Draco crash on takeoff 16 Sept 2019

I never posed for pictures in front of one of my wrecked race cars right after it happened, and I didn't want folks shoving a camera and a mic in my face asking for my thoughts.
 
I think the only thing that was keeping that airplane from flipping on the runway was the weight of the passengers.
 
The $45K for insurance was for the week of RENO only! not the rest of the year. The upwind left wing was lifted due to the cross wind, and the landing gears ability to squat... thus the issue with the launch. lots to learn from a great pilot, and Plane... we need to see that even those that fly a lot and have the skills still can get into the wrong side of the envelope. Talked to family, said the aircraft was totaled... may be hanging on the wall of Mikes hangar as a testament to great things. However, I think it may fly again one day. Scrappy may now get some sweet avionics and landing lights.
 
IK04 said:
Hey, it's an experimental airplane without a comprehensive test flight program. He's been busy keeping up with the show schedules and having fun with it...
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Can you give me the link to the results of the test flight program?

I know that it's not required to be published, but I didn't know he posted that somewhere.
 
Zeldman said:
I never posed for pictures in front of one of my wrecked race cars right after it happened, and I didn't want folks shoving a camera and a mic in my face asking for my thoughts.
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You didn't have to deal with the FAA either.
 
Kenny Phillips said:
Your cynicism doesn't fit in this case. The Pateys are very energetic, very driven, and yet very humble.
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I don't know the Pateys, but I do know the world of influencers. This is a guaranteed viral video. "Humble" isn't something you do on Youtube.

Eta: just confirmed this is his most-watched video. In one day, it has almost double the total views of most of his other videos.
 
Lindberg said:
I don't know the Pateys, but I do know the world of influencers. This is a guaranteed viral video. "Humble" isn't something you do on Youtube.

Eta: just confirmed this is his most-watched video. In one day, it has almost double the total views of most of his other videos.
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Average 1.50 per 1000 views. How much is he making so far?
 
Little over 5M views, so 7k ish. He's not very popular as far as YouTubers are concerned.
 
I don’t know much about the Patey brothers, but what little I have read and seen is down right fascinating. I don’t think YouTube figures in much into the equation of their success.
 
pigpenracing said:
Insurance will pay for a brand new plane for him? Really?
I didn't know you could "Buy a brand new airplane like that"
They may pay him the value of it but he would have to build another one himself....
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Let me rephrase. Insurance will write a check, owner builds new plane. Owner's sponsors help to pay the difference. Owner probably fairly well off financially. Policy holders foot the bill for error. No sympathy here other than glad no one got hurt.
 
Kenny Phillips said:
Hopefully, a lot. That link was posted everywhere, including several major news sites. But $1.50/1,000 views, that's crazy money.
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My wife had a video that went viral with over 1.2 million views, people everywhere was trying to buy the rights. It was nuts and I say she got no where near $1.50 per 1000 views, okay Ill say it, she got 100 bucks hahaha. Not sure how all that works though as youtube went strange not long ago in how they operate and this was just one video on an account with not a lot of subscribers, so there is that too.
 
Not that I agree, but the FAA preliminary says "GROUND LOOPED ATTEMPTING TO DEPARTURE", whatever that grammar is.

IDENTIFICATION
Date: 16-SEP-19
Time: 17:07:00Z
Regis#: N123T
Aircraft Make: PZL OKECIE
Aircraft Model: PZL104
Event Type: ACCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: SUBSTANTIAL
LOCATION
City: RENO
State: NEVADA
Country: UNITED STATES
DESCRIPTION
Description: AIRCRAFT GROUND LOOPED ATTEMPTING TO DEPARTURE, RENO, NV.
INJURY DATA
Total Fatal: 0

https://www.asias.faa.gov/apex/f?p=...CITY_NAME,P95_REGIST_NBR:16-SEP-19,RENO,N123T
 
Checkout_my_Six said:
geez....at that rate you'd think all the funny people should be rich. :D
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Or at least all the rich people should be funny :p

I can't figure out what it is that gets people over the hump in YT land. Some of my favorite channels with well produced videos and interesting content stagnate at 10k for years, while makeup "artists" attract millions.
 
Jim K said:
Or at least all the rich people should be funny :p

I can't figure out what it is that gets people over the hump in YT land. Some of my favorite channels with well produced videos and interesting content stagnate at 10k for years, while makeup "artists" attract millions.
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I have a friend who's kid is pulling in $5K a month doing YT videos....he's kind of a local star. o_O
 
Stewartb said:
Watch it again. Only one wing was flying. It started flying when the flaps came down (a classic short field technique) and the upwind wing wanted to fly. That's a stall-spin. It is NOT a classic ground loop...
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Yup, definitely not a ground loop. When he went full left aileron the right wing stalled and it went into a spin. They are lucky it happened at 10 feet rather than 50, if the ground hadn't been there to stop that roll they would have gone straight in and it would have been a lot worse. I told Mike to Read Jimmy Doolittle's book. He totaled a brand new Lockheed Vega on takeoff with his whole family on board. It can happen to the best of us. It's a shame about Draco but Mike will be back, you can count on it.
 
simtech said:
My wife had a video that went viral with over 1.2 million views, people everywhere was trying to buy the rights. It was nuts and I say she got no where near $1.50 per 1000 views, okay Ill say it, she got 100 bucks hahaha. Not sure how all that works though as youtube went strange not long ago in how they operate and this was just one video on an account with not a lot of subscribers, so there is that too.
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Yep. YT producers aren't going to Patreon and other off-YT monetization for nothing.
 
Silvaire said:
Yup, definitely not a ground loop. When he went full left aileron the right wing stalled and it went into a spin. They are lucky it happened at 10 feet rather than 50, if the ground hadn't been there to stop that roll they would have gone straight in and it would have been a lot worse.
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You guys are being pretty dramatic in calling this a spin. You can see from the video that the right tire never even left the ground. Not sure how you enter a spin without leaving the ground. The x-wind was lifting the left wing the whole time and the airplane didn't start heading for the ditch until the right wingtip contacted the ground and dragged the airplane off the runway.
 
Can’t help but think his buddy should of slipped him a drink or three(alcohol). Then he could say, ‘sorry buddy, no flying for at least a handful of hours’. ‘Let’s check the tie downs & continue at the local Brewpub’.

Sometimes one has to go with unconventional methods.
 
simtech said:
My wife had a video that went viral with over 1.2 million views, people everywhere was trying to buy the rights. It was nuts and I say she got no where near $1.50 per 1000 views, okay Ill say it, she got 100 bucks hahaha. Not sure how all that works though as youtube went strange not long ago in how they operate and this was just one video on an account with not a lot of subscribers, so there is that too.
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DId she monetize it and does she have > 1000 subscribers?
I only know my little YT world where I am ~600k views for the channel and they show to have paid me $1,250 so I am now around $2 per 1k views.
Retirement here I come.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
DId she monetize it and does she have > 1000 subscribers?
I only know my little YT world where I am ~600k views for the channel and they show to have paid me $1,250 so I am now around $2 per 1k views.
Retirement here I come.
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Yes it was monetized and they had just started the 1000 subscriber thing I believe because the views still growing and she gets nothing now. After they paid her they said she can't be monetized anymore until she gets 1k subscribers. Of course! Stupid cat videos...thats where its at...CAT videos! Hahaha sigh I told her she should have sold the rights to that one and been done. Haha
 
RoscoeT said:
You guys are being pretty dramatic in calling this a spin. You can see from the video that the right tire never even left the ground. Not sure how you enter a spin without leaving the ground. The x-wind was lifting the left wing the whole time and the airplane didn't start heading for the ditch until the right wingtip contacted the ground and dragged the airplane off the runway.
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No argument, just discussion. What I see is a flight accident that happened near the ground, not a ground accident that happened near the air. One wing was flying around a wing that wasn't. Did ground effect play a role? Probably, as did the wind, but the initial statement remains true. Any higher and it would have been a lawn dart, similar the low level stall spin at the Talkeetna Air Show in 2017. I observe these things with interest so I can learn from the mistakes. I have no criticism of the pilots. Accidents happen.
 
RoscoeT said:
You guys are being pretty dramatic in calling this a spin. You can see from the video that the right tire never even left the ground. Not sure how you enter a spin without leaving the ground. The x-wind was lifting the left wing the whole time and the airplane didn't start heading for the ditch until the right wingtip contacted the ground and dragged the airplane off the runway.
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The aircraft went out of frame for a couple of seconds and it looks to me like the right wheel did leave the ground. He had x-wind inputs at the time, full left aileron and right rudder, which was all he could do. I'm just saying that if that upset gust had happened at 50 feet that would have been a spin. But no need for us to over think this. Patey was there and knows exactly what happened and I'm pretty sure he's already analyzed the heck out of it and is probably working on a YouTube video right now that will explain it all. My main point was that I just don't see it as the traditional "ground loop" but maybe that's just semantics.
 
Stewartb said:
One wing was flying around a wing that wasn't.
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I disagree. If there was no yaw until the wintip started dragging, how can there be an AOA differential between the two wings causing one wing to "fly" and one not? The strong left x-wind, the squishy gear struts, and the grip of the right tire simply allowed the x-wind to get under the left wing and roll the airplane right. Popping the flaps didn't help IMO, but the normal rules of flight don't apply until the entire airplane has achieved flight.
 
The upwind wing often flies first. When I can't control it is when I draw the line through taking off. I also start my takeoff roll with flaps that I expect to use and hold the mains on the ground until I can't hold it any longer. On floats I've used water rudders for the initial slide. Prior to getting over the hump some planes will hold the heading better than others. Regardless the rule is to stay on the water until you can lift the leeward wing and roll up on the upwind float. Ground ops can use the same technique. Different strokes different days.
 
In his video he gives a pretty in-depth description of what happened and what he was doing.
 
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I can't blame him for going so public so fast. He's been pretty massively public about the whole thing from the get go.
 
RoscoeT said:
...how can there be an AOA differential between the two wings causing one wing to "fly" and one not?...
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Ailerons, full down aileron on the right wing stalled it.
 
Silvaire said:
Ailerons, full down aileron on the right wing stalled it.
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You are correct about the lift differential associated with aileron, but I still disagree with you guys saying the right wing was stalled when the right tire never came off the ground, and also because of the fact that with full power and flaps, this airplane's stall deck angle is significantly higher than what is achieved in a 3-point or very slightly tail raised attitude. Could not have been stalled at such a low deck angle and AOA. The only way it could have reached critical AOA at this pitch attitude is if the airplane was descending, but of course the runway surface prevented this. ;)
 
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