So there I was doing a maiden on a BF-109...followed the manufacturers CG exactly...but sadly it was out (can't always trust the CG spec of manufacturer)...and the BF-109 is a bit pedantic about the accuracy of that...so ended up hanging the BF-109 off its prop for most of the circuit (tail heavy)...until eventually it wouldn't take anymore abuse and gave up...spinning in...
It went down about 100m away from us out of sight, into an area where I knew there were a lot of very nasty bushes...with a very audible "thud"...to the point where a small amount of dust emanated from my transmitter.
So I began the "long walk of shame" to the site of what I knew would be absolute carnage...to collect what I presumed would be a lot of tiny pieces of foam and no more.
Low and behold, when I arrive on the scene, I find the BF-109 sitting perfectly on her feet, in a bunch of succulents...not a SINGLE scratch on her!!
The spin must have flattened just before she hit the ground and she must have just "belly flopped" onto the succulents.
I would not have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself or the pilot...
Other guys couldn't believe it either...to this day, it remains a complete mystery to us...when we remember how "hard" it seemed to have come down with a very audible "thud"....
Miracles DO happen!