Texas Flying Legends ground collision- no injuries.

Thomas_Mac · **Posted:** Thu Mar 17, 2016 9:01 am

Ryan Harris wrote:

Not sure about the Hellcat (maybe it's actually their Wildcat), but they came back to Houston with the Mustang yesterday, and picked up their Spitfire. I happened to catch them leaving Ellington as they went by the office.

Btw, for those thinking the Zero is cut in half, I've seen a photo and it isn't as bad as you could image. It was a taxi incident on departure, so power was low. TFL posted a statement last night that both airplanes will be back up within the year.

From their Instagram

Quote:

Coming to LA County Air Show, our gorgeous FM-2P Wildcat. Come and say hello!

Dave Hadfield · **Joined:** Sun Sep 17, 2006 10:31 pm **Posts:** 1672

I don't know where they were when the collision happened, but often these days in a warbird you are forced to move on very narrow taxiways where it is not practical to do S-turns. And if you don't, then you have a huge blind spot front and center.

The worst airplane I've flown for this is not a fighter at all, it's the Fox Moth, and in those situations I ask my passenger up front to crack the door open, lean out a bit, and tell me over the intercom if we're about to Crunch something.

An escort, trotting alongside, or on an ATV or bicycle, is a very good idea. If they hold up a clenched fist, you stop.

The most dangerous case is after a flight, when you are taxying back into a crowd. Often I do not move close-in to where the marshaller says. They tend to assume I can see, and that my brakes work well. I sometimes just shut down while still clear and get towed.

Dave

dirtysidedown430 · **Joined:** Sat Apr 11, 2015 12:36 pm **Posts:** 336

Yes yes you stay safe that the hell with the marshall. Picturrs of a crewmember sitting on the wing as taxy out to run up stand come to mind.

ZRX61 · **Joined:** Tue Jun 14, 2005 10:16 am **Posts:** 2309

There was another taxi incident at their destination in California..... The Blue Angels Fat Albert C130 taxied into a light pole... There were two guys up on the wing hammering the snot out of it this morning. Fresh leading edge part & piano wire hinge were retrieved from Texas someplace.

dbrown · **Posted:** Sat Mar 19, 2016 2:09 pm

Ouch!

Given how the tail is constructed they are probably going to redo the entire tail section from the production break back.

Nathan · **Posted:** Sat Mar 19, 2016 3:30 pm

looks bad to me!

Pogo · **Posted:** Sat Mar 19, 2016 7:56 pm

I can never get too broken up when all personnel go home with zero physical injury.

Thanks for posting the pic, was hoping someone would.

dbrown · **Posted:** Sat Mar 19, 2016 8:12 pm

I can only imagine what going through that could do to they psyche of the Zero pilot. The sheer terror knowing that the corsair is moving up the tail.

There is so much internal damage to the tail from the torque and the prop that I suspect the entire rear end after the production break will have to be built new - probably not much hope of salvaging the stabilizer mounts and tail strut structure.

I saw her fly a couple years ago in Colorado Springs......such a beautiful restoration.

Lon Moer · **Posted:** Sat Mar 19, 2016 11:20 pm

dbrown wrote:

Ouch!

Given how the tail is constructed they are probably going to redo the entire tail section from the production break back.

Is that a bent prop on the Corsair, too??

Chris Brame · **Posted:** Sat Mar 19, 2016 11:59 pm

Pogo wrote:

I can never get too broken up when all personnel go home with zero physical injury.

Except for the Zero's physical injury. :wink:

(sorry, but it was too easy...)
Doesn't POF have an aft fuselage? Or would it just be better to build one from scratch?

TAdan · **Posted:** Sun Mar 20, 2016 9:08 am

Glad to hear no one was injured. I'm sure they'll have both planes repaired as expediently as possible. The "discussion" about this accident on Facebook is truly brain melting.

jtramo · **Joined:** Wed Nov 05, 2008 8:39 pm **Posts:** 359

I'm starting to notice a trend with monday morning quarterbacks. Some are also paint police. No matter what some people will never be happy and always offended. Aviation will never be 100% accident/incident free, we just have be thankful that no one was injured.

mlenoch · **Posted:** Sun Mar 20, 2016 7:48 pm

"Some are also paint police."..............oh don't get me started!

marine air · **Posted:** Sun Mar 20, 2016 10:02 pm

Maybe it's time to park most of these old birds. I would guess the damage to the Corsair to be $200k and on the Zero at $700K , maybe more.Did you notice the ripple in the side of the fuselage, the twisted tailwheel assembly , the cuts through the horizontals and the disentegrated vertical fin, rudder, and elevators? THose aircraft were rebuilt in Russia 25 plus years ago. Good luck finding someone that can read the russian translations of the japanese blueprints in the U.S. I think it'll be down a couple years or more.

Matt Gunsch · **Posted:** Sun Mar 20, 2016 10:34 pm

marine air wrote:

Maybe it's time to park most of these old birds. I would guess the damage to the Corsair to be $200k and on the Zero at $700K , maybe more.Did you notice the ripple in the side of the fuselage, the twisted tailwheel assembly , the cuts through the horizontals and the disentegrated vertical fin, rudder, and elevators? THose aircraft were rebuilt in Russia 25 plus years ago. Good luck finding someone that can read the russian translations of the japanese blueprints in the U.S. I think it'll be down a couple years or more.

That Zero was made in Canada,they have all the drawings and if it was made once, it can be repaired. the amount of damage is to be expected as the skin on a Zero is about as thick as the skin on a Cessna.

Warbird Information Exchange

Texas Flying Legends ground collision- no injuries.

Who is online