gyro accident...hope he's o.k...

Yes, I hope he is ok and I wish him a speedy recovery!
 
I'm searching for follow ups on this story and can't find anything. Anyone recognize this gyro and know the pilot?
 
The FBO guy said something about the pilot assembles them. It looked like a single place snowbird to me.

Although they said he had serious injuries, they did not say life threatening, which is a very good sign.

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I didn't think there were that many Snobirds out there flying, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out who the pilot is.
 
Here's the link to the written version of the TV news account.

http://www.kirotv.com/news/15860974/detail.html

Not a bad account considering how the news typically buggers things up.

Of course I have to ask why is a Seattle WA news station covering a Toledo accident?

A bus full of nuns carrying babies falling over a cliff hardly makes the local news....

Does the media create the flying phobia or does the culture's flying phobia spur the media?

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The crash was at the Toledo Airport in Lewis County, Washington. Not Toledo Ohio.

Well, that explains the WA coverage.

I was unable to find the CNN coverage which I will take as a good thing.

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I hope he will be OK. I was at the airport on Friday morning doing touch and goes and practiced aborted landings. I would set up for a landing and aborted at the last second put in power then go back up in the air again then came down and landed. I had one pilot ask me was everything OK, that it looked like I was having problems? I had to explain no I was doing that on propose.

It sounds like this guy flared to soon popped back up did not add power and pushed it back down and had no air speed at that point and landed hard. Does anyone else out there think the same thing?
 
Tina, I would have to agree from the witness description.

Keeping in mind of course, as your post points out, that a non-gyro pilot witness might not be able to tell what a normal flight envelope is, even if the witness is an experienced pilot.

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Don't know of any members of the local gyro community that own and fly a Snobird, except for David Hill, and the reported age of 62 doesn't come close to David's much younger age.

He might be the individual who had control of, but possibly not ownership of, the Snobird inventory after Dave Noack, and before LeRoy and Cindy Hardee of Tennessee.

I heard that individual had three new Snobird's in a hangar there...

I'll bet David knows this individual, since he kept his Snobird there at Toledo airport.
 
Might be a former gyro of Dave Hill's.

Might be a former gyro of Dave Hill's.

The mishap aircraft is the same colour as the one David Hill was trying to sell in this forum last year.

http://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14365

Compare, the mishap gyro (original and slightly sharpened pics from KIRO-TV) to Dave Hill's gyro from the above thread (these are the thumbnails, you can expand the images if you follow the link above).

Same gyro, same engine, same colour, same airfield. Doesn't prove anything. I don't believe the lighter colour on the mishap aircraft's tail means all that much (could be reflection washing out the blue from where the press photog shot it).

I hope the pilot recovers rapidly and fully. It's encouraging that he was able to talk to his rescuer. As far as not remembering the accident, pretty normal with a concussion (BTDT). Judging from the shape the gyro's in (look at the keel), he hit like a ton of bricks and is fortunate to be alive.

cheers

-=K=-
 

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What I find very odd is that the American media contacted or quoted an obscure company in England, a country where the term gyrocopter is almost unheard of, regarding an accident to an American designed and built aircraft and American pilot which occurred in America!

That apart, I wish the pilot a full recovery.
 
Wow, that had to hurt. It states he is the owner of the company for Snobird...and he blacked out? Heart attack would have had some warning signs first, I would think. Strange that he would just black out with no early warning signs? Poor guy. THat looks like a very hard hit. Good thing he survived. I bet he'll be OK after recovery. I wish everyone had shoulder straps on their gyros. I don't know if he did, but...really, you guys...in a real crash, seat belts are only 1/2 the safety of shoulder straps. I strongly suggest you guys go for the full monty and get them installed on your machines. It could save a broken jaw, or broken neck in a crash. You just don't realize it until you kiss the ground how much this means - and then it is too late.
 
The SnoBird saga

The SnoBird saga

He might be the individual who had control of, but possibly not ownership of, the Snobird inventory after Dave Noack, and before LeRoy and Cindy Hardee of Tennessee.

I heard that individual had three new Snobird's in a hangar there...

Nice wording Kevin. Cindy told me that a very large portion of the SnoBird company never made it to their place. I had heard rumors of a hangar full of stolen SnoBird components in the PACNW. I also heard the guy, and parts, disappeared in the middle of the night.

The SnoBird saga would make a very interesting book.
 
I just received credible information (after a bunch of research) that it was forum member, David Hill, that crashed the SnoBird at Toledo, Wa, last week. They said he wasn't hurt too bad.

David was the fifth owner of SnoBird (after me) and was the guy who sold it to the current owner, another forum member, in Southern Illinois.

David, I hope you are doing well. Very sorry for your mishap, we wish you a speedy recovery.
 
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