Spitfire emergency landing in Kent just now

[Kitchski]

http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update/2015-09-07...

Sounds like the pilot is ok. How many two seater versions are air-worthy at the mo? Is this the one we often see on the telly etc?

[Eric Mc]

There are about fours TR9s flying in the UK. There were never many two seat Spitfires built in the first place. Doesn't look too badly damaged.

[Boatbuoy]

One less for the BoB flypast from Goodwood next week

Glad the pilot is seemingly ok though.

[Smollet]

Glad the pilot is ok. Looks like a fairly controlled landing so hopefully not too much damage.

[marksx]

Smollet said:

Glad the pilot is ok. Looks like a fairly controlled landing so hopefully not too much damage.

Yes, not a 'crash' landing, as the not at all sensationalist BBC are calling it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-34174822

[Simpo Two]

'Forced landing' I'd suggest.

[aeropilot]

Eric Mc said:

There are about fours TR9s flying in the UK.

And there still is.

This one is the German based one, D-FMKN (ex-MJ772)......over in the UK for the big BoB formation next week.

[Mr_B]

Wing torn off in these pics

https://twitter.com/MrGeorgeFuller/status/64086299...

[lufbramatt]

The Pilot was Rob Davies, the same guy that got out of P51D "Big Beautiful Doll" that came down at Duxford a couple of years ago.

[RoverP6B]

It's been bent quite a few times. Belly landing in '68 in the filming of Battle of Britain, later crashed in Texas, got rebuilt as a single-seater, spent some time in the Boeing museum, landed on its belly again in Germany in 2012, and now this. Thankfully it's now got a wooden prop so the engine should be OK. Port wing ripped off though... mind you, Spitfires are worth so much now it's practically impossible to write them off, short of total destruction.

[Eric Mc]

aeropilot said:

Eric Mc said:

There are about fours TR9s flying in the UK.

And there still is.

This one is the German based one, D-FMKN (ex-MJ772)......over in the UK for the big BoB formation next week.

No wonder I couldn't find it in the list of UK Tr9s.

[eharding]

RoverP6B said:

Thankfully it's now got a wooden prop so the engine should be OK.

Even with a wooden prop, the engine will need to be completely stripped down for a shock-load inspection. Been there, had the bills....twice (I wasn't in either aeroplane at the time - although I was in one that suffered a gear collapse and witnessed the wooden prop evaporate in front of me, but not as PIC).

The rebuild costs for the Vedeneyev and Lycoming were merely eye-watering - for a Merlin they will be truly spectacular.

[RoverP6B]

I know these people charge £150k for a fully rebuilt Merlin! http://www.retrotrackandair.com/

[aeropilot]

RoverP6B said:

Thankfully it's now got a wooden prop so the engine should be OK.

Hardly going to be OK given that the pilot bellied into the filed because the engine threw a hissy fit while in the air......

[eharding]

aeropilot said:

RoverP6B said:

Thankfully it's now got a wooden prop so the engine should be OK.

Hardly going to be OK given that the pilot bellied into the filed because the engine threw a hissy fit while in the air......

I have no idea what happened in this case, but it could be something as simple as an engine accessory failure which put him in the field, leaving the core of the engine relatively unscathed - or it might be that there's a great big hole in the crank-case and a con-rod flopping about in there.

[aeropilot]

eharding said:

aeropilot said:

RoverP6B said:

Thankfully it's now got a wooden prop so the engine should be OK.

Hardly going to be OK given that the pilot bellied into the filed because the engine threw a hissy fit while in the air......

I have no idea what happened in this case, but it could be something as simple as an engine accessory failure which put him in the field, leaving the core of the engine relatively unscathed - or it might be that there's a great big hole in the crank-case and a con-rod flopping about in there.

Regardless, I can't imagine anyone is going to just say, engine 'looks' OK, just put over there on the cradle and we'll just chuck it back in when the time comes.
It'll get stripped and checked regardless.... and if it's more than half way through it's TBO, they'll likely just do a full overhaul, assuming the core parts are suitable to be used once checked.
Given the time and money it's going to take to repair the airframe, it's probably not really an issue. Owners may well have another spare engine anyway?

[eharding]

aeropilot said:

eharding said:

aeropilot said:

RoverP6B said:

Thankfully it's now got a wooden prop so the engine should be OK.

Hardly going to be OK given that the pilot bellied into the filed because the engine threw a hissy fit while in the air......

I have no idea what happened in this case, but it could be something as simple as an engine accessory failure which put him in the field, leaving the core of the engine relatively unscathed - or it might be that there's a great big hole in the crank-case and a con-rod flopping about in there.

Regardless, I can't imagine anyone is going to just say, engine 'looks' OK, just put over there on the cradle and we'll just chuck it back in when the time comes.
It'll get stripped and checked regardless.... and if it's more than half way through it's TBO, they'll likely just do a full overhaul, assuming the core parts are suitable to be used once checked.

As I said - been there, had the bills. But the point I was making is that the engine now needs to be taken apart and rebuilt as a minimum as result of the aircraft ending up in a field and having the propellor destroyed - whether the engine itself was mechanically sound up until the forced landing, and the failure of some other ancillary part of the power system as a whole led to the incident remains to be seen.

[Sticks.]

It's a pity he couldn't make the landing strip nearby. At least he's OK though.

[RoverP6B]

It's more likely they'll be able to reuse components - a shock-loaded Merlin is a very costly thing to rebuild, but it could be that the generator packed in, rather than a catastrophic engine failure...

[EskimoArapaho]

RoverP6B said:

• Belly landing in '68 in the filming of Battle of Britain,
• crashed in Texas,
• landed on its belly again in Germany in 2012
• now this.
• Port wing ripped off though...

Answers to the name 'Lucky'.