Tripacer accident

Forgive the shakiness, I was zoomed pretty long and the wind was 20+ gusting to 36 knots.

[@pylon500]

Many Tri-Pacers have coupled rudder and ailerons, if so it takes more effort to hold crossed controls in a crosswind.

[@pylon500]

Many Tri-pacers have coupled rudder and ailerons, making it harder to hold crossed controls in a crosswind.

[@daninwv]

I'll rate this high for it's value as a training video. Tri-Pacers can't handle that strong crosswind. And neither can most other general aviation aircraft. Wow!

[@triplanelover]

too bad ! but..........36k xwind is not a good day to takeoff, period. anyway, whats the xwind component on that tripacer? I would have left it tied down until a better day.....of course I've gotten through 25,000 hours by reducing my risks. I hope the pilot was just scratched and learned a good lesson

[@FlyingWildAZ]

I'm using this video as an example for my students to show them what happens when you do not apply proper crosswind aileron input on takeoff. I have about 150 hours in a Tri-Pacer, best kept secret in GA!

[@spacerconrad]

You are certainly welcome to use it. I hope that my jittery, blurry effort helps to keep at least some new pilots outta the ditch... or worse.

[@owntor1]

Spacer Conrad Hi, thanks for the video. KZbin now has a video stabilization feature. You might try re-uploading this video with that correction. Kind regards...

[@spacerconrad]

I tried that, but the movement was still a bit much for their tool. Thanks though. I'd go back and film it again, but I don't suppose the Tripacer pilot would be all that willing. ;)

[@FSAUDIOGUY]

Sometimes its just better to leave the ignition in the off position! I do hope she flew again, nice little bird!

[@JohnSmith-wd9rc]

Didn't he notice that wind sock in a straight out position? He's lucky. Sometimes being to cocky will get ya killed. Ignore heavy wind at your own peril.

[@sablatnic8030]

You are right,it was a crappy video, but considering the conditions absolutely acceptable. Obviously not a weather fit for a milk stool. Thanks for sharing!!

[@michaels33]

By the way, kudos to you that the video stopped -immediately- when you saw what happened. That tells me you and your friends swung into immediate action.

[@aeromustang4054]

Landed a Super Cub crossways on a 150' wide runway lined up with the taxi way and on the way straight in to a hanger saw a Tripacer upside down at the gas pumps. The wind at that time was at 48 knots. I remember the guy looked at me wondering how I got that Cub down in one piece as he didn't see me land. LOL I will say My feet were shaking on the rudder peddles and I was more aware of cold fronts that move through the area.

[@dr.jerrygarrett493]

Wow it looked like damn strong winds.

[@spacerconrad]

I personally wouldn't do it, but a decent pilot can. The airplane can handle it just fine. Honestly, the E/W taxiway coulda been used as runway 27 that day, and he could have just about hovered aloft.

[@smaze1782]

Dude you REALLY need a tripod....thanks for the video nonetheless

[@spacerconrad]

I agree. I was originally bracing the camera on a Cherokee wingtip, but that quickly showed its folly, so I did the best I could hand-held. If not for the subject matter, it would have been deleted.

[@arcticflying]

Watching that takeoff, it's obvious that no action was taken by the pilot to overcome the crosswind. We see the right wing starting to fly first, with obviously no aileron correction being applied. My Tri-Pacer has seen over 30 knots/90 degree and behaved wondefully. I hate to say it, but the pilot on this video definitely needs crosswind training. Cheers

[@WendelltheSongwriter]

Forget about a safe takeoff which, as has been noted in the comments, many have done without incident in a Tripe. That said, I tend to think about my very old airplane's parts, and whether or not I or my airplane "can" do it, I'd rather spare myself any aggravation with costly repairs or maintenance from my airplane being bent. But that's just me. One of the airports I frequent is a North/South runway with afternoon prevailing winds from due east, which increase as the day wears on. I have landed a handful of times on one wheel in NEARLY 20 knots xw, and have cringed as that wheel takes all the abuse of those conflicting forces, and mostly just a foot or two off centerline. I know we can do it, and landing is something we eventually MUST do...In this case, I personally would have waited for better conditions. Not faulting anyone here, just saying what I would have done. Thank you.

[@slickjimmy76]

Was pilot ok? What hapoend to the airplane?

[@cgumpscheck]

Cutting the power and losing the slipstream? Slipstream causes the AC nose to go to the left. Lack of slipstream causes the AC nose to go to the right...not what happened here. No wind correction caused him to skid off the runway which is what caused the nose over...just like a 3 wheel tractor.

[@dr_jaymz]

If he'd turned into wind, it looks like he could have got airbourne without a runway with such a high wind speed. Moral is, know your limits. And the aircrafts!

[@sprcub]

not the tripacer's fault dont blame the airplane that was completely pilot error lets see how many non current pilots take off in a gusting to 36 knot crosswind and I zoomed in prety hard to tel but I saw no aileron into the wind that was a terrible waste of a great airplane he should be ashamed of himself for that

[@spacerconrad]

He was fine. The airplane got carted off to be repaired, or scrapped for parts. Not sure about that.

[@damiandiesel1]

You will never crash a plane sitting on a bar stool or reading about flying. Hats off to all those who do and try.Armchair pilots never crash either, they must be so proud of themselves, real hero types full of advice but mostly full of crap.

[@bugnut82]

To each his own, however with my current skills or lack of, I would have never attempted a take off with that wind !

[@ChickertyChina]

Not a PA22 expert but the crosswind limit on those kites wouldn't be more than 15knots would it? They would have been better off doing a 180 and taking off on the taxi way jk.

[@dmimcg]

Nice crosswind skills, lol.

[@Philobeddoe12]

Why would you try to take off in that milk stool in those kind of winds.?

[@wayneelliott2462]

No surprize here,more than twice the types crosswind limits , hardly surprizing to read the owner sold the wreck and retired from flying,just aswel before flying retired him.

[@damiandiesel1]

+wayne elliott Crosswind "limits" are only the demostrated limit as tested. They are all about 17 mph and are not by any means the absolute limit of the aircraft's ability, only what the test pilots demonstrated.

[@cranezilla1016]

+Damian Frattasio Looks like this guy did not know what his actual limit was but found out the hard way, one of the worst pilot errors there is, OVERCONFIDENCE.

[@spacerconrad]

+Crane Zilla - that and one of the other deadly 'sins'... "get-home-itis". He'd just returned from a long deployment and wasn't current in his airplane, but wanted to get back home quickly.

[@wayneelliott2462]

+Damian Frattasio What tosh, crosswind limits , are determined by aircraft, physical limitations , limits are not the same for all aircraft and vary considerably and vary also on a particular aircraft depending on such variables as weight c of g to name but two not to mention the working out of the cross wind component in a given wind direction and speed( to understand how much of the wind is crosswind) , often you will not find published limits as their are so many variables, when I fly landings in crosswinds , I set up on finals with enough rudder too keep the nose aligned to the center of the runway , if I have less than 30 % rudder deflection left, then I abort and land elsewhere. from my experience with a tri pacer ,which does not have a published limit, anymore than 20 knots and your pushing physical limits of type , their are two types of limits to consider here, that of the aircraft and that of the pilots ability.

[@richardwatkins3964]

+Damian Frattasio Have you listen to yourself , the ill informed would be best suited keeping their fallacies the themselves.

[@fernandoferraz3527]

how can that plane be flying with 20+ gusting to 36 knots??

[@spacerconrad]

Crosswind flying is just a fact of life in the air. Some airplanes handle them better than others, but mostly it's a matter of technique and training. I personally wouldn't have taken a Tri-Pacer up in those conditions, as I consider it WAY above my abilities, and I'd think twice about doing it in the Cherokee as well... but as you saw, a low time pilot in one of those landed just fine before the accident.

[@fernandoferraz3527]

Yeah, thanks :) Im still a wannabe wannabe Pilot without any kind of lessons yet, but a flight sim enthusiast for over 20 years... I wouldnt take off in those conditions even If I was a pro :S... it´s against the aircraft manufacturers recommendations I believe :X But thanks for your tip, nice to know other people have the same opinion as me :)

[@5xls]

They're called AILERONS. Use them. Use every bit of them. Waste of a sweet plane.

[@triplanelover]

too bad; just bad judgement

[@TheTodd2u]

Where is Mr. Bean's Plane at in this video. I know most will not get it.

[@spacerconrad]

Not even scratched, but as of the last I spoke with him, he'd sold the wreck back to the guy who'd restored it, and gave up flying.

[@sprcub]

yes I have a tripacer it will handle the wind you can see from the moment he started rolling the wing was picking up yet he never did anything to correct it the plane will do what you want it to do but ya got to tell it what do do first

[@nicholascabala9569]

That would totally suck

[@antimattercrusader]

Ugh that sucks!