BF-109G-10 'Black 2' Groundloops

[Forgotten Field]

left one stayed extended and kept the prop clear of the ground; it was still turning when the bird came to rest

I don't think that prop (and the crank it's attached to) escaped unscathed. It made several strikes on the ground.

[Curtis Block]

Agreed. I think the damage is much worse than a wingtip.

[warbird1]

Agreed. I think the damage is much worse than a wingtip.

As a minimum, the engine will have to be overhauled and inspected. For DB 601/03/05 engines, the starting price is about $ 350,000. I think that will be a very expensive repair when combined with the rest of the damage.

[K5DH]

Our local TV news showed a short video clip of the ground loop last night. What a sad sight to see! On the positive side, the damage is not as bad as it could have been, and most importantly, the pilot was uninjured.

2008 has not been a good year for Bf-109s...

[Pat M]

Pete, you've been nothing but bad news this week!

[JägerMarty]

Pictures of the 109 looking great with the ME-262 over at FC...

http://www.fencecheck.com/forums/index. ... #msg190188

Great pics there!
Shame about the 109, hope they get it going again soon

[Jerry O'Neill]

Agreed. I think the damage is much worse than a wingtip.

As a minimum, the engine will have to be overhauled and inspected. For DB 601/03/05 engines, the starting price is about $ 350,000. I think that will be a very expensive repair when combined with the rest of the damage.

I agree with the engine inspection, but I was wondering something.
Did this Hispano have a wooden prop?
Not being an aircraft mechanic, I had heard that in regards to Spitfires with wooden props, the chances of engine damage due to a prop strike are much lower than with a metal prop.
Someone please enlighten me. Is this true?

The strikes in the video clip seem fairly light to me. Not that that shouldn't be taken seriously, but I was just wondering.
Thanks.
Jerry

[F3A-1]

To my eye it appeared that the gear was not fully extended and locked down. I would not call it a ground loop as the implication of such would at least lean toward some degree of pilot error.

I see it as another gear failure on landing. I wish them well in any case. Fix it and fly it!

Pirate Lex
http://www.BrewsterCorsair.com

[bdk]

Did this Hispano have a wooden prop?
Not being an aircraft mechanic, I had heard that in regards to Spitfires with wooden props, the chances of engine damage due to a prop strike are much lower than with a metal prop.

No, both the HA-1112 with the Merlin and the Bf-109 had aluminum blades.

Chances are lower with a wooden prop, but nosing over at high power might still call for a teardown.

[51fixer]

If it was a ground loop then there is a forging which the gear pivots on that is quite a piece of structure. They usually get bent/broken in the process of the groundloop. IIRC it is also part of the engine mount on the Spanish built A/C.
I don't know what the structure is at that point on a DB powered 109.
Rich

[hang the expense]

[quote="k5083"]A clip of the "crash landing" made my ISP's "Raw Video" feature this afternoon. He would've been okay except the right gear leg folded. The left one stayed extended and kept the prop clear of the ground; it was still turning when the bird came to rest, until he switched it off. The collapsed gear appeared to fold neatly into the well. So with luck it's just a scraped wing tip and one gear repair.

Looks like the prop did chew up some grass.Anyone know if this A/C had wooden blades?

[Aircraft Mech Paul]

Hi Guys,

I just want to throw my .02 cents in here. I downloaded the video and have looked it over several times. It almost appeared as if the pilot encountered a wind distrubance prior to the landing. A minor one but still, I think, evident. When he set the plane down it almost looked as if the gear downlocks were never fully engagaged and when he put weight on the gear...ie...landing....the right one began to fold up very neatly back into the wheel well.

I am very glad the for the most part, there were no injuries. And that with a little TLC in the tin bending area on the belly and wing she should be okay structurally. The prop, however looks toasted and if the pilot was able to turn the magneto switches to off and not be pulling power, maybe the they will get lucky without engine repair from damage.

I've read where the Spitfire and -109 were real squirlly on the ground due to the gear positioning on the fuselage. Fact is I spoke with the English gentleman who flew the BF-109 at Thunder Over Michigan back when they had the B-17 tribute, and even he said that on the ground the 109 is a real challange.

I'm just glad that no one was hurt.

Respectfully,

Paul

[Matt Gunsch]

this 109 has a wooden prop as shown in the belly landing this same plane did several months ago. With the wooden prop, the chance of engine damage is slight.

[Planebeach]

Here is the video http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a46_1211965193

[hang the expense]

Thanks Matt. The wooden prop is sure worth what they get for them when it can save the engine from major if any damage.Good sheet metal guys are hard to come by.