BRS, BRS parachute deployment, Ballistic Recovery System saves pilot of Dragonfly light sport aircraft.

Posted by alan on Monday, 15 September 2003, at 1:58 p.m.

Here's the straight scoop on the Dragonfly crash. Yes it was Jim Yocum's airplane and yes I was flying it. I had Tim Denton on tow, one of several tows Joe and I had already performed that day at the Farm, and we had gotten to about 1100 AGL.

After circling in some elusive lift I had leveled the wings and headed up wind. Suddenly, I heard a loud crack and the engine began to vibrate violently. At the same time, the aircraft began an uncontrollable diving spin to the left. I did not know what happened but recognized it as a catastrophic failure of some sort and immediately fired the BRS.

Tim had already pinned off and was heading to a safe landing. Unfortunately, I did not think well enough to get the engine throttled back and shut down first, but the chute fired correctly and did not tangle with the prop. Throughout the rest of the descent, I tried unsuccessfully to stop the engine. The descent did not last more than 10 -15 seconds and the plane was spinning violently under the canopy.

I knew I was going to hit hard, but nothing I did changed anything. I was propelled into the cornfield as though fired out of a sling shot. The cockpit and left wing tip seemed to hit simutaneously. No bounce or anything, just a big lawn dart with the tail sticking vertically up out of the 6 foot high corn.

When I realized that I had survived the impact, I became aware of the engine still running and gasoline pouring all over me. At that point I became afraid for my life all over again. Quickly, I realized the control panel, although detached and smashed, lay in arm's reach. I reached out and messed with the switch and the engine stopped. Again, a sigh of relief.

Then, I kind of evaluated my physical condition and realized I was not hurt too badly. It took a little maneuvering, but I was able to get out of my helmet, gloves and seat belt. When I stood up and started walking away, I realized I was OK. It took some talking and a few waivers

 to keep from getting a ride into North Colorado Medical Center. Some ibuprofen and Tim Evan's beer fixed me up.

Thanks to everyone there who showed concern, compassion and help. Thanks to Dave Niemeyer for driving me home.

What happened? Apparently a broken aileron control tube that then went through the prop.

Thanks to BRS for saving my life.

Alan

Pilot survives ultralight crash
After wreck near Kersey, Littleton man rethinks pursuing hobby

As pilot Alan Brown’s ultralight airplane spiraled toward a Weld County cornfield Sunday afternoon, he had an Epiphany about the direction his flying hobby is headed.

“As I was going down, all I could think was: I have a 4-month-old girl at home, and I want to see her grow up,” said Brown, 44. “I won’t give up flying, but I might give up flying ultralights.

“This is the second time I’ve crashed, and it’s getting pretty old,”
The Littleton man tows hang gliders for a group of thrill seekers that gather on a rural farm at the intersection of Weld County roads 53 and 42, south of Kersey. The group is part of the Rocky Mountain Hangliding and Paragliding Association.

On Sunday, Brown took off and was towing a hang glider at 1,100 feet when a crucial piece of the wing broke. Brown lost control of the steering and started to roll. The plane was shuttering and diving, and Brown released the plane’s parachute but didn’t have time to shut off the engine.

“You fall out of the sky like a rock,” he recalled. “It was a hard landing. I went in pretty much face first.”

Firefighters and paramedics responded and checked Brown out. He escaped without injuries. The hang glider Brown was towing broke away from the plane as soon as the steering went haywire and landed safely.

The plane, on the other hand, isn’t doing so well. A farmer had to clear out a swath of corn so the plane, which belongs to another member of the club, could be retrieved. The $35,000 plane was destroyed, and insurance companies don’t offer insurance for ultralights. Some in the club said they might try to rebuild it.

Pilot James Trujillo of Broomfield was on the ground watching when Brown lost control of the plane. At first he thought Brown was showing off by making the plane roll. Then he realized something was wrong.
The group of hang gliders had been launching and landing all day long. Before each trip up, the pilot or hang glider performs a safety check.

“These things have a bad reputation,” Trujillo said. “But it’s a very safe sport.”

Brown said he was drawn to flying ultralight planes because of the thrill. “It’s really in-your-face flying,” he said after the crash, sipping a beer and leaning against the back of a pickup truck. He’s been flying since the early 1980s and has towed hang gliders since 1996. Recently, Brown towed for a national competition in Texas.

But now he’s having second thoughts.

“I typically consider this sport safer than driving down I-25,” he said. “But I may have to re-evaluate that.”
Courtesy Greenley Tribune