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GSC gets another one.

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Jim Feldmann

Joined: 01 Sep 2008
Posts: 54
Location: Burbank, CA

Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 3:19 pm Post subject: GSC gets another one.

Hi all:



I am sad to report that my beautiful Model IV Speedster was destroyed last week in a forced landing caused by the GSC prop.



All three blades departed the airplane in straight and level cruise flight.  The engine stayed in place and the Kitfox's glide performance was excellent.  Unfortunately we were over a residential neighborhood and had to put it down in rough terrain.  No injuries to the two occupants and no damage on the ground, but the airplane was totaled.



I will try to attach photos of the prop hub and the airplane on the ground.



BY THE WAY; if anyone knows of a good Model IV Speedster for sale, please let me know.

DSCN6763.JPG

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Notice that both carbs shook off at the first surge. That stopped the engine and may have kept in on the airplane.

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DSCN6757.JPG

Description:

All three blades came out clean. No broken wood, they just pulled straight out.

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DSCN6722.JPG

Description:

We snagged a bush and hit sideways, tearing off the gear and serously twisting the fuselage.

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_________________
Jim Feldmann
Kitfox IV Speedster / 912 lost to prop failure
Building a Kitfox 5 Voyager

Last edited by Jim Feldmann on Fri Jul 24, 2009 4:46 pm; edited 1 time in total

lcfitt(at)sbcglobal.net
Guest

Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 4:20 pm Post subject: GSC gets another one.

Jim,



Glad to hear, most of all, that there were no injuries.  Good to hear you 

hope to be up and flying again.  Good luck.



Lowell Fitt

Cameron Park, CA

Model IV-1200 R-912 UL

Covering



---

jcrowder(at)lpbroadband.n
Guest

Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 7:57 pm Post subject: GSC gets another one.

Jim,

I am very sorry to learn of the loss of your Kitfox.  On the other hand I

send my congratulations on the obviously skilled handling of such an extreme

situation.  Two people on board, over a populated area, and no injuries is

about as good as it gets.  I hope you had your aircraft insured.



Jim Crowder



[quote] --

dave

Joined: 22 Sep 2006
Posts: 1382

Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2009 2:52 am Post subject: Re: GSC gets another one.

Jim,  Sorry to read of your prop failure but glad to read you did a excellent forced  approach.  at first look your plane does not look too bad.   



A few questions on the GSC prop,   how many hours and years of service?   I noticed  in the pic of the prop hub that the hub halves  seems  to be quite close together. 

They was another guy on this list a few year ago that had the same thing, not sure what even caused that one either.   I have seen one blade depart but not all three at once. 

Dave

_________________
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jose_m_toro(at)yahoo.com
Guest

Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2009 4:10 am Post subject: GSC gets another one.

Jim:

  

 I agree with Dave.  If that was my plane, I would fix it.  For the prop replacement, I would go Warp.  Just my opinion.  Glad you both are ok.

  

 Jose



 

   From: dave <dave(at)cfisher.com>

To: kitfox-list(at)matronics.com

Sent: Saturday, July 25, 2009 6:52:54 AM

Subject: Re: GSC gets another one.



--> Kitfox-List message posted by: "dave" <dave(at)cfisher.com (dave(at)cfisher.com)>



Jim,  Sorry to read of your prop failure but glad to read you did a excellent forced  approach.  at first look your plane does not look too bad.  



A few questions on the GSC prop,  how many hours and years of service?  I noticed  in the pic of the prop hub that the hub halves  seems  to be quite close together. 

They was another guy on this list a few year ago that had the same thing, not  sure what even caused that one either.  I have seen one blade depart but not all three at once. 

Dave



--------

Rotax Dealer, Ontario Canada

http://www.cfisher.com/

Awesome *New Forum *

http://rotaxaircraft.com/forum/

Realtime Kitfox movies to separate  the internet  chatter from the truth  

http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=kitfoxflyer





Read this topic online here:



http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=254659#254659

<                   -Matt Drall============



           [quote][b]

Dick Maddux

Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Posts: 516
Location: Milton, Fl

Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2009 4:20 am Post subject: GSC gets another one.

Jim,

  Excellent job of saving your butt! I read a book one time called "how to crash an airplane" (and save your life) You must have read it too!

  It looks like you have a lot of good parts which should bring some money towards getting you back flying. Great job !!!

                            Dick Maddux

                            Milton,Fl

  

 PS: Your lucky all three blades left rather than one or two. The outcome might have been a lot worse!

Tom Jones

Joined: 12 Mar 2006
Posts: 752
Location: Ellensburg, WA

Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2009 5:42 am Post subject: Re: GSC gets another one.

That is a shame Jim.  It is good that no one got hurt and you will most likely get another kitfox.  It's a buyers market.  There is a nice looking Speedster on barnstormer's.  It has been on there quite a while so may not still be available.  Sometimes people don't update their adds very well.



Did you build your Kitfox?  If you did you might want to consider getting one with good enough parts to use to rebuild yours.  You could keep your repairman's certificate that way.

_________________
Tom Jones
Classic IV
503 Rotax, 72 inch Two blade Warp
Ellensburg, WA

Jim Feldmann

Joined: 01 Sep 2008
Posts: 54
Location: Burbank, CA

Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 6:37 am Post subject: Re: GSC gets another one.

Dave:



The prop was 3 years old and had a about 90 hours on it.  The separation between the prop hub halves was within spec at the last condition inspection.  



The NTSB has the hub now, so we'll see what they think.



My insurance carrier owns the airplane now.  I'm anxious to finish getting my ticket and if I rebuilt her, I'd be out of the air for too long.  



And yes, I am looking for another Kitfox Speedster.



Thanks to all of you for your kind comments.

_________________
Jim Feldmann
Kitfox IV Speedster / 912 lost to prop failure
Building a Kitfox 5 Voyager

wannafly

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 53

Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 9:23 am Post subject: GSC gets another one.

Jim

  

 Was just wondering were you able to recover the blades. You said you were over a populated area just wondering where the blades hit or were they just splinters?

  

 mic

 

 	  Quote: 	
		   Subject: Re: GSC gets another one.

 From: feldesign(at)earthlink.net

 Date: Sun C 26 Jul 2009 07:37:07 -0700

 To: kitfox-list(at)matronics.com

 

 --> Kitfox-List message posted by: "Jim Feldmann" <feldesign(at)earthlink.net>

 

 Dave:

 

 The prop was 3 years old and had a about 90 hours on it. The separation between the prop hub halves was within spec at the last condition inspection. 

 

 The NTSB has the hub now C so we'll see what they think.

 

 My insurance carrier owns the airplane now. I'm anxious to finish getting my ticket and if I rebuilt her C I'd be out of the air for too long. 

 

 And yes C I am looking for another Kitfox Speedster.

 

 Thanks to all of you for your kind comments.

 

 --------

 Jim Feldmann C 3rd owner

 1994 Kitfox IV Speedster / 912

 Working on my Sport Pilot Certificate

 

 

 

 

 Read this topic online here:

 

 http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=254786#254786

 

 

 

 

======================

&gt==================
	


[quote] 

 

 

Attention all humans. We are your photos. Free us.   	  Quote: 	
		  [b]

Jim Feldmann

Joined: 01 Sep 2008
Posts: 54
Location: Burbank, CA

Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 2:25 pm Post subject: Re: GSC gets another one.

No we did not find the blades.  We were at 2700 ft, entering a mountain pass when they departed.  We did a 180 and glided 3 or 4 miles away before landing.  The local police said that they had no reports of the blades coming down.



The blades would have looked brand new except that the black epoxy sleeve on the hub end stayed in the hub.  They probably would have come down slowly, flat and rotating like a paint roller.  I know the GPS coordinates where we were when they came off, but they could have traveled a long way on the way down.

_________________
Jim Feldmann
Kitfox IV Speedster / 912 lost to prop failure
Building a Kitfox 5 Voyager

dave

Joined: 22 Sep 2006
Posts: 1382

Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 6:24 pm Post subject: Re: GSC gets another one.

Jim ,  I had a blade depart a few years ago. We took the GPS track to exactly where it departed and 3 of us spend a whole day on foot and never found anything, prop, spinner parts -- ZERO.



On the GSC - thanks for update.  That is low time for a GSC.  I will say the alum halves do look rather tight from that picture.  Looks like possibilty of overtightening?  You should have a decnet gap on those usually but with a spinner on you would have never known.   The torque os only 8 foot /lbs or so.  Actually I think up to 100 inch pounds ... very little .



No worry on finding a Kitfox there is always lots of selection in the used market.

rrtrack(at)gmail.com
Guest

Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 8:22 pm Post subject: GSC gets another one.

I would think the hub halves would come together after the blades departed.



On Sun, Jul 26, 2009 at 9:24 PM, dave <dave(at)cfisher.com (dave(at)cfisher.com)> wrote:

 [quote]--> Kitfox-List message posted by: "dave" <dave(at)cfisher.com (dave(at)cfisher.com)>

  

 Jim ,  I had a blade depart a few years ago. We took the GPS track to exactly where it departed and 3 of us spend a whole day on foot and never found anything, prop, spinner parts -- ZERO.

 

 On the GSC - thanks for update.  That is low time for a GSC.  I will say the alum halves do look rather tight from that picture.  Looks like possibilty of overtightening?  You should have a decnet gap on those usually but with a spinner on you would have never known.   The torque os only 8 foot /lbs or so.  Actually I think up to 100 inch pounds ... very little .

  

 No worry on finding a Kitfox there is always lots of selection in the used market.

 

 --------

 Rotax Dealer, Ontario Canada

 http://www.cfisher.com/

 Awesome *New Forum *

 http://rotaxaircraft.com/forum/

 Realtime Kitfox movies to separate  the internet  chatter from the truth

 http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=kitfoxflyer

 

 

 

 

 Read this topic online here:

 

 http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=254841#254841

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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pchristensen10(at)austin.
Guest

Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 4:56 am Post subject: GSC gets another one.

Jim,



Sorry to hear about your loss.  Glad you are ok.  I almost lost blades on my 

Kitfox III flying it home when I purchased it.  Landed overnight and next 

morning on a walk around a blade twisted in my hand.  It had a fresh annual 

by a Kitfox guru 3 days before.



Pete



---

davea(at)symbolicdisplays
Guest

Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 5:38 am Post subject: GSC gets another one.

Do you know where the prop blades landed????????



Cheers,



Dave





--

akflyer

Joined: 07 May 2007
Posts: 574
Location: Soldotna AK

Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 10:29 am Post subject: Re: GSC gets another one.

just a guess, but I am gonna say on the ground...



I am thinking the GSC that was on a buddies plane is gonna make a nice ceiling fan or a wall clock.  Makes a better clock and pilot cooling fan.

_________________
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Soldotna AK
Avid "C" / Mk IV
582 (147 hrs and counting on the rebuild)
IVO IFA
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davea(at)symbolicdisplays
Guest

Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 11:40 am Post subject: GSC gets another one.

just wondering if they went thru someones head on the way to "the

ground".......





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