Firefly down, nobody hurt

Author
Discussion

Eric Mc

122,186 posts

267 months

Monday 4th June 2012
quotequote all
Ouch.

Hopefully it's repairable. Aren't too many flyable Fireflies about.

davepoth

29,395 posts

201 months

Monday 4th June 2012
quotequote all
News article says not a total loss. Looks like he came in with the engine off (top two blades of the airscrew don't seem damaged) so it looks to be an intentional landing on the grass.

Eric Mc

122,186 posts

267 months

Monday 4th June 2012
quotequote all
No, the sequence in one of the links shows an undercarriage up landing on teh runway followed by the aircraft veering onto the grass.

davepoth

29,395 posts

201 months

Monday 4th June 2012
quotequote all
Eric Mc said:
No, the sequence in one of the links shows an undercarriage up landing on teh runway followed by the aircraft veering onto the grass.
Ah. Missed that. Still, at least it didn't have too far to fall in that case...

FourWheelDrift

88,706 posts

286 months

Monday 4th June 2012
quotequote all
Is that red golf cart their emergency services?

Apache

Original Poster:

39,731 posts

286 months

Monday 4th June 2012
quotequote all
Rich Kenney, a spokesman for the air show, said the plane's landing gear collapsed.

Total loss

2,138 posts

229 months

Tuesday 5th June 2012
quotequote all
Eric Mc said:
Aren't too many flyable Fireflies about.
Unfortunately there aren't, it is one of two, the other being a Canadian one.

Eric Mc

122,186 posts

267 months

Tuesday 5th June 2012
quotequote all
Sadly, the Royal Navy Historic Flight lost their's in a fatal crash a number of years ago. I know that there is at least one ex-Ethiopian example being restored to airworthiness in the UK.

Total loss

2,138 posts

229 months

Tuesday 5th June 2012
quotequote all
Eric Mc said:
Sadly, the Royal Navy Historic Flight lost their's in a fatal crash a number of years ago. I know that there is at least one ex-Ethiopian example being restored to airworthiness in the UK.
?? At Duxford, the yellow ones ? If so they are ex.Swedish target tugs ex Canada I thought.
Ethiopian/ Eritrean ones went to Canada and to South Africa and on to Australia IIRC
P.S there are still 2/3 left in Eritrea including a very rare trainer if they haven't been scrapped in the last couple of years, if they were Spitfires they would have been save years ago, but unfortunately just not sought after/valuable enough.

Eric Mc

122,186 posts

267 months

Tuesday 5th June 2012
quotequote all
I knew there was one set aside for restoration at Duxford when I last visted there in 2004.

Mr_B

10,480 posts

245 months

Tuesday 5th June 2012
quotequote all
Glad to see it down in one piece and the pilot OK. I always just thought it was better to land on grass during a wheels-up, rather than a runway, something to do with sparks and fire ?

350Wedge

2,364 posts

275 months

Tuesday 5th June 2012
quotequote all
Eric Mc said:
I knew there was one set aside for restoration at Duxford when I last visted there in 2004.
They have two at Duxford, both yellow and one slightly worse than the other.

The intention is to use some parts parts from one to help fully restore the other to flight, and then whats left of the second one will be cosmetically restored for display only.

Its a very long term project though and hasn't moved for some years I believe.

Apache

Original Poster:

39,731 posts

286 months

Tuesday 5th June 2012
quotequote all
Mr_B said:
Glad to see it down in one piece and the pilot OK. I always just thought it was better to land on grass during a wheels-up, rather than a runway, something to do with sparks and fire ?
The article says the U/C collapsed, it didn't come in wheels up

FourWheelDrift

88,706 posts

286 months

Tuesday 5th June 2012
quotequote all
350Wedge said:
Eric Mc said:
I knew there was one set aside for restoration at Duxford when I last visted there in 2004.
They have two at Duxford, both yellow and one slightly worse than the other.

The intention is to use some parts parts from one to help fully restore the other to flight, and then whats left of the second one will be cosmetically restored for display only.

Its a very long term project though and hasn't moved for some years I believe.
When I was last at Duxford in 2010, one of the 1 & 3/4s of ex-Swedish Fireflys.




Mr_B

10,480 posts

245 months

Tuesday 5th June 2012
quotequote all
Ah, read yesterday it was a wheels-up landing.

Looks like it only just sold to a new owner after restoration. Looked a bargain to me at $375K

http://www.platinumfighters.com/#!__firefly/fighte...

Total loss

2,138 posts

229 months

Tuesday 5th June 2012
quotequote all
Mr_B said:
Ah, read yesterday it was a wheels-up landing.

Looks like it only just sold to a new owner after restoration. Looked a bargain to me at $375K

http://www.platinumfighters.com/#!__firefly/fighte...
The one under restoration in your link s/n WD840 is not the same one, although the video at the bottom of it is the one thats just had a gear collapse s/n WB518.

Waynester

6,368 posts

252 months

Tuesday 5th June 2012
quotequote all
Oh dear, a horrible site. She'll be back again.

Reminds me of an airshow at Duxford a few years ago. A Hurricane (can't remember I/D) came into land, both gear down, & looked fine. The Hurri landed on the grass adjacent to the runway & was slowing when the port undercarriage leg collapsed! The wingtip dug in & she skewed to a halt.

Could have been much worse. While the airshow went on a recovery team went out to the stricken Hurricane, jacked her up, dropped the errant gear leg...towed her back in looking none the worse for the experience!