Just got online to check on any news here to find this remark from my friend Steve. To keep the record straight, it was Cary Howard, one of my best friends and a good man with a beautiful wife and two grown kids that died in this accident. After speaking to Cary's family it was agreed that I can disclose the happenings of that day to promote safety among fellow pilots. Cary's accident was probably caused by his decision to fly his plane in a manner not suited for his readiness of that of the plane. He built his own plane (by himself)and engine (with my help) (Aeromax was not in existence at that time) and I only gave him technical advise and helped him paint it. Also, there are many home electricians that make pretty bad car and plane electricians just as some car mechanics arent good with planes either. Cary was a fairly proficient pilot but I encouraged him to spend some hours of dual with me which he did. It took over 10 hours before he was at a point where I felt he would handle his plane fine. He also hired me to inspect and perform the first flights on it. The first flight was only about 45 minutes long and of course consisted of checking engine operation/temperatures/flight characteristics, stall speed, instrumentation and so on. It was uneventful and the airplane trimed out well. He had a tire rub and defective brake on that flight that had tobe repaired. I flew a second flight to 4500 feet and overflew the airport for almost 2 hours to build some time and try some manuevers and check speeds. The discrepencies given to the FAA were those stated, a defective altimeter (locked up at 3000 feet ), and a fuel stain on the shut off valve (dry blue stain with no smell to it). Cary was notified of these and what we know for sure is that he did change out the altimeter (I loaned him one and the bad one was on the hangar bench) and that he installed a cigarette lighter (he had a habit of smoking and flying) and radio into the airplane. We know these were done through a passing resident that talked to him when he was working under the panel. What we know of the day he went flying was that he only notified one of his friends that he felt ready to go but didnt want anyone around. The plan for the next test flight was that when he was to notify the tower of the test nature of the flight, and to remain over the airport to get acustomed to the plane and then to land. (Here is a lesson to learn - on first flights think about whom you want present. Never make those flight under pressure for time, weather, friends, or showing off. I chose to make mine with nobody but the safety crew from the airport around. Cameras can wait for another day. If you have a bad day do you want your immediate family to be there watching? The approach for one person may be different for another..just think about these things. Stack all the controllable odds in you favor if you can) I was at work when the airport called me and told me of the accident. My first thoughts were along the line of "why did he go fly without letting me know?" but I know why now because his wife told me that he didnt want anyone around. My other thoughts were that he took off but had PIO (pilot induced occilation) or something of that nature and crashed shorty after takeoff. Everyone was surprised to find out that he flew about 45 minutes before the accident and most of it was about 15 minutes away from the airport. Apparently what we think happended it this (specualtion only) We know that he took off and did a flyby and then left the airport area. A few minutes before the crash he radiod in that he has smoke in the cockpit. Shortly before the crash he radioed (perhaps on handheld of ELT type transmitter that a friend had given him because from what I know it was on emergency channel) that he had a fire. He apparently started heading back toward the airport when he made the first call, and crashed about eight miles out. He attempted an emergency landing (under power from local witness- not always reliable) but clipped a tree near the field. His plane had a composite fuel tank and of course not crash resistant. What went right? Cary did many things right. He knew that his piloting skills were not up to par so he had a biannual done with a CFI and then spent 10 hours doing dual in my KR2S to become acustomed to the fast speeds and the sensitivity of the plane. He had a test pilot check his plane and fly it for him (me). I have flown many different airplane and done dozens of first flight or test flights far many people and I truly believe it to be a wise think for an inexperienced pilot and builder to have. We spent many hours talking about what to do in emergencies, where are the landing fields, what to do when and so on. What went wrong? Cary may have been over confident of his flying skills in a KR. This is hard to judge having been second seat to many KR pilots. Sometimes I believe someone is ready to fly their plane and they do well and fly hundreds of hours (Mark Langford) while others have had ground loops shortly after training. Why is this? Everyone is different and approaches stress and flying differently. However I think Cary was very able to handle the KR. His mistake was more basic and an easy trap in any test phase. I personally believe that he became too comfortable and was antsy to fly his plane. The plan was to stay over the airport for a few minutes and then return to land. Why? There a many reasons but mostly because the airplane is still an unknown in many respects and it is enough to have your first flight be one of YES - it flies and then land...get over the jitters you have (and you will have them). The next days of test flying become a little less stressful and you can focus more. What we think happened with Cary is that he took off and flew the pattern once and was so happy with flying that he went out into the practice are to the west (radar tracked him there) to enjoy his plane. The friend he called before the flight (also a pilot) stated that Cary did smoke when flying (whether he did or not that day we wont ever know). The issue is that when he had a smoke emergency (believed electrical because it was the change made between two successful flights and the last) he did not perform a proper emergency landing. He tried to make it back to Valdosta when there were other airports or landing area close by (quitman and a few six lane highways) In a smoke or fire situation you should shut down all electrical (we think he did because secondcall was on another frequency from what I know) and engine if necessary and land immediately if possible. However there were several minutes from the call to when he tried an emergency landing. Had he been right over the airport then it may have been a non issue for him.
Lessons to learn. Plan your test phase of the airplane very carefully and stick to it. After each flight perform a complete inspection of the aiplane for wear, leaks, loose parts, etc. Let appropriate people know what you are planning to do and have safety personell notified and standing by if possible (these may be friends or as here in Valdosta we have an airport fire/safety crew on hand). Practice and plan for emergencies. (ex. Today I went flying to check out a new propeller so performed various on ground tests before flight but stayed in close in case of emergency-after rechecking torques I will perform another flight - afer 5 hours local I can feel comfortable with the prop) I have lost many friends in plane crashes and most are due to bad decisions. Flying into bad weather, screwing up a landing, or bad maintenance are just a couple. Some accidents are just crazy things that can happen - like hitting deer on runways. Some people on this net are looking for an accident by the reports I hear from time to time. Flying low overwater at high speeds is an accident waiting to happen - why? - birds and wires. Overconfidence in GPS is an accident waiting to happen - why - can promote poor pilotage skills. Not practicing or think about emergencies or how to fly under stressful situations - why - distractions can kill. I know a pilot that would fly his KR at 2500 instead of 6500 just because the "winds favored him" in that direction. What about time to find an emergency landing field? Math quiz for you guys. (What is the difference in time and distance that can be flown in a KR with a 11:1 glide ratio at 90mph?) There are so many such things to think about and decisions to make while fly or preparing to fly that I have been writing them down into a book form to hopefully help some KR Guys in the future. About Cary - Loved the guy . If you were at the KrGathering 07 he flew in with me. He got to hug me the whole way (32"cabin) We did lots of flying and working together. We visited the big Piet guys in Altanta together and had many a good barbeque. If any of you came to the Summer B-Bqu we had here last year he made the chicken - food stuff. He will be sorely missed. He was an optimist, always smiled and willing to lend a hand. He would have wanted you to learn from his experience and to do better. Sprirtually he was a prepared man and had no fear of death because "death had no sting". One of his favorite songs was Chris Rice's "Fly to Jesus". He spent hours at my shop setting up electical, wiring in panels and lights and drinking good coffee. If anybody has a memorial thought about Cary please post it. Back to working on the new plane........ Bill Clapp - Aeromax Aviation Manager KR2S builder and pilot Valdosta, GA aeromaxaviation.com / billclapp.com
