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Not long ago there was some discussion about shoulder harnesses. Hooker's in particular. Following a couple of posts about them, I ordered a set from Hooker. They are now installed, an easy installation.
The reason I've revitalized this thread is because last weekend an 11ACC Chief cracked up on takeoff. The wreck is now in a hangar at our airport, totalled, a very nice airplane once. It belonged to a prominent surgeon who also owns two Maules; this was his fun plane. There was some fuel problem or other that caused the engine to sputter and quit. He had just washed the plane so maybe some water in the fuel. The primer was not locked, so perhaps that was the problem. He hadn't flown it all winter, it was stored in a barn, so maybe a fuel vent was plugged, or birds built a home in his carb. His choice of landing spots also leaves a lot to be desired, but it is too soon in the investigation to be second guessing him. And he isn't talking because his jaw hit the instrument panel, leaving a hole in the panel, and is now wired together. His head is bandaged, and both legs are broken. His lung collapsed when his chest contacted the yoke suddenly. His right arm is immobile. He's a brain surgeon now in real trouble. This all begs the question: Was he wearing a shoulder harness? No! Very wealthy, multiple planes, lots of expensive real estate, and he hadn't had harnesses installed. These little planes are so docile, you can't really get hurt in one, right? In an much earlier post I told about my Piper J3 on lease back that spun in nearly killing a CFI and student. If you go to the NTSB site you'll be surprised by the high number of fatalities in docile little tube and fabric 4 bangers. I always fly scared, and I have thousands of hours in them. Why I waited until recently to install my harnesses I'll never know, because it's a no-brainer.
The reason I've revitalized this thread is because last weekend an 11ACC Chief cracked up on takeoff. The wreck is now in a hangar at our airport, totalled, a very nice airplane once. It belonged to a prominent surgeon who also owns two Maules; this was his fun plane. There was some fuel problem or other that caused the engine to sputter and quit. He had just washed the plane so maybe some water in the fuel. The primer was not locked, so perhaps that was the problem. He hadn't flown it all winter, it was stored in a barn, so maybe a fuel vent was plugged, or birds built a home in his carb. His choice of landing spots also leaves a lot to be desired, but it is too soon in the investigation to be second guessing him. And he isn't talking because his jaw hit the instrument panel, leaving a hole in the panel, and is now wired together. His head is bandaged, and both legs are broken. His lung collapsed when his chest contacted the yoke suddenly. His right arm is immobile. He's a brain surgeon now in real trouble. This all begs the question: Was he wearing a shoulder harness? No! Very wealthy, multiple planes, lots of expensive real estate, and he hadn't had harnesses installed. These little planes are so docile, you can't really get hurt in one, right? In an much earlier post I told about my Piper J3 on lease back that spun in nearly killing a CFI and student. If you go to the NTSB site you'll be surprised by the high number of fatalities in docile little tube and fabric 4 bangers. I always fly scared, and I have thousands of hours in them. Why I waited until recently to install my harnesses I'll never know, because it's a no-brainer.
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