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Incident Details
General Information
Title: Bent J-bars during aerobatic flying
Date: 05/07/2010
Time: 1800
Location: Panama City Beach, FL
Pilot Information
Age:
Gender: Male
Pilot weight (without motor): 155 US Pounds
Rating:
Instructor
Experience:
50+ Hours Solo
Incident Detail Information
Type of Incident:
Other
Primary Cause:
Mechanical Failure: Powerplant/Propeller
Contributing Distractions:
Not Applicable
Windspeed:
Moderate (5-9 MPH)
Wind Type:
Steady
Thermal Conditions:
None
Visibility: + 10 miles
Surface:
Sand
Terrain:
Other
Site Elevation: 0 ASL (feet above sea level)
Phase of Flight:
Cruise
Purpose of Flight:
Demonstration
Safety Gear Used:
None
Helmet Full
Helmet Other
Protective Boots
Knee-pads
Elbow-pads
Wrist Guards
Reserve
Knife
Gloves
Strobe
Unknown
Communications:
Not Applicable
Damage to Pilot's Equipment:
Minor (Less than 20% of New Price)
Wing: unknown
Motor: Miniplane 125cm PFS 2010
Injury Information
Pilot/Passenger Injury Severity:
None
Hosipitalization:
None
Injuries:
None
Head
Face
Neck
Chest
Back
Abdomen
Shoulder
Arm
Elbow
Forearm
Wrist
Hand
Pelvis
Thigh
Calf
Ankle
Foot
Knee
Unknown
Collateral Damage:
None
By-Stander
Other Pilot
Animal
Property
Unknown
Narrative: At Beach Blast 2010 event 6-9 May, I was a vendor and let pilots demo new equipment. One experienced pilot and known aerobatic pilot asked to test fly a new Miniplane standard model PFS 125cm. I agreed but did not give any specific suggestions even though I knew him to be an aerobatic pilot and should have thought that he most likely would have done some aerobatics during this test/demo flight.
He went ahead and flew it, returned it and made some comments on enjoying the test flight, but nothing else was mentioned.
I wasn't there during the return of the equipment. When I returned to the vendor space and looked at the returned Miniplane I noticed right away that both J-bars were distorted and bent about 40 degrees upward. The J-bars are the standard that goes with a new Miniplane and during normal flight do not distort or bend. When I asked the pilot if he noticed anything unusual he replied he didn't. When I showed him the bent J-bars on the unit he was quite surprised and immediately offered to pay for any damage.
The real issue is that these could have broke (either one or both) and then led to a more serious situation as during the test/demo flight he had been flying at times with high bank angles and with little margin from the water under him.
Pilots are reminded that all aerobatic and high G flight aspects when done on equipment take them out of their normal intended use. Miniplane paramotors in particular are not made or make any claim to be strong enough for ANY aerobatic use. A pilot would need to take any of these flight attitudes with considerable caution and back up plane.
Demo/vendors are reminded to always think and brief the pilot borrowing the equipment in as much detail as possible to what the equipment is made for and what if any concerns they can have to the particular flight.
The pilot later told me that he didn't think twice about trying the aerobatics as he had done this several years ago with a SkyCruiser/Top 80 paramotor without any issues. This particular paramotor used chromoly J-bars and aluminum welded frame, but was not the same frame as the Miniplane. If stronger J-bars be used in combination with the standard aluminum frame this still would be no guarantee that the problem may not shift to the frame welds.
I inspected the machine better once back home and found no other damage to harness, engine rubber mounts, frame, or any other component.
All aerobatic pilots should take precautions and take nothing for granted when trying new equipment and I would suggest a complete inspection after each flight to verify the condition of all components. Aerobatic pilots should always subject their equipment to test at HIGH altitude, with post flight inspection, BEFORE attempting the same flight attitudes at lower altitudes with less margin.
What happens when 1 J-bar breaks at the attachment point to the frame? What happens if both break at the same time?
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