Chris, aka dirtydog crashed at wrens

Hi

Sorry to hear of this second recent US fatal accident - am I right in thinking this is a second non "N" registered gyro ( it does not appear on the NTSB listing for June ) - as such it might or might not get investigated- if it doesn't then the cause will not be known - this would be a real shame.

The earlier PRA Investigation Team forum thread got sidetracked into bickering here - I hope the PRA or another competent body get to investigate this and the earlier ultralight Honeybee G2 accident - facts need to be determined.
it was N numbered we had our machined certified together. I saw him signing the papers and getting his airworthiness sitting right next to me. If I am correct it was N1481
 
Chris' accident was in todays FAA reports. It will be investigated, but who knows how deep.

May I suggest a very worthy aviation safety group that really, really needs money..... THE PRA !
 
No cause determined yet

No cause determined yet

There has not been a caused determined yet. Still waiting for the accident report. Please keep Rosie (his wife) in your prayers. The Bowens.....
 
Once again so very sorry for your loss and yes, Rosie is certainly included in our thoughts.
 
Thanks Bowen Family

Thanks Bowen Family

There has not been a caused determined yet. Still waiting for the accident report. Please keep Rosie (his wife) in your prayers. The Bowens.....

Bowen Family,

Thank you so much for taking the time to sign-in to keep us informed. I believe that I am speaking for everyone here when I say that we really appreciate you doing that.

Even if most of us cannot be by your side at the services tomorrow and Thursday, our combined prayers and thoughts are with you and Rosie around the clock.

God bless you,
Mark
 
A place for donations in lieu of flowers

A place for donations in lieu of flowers

J.R. and Tom, thanks much for your donation suggestions.

Turns out that I ended up calling Angel Flight today and found out that they are very much geared toward taking donations "in memory of" loved ones. It seemed so easy and appropriate that I went ahead and set-up a memorial fund there for anyone who wants to make donations in lieu of flowers.

If anyone else wants to make donations to Angel Flight, in memory of Chris, you can do this:

- Go to https://www.angelflightsoars.org/donate_now.asp
- Fill out your personal information on the first page and click Continue
- On the second page select the "In Memory Of" button and type "Chris Bowen" or "Dirtydog" into the blank.
- You can leave the "Notification" area blank. (Angel Flight will have this info)
- Fill out the rest of the form with the pertinent info.

If you prefer to use regular mail, just send a donation with "In Memory Of" information to:

Angel Flight
Dekalb Peachtree Airport
2000 Airport Road
Suite 227
Atlanta, Georgia 30341

I spoke to Jeanine, the Director there. She said that Angel Flight will send a weekly report of incoming donations to the family which will include names only and not amounts. They will also will send you a donation thank you letter. Donations are tax deductable and Angel Flight is a very efficient charity with 84% of donations going directly to the program. If you read some of the "About" info you will see that they do some pretty great stuff. Especially check out the Patient Letters.

Thanks,
Mark
 
Ok guys I got this info from Debra today. The medical examiner contributed his death to blunt force trauma. I disagree. Chris would have said he was having an issue and possible some cursing. I believe he had a massive heart attack.
We are leaving in a few minutes to catch a plane. We live in Texas. Missed our morning flight by 4 minutes. Service As far as I know they still have not released his body. My father made arrangements. We are going forward meeting @ the funeral home today, NeSmith Funeral Home, Claxton ,Ga. from 6-8.
Maybe you guys can schedlule a fly-over in his honor when we actually bury him.
 
Hi Chop

I can agree with the heart attack. When I was younger and used to hear about people having a heart attack and running into this or that with a car, and i wondered"why didn't they just at least turn off the ignition", if they could not use the brake. Well, when I had my first heart attack at 49, I quickly learned the pain is so intense it is TOTALLY PARALYZING, you can't move anything and barely even speak.

Tony
 
Evidence.

Evidence.

There is a good chance that they ran his blood looking for reactive protein's and such markers for a heart attack. While I believe there are exceptions to the rule, it is a strong indicator. There have been many instances where people flopped over dead with no symptoms of any kind, strokes, aneurisms, etc.

I also wonder if they checked for a kidney stones. The pain is also intense, severe , and incapacitating and comes out of nowhere.

J
 
How was his health prior to this?
Did he have a history of heart problems?
 
I can't quite follow Post #88. The medical examiner should have checked for evidence of a heart attack, as Jonathan says. If he/she did, then heart attack should have been ruled either in or out, pretty definitively.

Many other forms of incapacitation can be ruled in-out in the same way, especially if Chris's medical history is checked.
 
Doug I just pasted what she wrote to me. She pretty much thinks it had to be a medical issue. As she said and I know it too just by knowing Chris he would have said something on the radio if it were some sort of issue with the gyro or if he was getting sick unless if it was something that just took him out. We can't really rule out a stroke or just a severe chest pain causing fainting bla bla bla..... That is all she was referring to as I understood.
 
NTSB REPORT (PRELIMINARY) issued June 15, 2012

NTSB REPORT (PRELIMINARY) issued June 15, 2012

Friday, June 08, 2012
Preliminary (06/15/2012) Wrens, GA BOWEN CHRISTOPHER W DOGBEE N1481 ERA12LA386 Fatal(1) Part 91: General Aviation


http://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief.aspx?ev_id=20120609X82108&key=1
NTSB Identification: ERA12LA386
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, June 08, 2012 in Wrens, GA
Aircraft: BOWEN CHRISTOPHER W DOGBEE, registration: N1481
Injuries: 1 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.​

On June 8, 2012, approximately 1645 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Dogbee gyroplane, N1481, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain while maneuvering near Wrens, Georgia. The certificated student pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

A witness, who was also flying his gyroplane behind the accident gyroplane, stated that the two gyroplanes had departed Wrens Memorial Airport (65J) shortly before the accident, and were flying over fields south of the airport when the witness observed the accident gyroplane begin a left turn and descend into the ground. He did not observe any abnormalities prior to the impact.

A second witness, who was located on a road adjacent to the accident site, reported seeing the accident gyroplane flying over the field at an altitude of between 50-70 feet, with the second gyroplane following approximately 200 yards behind and at a slightly higher altitude. The accident gyroplane was approaching, and level with, a set of power lines which ran perpendicular to the field. Before reaching the power lines, the gyroplane made a steep, 180-degree left turn and impacted the ground. The witness stated that the gyroplane appeared to be "almost on its side" as it turned.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector responded to the accident site. He stated that the gyroplane came to rest near the edge of a plowed cotton field, approximately 20 feet from a wooded area. Most of the structure was consumed by post-impact fire. The main rotor was separated from the airframe, and was found suspended in a nearby tree. The engine and two of the three propeller blades remained intact. The throttle was observed in the aft position. The engine was rotated by hand, and continuity was confirmed to each of the two cylinders. The spark plugs were removed and exhibited normal wear.

Photo taken from intersecting road east of accident site on June 8, 2012, at 16:28:20 EDT with Kodak digital camera accurate through U.S. Naval Observatory time +- 15 seconds.

Bowen_accident_site_16-28-20_06082012.jpg
 
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This sheds a somewhat different light on the accident.

Tight maneuver to avoid power lines and high speed mush into the ground.

The speed of minimum power depends upon “G” loading; more than 1 “G” will place a gyro on the back side of the power curve at higher than expected airspeed and cause a high sink rate at an airspeed that normally produces a good climb rate.

Pilot inexperience. Don’t look for wires; look for utility poles; don’t expect normal climb while in a tight turn.
************
I just went back and looked at the pictures of Chris’ gyro. As I suspected, an electric prerotator and storage battery behind the seat tank; the likely ignition source.

This crash might have been survivable without the ensuing fire.
 
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My guess, Mike, based on the NTSB description, is that the flight path looked something like this. The cotton field looks open to the left foreground.

But no more than a guess.
 

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at 70ft up with wires suddenly appearing
aviate navigate communicate
aviate decide what to do ... climb or turn, either way open the throttle wide, do the turn, run out of height maybe for what ever reason, just not enough time to communicate, I guess pressing a transmit button and discussing what was going on was just too low in the jobs to do list. But again if the rotors were some distance away from the frame (as reported) I wonder why ?
very deepest sympathy to all family and friends
 
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