A nationally known aerobatics pilot had to ditch his plane in Red River Parish this morning after the aircraft's control stick broke.
Sean Tucker parachuted safely -- despite getting tangled briefly on part of the plane after getting out of the cockpit.
The single-engine stunt plane crashed in a field near the Red River-Natchitoches Parish line.
Red River Sheriff Johnny Ray Norman said Tucker was in town to visit friends while on his way to a weekend air show in Florida.
http://www.ktbs.com/news/local/2574846. ... eo=YHI&t=a
Sean Tucker aerobatics pilot had to ditch his plane
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jumperdumper
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Sean Tucker aerobatics pilot had to ditch his plane
When your life flashes before your eyes, will it be interesting?
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jumperdumper
- Rank 4
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Now who doesn't think parachuting is a good idea? 
Sorry about the 2nd post...was a little sleepy....
Sorry about the 2nd post...was a little sleepy....
Last edited by jumperdumper on Wed Apr 05, 2006 9:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
When your life flashes before your eyes, will it be interesting?
Last edited by Hedley on Wed Apr 05, 2006 8:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
I didn't understand that "backup control" crap either. The media doesn't have a lot of aviation knowledge or credibility - you're likely as not to hear about a "twin-engine Piper Cub".
Depends where the stick broke. If there's enough stick left, you could try to push side to side on what's left to simply keep the wings level, and use the trim for pitch attitude. I guess he must have been able to do this, because he purportedly flew for 15 minutes after it broke.
With his aircraft (a highly modified single-seat experiment/exhibition Eagle I with Steve Wolf wings) there is going to be precious little dihedral, so the "picking up a dropped wing"-with-rudder-trick isn't going to work very well.
I've had the stick jam up on me in a Pitts a couple times, once in a vertical downline. I could move it back and forth, but I couldn't pull it back beyond neutral because junk in the tail had jammed between the elevator bellcrank and the push-pull tubes. Thank god for pitch trim. It's not much fun to land without elevator authority.
Note that there is an AD out about Pitts control stick thickness:
96-10-12 AVIAT AIRCRAFT, INC.: Amendment 39-9619; Docket No. 96-CE-20-AD.
Applicability: Models S-1S, S-1T, S-2, S-2A, S-2S, and S-2B airplanes (formerly known as Pitts Models S-1S, S-1T, S-2, S-2A, S-2S, and S-2B airplanes), all serial numbers, certificated in any category, that are equipped with a flight control stick with a wall thickness of .035 inch.
NOTE 1: All Model S-2A airplanes and some Model S-2S airplanes were equipped with a .035-inch wall thickness flight control stick at manufacture. Models S-1S, S-1T, S- 2, S-2B and certain Model S-2S airplanes were manufactured with control sticks with a wall thickness greater than .035 inch, but could have .035-inch flight control sticks installed through FAA-approved field modification.
NOTE 2: This AD applies to each airplane identified in the preceding applicability provision, regardless of whether it has been modified, altered, or repaired in the area subject to the requirements of this AD. For airplanes that have been modified, altered, or repaired so that the performance of the requirements of this AD is affected, the owner/operator must request approval for an alternative method of compliance in accordance with paragraph (d) of this AD. The request should include an assessment of the effect of the modification, alteration, or repair on the unsafe condition addressed by this AD; and, if the unsafe condition has not been eliminated, the request should include specific proposed actions to address it.
Compliance: Required initially upon accumulating 1,000 hours time-in-service (TIS) or within the next 25 hours TIS after the effective date of this AD, whichever occurs later, unless already accomplished, and thereafter as indicated in the body of this AD.
To prevent the inability to maneuver the airplane because of a cracked control stick, which, if not detected and corrected, could result in loss of control of the airplane, accomplish the following:
(a) Inspect, using dye penetrant methods, the .035-inch wall thickness flight control stick for cracking in accordance with the ACCOMPLISHMENT INSTRUCTIONS section of Aviat Service Bulletin (SB) No. 23, dated March 29, 1996.
NOTE 3: Aviat SB No. 23, dated March 29, 1996, only references the Model S-2A airplanes. The procedures included in this service bulletin should be utilized for all of the airplanes affected by this AD.
(1) If cracking is found, prior to further flight, replace the .035-inch wall thickness flight control stick with one with a .058 inch wall thickness in accordance with the ACCOMPLISHMENT INSTRUCTIONS section of Aviat SB No. 23, dated March 29, 1996.
(2) If no cracks are found, reinspect at intervals not to exceed 50 hours TIS. If cracking is found during any repetitive inspection, prior to further flight, accomplish the replacement specified in paragraph (a)(1) of this AD.
(b) Replacing the .035-inch wall thickness flight control stick with one with a .058-inch wall thickness in accordance with the ACCOMPLISHMENT INSTRUCTIONS section of Aviat SB No. 23, dated March 29, 1996, is considered terminating action for the repetitive inspection requirement of this AD. This replacement may be accomplished at any time, and must be accomplished prior to further flight if cracking is found as required by paragraph (a)(1) of this AD.
(c) Special flight permits may be issued in accordance with sections 21.197 and 21.199 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR 21.197 and 21.199) to operate the airplane to a location where the requirements of this AD can be accomplished.
(d) An alternative method of compliance or adjustment of the initial or repetitive compliance times that provides an equivalent level of safety may be approved by the Manager, Denver Aircraft Certification Office, 5440 Roslyn Street, suite 133, Denver, Colorado 80216. The request shall be forwarded through an appropriate FAA Maintenance Inspector, who may add comments and then send it to the Manager, Denver ACO.
NOTE 4: Information concerning the existence of approved alternative methods of compliance with this AD, if any, may be obtained from the Denver ACO.
(e) The inspection and replacement (if necessary) required by this AD shall be done in accordance with Aviat Service Bulletin No. 23, dated March 29, 1996. This incorporation by reference was approved by the Director of the Federal Register in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. Copies may be obtained from Aviat Aircraft, Inc., The Airport-Box 1240, South Washington Street, Afton, Wyoming 83110. Copies may be inspected at the FAA, Central Region, Office of the Assistant Chief Counsel, Room 1558, 601 E. 12th Street, Kansas City, Missouri, or at the Office of the Federal Register, 800 North Capitol Street, NW., suite 700, Washington, DC.
(f) This amendment becomes effective on June 7, 1996.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Roger Caldwell, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, Denver Aircraft Certification Office, 5440 Roslyn Street, suite 133, Denver, Colorado 80216; telephone (303) 286-5683; facsimile (303) 286-5689.
Depends where the stick broke. If there's enough stick left, you could try to push side to side on what's left to simply keep the wings level, and use the trim for pitch attitude. I guess he must have been able to do this, because he purportedly flew for 15 minutes after it broke.
With his aircraft (a highly modified single-seat experiment/exhibition Eagle I with Steve Wolf wings) there is going to be precious little dihedral, so the "picking up a dropped wing"-with-rudder-trick isn't going to work very well.
I've had the stick jam up on me in a Pitts a couple times, once in a vertical downline. I could move it back and forth, but I couldn't pull it back beyond neutral because junk in the tail had jammed between the elevator bellcrank and the push-pull tubes. Thank god for pitch trim. It's not much fun to land without elevator authority.
Note that there is an AD out about Pitts control stick thickness:
96-10-12 AVIAT AIRCRAFT, INC.: Amendment 39-9619; Docket No. 96-CE-20-AD.
Applicability: Models S-1S, S-1T, S-2, S-2A, S-2S, and S-2B airplanes (formerly known as Pitts Models S-1S, S-1T, S-2, S-2A, S-2S, and S-2B airplanes), all serial numbers, certificated in any category, that are equipped with a flight control stick with a wall thickness of .035 inch.
NOTE 1: All Model S-2A airplanes and some Model S-2S airplanes were equipped with a .035-inch wall thickness flight control stick at manufacture. Models S-1S, S-1T, S- 2, S-2B and certain Model S-2S airplanes were manufactured with control sticks with a wall thickness greater than .035 inch, but could have .035-inch flight control sticks installed through FAA-approved field modification.
NOTE 2: This AD applies to each airplane identified in the preceding applicability provision, regardless of whether it has been modified, altered, or repaired in the area subject to the requirements of this AD. For airplanes that have been modified, altered, or repaired so that the performance of the requirements of this AD is affected, the owner/operator must request approval for an alternative method of compliance in accordance with paragraph (d) of this AD. The request should include an assessment of the effect of the modification, alteration, or repair on the unsafe condition addressed by this AD; and, if the unsafe condition has not been eliminated, the request should include specific proposed actions to address it.
Compliance: Required initially upon accumulating 1,000 hours time-in-service (TIS) or within the next 25 hours TIS after the effective date of this AD, whichever occurs later, unless already accomplished, and thereafter as indicated in the body of this AD.
To prevent the inability to maneuver the airplane because of a cracked control stick, which, if not detected and corrected, could result in loss of control of the airplane, accomplish the following:
(a) Inspect, using dye penetrant methods, the .035-inch wall thickness flight control stick for cracking in accordance with the ACCOMPLISHMENT INSTRUCTIONS section of Aviat Service Bulletin (SB) No. 23, dated March 29, 1996.
NOTE 3: Aviat SB No. 23, dated March 29, 1996, only references the Model S-2A airplanes. The procedures included in this service bulletin should be utilized for all of the airplanes affected by this AD.
(1) If cracking is found, prior to further flight, replace the .035-inch wall thickness flight control stick with one with a .058 inch wall thickness in accordance with the ACCOMPLISHMENT INSTRUCTIONS section of Aviat SB No. 23, dated March 29, 1996.
(2) If no cracks are found, reinspect at intervals not to exceed 50 hours TIS. If cracking is found during any repetitive inspection, prior to further flight, accomplish the replacement specified in paragraph (a)(1) of this AD.
(b) Replacing the .035-inch wall thickness flight control stick with one with a .058-inch wall thickness in accordance with the ACCOMPLISHMENT INSTRUCTIONS section of Aviat SB No. 23, dated March 29, 1996, is considered terminating action for the repetitive inspection requirement of this AD. This replacement may be accomplished at any time, and must be accomplished prior to further flight if cracking is found as required by paragraph (a)(1) of this AD.
(c) Special flight permits may be issued in accordance with sections 21.197 and 21.199 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR 21.197 and 21.199) to operate the airplane to a location where the requirements of this AD can be accomplished.
(d) An alternative method of compliance or adjustment of the initial or repetitive compliance times that provides an equivalent level of safety may be approved by the Manager, Denver Aircraft Certification Office, 5440 Roslyn Street, suite 133, Denver, Colorado 80216. The request shall be forwarded through an appropriate FAA Maintenance Inspector, who may add comments and then send it to the Manager, Denver ACO.
NOTE 4: Information concerning the existence of approved alternative methods of compliance with this AD, if any, may be obtained from the Denver ACO.
(e) The inspection and replacement (if necessary) required by this AD shall be done in accordance with Aviat Service Bulletin No. 23, dated March 29, 1996. This incorporation by reference was approved by the Director of the Federal Register in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. Copies may be obtained from Aviat Aircraft, Inc., The Airport-Box 1240, South Washington Street, Afton, Wyoming 83110. Copies may be inspected at the FAA, Central Region, Office of the Assistant Chief Counsel, Room 1558, 601 E. 12th Street, Kansas City, Missouri, or at the Office of the Federal Register, 800 North Capitol Street, NW., suite 700, Washington, DC.
(f) This amendment becomes effective on June 7, 1996.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Roger Caldwell, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, Denver Aircraft Certification Office, 5440 Roslyn Street, suite 133, Denver, Colorado 80216; telephone (303) 286-5683; facsimile (303) 286-5689.
Update: the control stick did NOT break (thanks media) but in fact his elevator push-pull linkage broke - he still had normal aileron control, and elevator trim and power for pitch control.
I'm a bit puzzled as to why he didn't land it - perhaps there wasn't a long enough runway nearby. The procedure for a no-elevator landing is even in the Pitts POH.
I'm a bit puzzled as to why he didn't land it - perhaps there wasn't a long enough runway nearby. The procedure for a no-elevator landing is even in the Pitts POH.
Karl Koeppen of Sean's Contrails Group, this evening, who confirmed
much of the details we got in bits and pieces... and summarized the
days' events.
"Tucker parachuted from his aerobatic biplane on Tuesday, April 4, 2006
at 10:45am CDT over the I Hope Plantation farm south of Coushatta, LA.
Tucker's biplane suffered a mechanical failure in the elevator control
linkage during a practice flight in the aerobatic box at the Coushatta
airport.
Following the mechanical failure, Tucker was able to climb the aircraft
safely to an altitude of 8,000' using a backup elevator trim handle
located in the cockpit. During this time Tucker was in radio contact
with his crew on the ground and a suitable location was found to conduct
a safe bailout that would minimize any chance of personal or property
damage on the ground.
Tucker bailed out and landed safely. The biplane impacted near the
center of I Hope Plantation, approximately one mile from the nearest
road which had been closed to vehicle traffic as a further precaution."
ANN will be talking to Sean in the next day or two and expects to offer
both a written as well as audio update on this amazing story. One thing
we thought amusing , though, in addition to the disappointment of losing
the airplane, Sean is apparently unhappy with the fact that he "didn't
'stick' the landing..."
That makes a bit more sense and I guess a pilot of his calibre must of had a reason for not trying to land it.
Yea I had my elevator and ailerons get stuck in flight once. Trimed out nice in a super cub then go to turn and ther's hardly any movment in the stick...half a second of panic and then turn around and ask the guy in back could you pull that stuff you cramed in that hole out please.
Yea I had my elevator and ailerons get stuck in flight once. Trimed out nice in a super cub then go to turn and ther's hardly any movment in the stick...half a second of panic and then turn around and ask the guy in back could you pull that stuff you cramed in that hole out please.
I thought he did explore the landing idea, testing approaches up at altitude. (This was implied in the Aero News Net article.)I'm a bit puzzled as to why he didn't land it - perhaps there wasn't a long enough runway nearby. The procedure for a no-elevator landing is even in the Pitts POH.
Since his wan't exactly a certified Pitts, who knows what slow speed control and stability would be like, trying to land it on trim alone. Even in a certified Pitts, I wonder how easy it would be.
There was another acro pilot, Rick Massegee (sp?), who back in the 90's lost full control of his aerobatic monoplane due to a broken rod end in the elevator system. He tried some approaches on trim but it got so squirrely when he slowed down, that he had to give up, climb for altitude, and bail out. That gave him a few more years of life.
Another update, from AOPA. This is starting to make more sense:
Airshow legend and AOPA member Sean D. Tucker was forced on Tuesday
to bail out of his highly modified 400-horsepower Pitts S-2S biplane,
the "Team Oracle Challenger," while practicing his routine near
Coushatta, Louisiana, 38 nm southeast of Shreveport. Tucker said he
was doing a 7.5-G pull at 225 mph when he felt his control stick give.
He went to his trim lever as a backup control and was able to put the
aircraft in a climb to more than 9,000 feet while he evaluated the
problem. Tucker wanted to save the airplane, but it was oscillating
dangerously. "This was the most magical airplane I've ever flown," he
said. Tucker thought he might die and passed along his love for his
family to the ground crew. The local sheriff and a judge raced to the
scene, closed down a road, and directed him to a farm when a bailout
became inevitable. "The last thing you want to do is save your life and
kill someone else," Tucker said. He ducked his head and pulled release
pins holding the canopy, but was still hit twice on his helmet by the
bubble as it flew off. After a brief tussle in getting free from the
aircraft, Tucker popped the silk. He landed uninjured after a 25-minute
ordeal and asked the sheriff to take him to the wreckage, a tangled
bright red mess in a freshly plowed field. Tucker figures the airplane
hit the ground at 250 mph. He found that a torque-tube linkage
controlling the main elevator had failed. Tucker expects it will take
a month or two to re-engine a backup biplane and return to the airshow
circuit. While visibly shaken, Tucker said at Sun 'n Fun, "I want to
build a better aircraft, get back to being the best aviator I can be,
and start spreading the magic."
