News of the Force - Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Oops! Civil Air Patrol plane flips at Georgia airport
A Civil Air Patrol plane landing at the Richard B. Russell Regional Airport, near Rome, Ga., made a "hard landing" yesterday morning on a grassy strip and then flipped over, officials said.
No injuries were reported. Firefighters were called to the scene because the plane was leaking fuel.
The single-engine Maule is owned by the Civil Air Patrol, out of Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala. The plane, a Maule MT-7-235, had been used to take a glider up and had landed on the grass strip before overturning.
According to Civil Air Patrol officials, the "hard landing" forced the plane back up and it touched down a second time, with its front landing wheel digging into the ground and the craft flipping on its back.
"There wasn't anything wrong with the plane, but [there was] just a crazy landing," said Mike Mathews, the airport manager.
The Civil Air Patrol notified the Federal Aviation Administration to check on procedural matters before any effort was made to right the plane and remove it from the airfield. The FAA has been asked to send an investigation team to the airport to examine the plane. Mathews said he isn't sure when that team will arrive.
Just got this in my google alerts
Original Article (http://news.mywebpal.com/partners/680/public/news915438.html)
This really really sucks. Its never good when we lose a plane (they're too expensive!). But its good that nobody was injured.
I thought they were getting rid of the Maules?
There's a couple left. I believe those are staying.
Was this our PAWG Maule 112CP?
It is at the National glider encampment in Georgia this week.
Only those Wings that did not appreciate the MT-7-235 got rid of theirs.
PAWG holds the a/c in high regard, primarily for glider tows. The PAWG glider encampment is next week.
The MT-7-235 also is an excellent SAR/DR platform, with excellent visibility, power, and maneuverability.
No, it was N142CP
http://news.mywebpal.com/partners/680/public/news915438.html
Quote from: MIKE on July 22, 2008, 03:16:38 PM
I thought they were getting rid of the Maules?
Why are we be getting rid of the Maules?
My google alert http://www.coosavalleynews.com/np76168.htm said the plane hit a pothole in the grass strip.
Quote from: DG on July 22, 2008, 04:11:33 PM
The MT-7-235 also is an excellent SAR/DR platform, with excellent visibility, power, and maneuverability.
As I recall the reason we got rid of ours was that despite the large number of windows, they aren't actually anywhere of value to SAR. The duel wing strut and location of the wheels obscured the down-views worse than a 172/182.
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Maule_MT-7-235.jpg)
I also seem to recall pilots complaining that the payload was so low that you had to choose between fuel and aircrew, and for some reason it I seem to remember ours only had 3 seats.
I saw it but never flew in it.
The other issue was that since it was "another" airframe it required additional proficiency flights to stay current and since we only had one, it was hard to get any time in it. So a handful of glider guys were rated, and when they weren't around, it sat idle.
We use the Maule a lot for SAR/DR. When it is not towing gliders, which is its primary mission.
It has excellent power. IO540 Lycoming.
Excellent maneuverability. It has a great wing.
And excellent visibility. Full sky lights. And side lights down to your butt.
As for struts and wheels, No different from our Cessnas.
As to gross weight, it was a Maule paper issue, because the type certificate was based on the MX-180. The pilot does have to manage fuel. But there are 4 fuel tanks to give the pilot the ability to plan and manage fuel if the sortie calls for large crew.
Also it is Great for O flights. The cadets love flying in it.
Washington was told that the Maule was going to be sold, not asked by NHQ. The Maule in Washington was heavily used for glider operations and was an outstanding SAR/DR asset.
That's a shame. I don't care whose airplane it is, but seeing an airplane like that just breaks my heart.
Airplanes being as expensive as they are, why not use the Maules for O-rides only or pilot training or something besides just mothballing because of the SAR/DR role not being suitably filled.
Quote from: DG on July 22, 2008, 08:04:57 PM
We use the Maule a lot for SAR/DR. When it is not towing gliders, which is its primary mission.
It has excellent power. IO540 Lycoming.
Excellent maneuverability. It has a great wing.
And excellent visibility. Full sky lights. And side lights down to your butt.
As for struts and wheels, No different from our Cessnas.
As to gross weight, it was a Maule paper issue, because the type certificate was based on the MX-180. The pilot does have to manage fuel. But there are 4 fuel tanks to give the pilot the ability to plan and manage fuel if the sortie calls for large crew.
Also it is Great for O flights. The cadets love flying in it.
I've never flown in ours. Just used it for a visual aid at UKT. Take me in it? :angel:
I flew in our Maule once on a glider tow. I found the visibility to be outstanding, although the cabin seemed a bit more cramped (to me) than a 172.
I have a jump out of a tail dragger Maule into encampment. You can fly a Maule with either door removed, just not BOTH doors. Guy had the aircraft trimmed out at about 70 kts on jump run and she was still climbing at about 500fpm. That was impressive.
That's a shame.
Quote from: JC004 on July 23, 2008, 09:00:56 AM
I've never flown in ours. Just used it for a visual aid at UKT. Take me in it?
More than happy to. It's what I do best. That's why they pay me the big bucks.