gust lock's

Bob Cook · #1 01-10-03, 08:02 AM

Don't Drink and Fly
1998 Darwin Award Nominee
Confirmed True by Darwin

Tom protests, "A gust lock pushes in on the yoke of an aircraft. This would cause the aircraft to remain on the ground, not climb, as the story claims."

(25 April 1998, Massachusetts) One fateful day in April, a private pilot landed his Piper PA-32-300 at the New Bedford airport. To secure his aircraft against thieves, he inserted a gust lock into the co-pilot's control column, and padlocked it in place. This procedure is fairly common, except that the gust lock is usually placed on the pilot's control column. That way it's hard to forget it when you prepare to depart. Many gust locks have a big red plate that hangs down to cover the ignition and master switch. We will never know why our soon to be dead friend chose to put the gust lock on the co-pilot's side.
The pilot went off to have some drinks and returned to his plane at 10:30 PM. He hopped into the aircraft with 155 mg/dL of ethanol in his blood, and departed without remembering to check that the flight controls were unobstructed. A witness to the accident reported that he departed the runway at a very steep angle, consistent with having a gust lock installed. About this time, our erstwhile friend realized that he forgot to remove the gust lock, and that his plane will soon stall. The real problem is that the key for the padlock is on the same keyring as the key for the ignition. So he had two choices: try to remove the padlock key from the keyring while keeping the plane running, which will take more time than he has, or turn off the engine, which will accelerate the stall, then rush to remove the gust lock and restart the engine. He chose option B.

But he didn't make it in time. The airplane, its course fixed by the gust lock, "went straight up in the air like an acrobat" then appeared to level off, turn northwest, then northeast, followed by "a nose dive" and a rapid descent to the ground.

When the National Transportation Safety Board investigator arrived at the scene he discovered the padlock and gust lock still installed and the keyring with both keys still on it on the floor of the cockpit.

No one has mentioned a gust lock as being a possible cause for the B1900 at clt. Gust lock ????? or CofG?

bob

skymstr02 · #2 01-13-03, 04:55 AM

Now, if we can just keep the press away from aviation, we'd all be set. Has anyone here seen a Piper with a gust lock? No. Pipers lawyers, a long time ago, reasoned that the liability was too great.

Most Piper owners use the seat belt wrapped around the yoke as a gust lock, and there are some aftermarket gust locks, but Piper doesn't condone the use to the locks.

Chalk this story as a hoax. But, it does make a nice fairy tale.

Dave
"Viet Cong Hunting Club"
O-2A, 68-11055

Bob Cook · #3 01-13-03, 08:19 AM

skymasto2

It is not a hoax. I will forward the NTSB final report if you like. I left it out purposely.. There is at least one accident per year due to gust locks being in place.

fyi

bob

skymstr02 · #4 01-13-03, 09:23 AM

Bob, I'm not denying that there are accidents where the gust lock was left in place, but on on a PA32 there isn't. The Darwin Awards are notorious for their "editorial" content and speculation.

Piper didn't put any provisions to install a gust lock on the control column. Thats what I'm referring to.

Now if there was a Rube Goldberg contraption installed, it can't be called a certified installation.

Dave

WebMaster · #5 01-14-03, 11:44 AM

NYC98LA102
On April 25, 1998, about 2230 Eastern Daylight Time, a Piper PA-32-300, N15326, was substantially damaged during a collision with terrain after takeoff from the New Bedford Airport, New Bedford, Massachusetts. The certificated private pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

According to a witness at the airport, the pilot landed at the New Bedford Airport (EWB) the morning of the accident. Another witness observed the airplane that evening after it took off. The witness stated that the airplane departed Runway 5, and after liftoff, it "...went straight up in the air like a acrobat..." The airplane then appeared to level off, turn northwest, then northeast, followed by "a nose dive," and descent to the ground.

Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector revealed that a control locking device, with a locked pad lock, was installed on the right hand flight control column. The pad lock key was found on the key ring with the airplane's ignition key. The airplane's ignition was off, and the ignition key had been removed. Additionally, the pilot's shoulder harness was not locked in position.

Toxicological testing was conducted at the FAA Toxicology Accident Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The testing revealed:

155 mg/dL ETHANOL detected in Blood 187 mg/dL ETHANOL detected in Vitreous 205 mg/dL ETHANOL detected in Urine

A review of 14 CFR Part 91.17, stated, "(a) No Person may act or attempt to act as a crewmember of a civil aircraft...(4) While having a .04 percent by weight or more alcohol in the blood."