I can’t find the thread, but someone posted about a big ass radio controlled model of a B-52 a few months back. Sadly, the plane felt seperation anxiety and returned to ground without using it’s landing gear.
I think it was at least ten years ago but there is video footage of a real B-52 augering in. IIRC it may have been after a pass at an airshow when the pilot banked too steeply and exceeded the safe envelope. BUF can’t fly knifedge. The plane dove in at a shallow angle and rather being a kaboom, all at once crash, the plane gradually disintegrated starting with the low side wing as if it were being run over a cheese grater. The news report said the pilot had repeatedly been disciplined for unautharized maneuvers in the past. A shame he wasn’t grounded before he killed the rest of his crew.
I thought of that when I read the thread title, Padeye. I believe it was at an airshow. He was flying really low, banked too sharply, and just fell straight down.
Looks like the model did the same thing (banked too much and lost its lift).
Ah, the ever popular death spiral. Plane goes into a turn and loses altitude. Unfortunately at steep bank ankles pulling back on the stick doesn’t bring the nose up it just makes the turn tighter. Cripes, black smoke. Glow fuel doesn’t burn like that. Did that thing have turbine engines? A lot of money to auger in for a modeler.
Yes, I believe it did have turbines - eight of 'em at $3K a pop. That was $25-30K or more of airplane that went in.
Did it seem to y’all that the plane looked a bit unstable after take-off? And did you notice that the rear landing gear lifted off first? Real BUFFs don’t do that, do they?
I know exactly the crash you are talking about, but I don’t think it was at an airshow. The pilot had been disciplined in the past, but I believe the manuever was at or near base, not a show.
If no one would have mentioned the real B-52 crash, after watching the model crash I would have been immediately reminded of it. The real B52 crash was much closer to camera, though.
I’m not arguing, but I was just always under the impression that the real B52 crash on camera was not at a show.
It was a flight in preparation for an air show, where even the approved flight plan exceeded safe operating limits, and the pilot then attempted to execute a turn that, as Padeye says, it simply can’t do. There is a very good analysis of not only the crash, but the command failures leading up to it on the web.