Truth is stranger than fiction in model airplanes
The events listed below are all true.
1. My relatively new Four Star .60 had hidden damage near the tail, lost the entire tail section in THREE pieces during flight, came down fast, clipped a pine tree. Engine (OS FA-91) and fuselage with one complete wing half intact was finally recovered, lying on a chicken coop roof! Now beef up that tail on all three Four Star 60 planes with balsa solid chunks at the weak fuselage to tail link and chop the wing a little for a better roll rate.
2. Free flight converted to C/L had the outboard wing fall off during flight. Flew out the rest of the tank successfully and recovered the outboard wing!
3. Some time back, okay a LONG time back, had a McCoy readhead race engine (not the $8.00 one, but the $14.99 engine with the dark gray metal case. After 70 1/2 laps in rat race, the crystallized crankshaft broke and flew out of the engine and the plane fell, not very gracefully, to the asphalt near the outside circle. WON that heat nonetheless! I guess I was lucky there were no K&B .35 or Dooling .29 engines in use during that heat. :-)
Please add to this thread as you wish, but make sure it is true, for truth is often stranger (and funnier) than fiction.
PS: In 1. above, the MA prop was NOT broken and still on the mounted engine.
4. Forgot this one (selective forgetting). Was flying at the old Trenton field in SC, flying a fast foam wing plane with a K & B 48 on it. Some rubber bands had fallen inside the fuselage (old trainer bands!) and I was flying about 8 minutes and bands got around the aileron servo. I did a nice series of fairly fast rolls and right in, almost 90 degrees and FAST. The ground was soft and the solid aluminum spinner was TEN INCHES down in the dirt. I took the engine apart and cleaned it and it still runs like new, and that engine puts a LOT of air behind the prop. (Too heavy and carb barrel aluminum is too soft, but a LOT of power).