I know, with everyone that this post reaches, the loss of such a guy as Steve weighs very heavy on our minds and we are all deeply saddened with the loss of Steve. It is human instinct to start throwing out every possible cause and discuss them amongst ourselves until the actual facts are known. The bad part of this, is that the victims family members very well could possibly be reading all of these e-mails also, so we need to think and be sure of what we are posting. Therefore, I feel it is appropriate to inform everyone of factual information received from the President of the local EAA chapter in which Steve was a member. According to this very reliable source, Steve was doing gross weight flight testing prior to carrying passengers with him. At the time of the accident, Steve had 175 pounds of sand bags in the plane with him. How many were on the seat, how many on the floor and if they were secured is not known. Also it is not known if Steve worked up to this weight gradually or if he placed the full weight in at one time. Knowing how meticulous Steve was, I would think he gradually worked his way up to that weight. Steve had been in the air for about one hour when he returned to the airport. From what is known it appears that he lost the plane as he turned from base to final spinning into the water. Upon medical examination of the body, water was found in Steve's lungs indicating he died after impact. Another fact that is not known is how Steve's CG range reacted with this additional weight. The added weight possibly pushed his CG beyond the aft limits rendering the aircraft unstable. Again, from this information, it is pretty obvious this was not an engine issue or a mechanical failure. We all need to evaluate ourselves as pilots and our aircraft to make sure we fly as safe as possible. Steve paid the ultimate price doing what he so dearly loved and I am sure he would want all of us to learn from him.
Mark Jones (N886MJ) Wales, WI Visit my web site: http://mywebpage.netscape.com/n886mj Email: flyk...@wi.rr.com
