Bi plane Cox field
- Thread starter Rushie
- Start date
midlifeflyer
Touchdown! Greaser!
dell30rb
Final Approach
I used to fly there all the time. Great airport, people and EAA chapter. A real treasure to have so close to the city. The runway is 2400' with a tight treeline around the field. Runway 9 is favored due to a slope. Nothing crazy.. around 10kts tailwind or so you switch to 27. The pilot clipped a tree on his approach to 9 and crashed just short of the runway.
According to a local meterologist/pilot the winds were 300 10G18 @ RDU at the time of the crash (5mi away). A landing on 9 would be dangerous in those winds, given the length of the field and the turbulence you get on short final due to a close and tall treeline.
I did not know the person who crashed but by all accounts he is a very experienced pilot. I can think of two reasons why it would be easy to misjudge the winds if that was a factor. The nearby RDU ATIS does not update that frequently. And the windsock at the field is apt to swirl around on windy days. A quick glance might not give an accurate picture.
According to a local meterologist/pilot the winds were 300 10G18 @ RDU at the time of the crash (5mi away). A landing on 9 would be dangerous in those winds, given the length of the field and the turbulence you get on short final due to a close and tall treeline.
I did not know the person who crashed but by all accounts he is a very experienced pilot. I can think of two reasons why it would be easy to misjudge the winds if that was a factor. The nearby RDU ATIS does not update that frequently. And the windsock at the field is apt to swirl around on windy days. A quick glance might not give an accurate picture.
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