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It seems that Owen, Chris (Owen’s Son) and Dave (Owen’s brother) are getting thrown in the ditch because some competing mechanics do not agree with the way the FAA Designated Engineering Reviewer approved the wing extension STC, and because Owen has not returned calls in several days.
I am partners with Owen in a 337B. We have worked together on airplanes and his workmanship is top notch, along with his understanding of complex issues and his attention to detail. He was an OB/GYN doc until he retired and went to work on airplanes full time, bringing his surgeon's skills into the hangar. I am a mechanical engineer and flight instructor (and that means slightly more than nothing in this conversation).
Owen has been in New Jersey this week, working with the FAA and the NTSB. He probably doesn’t have much time to be posting on message boards right now.
The plane that crashed was loaded 500 lbs over zero fuel weight and at least that much over gross weight when it was doing an ‘airshow’ while operating more than 60 kts over Va for zero fuel in the tip tanks. The wing broke off in the middle of the aileron, making the aircraft uncontrollable. It is a tragedy.
Since five people died I expect the plantiff’s lawsuit will name Cessna, Aviation Enterprises, Riley, Continental, Alcoa, Garmin, Goodyear, the mechanics, the flight instructors, the local FBO, the airport authority, the weather man, Exxon, anyone who has ever breathed out CO2, and any politician who has ever tried to pass tort reform.
Hopefully Owen will survive the inevitable lawsuit and I can keep my airplane for trips with my wife and four young daughters. We like the winglets, the pod and the air conditioning. I don’t think they would like a Baron as much, and I would get pushed harder toward flying Southwest.
I have flown around 20 hours in 5ZX with the tip tanks and winglets, mostly dealing with icing and endurance in winter months, and not much turbulence penetration. I took it to FL 210 with the old engines and got around 200 kt TAS on trips from Nashville to upstate New York. The Va with empty tip tanks is down around 125kt though, and since that plane does not have air brakes or power pac spoilers that makes it really tough to descend into rougher air at the end of a long trip. Just when you want to be slowly retarding the throttles and taking advantage of going downhill, you have to really pull back on them and slow your descent to get below VA. I would always fly with the tip tanks full unless I needed to use the gas on a long trip.
Before Owen, 5ZX was owned by a guy in South Florida. I expect he flew in rough air, but I also expect he kept IAS below the appropriate Va. Also, I think 5ZX had a CorrosionX treatment within the last two years.
The FAA said to look for look for loose rivets at the aileron hinge attach points, not everywhere.
I think the mechanics are referring to the screws that attach the winglet to the carbon fiber wingtip extension. The carbon fiber layup is around 3/16” to ¼” thick in that location and the engineering calculations showed that machine screw threads could be tapped into the layup and give appropriate strength.
Owen may need a PR guy, and he may need a lawyer, or maybe he could just retire and let someone else come up with the captal and energy to build a bunch of good mods for a good airplane.
Randy Hurt
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