Feature

Formation flying attempt cited in fatal Oklahoma crash

by Bob Collins

The National Transportation Safety Board ruled on Thursday that the  December 2, 2006 crash of an RV-7A in Norman, Oklahoma, was a stall-spin accident that was exacerbated by the pilot's attempt at formation flying.

Bob Noble, 50, of Choctaw, OK., and his passenger, Dwight Black were killed  when their RV-7A crashed on approach to Max Westheimer Airport in Norman. Witnesses said it appeared Noble was trying to avoid another airplane when the homebuilt, powered by a Rotax engine, crashed. It was the second fatal accident in the history of the "7" line.

Noble, a 325-hour private pilot, lost control of the airplane while initiating the approach, according to the NTSB. His was the last to land in trail as a flight of three."The tower operator cleared the flight of 3 airplanes to land on Runway 03. The tower operator reported that as he watched the first airplane land, he noticed the sun reflect off the third airplane and observed it go below a tree line," the report narrative said. "One of the witnesses stated that the airplane was 'struggling, tipping left-and-right, and he thought it was going to tip over' before entering a sudden 90-degree turn and assuming a pronounced nose-low attitude. The pilots of the other two airplanes in the flight, stated that prior to the flight they had agreed to slow their airplanes to 70 mph, and then to 65 mph in order to maintain proper spacing between the airplanes during their approach to land. Flight control continuity was established and the flaps were confirmed to be in the fully extended position. An examination of the airplane and engine did not reveal any anomalies that prevented normal operation."

Meanwhile, the NTSB said an RV-6, which crashed in Rio Verde, Arizona on November 2, 2006, crashed because it hit power lines. Two people , including pilot Larry Olson, died in the crash.  See narrative.

The NTSB also ruled on several other RV crashes this week:

In an April 2007 crash, an RV-4 pilot encountered a wind gust on a landing rollout in Selma, Alabama.  The NTSB  said the cause was the pilot's "failure to maintain directional control." The agency, however, couldn't come up with a finding in the case of a crash in Fort Worth on April 15, 2007.  The RV-6 pilot was forced to land in a field after his engine lost power. No cause of the power loss was  found. (See full narrative.)

An RV-6 crash in Washington state in February carries with it some instructive maintenance information for other pilots.  In the incident in Auburn, the pilot lost engine power after takeoff, but was able to return to the airport for an ungainly landing. The NTSB said the engine power was lost "due to the obstruction of the engine's air inlet by a fabricated neoprene seal, and inadequate maintenance by unknown maintenance personnel." (See narrative)

Related Link(s):
RV Hotline archive: A weekend of tragedies


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