outside the aircraft! The 3M mounts will work if properly prepared, and Ram makes some great mounts for experimental aircraft as well. Message me for more info, we do this all of the time!
I do not see most of what you call out in the video... probably due to my lack of expertise... but still.
what I see is that the Choreography of this sequence was a very fast-moving and confusing, leaving less breathing space between maneuvers than most of the acrobatics I have seen... since this is so, one must consider whether the pilot simply overstretched himself beyond his mental capacity (the ability to keep what's going on in his mind and make correct inputs)... indeed the jerkiness we see develop may be a sign of the strain both his mental faculties, his neural-conductive system (that which answers for quick and accurate muscle inputs upon the brains command), and his physical state (the ability to give enough nutrients & oxygen to the organs etc.) is undergoing...
I believe, this, rather than anything else is the most likely cause of the event...
he was conscious and making inputs to the end, but his reactions were off enough to make him unable to adjust to the situation for a safe outcome... effectively, the accident happened on the ground, long before this plane took off...
my recommendation: have a person who knows you but is unafraid to criticize you look over your flight plans. make it a point to consult others you know to be good and listen to their assessments. and do not hesitate forget to do thesame for the pilots who look up to and trust you!
remember, it is easier to heal a bent ego than to resurrect the dead....
Thank you for watching and for taking the time to write a detailed critique with good thought put into it. Appreciated all around. You make great points in your observations.
That's a difficult spin maneuver to get out of. You need to allow for extra Altitude when Is reversing a spin from one direction To the other. Even then you can't try to recover too early. You must have the airspeed. This reminds me of the brian jensen crash Two thousand eleven.
Great Comments & Thorough Evaluation!!
Probable/Possible Cause, seems to be;
Unusually Low Altitude Entry into Steve's
Routine Performance of his Fatal Maneuver
(Not Allowing Enough Recovery Airspace).
{Bill in CA, a Qualified Mishap Investigator}
Retired pilot here, but no aerobatic experience. The only thing I noticed, was that there was no positive pitch change evident prior to impact. It appeared that he had flying airspeed, but the lack of a pitch up tells me he was likely unconscious….pure speculation on my part…
He seemed to be working the throttle prior to impact.
You are pronouncing "LOMCEVAK" incorrectly.
I always heard it pronounced differently as well. Lawm sha vock! But maybe that's just how we said it in Texas.
The cause of this crash is plain as day to me : Not enough altitude at ground level.
co operator/team member on the ground may have told him on the radio he was too low before it was too late .....
Accelerated stall. Downwind to begin with. Too shallow of a climb. Started maneuver too early.Should have been much higher. Engine could have been an issue. Typically they don.t usually quit all at once. The unpredictable torque of a failing engine can exacerbate the situation. Also the torque of the engine will cause the plane to roll into the stall in this situation since he was rolling in the opposite direction then he should have been. If he recently switched to the 3 blade prop. and had been practicing before with the 2 blade then the 3 blade acts more like a big disk causing the plane to decelerate faster making the stall worse.
Very thoughtful assessment. Thank you for watching and for your evaluation. Very good points.
ailerons wont stop the roll in a spin they cant effect control but not like in normal flight. started with an outside snaproll, forward elevator. looks to me that was held throughout so the stall was not broken. in my opinion. i spin trained in an s2b. flew an s1.
Thank you for your observation and input, Todd. It's helpful to have comments from pilots with experience in this aircraft.
situational awarenss or maybe blackout?
Situational awareness seems more likely. Good comment, and thank you for watching and commenting. MrFreshbreeze50
I assume he went unconscious when he caused inverted G forces, rushing too much blood to his brain too quickly. It looks as if he became unconscious or severely disoriented.
According to the government G-force study, it is somewhat doubtful that he became unconscious, but I agree that disorientation could have been a factor, as well as sluggishness in his reaction time. Thank you for your input.
Fuel starvation, plain too see the engine was not running properly.
Too low to have a chance.
Looks like he should've had enough elevator authority etc and thrust to pull out of the spiraling dive??? Maybe something failed 🤔
The last two trails are not vapour they are engine exhaust maybe flooded.
But seriously, It is clear that the show smoke and engine sounds coincide and that the interruption of engine sound is NOT due exhaust tip orientation to the show-line. Additionally, the exhaust note and show-smoke clearly differ on the Saturday show from Friday practice. Also, why would the pilot intentionally chop the throttle at this point of the show? I do not think he did. I think it was fuel and that, something weird happened, like his clunker came off inside the tank
You raise another point that, to my recollection, was not addressed by the NTSB. They seemed to rely more on the testing of the engine after the accident than on what may have happened during the flight. Also, they never addressed the fuel issue. Granted, the maneuver was performed at a low altitude, but even so, all factors are important.
ALTITUDE : CAMERON MEMORIAL AIRPORT (EZZ) is 1,040 ft. above mean sea level.
Is it possible he forgot to set his altimeter to zero on the ground?
Is it possible he set it, and then it became "UNset" somehow?
Altimeter settings have been a factor in other crashes. I recall were it was indicated as a cause in another air show crash some years prior. I can't recall if this was addressed by the NTSB investigation. I can only say that Steve's home airport was only about 33 nm away from the Cameron Memorial Airport, so one would "assume" that his altimeter would have been set correctly.
25:54 Did you notice something rather large fell off the plane and was left behind?
At 25:47, if you look to the lower left of the video screen, you will see a bird that flies behind the plane and continues on. That is what you noticed.
@@MrFreshbreeze50EnjoyLife ok, actually my first impression was a bird but I just didn't see it earlier
I think the guy did want to deliver a spectacular show. He was way too low for that maneuver. It can work but if then anything comes on top like fuel starvation or disorientation it can be fatal. The NTSB was right not to issue a recommendation. It was a reckless stunt which should have never been executed this way.
It seems every time I look another self appointed aviation expert telling us there reason why the Accident happened ? My father was an Airline Pilot , we owned our own Airplane and I got my Lic at 16 and also flew for an Airline all my life. I also owned 3 aircraft .
why planes crash other then mechanical reasons which are rare. Is usually pilot related .
I also did some aerobatic Flying which is the most extreme and intense and demanding
type of flying there is . Especially airshow flying, the level of concentration and situational awareness is intense.And like the Sea Aviation is unforgiving of mistakes Airshow Aerobatic flying is only a heartbeat away from disaster. That's why so few can do it.
He probably could’ve survived this had he been wearing a head restraint. Most likely he whipped his head, ripping the brain into the base of the skull via spinal cord. Same reason we have airbags in cars and in racing we started out with shoe strings. Then a few years later went to the hans/hybrids. The torso decels with the vehicle/aircraft and the head continues at speed. In 1999’ I had a 175g hit and woke up 3-4 weeks later. I blew a front right at 177-183mph. -- in aviation now I don’t have the balls to wear one. I don’t have enough confidence in the fuel cell. You know, as in the Hans keeps you alive to get burned up. I’m torn between the options.
Engine frailer at a low altitude ?
Long and short of it is he lost air flow over his control surfaces. Air shows are flown at full power and stay that way Until aeropathics are completed. Reducing power and increasing power was More than likely alaska attempt to Power his way out. This is fine if you have altitude. Is main mistake this day was not allowing enough altitude in the box.
Even though he was not intoxicated, he was experiencing intoxication effects from the 5G +/-
No fire???
15 kts on sock?
I love those airshows. Sometimes we can see some idiots making amazing crashes. Car and boat races as well.
Tough occupation to get life insurance.
This thing is not a brick. So, unless there was some hardware failure (jammed ailerons, probably) he had at least two moments where recovery was possible and "natural".
I confess I don't have personal experience with a Pitts, but some pilots call it a brick. I think one of the links in the description will take you to an article about that. Regardless, I appreciate your input. That is what this video is all about. Pilots sharing their experiences with others. We may never really know what all happened. But the fact that it gets us thinking about it is positive for everyone. Thank you for adding your comment.
His maneuvers are according to him and how he feels that day and what he thinks he should do and not according to society there’s no way that you can predict a pilots maneuver the next day ...!
Showtime is too long - - - -five minutes will be enough - - - -then it s good to come down - -check all - -an flying again - - - - -same as RC - Modell-flying . . . . . . . .
No drama, why worry?? Those pilots know exactly what they are going into.
Therefore, we should not regret the tragic outcome.
I just can't watch videos that are read from a script. Thanks though.
The NTSB could not find their butt cheeks with both hands.................
Behind their backs
He should have got it out of the spin.
Unfortunately their aerobatic Pilots that take risks, and then end up dying. So sad so bad, it's just unrealistic that you would have a seasoned aerobatic pilot that would change his routine and end up killing himself.
Not having an abundance of aircraft technology, I would wonder if the pilot may have been under some amount of drug influence. As experienced and accomplished a pilot as steve was, I don't see him getting into the fatal situation that occurred.
The three most deadly words in aviation…..” Hey Watch This!”
It seemed to be a loss of some control surface, he always nose down and pull out to level flight. I assume with his experience ne can perform this nose down to level flight even without power if that were the problem. He lost the ability to smoothly level off the plane, rudder because of control issues or speed would be my call, since part of the problem was stopping the spin while nose down. You can see it in the nose down position at 60 maybe 70 deg angle, good, but the plane continues to spin and up becomes down and the plane is on its back and is the root cause of the failed nose down to level compared with other times. The power loss could have been a factor or distraction, but he should go to 5 to 10K feet and try this cutting the power with a good engine and fuel, work out a plan to get out of this tumbling quickly without power to level flight. If he had never practiced this scenario lack of preparation was the problem, if he practices this and needs over 3000 ft without power or worse the engine, he should have never done these stunts at under 5000 ft or ever. His low-level acrobatics and hours in the plane make me assume he did not try engine off tumbling recovery at a high altitude to perfect recovery worst case, for some reason, maybe his inexperience, he could have lost power during the tumbling didn't have time to work the problem on the fly because it was seconds to impact. My recommendation would be better as a stunt pilot, practice regularly at altitude with and without engine at critical phases, second recommendation if I were being paid and risked being sued, don't do it the practicing alone is too dangerous.
Thank you for your thoughtful, detailed assessment, which is exactly what I was hoping for when making this video - to get pilots thinking, as you did, and then expressing it for others.
This is a very bizarre “analysis”. It’s full of very poorly informed opinion (although I recognise it’s well-meaning). The process of investigation should deal with factual information and likely evidential conclusions. The judgement to continue a manoeuvre which had been successfully completed elsewhere in the routine was poor, and the pilot was relatively inexperienced with this type of flying. In short, the issue is judgement ‘in the moment’. The challenge for prevention is how to maintain an adequate level of situational awareness in the highly dynamic (and frequently modified) flow of an aerobatic routine. The video mashed up stall/spin advice (inappropriate because many of these manoeuvres are constructed of intentional accelerated stalls/spins), aerobatic competition box construction (this wasn’t a comp, he was flying to his waiver, same with aresti card), aircraft mechanical status (the engine was running, because the exhaust was making show smoke which needs heat) and judgement (unknowable, because of the sad outcome). The end result is a far less clear conclusion than that provided by the NTSB.
I feel that he ran out of fuel, which caused the plane to not have the power to pull out of this manoover ! And this would also cause the low altitude! !! If there would have been fuel, there would have been fire !
YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS IN THIS MATTER
To many drinks before the show he got losed while in the flying monoeuvers.
The NTSB is an agency of the US government; therefore, you can not expect much or rely on anything being accurate