Bluebonnet Belle (C-47) lost today 7/21

[Fearless Tower]

Sadly the C-47 Bluebonnet Belle was lost on takeoff today. Nothing specific on injuries, but I've heard no fatals.

Airframe gone (post-crash fire). Praying no one was seriously hurt.

[StangStung]

According to Burnet County Sheriff, 13 aboard, all made it out though one has serious burns.

https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/dps-plane-crashed-at-burnet-airport-saturday-morning

[Warbirdnerd]

https://www.facebook.com/mattgallagher2 ... 270911531/

[ZRX61]

Apparently the last one out was burned & flown to the hospital, 7 others with lesser injuries transported.

[martin_sam_2000]

I am just spit-balling here, but does it seem like the controls don't move much to anyone else? I can't make out the ailerons very well, but the rudder seems to only have a slight deflection.

Sean

[Joe Scheil]

I don’t think that matters now....

[DoraNineFan]

There's video. Thirteen on board, all survived and one with burns.

https://www.facebook.com/mattgallagher2 ... =3&theater

[Matt Gunsch]

Good that everyone got out, watching the video, the tail never came up and it took off from a 3 point attitude,

[Fearless Tower]

Good that everyone got out, watching the video, the tail never came up and it took off from a 3 point attitude,

Yeah. Something definitely not right with that takeoff roll.

[Fouga23]

Glad they all got out! :/ Speedy recovery to the injured crewmembers

[StangStung]

So grateful everyone got out. Hope the recoveries go well.

A shame for that program. They have a great little hangar/museum on the airport. Stopped by to check it out on the way back north from Austin a couple years back and you could tell they took some pride of ownership.

That video is grainy enough that it makes it really hard to tell what's going on. Certainly the colorful language let's you know the guy who was there knew something was amiss. I didn't see any significant control input. There's definitely roll after take off, but it's hard for me to tell if that's because of control, asymmetrical power, something else?

[CAPFlyer]

I watched the video several times on a PC and my laptop and agreed that it didn't look like a lot of control movement. Then I watched it on my cellphone which showed the video much better with the vertical orientation. It was like I was watching a whole different video. There was plenty of control movement, especially on the rudder. You see it go full deflection to the right on several points during the takeoff, including just before the tail comes up at 0:16. You then see the plane swing left, the tail get put back down immediately and full right rudder commanded. The plane then goes off the left side of the runway, swing back toward centerline, become airborne, stalls, hit on the left main, and then ground loop.

Weather was gusty winds out of the southwest. Below are the weather reports from the approximate time of the accident (around 10AM local) -

KBMQ 211553Z AUTO 19009KT 10SM CLR 32/19 A3007 RMK AO2 SLP161 T03220189 $
KBMQ 211453Z AUTO 21008G16KT 10SM FEW004 29/20 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP163 T02940200 51010 $
KBMQ 211431Z AUTO 20009KT 9SM FEW003 29/21 A3008 RMK AO2 T02890206 $

The runway at Burnet (KBMQ) is 1/19, so you would have had a 20* right crosswind with 8 knot gusts. Well within the limit for the C-47, but not nothing.

[Invader26]

Sad day but lucky 13 getting out.

Having flown DC-3's it looks like a gust lock or two were left in..

[Fearless Tower]

Sad day but lucky 13 getting out.

Having flown DC-3's it looks like a gust lock or two were left in..

I've seen a few stills from the video. The elevator is clearly full up at the point of liftoff and full rudder deflection. But I can't make out any aileron input.

[Invader26]

One would not have full up elevator at any stage of takeoff. You can't pull her into the air sadly. Maybe very aft CofG.

The good folks flying her will know so let's wait and see shall we?

Last edited by Invader26 on Sun Jul 22, 2018 8:26 am, edited 1 time in total.