Long, but I think worthwhile:
Whenever Google finds a new instance (anywhere on the web) of Ercoupe and crash occurring together, it sends me an alert. Todays alert was not about anything new, nor about a fatal crash. It is however about a Coupe crash thats instructive. (I always try to learn from other peoples mistakes rather than inventing them all on my own.) In a discussion about pilots fixating on gliding to the airport runway when theyre having engine problems or failure, this post appeared: >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I watched a guy in an ailng Ercoupe fly down the length of a long & wide taxiway at Arlington WA, where the main taxiway through the show during the annual fly-in there. He was low and slow, and getting even lower and slower. He stalled and crashed from about 20' AGL when he tried to make the 120-or-so degree turn onto the runway. (don't ever let anyone tell you an Ercoupe can't stall- they just can't stall straight ahead) He could have easily landed on that taxiway just by pulling off the little power he had on. The only thing I can figure is that he was fixated on that runway, and that since he'd never landed on the taxiway it just never occured to him to do so. He was alright, just shook up, but it sure didn't do the airplane any good. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Im posting this so we can learn two or three lessons. 1. With engine problems, dont fixate on landing on the runway, even if it looks at first like you can make it. As I remember my primary instruction from 30+ years ago, the guidance was to be willing to change landing spots if needed but try to only change your mind once dont change over and over. 2. The assertion in the posting is that the pilot thought that Coupes cant stall and that the pilot was wrong. I dont know what the pilot knew or not but anyway, the situation is more complex than that. Discussed below. Coupes should not be capable of staying in a fully developed stall with the majority or all of the wing stalled. When rigged as designed, only about ¼ to 1/3rd of the wing should be stalled with the yoke full back. As youll recall, stall speed increases when you are pulling g-load. Think about it youre at increased angle of attack because of the g-load and then you increase the angle of attack to maximum. Even in a slow onset stall situation, when your airspeed gets down to whatever is the current stall speed, the inner portion of the Coupe wing does begin to stall, in a fan out from the wing root leading edge. Most of the wing should still be flying and developing lift and the huge ailerons should still be giving you control. But you are losing lift. You can get a big stumble when you suddenly pull back on the yoke in either straight ahead flight or in a turn. If you do a hammerhead stall or a sudden, accelerated stall, you might be able to stall the entire wing for a short time, even if you cant hold it in that full stall. You could lose all your lift for a short time with a huge drop in the nose as the plane seeks stable, only slightly stalled flight. A Coupe could fall out of a hammerhead into the start of a spin but you shouldnt be able to hold it in a spin. A sudden accelerated stall might also start you into the beginning of a spin. Coupes are certificated as characteristically incapable of spinning. Theres nothing in the certification that says you cant suddenly lose a LOT of lift to a sudden stall. Needless to say (but Ill do it anyway), if you do this stuff near the ground it could ruin a perfectly good Coupe and maybe you, too. Id urge you to practice some accelerated stalls in your Coupe, well up at altitude, and burn into your brain that your Coupe can stumble in the air and that you can suddenly lose much of your lift. (Work into it slowly dont go for a sudden, deep, accelerated stall on the first try.) I dont think any desktop explanation can substitute for personal, direct, SAFE experimentation. Go fly, gals and guys! Ed Burkhead http://edburkhead.com/Ercoupe/index.htm
