Aussie1

Hi everyone, I have posted this elsewhere, but thought that I would share with you on this forum, as well.
This was my favorite jet, but sadly, a couple of weeks ago, after approximately 35 flights, a flap servo on the right wing, decided to go almost full down, causing a uncontrollable roll. It dove straight in at very high speed, and even though I cut the engine in the dive, the force of the impact meant that the engine flew forward through the half empty JetA1 fuel tanks and exploded!! The resulting fire destroyed absolutely EVERYTHING!! Amazingly, the little Mobius camera flew off the tail fin, landed upright away from the fire, pointing at the scene, and STILL RECORDING!!! I was rather upset at the time, and in two minds as whether to publish this or not, but I believe that nothing like this has ever been captured before, in a model airplane crash. I'm a airline Captain, and safety is always the top of our list, but with highly complex model turbine jets, sometimes equipment failure will result in a catastrophic crash. In this case, a $100 servo most probably caused the crash. Ironically, the only thing to survive was most of the right wing with the right flap servo completely frozen in the position shown in one of the final pictures. Thanks for watching, but as they say, "sometimes, sh...t happens!!"
The video link is here.

AshC01

Very unusual for a servo to go full deflection when not activated by a switch/slider, which may point to something else electrical wise on that flap wire? Just a thought.
huge impact though, sorry to see. Hopefully no bad omens for Jet Action in couple weeks

Aussie1

Thanks Ash, for your thoughts. I will never know for sure, but it rolled hard left, uncontrolled, and surviving right flap was found frozen in almost full down position.I could not move the servo by hand. It happens so quick, I only had time to shut off the turbine. Didn't really help much, though! Yes, I will be at Jet Action, flying my other jets, but that Viper was definitely my best jet.

AshC01

Cool, I will be there flying on the sunday only!

Springbok Flyer

Sorry for your loss mate. If it helps, I had the same thing happen to me a number of years ago with a SM Hawk 100 and eventually found that it was a faulty extention lead (making intermittent contact) that caused the flap to defect on it's own.

Cheers,

JanR

Jannica

Rare Viper eating tree in Sweden.

erbroens

Sorry for your crash. You may also check for your transmitter potentiometer/hall effect wiring in your aleiron stick. If there is a broken/partially broken wire there, the TX can give you full aleiron deflection.

However it is more likely that the aleiron got stuck due a mechanical problem, like a servo or a faiiled hinge. :-(

Dansy

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basimpsn

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Looks like uncontrolled aileron roll..Gyro came loose if you had one installed? There is a video on youtube with a viper jet with one flap malfunction..he manage to land ok.