Original Posted By: Jim Markle
Subject: Pietenpol-List: Crash - Long PostHi - I'd like to recount my mishap at Brodhead on Friday for members of the list.The trip up: I made it from Austin to Brodhead in 3.5 days. 1.0 day delay dueto weather. The only issue I had during the trip was an attempted ground loopeast of Kansas City. I dragged the right wing tip but the damage was minimal.It didn't make me happy but it was not a tragedy.The mishap: I was doing a touch and go at Brodhead. During the "go" part I feltthe aircraft yaw sharply to the left. It felt like I had struck something withthe left gear or that the tire caught in the wet ground. I powered throughit and managed to avoid going into the corn field to the left of the runway.I thought to myself, "For goodness sake (or something like that), what's wrongwith my ability to control this thing?" thinking back to the wingtip draggingepisode.As I continued around the pattern I looked out and saw that my left landing gearV was hanging from the rear attach point. The front part of the V had beenripped loose from the mounting lug. I flew over the field trying to get everyone's attention on the ground. I knewI had succeeded when I saw everyone running in the same direction with a definitepurpose. I waited for the pattern to clear and then landed on one of theclosed runways to take advantage of a direct head wind. I also planned the approachto take me in the vicinity of the group so that there was rescue availablequickly. The people on the ground did a great job clearing everyone offof the runways. I turned off the fuel on short final and performed a wheel landing. I held theleft wing up as long as possible. When the left gear dug in we were going prettyslow. I flipped the ignition and battery off. The aircraft spun around~180 degrees, the left wing tip touched the ground and the aircraft came to arest. There was no further incident. I will never forget the look on JessieMueller's face as I was careening toward her and Ryan's brand new airplane. Iwas stomping on the right brake pretty hard. The repair: if you've got to wreck a Piet do it at Brodhead. Matt Smith, a local,along with his Dad and son, spent 7 hours making the necessary repairs. Thelanding gear V needed the lugs reattached, the bungee cross strut tab on thebottom of the V had pulled out, and the bungee cross strut was bent. Matt,an amazingly talented and knowledgeable A&P/IA did great work and taught me alot in the 7 hours. Unbelievable. You know he wouldn't take any money, right?Of course not. I cannot express the depth of my gratitude to Matt, his Dadand son. In addition to Matt and his family, several knowledgeable people lookedover the rest of the aircraft for me and verified that the landing gear wasthe only apparent damage. I appreciate you.Today: flew ~3 hours and took ~8 passengers. I told them all that I had wreckedthe day before. They all said, "I know" and we went flying. Amazing.Cause: the yaw I felt on my touch and go was the left gear V front attachment failing.If I had not noticed that the gear was hanging from the rear lug thisevent may have gone very, very badly. I don't always check to see if the gear'sstill there before landing but I've started to do so now. I'm glad I looked.Anyway, the V attach lugs failed because I hit something or because the weldswere stressed and chose that time to fail. I did not find anything on therunway so it may have been the latter. As I've mentioned here before I have~140 hours on the plane since the first flight last September and I've done ~400landings. I've worked the gear pretty hard.Lessons Learned & Things I'll Start Doing: I'll darn sure preflight those attachmentlugs better. I'll also take the right gear off and have a professionalverify the integrity of my welds on that side. My before landing check now includesa visual check of "Gear down and locked."Good things: I was delighted to meet many of my internet friends in person. Whata great group of people! Then, with the wreck, they really came through andshowed me how wonderful they are. I have been nicknamed Kevin "Axel" Purteefrom TGWP. They had to explain the reference to me since it's been years sinceI've seen the movie. It is quite funny and I shall wear my new nickname withpride. I was presented an award for "The shortest landing at Brodhead in 2010"which I will frame and hang in a prominent place. I have now been enshrinedin the Hitler video. A thing of beauty.I'm going to miss some of you and I'm sorry, but thanks to everyone who helped,including Jack Phillips, Gary at Brodhead, Lowell Frank, Rob Busch, Ernie Moreno,Mike Cuy, Don Emch, John Hoffman and all the rest of the dozens of peoplewho helped. Thanks especially to Ryan and Jessie Mueller and Dan Yocum. Theyrock. Sounds like an acceptance speech - sorry.You may wanna archive this one. You guys are spectacular.--------Kevin PurteeNX899KPAustin/Georgetown, TXRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ______Date: Sun, 25 Jul 2010 11:53:19 -0500 (GMT-05:00)
Pietenpol-List: Brodhead 2010: Memories (courtesy of Gene Rambo)
Pietenpol-List: Brodhead 2010: Memories (courtesy of Gene Rambo)
Original Posted By: Ryan Mueller
Curt-that sounds great. my Daughter lives about 20 miles or less from you.I manageto get down there from time to time.I'd like to keep up with your progress.surenot many Piets up here around the Texas panhandle.hope you keep us postedwith your progress. RaymondRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ______Date: Sat, 24 Jul 2010 21:58:18 -0500Subject: Pietenpol-List: Brodhead 2010: Memories (courtesy of Gene Rambo)
Curt-that sounds great. my Daughter lives about 20 miles or less from you.I manageto get down there from time to time.I'd like to keep up with your progress.surenot many Piets up here around the Texas panhandle.hope you keep us postedwith your progress. RaymondRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ______Date: Sat, 24 Jul 2010 21:58:18 -0500Subject: Pietenpol-List: Brodhead 2010: Memories (courtesy of Gene Rambo)
Pietenpol-List: Re: Crash - Long Post
Original Posted By: "K5YAC"
Hi - I'd like to recount my mishap at Brodhead on Friday for members of the list.The trip up: I made it from Austin to Brodhead in 3.5 days. 1.0 day delay dueto weather. The only issue I had during the trip was an attempted ground loopeast of Kansas City. I dragged the right wing tip but the damage was minimal.It didn't make me happy but it was not a tragedy.The mishap: I was doing a touch and go at Brodhead. During the "go" part I feltthe aircraft yaw sharply to the left. It felt like I had struck something withthe left gear or that the tire caught in the wet ground. I powered throughit and managed to avoid going into the corn field to the left of the runway.I thought to myself, "For goodness sake (or something like that), what's wrongwith my ability to control this thing?" thinking back to the wingtip draggingepisode.As I continued around the pattern I looked out and saw that my left landing gearV was hanging from the rear attach point. The front part of the V had beenripped loose from the mounting lug. I flew over the field trying to get everyone's attention on the ground. I knewI had succeeded when I saw everyone running in the same direction with a definitepurpose. I waited for the pattern to clear and then landed on one of theclosed runways to take advantage of a direct head wind. I also planned the approachto take me in the vicinity of the group so that there was rescue availablequickly. The people on the ground did a great job clearing everyone offof the runways. I turned off the fuel on short final and performed a wheel landing. I held theleft wing up as long as possible. When the left gear dug in we were going prettyslow. I flipped the ignition and battery off. The aircraft spun around~180 degrees, the left wing tip touched the ground and the aircraft came to arest. There was no further incident. I will never forget the look on JessieMueller's face as I was careening toward her and Ryan's brand new airplane. Iwas stomping on the right brake pretty hard. The repair: if you've got to wreck a Piet do it at Brodhead. Matt Smith, a local,along with his Dad and son, spent 7 hours making the necessary repairs. Thelanding gear V needed the lugs reattached, the bungee cross strut tab on thebottom of the V had pulled out, and the bungee cross strut was bent. Matt,an amazingly talented and knowledgeable A&P/IA did great work and taught me alot in the 7 hours. Unbelievable. You know he wouldn't take any money, right?Of course not. I cannot express the depth of my gratitude to Matt, his Dadand son. In addition to Matt and his family, several knowledgeable people lookedover the rest of the aircraft for me and verified that the landing gear wasthe only apparent damage. I appreciate you.Today: flew ~3 hours and took ~8 passengers. I told them all that I had wreckedthe day before. They all said, "I know" and we went flying. Amazing.Cause: the yaw I felt on my touch and go was the left gear V front attachment failing.If I had not noticed that the gear was hanging from the rear lug thisevent may have gone very, very badly. I don't always check to see if the gear'sstill there before landing but I've started to do so now. I'm glad I looked.Anyway, the V attach lugs failed because I hit something or because the weldswere stressed and chose that time to fail. I did not find anything on therunway so it may have been the latter. As I've mentioned here before I have~140 hours on the plane since the first flight last September and I've done ~400landings. I've worked the gear pretty hard.Lessons Learned & Things I'll Start Doing: I'll darn sure preflight those attachmentlugs better. I'll also take the right gear off and have a professionalverify the integrity of my welds on that side. My before landing check now includesa visual check of "Gear down and locked."Good things: I was delighted to meet many of my internet friends in person. Whata great group of people! Then, with the wreck, they really came through andshowed me how wonderful they are. I have been nicknamed Kevin "Axel" Purteefrom TGWP. They had to explain the reference to me since it's been years sinceI've seen the movie. It is quite funny and I shall wear my new nickname withpride. I was presented an award for "The shortest landing at Brodhead in 2010"which I will frame and hang in a prominent place. I have now been enshrinedin the Hitler video. A thing of beauty.I'm going to miss some of you and I'm sorry, but thanks to everyone who helped,including Jack Phillips, Gary at Brodhead, Lowell Frank, Rob Busch, Ernie Moreno,Mike Cuy, Don Emch, John Hoffman and all the rest of the dozens of peoplewho helped. Thanks especially to Ryan and Jessie Mueller and Dan Yocum. Theyrock. Sounds like an acceptance speech - sorry.You may wanna archive this one. You guys are spectacular.--------Kevin PurteeNX899KPAustin/Georgetown, TXRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ___Subject: Pietenpol-List: Re: Crash - Long Post
Hi - I'd like to recount my mishap at Brodhead on Friday for members of the list.The trip up: I made it from Austin to Brodhead in 3.5 days. 1.0 day delay dueto weather. The only issue I had during the trip was an attempted ground loopeast of Kansas City. I dragged the right wing tip but the damage was minimal.It didn't make me happy but it was not a tragedy.The mishap: I was doing a touch and go at Brodhead. During the "go" part I feltthe aircraft yaw sharply to the left. It felt like I had struck something withthe left gear or that the tire caught in the wet ground. I powered throughit and managed to avoid going into the corn field to the left of the runway.I thought to myself, "For goodness sake (or something like that), what's wrongwith my ability to control this thing?" thinking back to the wingtip draggingepisode.As I continued around the pattern I looked out and saw that my left landing gearV was hanging from the rear attach point. The front part of the V had beenripped loose from the mounting lug. I flew over the field trying to get everyone's attention on the ground. I knewI had succeeded when I saw everyone running in the same direction with a definitepurpose. I waited for the pattern to clear and then landed on one of theclosed runways to take advantage of a direct head wind. I also planned the approachto take me in the vicinity of the group so that there was rescue availablequickly. The people on the ground did a great job clearing everyone offof the runways. I turned off the fuel on short final and performed a wheel landing. I held theleft wing up as long as possible. When the left gear dug in we were going prettyslow. I flipped the ignition and battery off. The aircraft spun around~180 degrees, the left wing tip touched the ground and the aircraft came to arest. There was no further incident. I will never forget the look on JessieMueller's face as I was careening toward her and Ryan's brand new airplane. Iwas stomping on the right brake pretty hard. The repair: if you've got to wreck a Piet do it at Brodhead. Matt Smith, a local,along with his Dad and son, spent 7 hours making the necessary repairs. Thelanding gear V needed the lugs reattached, the bungee cross strut tab on thebottom of the V had pulled out, and the bungee cross strut was bent. Matt,an amazingly talented and knowledgeable A&P/IA did great work and taught me alot in the 7 hours. Unbelievable. You know he wouldn't take any money, right?Of course not. I cannot express the depth of my gratitude to Matt, his Dadand son. In addition to Matt and his family, several knowledgeable people lookedover the rest of the aircraft for me and verified that the landing gear wasthe only apparent damage. I appreciate you.Today: flew ~3 hours and took ~8 passengers. I told them all that I had wreckedthe day before. They all said, "I know" and we went flying. Amazing.Cause: the yaw I felt on my touch and go was the left gear V front attachment failing.If I had not noticed that the gear was hanging from the rear lug thisevent may have gone very, very badly. I don't always check to see if the gear'sstill there before landing but I've started to do so now. I'm glad I looked.Anyway, the V attach lugs failed because I hit something or because the weldswere stressed and chose that time to fail. I did not find anything on therunway so it may have been the latter. As I've mentioned here before I have~140 hours on the plane since the first flight last September and I've done ~400landings. I've worked the gear pretty hard.Lessons Learned & Things I'll Start Doing: I'll darn sure preflight those attachmentlugs better. I'll also take the right gear off and have a professionalverify the integrity of my welds on that side. My before landing check now includesa visual check of "Gear down and locked."Good things: I was delighted to meet many of my internet friends in person. Whata great group of people! Then, with the wreck, they really came through andshowed me how wonderful they are. I have been nicknamed Kevin "Axel" Purteefrom TGWP. They had to explain the reference to me since it's been years sinceI've seen the movie. It is quite funny and I shall wear my new nickname withpride. I was presented an award for "The shortest landing at Brodhead in 2010"which I will frame and hang in a prominent place. I have now been enshrinedin the Hitler video. A thing of beauty.I'm going to miss some of you and I'm sorry, but thanks to everyone who helped,including Jack Phillips, Gary at Brodhead, Lowell Frank, Rob Busch, Ernie Moreno,Mike Cuy, Don Emch, John Hoffman and all the rest of the dozens of peoplewho helped. Thanks especially to Ryan and Jessie Mueller and Dan Yocum. Theyrock. Sounds like an acceptance speech - sorry.You may wanna archive this one. You guys are spectacular.--------Kevin PurteeNX899KPAustin/Georgetown, TXRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ___Subject: Pietenpol-List: Re: Crash - Long Post
Original Posted By: Oscar Zuniga
What a story Kevin... it really couldn't have turned out better. Glad you andyour ship came out ok. We saw you flying most of the day Saturday.Hope you have a safe trip home.--------Mark ChouinardFinishing up Wings - Working on Center SectionRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... __________
What a story Kevin... it really couldn't have turned out better. Glad you andyour ship came out ok. We saw you flying most of the day Saturday.Hope you have a safe trip home.--------Mark ChouinardFinishing up Wings - Working on Center SectionRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... __________
Re: Pietenpol-List: Crash - Long Post
Original Posted By: "John Recine"
Kevin- great to hear that you and the airplane survivedto fly another day. I've heard story after story abouthow folks step up to the plate when things like thishappen, and you're back in the air before you know it.Obviously, I'm jealous because you made it to Brodheadand I never have. If you get time in the next couple ofweeks, I'd sure like to hear about your flight up thereand back, with as much detail as you can remember. Nextyear I will turn 60 (July 28) and I am hoping I will beable to celebrate that occasion with my first flight toBrodhead in 41CC.Oscar ZunigaAir Camper NX41CCSan Antonio, TXmailto: taildrags(at)hotmail.comwebsite at http://www.flysquirrel.net _________________________________________________________________Hotmail has tools for the New Busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your inbox.http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/the ... ___Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: Crash - Long Post
Kevin- great to hear that you and the airplane survivedto fly another day. I've heard story after story abouthow folks step up to the plate when things like thishappen, and you're back in the air before you know it.Obviously, I'm jealous because you made it to Brodheadand I never have. If you get time in the next couple ofweeks, I'd sure like to hear about your flight up thereand back, with as much detail as you can remember. Nextyear I will turn 60 (July 28) and I am hoping I will beable to celebrate that occasion with my first flight toBrodhead in 41CC.Oscar ZunigaAir Camper NX41CCSan Antonio, TXmailto: taildrags(at)hotmail.comwebsite at http://www.flysquirrel.net _________________________________________________________________Hotmail has tools for the New Busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your inbox.http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/the ... ___Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: Crash - Long Post
Re: Pietenpol-List: Brodhead 2010: Memories (courtesy of Gene Rambo)
Original Posted By: Jim Markle
Re: Pietenpol-List: Brodhead 2010: Memories (courtesy of Gene Rambo)
Original Posted By: Darrel Jones
> Re: Pietenpol-List: Brodhead 2010: Memories (courtesy of Gene Rambo)
Original Posted By: Darrel Jones
>> Re: Pietenpol-List: Brodhead 2010: Memories (courtesy of Gene Rambo)
Original Posted By: Jim Markle
Re: Pietenpol-List: Brodhead 2010: Memories (courtesy of Gene Rambo)
Original Posted By: Ryan Mueller
Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: Brodhead 2010: Memories (courtesy of Gene Rambo)
Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: Brodhead 2010: Memories (courtesy of Gene Rambo)
Pietenpol-List: Re: R/C Piet Kit on RCGroups For Sale (Not Mine)
Original Posted By: John Hofmann
BillyYou got it right about needing to sell the RC airplanes. Every now and then Ibuild another one for something to do. Fly it a few times then up in the atticit goes. I considered building a Piet then I came across a really nice one for sale a fewweeks ago. I missed out on the adventure and challenge of building and wentstraight to the enjoyment of flying.
--------Dan PlettRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ttachments: http://forums.matronics.com//files/sam_ ... __________
BillyYou got it right about needing to sell the RC airplanes. Every now and then Ibuild another one for something to do. Fly it a few times then up in the atticit goes. I considered building a Piet then I came across a really nice one for sale a fewweeks ago. I missed out on the adventure and challenge of building and wentstraight to the enjoyment of flying.
--------Dan PlettRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ttachments: http://forums.matronics.com//files/sam_ ... __________Re: Pietenpol-List: Crash - Long Post
Original Posted By: airlion
Axel's landing was a thing of beauty."The pond Axel the pond's the safest place!"There were a bunch of us positioned in case any emergency were to befell him."it just means the world to him you care....They're good people Axel!"I myself was ready to smack him with a two-by-four in case It was necessary.I feel blessed to be a part of this group. Weather kept the Cub in the hangar and the rains at night did not dampen the fun. This is not the same event it was ten years ago. Since 1998 or so, with the growth of this list, a new breed of Pietenpol builder has come forth and some beautiful machines have been hatched. This year we added Dan Helsper's and Kevin's, I mean Axel's, ships to that list. I also have found some of my best friends are those I only see once or twice a year but for whom I have great respect and tend to love like a brother. My eyes water a bit, when we all leave, for some reason. It was great to add Kevin and his new bride as well as the Chouinard family among others to the friend list. I will add some pictures and comments after I get a charge back on my camera.However, this gentleman would like to have the last word on Kevin's situation:http://gallery.me.com/johnnyskyrocket#100026-john-John HofmannVice-President, Information TechnologyThe Rees Group, Inc.2424 American LaneMadison, WI 53704Phone: 608.443.2468 ext 150Fax: 608.443.2474Email: jhofmann(at)reesgroupinc.comOn Jul 25, 2010, at 1:01 AM, kevinpurtee wrote:> > Hi - I'd like to recount my mishap at Brodhead on Friday for members of the list.> > The trip up: I made it from Austin to Brodhead in 3.5 days. 1.0 day delay due to weather. The only issue I had during the trip was an attempted ground loop east of Kansas City. I dragged the right wing tip but the damage was minimal. It didn't make me happy but it was not a tragedy.> > The mishap: I was doing a touch and go at Brodhead. During the "go" part I felt the aircraft yaw sharply to the left. It felt like I had struck something with the left gear or that the tire caught in the wet ground. I powered through it and managed to avoid going into the corn field to the left of the runway. I thought to myself, "For goodness sake (or something like that), what's wrong with my ability to control this thing?" thinking back to the wingtip dragging episode.> > As I continued around the pattern I looked out and saw that my left landing gear V was hanging from the rear attach point. The front part of the V had been ripped loose from the mounting lug. > > I flew over the field trying to get everyone's attention on the ground. I knew I had succeeded when I saw everyone running in the same direction with a definite purpose. I waited for the pattern to clear and then landed on one of the closed runways to take advantage of a direct head wind. I also planned the approach to take me in the vicinity of the group so that there was rescue available quickly. The people on the ground did a great job clearing everyone off of the runways. > > I turned off the fuel on short final and performed a wheel landing. I held the left wing up as long as possible. When the left gear dug in we were going pretty slow. I flipped the ignition and battery off. The aircraft spun around ~180 degrees, the left wing tip touched the ground and the aircraft came to a rest. There was no further incident. I will never forget the look on Jessie Mueller's face as I was careening toward her and Ryan's brand new airplane. I was stomping on the right brake pretty hard. > > The repair: if you've got to wreck a Piet do it at Brodhead. Matt Smith, a local, along with his Dad and son, spent 7 hours making the necessary repairs. The landing gear V needed the lugs reattached, the bungee cross strut tab on the bottom of the V had pulled out, and the bungee cross strut was bent. Matt, an amazingly talented and knowledgeable A&P/IA did great work and taught me a lot in the 7 hours. Unbelievable. You know he wouldn't take any money, right? Of course not. I cannot express the depth of my gratitude to Matt, his Dad and son. In addition to Matt and his family, several knowledgeable people looked over the rest of the aircraft for me and verified that the landing gear was the only apparent damage. I appreciate you.> > Today: flew ~3 hours and took ~8 passengers. I told them all that I had wrecked the day before. They all said, "I know" and we went flying. Amazing.> > Cause: the yaw I felt on my touch and go was the left gear V front attachment failing. If I had not noticed that the gear was hanging from the rear lug this event may have gone very, very badly. I don't always check to see if the gear's still there before landing but I've started to do so now. I'm glad I looked. Anyway, the V attach lugs failed because I hit something or because the welds were stressed and chose that time to fail. I did not find anything on the runway so it may have been the latter. As I've mentioned here before I have ~140 hours on the plane since the first flight last September and I've done ~400 landings. I've worked the gear pretty hard.> > Lessons Learned & Things I'll Start Doing: I'll darn sure preflight those attachment lugs better. I'll also take the right gear off and have a professional verify the integrity of my welds on that side. My before landing check now includes a visual check of "Gear down and locked."> > Good things: I was delighted to meet many of my internet friends in person. What a great group of people! Then, with the wreck, they really came through and showed me how wonderful they are. I have been nicknamed Kevin "Axel" Purtee from TGWP. They had to explain the reference to me since it's been years since I've seen the movie. It is quite funny and I shall wear my new nickname with pride. I was presented an award for "The shortest landing at Brodhead in 2010" which I will frame and hang in a prominent place. I have now been enshrined in the Hitler video. A thing of beauty.> > I'm going to miss some of you and I'm sorry, but thanks to everyone who helped, including Jack Phillips, Gary at Brodhead, Lowell Frank, Rob Busch, Ernie Moreno, Mike Cuy, Don Emch, John Hoffman and all the rest of the dozens of people who helped. Thanks especially to Ryan and Jessie Mueller and Dan Yocum. They rock. Sounds like an acceptance speech - sorry.> > You may wanna archive this one. > > You guys are spectacular.> > --------> Kevin Purtee> NX899KP> Austin/Georgetown, TX> > > > > Read this topic online here:> > http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... 189#306189> > > > > > > > > > ________________________________________________________________________________Date: Sun, 25 Jul 2010 18:10:54 -0700 (PDT)
Axel's landing was a thing of beauty."The pond Axel the pond's the safest place!"There were a bunch of us positioned in case any emergency were to befell him."it just means the world to him you care....They're good people Axel!"I myself was ready to smack him with a two-by-four in case It was necessary.I feel blessed to be a part of this group. Weather kept the Cub in the hangar and the rains at night did not dampen the fun. This is not the same event it was ten years ago. Since 1998 or so, with the growth of this list, a new breed of Pietenpol builder has come forth and some beautiful machines have been hatched. This year we added Dan Helsper's and Kevin's, I mean Axel's, ships to that list. I also have found some of my best friends are those I only see once or twice a year but for whom I have great respect and tend to love like a brother. My eyes water a bit, when we all leave, for some reason. It was great to add Kevin and his new bride as well as the Chouinard family among others to the friend list. I will add some pictures and comments after I get a charge back on my camera.However, this gentleman would like to have the last word on Kevin's situation:http://gallery.me.com/johnnyskyrocket#100026-john-John HofmannVice-President, Information TechnologyThe Rees Group, Inc.2424 American LaneMadison, WI 53704Phone: 608.443.2468 ext 150Fax: 608.443.2474Email: jhofmann(at)reesgroupinc.comOn Jul 25, 2010, at 1:01 AM, kevinpurtee wrote:> > Hi - I'd like to recount my mishap at Brodhead on Friday for members of the list.> > The trip up: I made it from Austin to Brodhead in 3.5 days. 1.0 day delay due to weather. The only issue I had during the trip was an attempted ground loop east of Kansas City. I dragged the right wing tip but the damage was minimal. It didn't make me happy but it was not a tragedy.> > The mishap: I was doing a touch and go at Brodhead. During the "go" part I felt the aircraft yaw sharply to the left. It felt like I had struck something with the left gear or that the tire caught in the wet ground. I powered through it and managed to avoid going into the corn field to the left of the runway. I thought to myself, "For goodness sake (or something like that), what's wrong with my ability to control this thing?" thinking back to the wingtip dragging episode.> > As I continued around the pattern I looked out and saw that my left landing gear V was hanging from the rear attach point. The front part of the V had been ripped loose from the mounting lug. > > I flew over the field trying to get everyone's attention on the ground. I knew I had succeeded when I saw everyone running in the same direction with a definite purpose. I waited for the pattern to clear and then landed on one of the closed runways to take advantage of a direct head wind. I also planned the approach to take me in the vicinity of the group so that there was rescue available quickly. The people on the ground did a great job clearing everyone off of the runways. > > I turned off the fuel on short final and performed a wheel landing. I held the left wing up as long as possible. When the left gear dug in we were going pretty slow. I flipped the ignition and battery off. The aircraft spun around ~180 degrees, the left wing tip touched the ground and the aircraft came to a rest. There was no further incident. I will never forget the look on Jessie Mueller's face as I was careening toward her and Ryan's brand new airplane. I was stomping on the right brake pretty hard. > > The repair: if you've got to wreck a Piet do it at Brodhead. Matt Smith, a local, along with his Dad and son, spent 7 hours making the necessary repairs. The landing gear V needed the lugs reattached, the bungee cross strut tab on the bottom of the V had pulled out, and the bungee cross strut was bent. Matt, an amazingly talented and knowledgeable A&P/IA did great work and taught me a lot in the 7 hours. Unbelievable. You know he wouldn't take any money, right? Of course not. I cannot express the depth of my gratitude to Matt, his Dad and son. In addition to Matt and his family, several knowledgeable people looked over the rest of the aircraft for me and verified that the landing gear was the only apparent damage. I appreciate you.> > Today: flew ~3 hours and took ~8 passengers. I told them all that I had wrecked the day before. They all said, "I know" and we went flying. Amazing.> > Cause: the yaw I felt on my touch and go was the left gear V front attachment failing. If I had not noticed that the gear was hanging from the rear lug this event may have gone very, very badly. I don't always check to see if the gear's still there before landing but I've started to do so now. I'm glad I looked. Anyway, the V attach lugs failed because I hit something or because the welds were stressed and chose that time to fail. I did not find anything on the runway so it may have been the latter. As I've mentioned here before I have ~140 hours on the plane since the first flight last September and I've done ~400 landings. I've worked the gear pretty hard.> > Lessons Learned & Things I'll Start Doing: I'll darn sure preflight those attachment lugs better. I'll also take the right gear off and have a professional verify the integrity of my welds on that side. My before landing check now includes a visual check of "Gear down and locked."> > Good things: I was delighted to meet many of my internet friends in person. What a great group of people! Then, with the wreck, they really came through and showed me how wonderful they are. I have been nicknamed Kevin "Axel" Purtee from TGWP. They had to explain the reference to me since it's been years since I've seen the movie. It is quite funny and I shall wear my new nickname with pride. I was presented an award for "The shortest landing at Brodhead in 2010" which I will frame and hang in a prominent place. I have now been enshrined in the Hitler video. A thing of beauty.> > I'm going to miss some of you and I'm sorry, but thanks to everyone who helped, including Jack Phillips, Gary at Brodhead, Lowell Frank, Rob Busch, Ernie Moreno, Mike Cuy, Don Emch, John Hoffman and all the rest of the dozens of people who helped. Thanks especially to Ryan and Jessie Mueller and Dan Yocum. They rock. Sounds like an acceptance speech - sorry.> > You may wanna archive this one. > > You guys are spectacular.> > --------> Kevin Purtee> NX899KP> Austin/Georgetown, TX> > > > > Read this topic online here:> > http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... 189#306189> > > > > > > > > > ________________________________________________________________________________Date: Sun, 25 Jul 2010 18:10:54 -0700 (PDT)
Pietenpol-List: Re: Brodhead 2010: Memories (courtesy of Gene Rambo)
Original Posted By: Dan Yocum
This was my first time at Brodhead, and I enjoyed every minute of it. When I heardit thundering I was glad to be in a dry motel room
I'm still kind of new to the Piet. but learned a lot while there. I really wantedto go for a ride, but I feel way to awkward asking someone for a ride in thereairplane. We ( my girlfriend and I) will be back next year hopefully withsome picture progress on my Pietenpol. Great even, loved it! LarryRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ______Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:48:06 -0500
This was my first time at Brodhead, and I enjoyed every minute of it. When I heardit thundering I was glad to be in a dry motel room
I'm still kind of new to the Piet. but learned a lot while there. I really wantedto go for a ride, but I feel way to awkward asking someone for a ride in thereairplane. We ( my girlfriend and I) will be back next year hopefully withsome picture progress on my Pietenpol. Great even, loved it! LarryRead this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ______Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:48:06 -0500Re: Pietenpol-List: Re: Brodhead 2010: Memories (courtesy of Gene Rambo)
Original Posted By: "TOM STINEMETZE"
> Pietenpol-List: Crash - Long Post
Original Posted By: Darrel Jones
>To: >Reply-To: pietenpol-list(at)matronics.com>Subject: Pietenpol-List: Crash - Long Post>>>Hi - I'd like to recount my mishap at Brodhead on Friday for members of the list.>>The trip up: I made it from Austin to Brodhead in 3.5 days. 1.0 day delay dueto weather. The only issue I had during the trip was an attempted ground loopeast of Kansas City. I dragged the right wing tip but the damage was minimal.It didn't make me happy but it was not a tragedy.>>The mishap: I was doing a touch and go at Brodhead. During the "go" part I feltthe aircraft yaw sharply to the left. It felt like I had struck somethingwith the left gear or that the tire caught in the wet ground. I powered throughit and managed to avoid going into the corn field to the left of the runway.I thought to myself, "For goodness sake (or something like that), what's wrongwith my ability to control this thing?" thinking back to the wingtip draggingepisode.>>As I continued around the pattern I looked out and saw that my left landing gearV was hanging from the rear attach point. The front part of the V had beenripped loose from the mounting lug. >>I flew over the field trying to get everyone's attention on the ground. I knewI had succeeded when I saw everyone running in the same direction with a definitepurpose. I waited for the pattern to clear and then landed on one of theclosed runways to take advantage of a direct head wind. I also planned theapproach to take me in the vicinity of the group so that there was rescue availablequickly. The people on the ground did a great job clearing everyone offof the runways. >>I turned off the fuel on short final and performed a wheel landing. I held theleft wing up as long as possible. When the left gear dug in we were going prettyslow. I flipped the ignition and battery off. The aircraft spun around~180 degrees, the left wing tip touched the ground and the aircraft came to arest. There was no further incident. I will never forget the look on JessieMueller's face as I was careening toward her and Ryan's brand new airplane. I was stomping on the right brake pretty hard. >>The repair: if you've got to wreck a Piet do it at Brodhead. Matt Smith, a local,along with his Dad and son, spent 7 hours making the necessary repairs. The landing gear V needed the lugs reattached, the bungee cross strut tab on thebottom of the V had pulled out, and the bungee cross strut was bent. Matt,an amazingly talented and knowledgeable A&P/IA did great work and taught me alot in the 7 hours. Unbelievable. You know he wouldn't take any money, right?Of course not. I cannot express the depth of my gratitude to Matt, his Dadand son. In addition to Matt and his family, several knowledgeable people lookedover the rest of the aircraft for me and verified that the landing gearwas the only apparent damage. I appreciate you.>>Today: flew ~3 hours and took ~8 passengers. I told them all that I had wreckedthe day before. They all said, "I know" and we went flying. Amazing.>>Cause: the yaw I felt on my touch and go was the left gear V front attachmentfailing. If I had not noticed that the gear was hanging from the rear lug thisevent may have gone very, very badly. I don't always check to see if the gear'sstill there before landing but I've started to do so now. I'm glad I looked.Anyway, the V attach lugs failed because I hit something or because thewelds were stressed and chose that time to fail. I did not find anything on therunway so it may have been the latter. As I've mentioned here before I have~140 hours on the plane since the first flight last September and I've done~400 landings. I've worked the gear pretty hard.>>Lessons Learned & Things I'll Start Doing: I'll darn sure preflight those attachmentlugs better. I'll also take the right gear off and have a professionalverify the integrity of my welds on that side. My before landing check now includesa visual check of "Gear down and locked.">>Good things: I was delighted to meet many of my internet friends in person. Whata great group of people! Then, with the wreck, they really came through andshowed me how wonderful they are. I have been nicknamed Kevin "Axel" Purteefrom TGWP. They had to explain the reference to me since it's been years sinceI've seen the movie. It is quite funny and I shall wear my new nickname withpride. I was presented an award for "The shortest landing at Brodhead in2010" which I will frame and hang in a prominent place. I have now been enshrinedin the Hitler video. A thing of beauty.>>I'm going to miss some of you and I'm sorry, but thanks to everyone who helped,including Jack Phillips, Gary at Brodhead, Lowell Frank, Rob Busch, Ernie Moreno,Mike Cuy, Don Emch, John Hoffman and all the rest of the dozens of peoplewho helped. Thanks especially to Ryan and Jessie Mueller and Dan Yocum. Theyrock. Sounds like an acceptance speech - sorry.>>You may wanna archive this one. >>You guys are spectacular.>>-------->Kevin Purtee>NX899KP>Austin/Georgetown, TX>>>Read this topic online here:>>http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ______Date: Sun, 25 Jul 2010 11:02:42 -0700
>To: >Reply-To: pietenpol-list(at)matronics.com>Subject: Pietenpol-List: Crash - Long Post>>>Hi - I'd like to recount my mishap at Brodhead on Friday for members of the list.>>The trip up: I made it from Austin to Brodhead in 3.5 days. 1.0 day delay dueto weather. The only issue I had during the trip was an attempted ground loopeast of Kansas City. I dragged the right wing tip but the damage was minimal.It didn't make me happy but it was not a tragedy.>>The mishap: I was doing a touch and go at Brodhead. During the "go" part I feltthe aircraft yaw sharply to the left. It felt like I had struck somethingwith the left gear or that the tire caught in the wet ground. I powered throughit and managed to avoid going into the corn field to the left of the runway.I thought to myself, "For goodness sake (or something like that), what's wrongwith my ability to control this thing?" thinking back to the wingtip draggingepisode.>>As I continued around the pattern I looked out and saw that my left landing gearV was hanging from the rear attach point. The front part of the V had beenripped loose from the mounting lug. >>I flew over the field trying to get everyone's attention on the ground. I knewI had succeeded when I saw everyone running in the same direction with a definitepurpose. I waited for the pattern to clear and then landed on one of theclosed runways to take advantage of a direct head wind. I also planned theapproach to take me in the vicinity of the group so that there was rescue availablequickly. The people on the ground did a great job clearing everyone offof the runways. >>I turned off the fuel on short final and performed a wheel landing. I held theleft wing up as long as possible. When the left gear dug in we were going prettyslow. I flipped the ignition and battery off. The aircraft spun around~180 degrees, the left wing tip touched the ground and the aircraft came to arest. There was no further incident. I will never forget the look on JessieMueller's face as I was careening toward her and Ryan's brand new airplane. I was stomping on the right brake pretty hard. >>The repair: if you've got to wreck a Piet do it at Brodhead. Matt Smith, a local,along with his Dad and son, spent 7 hours making the necessary repairs. The landing gear V needed the lugs reattached, the bungee cross strut tab on thebottom of the V had pulled out, and the bungee cross strut was bent. Matt,an amazingly talented and knowledgeable A&P/IA did great work and taught me alot in the 7 hours. Unbelievable. You know he wouldn't take any money, right?Of course not. I cannot express the depth of my gratitude to Matt, his Dadand son. In addition to Matt and his family, several knowledgeable people lookedover the rest of the aircraft for me and verified that the landing gearwas the only apparent damage. I appreciate you.>>Today: flew ~3 hours and took ~8 passengers. I told them all that I had wreckedthe day before. They all said, "I know" and we went flying. Amazing.>>Cause: the yaw I felt on my touch and go was the left gear V front attachmentfailing. If I had not noticed that the gear was hanging from the rear lug thisevent may have gone very, very badly. I don't always check to see if the gear'sstill there before landing but I've started to do so now. I'm glad I looked.Anyway, the V attach lugs failed because I hit something or because thewelds were stressed and chose that time to fail. I did not find anything on therunway so it may have been the latter. As I've mentioned here before I have~140 hours on the plane since the first flight last September and I've done~400 landings. I've worked the gear pretty hard.>>Lessons Learned & Things I'll Start Doing: I'll darn sure preflight those attachmentlugs better. I'll also take the right gear off and have a professionalverify the integrity of my welds on that side. My before landing check now includesa visual check of "Gear down and locked.">>Good things: I was delighted to meet many of my internet friends in person. Whata great group of people! Then, with the wreck, they really came through andshowed me how wonderful they are. I have been nicknamed Kevin "Axel" Purteefrom TGWP. They had to explain the reference to me since it's been years sinceI've seen the movie. It is quite funny and I shall wear my new nickname withpride. I was presented an award for "The shortest landing at Brodhead in2010" which I will frame and hang in a prominent place. I have now been enshrinedin the Hitler video. A thing of beauty.>>I'm going to miss some of you and I'm sorry, but thanks to everyone who helped,including Jack Phillips, Gary at Brodhead, Lowell Frank, Rob Busch, Ernie Moreno,Mike Cuy, Don Emch, John Hoffman and all the rest of the dozens of peoplewho helped. Thanks especially to Ryan and Jessie Mueller and Dan Yocum. Theyrock. Sounds like an acceptance speech - sorry.>>You may wanna archive this one. >>You guys are spectacular.>>-------->Kevin Purtee>NX899KP>Austin/Georgetown, TX>>>Read this topic online here:>>http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ______Date: Sun, 25 Jul 2010 11:02:42 -0700