Warbird Information Exchange

Just got texted this. Something goes wrong , or a control lock , not any stunting. It’s a lot like the Bushmaster or the Caribou in Canada.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EvODKP32V ... e=youtu.be

Extremely sad. Not unlike the Bushmaster accident several years ago.

Control lock is highly unlikely as it is the same as the L-19/O-1 Bird Dog. The bar comes out of the floor and is directly connected to the brakes. It doubles as the parking brake and control lock in one.

Control rod breakage maybe?

Could be many things. Why not wait til the investigation has been done and a correct cause attributed.

Or maybe it was alien abduction.

The final NTSB report is out and blancolirio has a YouTube video.

Sadly, Snodgrass was usually meticulous before flying but on that day he did not check that the control locks were removed. The lock is under the stick and on the rudder pedals but allows enough play to taxi and you can miss it if you do not do full checklist. He had recently bought the plane and had low time in it.

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"They done it, they done it, damned if they ain't flew." December 17, 1903

Still hard to believe that he didn't check that he had full movement of the controls before releasing the brakes. That is also one thing I take note of whenever I fly with someone. Did they check to make sure everything is free? If no, I always question them on it. It just seems second nature.

Will

Yet another reminder that complacency and distraction/inattention does not care about your experience level.

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Apparently it's a weird control lock. A bit like a T-6, but allows free movement of the rudder pedals.

This is key -- if your rudder pedals move freely, and you can taxi normally, there's nothing to point out that the other controls are locked unless you do a full-function check.

A suck-in...

Didn't know him personally but saw him at Oshkosh and remember his many displays in the F-14. He really knew how to bring the speed, noise and adrenaline. Truly the best of the best at his job. He had a distinguished career including wartime service. Most exceptional pilots like him would not want the truth to be hidden but for the investigation to help educate others and prevent future accidents.
One question I have is "was the aircraft hangared?" My preference is to always chock the wheels even inside the hangar, but not use control locks if it's hangared. Was that his technique and someone else put the control lock on? He was an expert in many areas. Hopefully they will go back and try to figure out how this got skipped on his checklist. I fly Falcon jets and they have hydraulic controls and I check them to make sure they are "free , correct, and the hydraulics have the right feel." How many thousands of times did he do this? At least as many times as he buckled his belts and harnesses. Condolences to his family and friends.

Sadly very true.

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Zac in NZ
#avgeek, modelbuilder, photographer, writer. Callsign: "HANDBAG".
https://linktr.ee/zacyates

"It's his plane, he spent the money to restore it, he can do with it what he wants. I will never understand what's hard to comprehend about this." - kalamazookid, 20/08/2013
"The more time you spend around warbirds the sooner you learn nothing, is simple." - JohnB, 24/02/22