Kevin Bonds
Joined: 09 Jan 2006
Posts: 171
Location: Nashville, Tn
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 Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 9:46 am Post subject: Accident in Spain was a Zodiac 601XL and there is a picture |
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I downloaded the photo and enlarged it. What is weird, to me, is that
the wings seem to be beat-all-to-hell but the horizontal stabilizer is
pristine. You can clearly see it in the background. Best I can tell, is
that the plane is on its (left?) side with both wings folded against the
canopy. I think I'm seeing both spars exposed with the leading edges
missing or crumpled. That horizontal stab doesn't look like it has a
scratch on it!
Also, I am trying to make out the objects below the right wheel that is
sticking up in the air. Could those be noseribs? Looks like a lot of
twisted sheet metal around the right wing but there doesn't seem to be
as much crumpled stuff around the left. The left spar seems to be
stripped more cleanly.
I hate the idea of armchair aircraft engineering. But, I've always
believed that the point of failure would have to be the leading edge
skin along the spar. That's why I don't consider adding extra ribs to
the wings to be of any use unless we're talking nose ribs. I've spoken
to another XL builder friend about this many times in the past after one
of these accidents. What spotty information, we have had, suggests that
the spar rivet line is, or would have to be, the point of failure for
the wing to fold--either in flight or on impact. I would think that the
nose skin would have to unzip--on top or maybe bottom--before the wing
would fold up. It appears that the bottom main wing skin is loose on the
right wing in this photo. I see a waviness/buckling above the spar.
Not saying the design is flawed. Every structure has a point of failure,
no matter how strong.
Kevin Bonds
ashontz wrote:
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Didn't one of the others have it's wings break off AFTER an explosion?
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_________________
KevinBonds
Nashville, TN
Plans-building Zenith CH601XL w/Corvair Power
http://home.comcast.net/~kevinbonds |
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