All the Little Pieces . . .

[MikeS]

The Bonanza break-up over Long Island has me wondering. If reports are correct that "hundreds" of pieces of the plane rained down over a large area of Long Island, anybody have any idea just how that could happen? We know of course from the OWT thread that V-tails come off at the slightest opportunity so that's a given - and would cause wing failure from sudden down force. Whether it's a Bo or not, a horizontal stabilizer failure would cause wing separation so there's no mystery there. What's puzzling is where all the little pieces came from? Tails and wings are large things that break off and flutter down. Sheet metal doesn't shatter. The only times I've seen aluminum aircraft in small pieces is after they've gone through trees or hitting the side of a mountain, such as the German suicide/murderer thing. Having a hard time imagining how a straightforward loss of control incident causes an aircraft to be transformed into something that looks like it ran through a wood chipper.

It's also a mystery how someone trained to ATP standards, as well as being a double I completely loses basic skills - medical incident could explain that but the small pieces part of the story is what really leaves me puzzled.

 

[Norman]

No puzzle at all. People who write that crap use a lot of imagination. Accuracy be damned. Get the story out.

 

[GRG55]

The "pieces" aren't necessarily from the plane itself; description of "hundreds of pieces" probably includes the contents scattered widely too.

Loss of the horizontal stab control does not necessarily mean the wings separate. Saw some accident investigation pics at a talk a few years back showing a similar failure (not a Bonanza); the upper surface of the wing was bunted in between the ribs when the elevator failed, but the wings remained attached.

 

[Tom-D]

Lots of little pieces = the contents of the aircraft, baggage, etc.