To: good old days
The pictures they are showing on the news of the missing trim tab also appear to show the elevators split from each other. That would probably be indicative of a massive flutter event. The fact the the tail wheel is extended also makes me think some kind of really violent activity went on in the tail section. Unfortunately, at the highest speeds those guys are probably right at the limits of flutter margin. Some kind of external energizing event (crossing somebody's wake at the wrong angle, ground gust, etc) could be all it took to set it off.
To: I cannot think of a name
The weather was good at the time of the crash. It had been cloudy in the am and humidity was high for here. One witness that called on local talk radio thought he got clipped by another plane, but there is no collision damage in some very clear pics that are out this am. Just the trim tab gone or pushed all the way down.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson