Gliding Piano, SPLAT!!!!!

[WRUFW]

Friends.

My trusty GP PITTS has been flying for almost three years without any serious mishaps until yesterday. The model has a Fuji 50cc in it with all HITEC digital servos etc.

Well yesterday while out flying with my good friend Kiwi in a 25 mph wind the engine quit. But as murphy always dictates things go wrong at the worst possible time in the worst possible places.

The plane was not high, coming down wind doing a nice slow roll when SILENCE!!!!!!!!. Ohh crap.

Like always point the nose down and make a run for the base leg, final and land it correct??

Well in the wind I lost the speed perspective and in the attempt to stretch the downwind leg to get a nice base and final approach it turned into a piano. Kiwi often terms this as having the aerodynamics of a greasy crowbar. It just settled into a stall, no wing rock nothing, but I mean there was no response from any of the controls. It was 100% stalled and gliding like a grand piano.

Photos tell the story.

[Kiwi]

Walter,

What you forgot to explain is that those photos does no justice to the damage you done mate. The monocote is all that is holding that thing together. It rattles like a kids toy. Now quit ya bitchin boy and go fix it or put one of your other 22 ARF kits together you have hoarded in your basement.

Kiwi