Another sad day in Alaska

[N171TD]

There has been another very sad accident in Alaska. Shaun Lunt who took trips in his cub to Alaska in the summers was killed this week end. SC.org has many wonderful photo's on their website from his adventures up north.
I know in my heart he is with the lord but it is still sad to know we lost a fellow pilot.
God's speed and prayers to his family.

[flyguy]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/642 ... crash.html

Sad sad story. I hope if I am ever in a plane crash I am killed on impact and do not have to face the horror of burning to death.

[tshort]

Sad to hear.
I came across his web site last year and really enjoyed his photos from AK flying:

http://shaunlunt.typepad.com/shootings/

He was my age and in the same profession as me ... really unfortunate to hear.

Thomas

[hilltop170]

What an unnecessary trajedy. Shawn was a very talented pilot and photographer and it's a terrible shame he had to go like that. If anyone has not seen his photo work, do yourself a favor and go through his albums, they are some of the best around of Alaska scenery.

If there is anything to be learned from the accident, it's probably going to be renewed awareness of maneuvering close to the ground. Especially when your attention is distracted by something on the ground. We don't know what actually happened yet, but the initial description by Shawn's flying buddy indicated he was turning at low altitude to look at something on the beach. Somewhere in the flyby attempt the plane stalled and did not have enough altitude to recover.

This has happened to many small planes in Alaska and especially Super Cubs, percentage-wise, because there are so many more of them out flying in the bush. It's called the "moose hunter's stall" because it usually happens when the pilot circles over something to observe it, sometimes a moose, and ends up stalling the plane.

If I was to bet on what happened here, I would bet the pilot was flying offshore parallel to the beach at low airspeed probably around 60mph (best rate of climb for a Cub is 75mph) then turned downwind toward the beach. There was a strong wind blowing from offshore toward the beach.The airspeed would have dropped due to the sudden increase in tailwind causing the plane to sink and the groundspeed would be increasing. This would tempt the pilot to pull back on the stick to arrest the sink rate and tighten up the turn to keep from overshooting the beach. Any cross-control from a gust or whatever would be all it took to stall and spin. No room to recover.

No matter what happened here, we all need to reflect on our own in-grained habits and objectively think about where we are at risk and make a conscience effort to eliminate them no matter what kind of plane we're flying.

[N3243A]

If I was to bet on what happened here, I would bet the pilot was flying offshore parallel to the beach at low airspeed probably around 60mph (best rate of climb for a Cub is 75mph) then turned downwind toward the beach. There was a strong wind blowing from offshore toward the beach.The airspeed would have dropped due to the sudden increase in tailwind causing the plane to sink and the groundspeed would be increasing. This would tempt the pilot to pull back on the stick to arrest the sink rate and tighten up the turn to keep from overshooting the beach. Any cross-control from a gust or whatever would be all it took to stall and spin. No room to recover.

No matter what happened here, we all need to reflect on our own in-grained habits and objectively think about where we are at risk and make a conscience effort to eliminate them no matter what kind of plane we're flying.

Richard,

First I agree completely that this was a completely uneccessary tragedy. But If you read the underlined part of your quote above, it looks like you are a proponent of the "myth of the downwind turn/stall". His groundspeed certainly increased and he may have tightened his bank angle causing a stall, but his airspeed did not decrease due to the tailwind component. I was always taught that the airplane does not know which way the wind is blowing and there is no such thing as the "downwind turn/stall" unless you are talking about some type wind shear event here. Am I interpreting your post incorrectly?

Regards, Bruce

[flyguy]

I just perused Shawn's photos on the Typepad. I knew I had seen his album before and was so delighted at the wonderful shots he posted there. Almost every photo is truly outstanding but this one caught my eye. I hope it gives us a sense of closure. So long Shawn - - -

[mit]

I hate that feeling you get when you make the down wind turn going from standing still to.... Dang I hauling a$$

[voorheesh]

Re downwind turn: I think he might have meant that the pilot was trying to maneuver over a fixed point and may have been distracted from indicated airspeed. When he turned downwind the groundspeed increased and he might have attempted to slow (increase pitch/reduce power) so he could see his target. Then if he tightened his turn to stay over the target at a low airspeed, he would stall. If uncoordinated, he would spin. Don't know for sure, but just a thought.

[1SeventyZ]

One thing's for sure, the wind WAS blowing pretty hard at the scene. Look at the smoke:

[15A]

Truly another tragedy that no one has the answer to. Most unfortunate. All types of scenarios of what might have happened are lessons for the rest of us.
I'm sure that he knew his airplane like the back of his hand. He demonstrated that with his pictures. It's a comfortable feeling. But drop your guard just for a few seconds, and things can change rather quickly.
Thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was a true artist and shared many beautiful things with the rest of us.
Godspeed.