Skyraider & P51 midair

[Robert Lees]

It's hardly Humour, Rants & Raves, but this weekend at Duxford a Skyraider & P51 suffered a midair during Flying Legends airshow.

Both Pilots survived (P51 bailed out low level and Skyraider landed with 4 feet missing from the wing).

Google will provide many internet threads on the matter, but the following superb video shows the essence of it:

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmsJW0-6JB0

[Larry Lyons]

Re: Skyraider & P51 midair

WOW! So sad but good that all survived! L

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Skyraider & P51 midair

Already "Removed by user". Anyone save a copy?
Hank

[M Towsley]

Re: Skyraider & P51 midair

Hank, there are other videos out there. It looks like the right horizontal tail of the Mustang ran along the Skyraiders wing. First glance it does not appear the Mustang's tail suffered any damage. But, I wasn't there.

[Robert Lees]

Re: Skyraider & P51 midair

Try here:

http://www.flyingfilm.co.uk/

[M Towsley]

Re: Skyraider & P51 midair

Thanks, Rob. Probably the best video of this I have seen. There are other views to this, like I said, in one you can see where the wing actually ran across the leading edge of the right stabilizer. The video above doesn't show this from this point of view.

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Skyraider & P51 midair

The one I saw just now clearly shows the wing tip come of the Skyraider and the Mustang pitch wildly. The canopy flys off the Mustang next and there is a violent pitch down as the pilot comes out of the cockpit. What is interesting is the stabs are both clearly visible in the video! It looked like the wing tip hit the P-51 in the bottom of the fuselage just ahead of the stabs and tail wheel doors. I am wondering if the P-51 pilot had to hold full aft stick to keep her level because of control cable damage and when he released his harness he released the and stick that tucked the nose down throwing him clear.
The other possibility is I talked to some Spitfire pilots in the past who told me the procedure in a Spitfire was that, if you could, you rolled in full down trim prior to releasing the stick so the plane WOULD pitch down and throw you clear.
This is going to be a good one to hear from the pilot on. I am really glad we have him to talk to. Big Beautiful Doll really WAS a great plane. One of the real beauties in the P-51 community.
Hank

[M Towsley]

Re: Skyraider & P51 midair

Hank,

Look at some of the other videos on the web. The Skyraiders wing comes up in front of the right horizontal stab of the Mustang and the stab removes the outer wing of the Skyraider. That is what caused the Mustang to slew around. Another way to exit is to push the stick forward with your foot to exit, (though I did not see a violent pitch down). I don't think he had the altitude to roll in elevator trim.

Try this video: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-14106730

This second one shows it even better: http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Roys...w-11072011.htm

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Skyraider & P51 midair

Couldn't get the second one to load but in the first one I did a frame step and it looks like to me the wing hit the fuselage of the P-51 just in front of the tail wheel door. We have a Skyraider and a P-51 here and I have seen some of the structure. I really think if the wing of the Skyraider had hit the stab it would have blown it right off. The Skyraider is ONE HONKING TOUGH PLANE! The stab of the P-51 is MUCH stronger than a light plane, but nothing like the Skyraider. If you look at the wreckage of the P-51 at the end there is a crease in the lower fuselage just aft of where the fuselage is broken. I am betting there will be paint transfer from the Skyraider in the crease.
Hank

[Larry Lyons]

Re: Skyraider & P51 midair

All I can add is WW II pilots loved the ruggedness of the 51. That was one reason the post war Navion was so popular, it was built like a truck. L

[M Towsley]

Re: Skyraider & P51 midair

Hank, the second link worked for me. I'm not sure what the problem is. That one really shows the point of impact better as it is zoomed in from a different perspective.

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Skyraider & P51 midair

Not sure what was wrong the first time. Both videos ran well today. It still looks to me like the AD right wing tip hit the bottom of the Mustang fuselage, not the stab. The Mustang stab IS strong and well built (especially compared to a modern light plane) but the AD is built like a locomotive. I would be really interested to see why the tip came off like that. Got to go look at the one here again and see if the fold is there or if there is a major structural joint.
I seem to remember taht one of the big round engined fighters at the end of WW-II had blow off tips that were supposed to come off if you were over stressing the wing. Anyone else remember that? It seems like it was either the AD or the Bearcat. As I heard, most squadrons deactivated the system that kicked the tips off, but we have a LOT of guys who flew these planes around here and stories abound when you are standing next to one.
Hank

[Robert Lees]

Re: Skyraider & P51 midair

Here is a very brief but laconic & British stiff upper lip interview of the P51 pilot.

He used to own the aeroplane, but didn't at the time of the incident (although he was retained on the insurance, hence being able to fly it).

Incidentally, this was the P51 in the film "Empire of the Sun" that did the fly-by of the Japanese war camp.

[jim cooper]

Re: Skyraider & P51 midair

I THINK Ed Shipley used to own a P51 by that name. Same aircraft? JC

[M Towsley]

Re: Skyraider & P51 midair

There are two Big Beautiful Dolls that I am aware of, or at least there were two before this. One over the pond and one here. The one in England obviously yard-darted as described above and the other was at OSH last week.