Now that the season is here, this is my 1st of the season. And hope its my stinkin last!!!!
It was a bit gusty but I had already given the U Can Do 46 one flight. 2nd flight, all was okay and was bringing it in on final and was just at the point of turning it right to get on the approach. Had about 20 feet or so altitude and had the plane moving slowly.
All of a sudden, the SOB dipped and looked like it flipped over. I cut throttle and down she went. Upon getting to wreckage, I picked up the pieces.
Post Mortem:
Checked all six servos, futaba rx, battery and switch, and all the servo extensions and "Y" connectors. All worked fine. This leads me to believe one of 3 possibilities for crash....
1st, wind gust. The U Can Do is a light craft and the wind will screw with it.
2nd, linkage failure. I did have one quick connect. Generally, I only use 'em on the throttle and never on any control surfaces. I can't remember if it was one of the elevator servos or I had it on the rudder servo.
3rd, somebody turned on their transmitter (one guy at the field does fly on my channel. I did have the channel flag). He may have done it by accident. However, I can't be certain and am not blaming anyone.
I believe it was either wind or linkage. Plane is total'd and all the guts have been taken out and are going into a Smith Bi-Plane Experimental. However, I now have an extra OS .46. Hmmm....I'm thinkin a Staudacher 300L which will fit the bill nicely!!!

Dave...

No Dave, I've seen plenty of crashes in the same situation. Face the facts, you stalled it. It can happen to anyone, and any plane. Low and slow, turning, gusty wind = stall.

Sorry for the loss.

Dr.1

LOW and SLOW has killed many a pilot in full sized aircraft. Approach stall they call it. Go check out the NTSB web site (NTSB.GOV). All crashes are listed there. Many of them are approach and take off stalls. If and when r/c radio's have a way of showing airspeeds, maybe this kind of crash will reduce.

That would be possibly be the 4th probability. It went down before I started the turn. The plane will land awfully slow. Its easier to land than a trainer and I've had it flying just as slow before it went down. Crap happens! Servos from it are being put in a Smith Bi-plane Experimental this evening. I guess I'll have to be a little more careful throttle-wise from now on. Stalling is how I crashed my Arrow a few years ago.

Dave...

Hi Dave,
Sorry to hear of your loss. My vote will make it 3-0, dipping and flipping would be the dreaded stall.

4th possibility, 1st probability. [8D] Even a UCD will stall.

Dr.1

looks hard to repair

Dave, if you are not going to repair it, what would you take for the verticlestab/rudder? All I really need is the rudder. I have a nearly new UCD46 but no rudder. I could make one but I would rather have a finished product.
Please email me if you want to sell yours.
Fred

Never run out of airspeed, altitude and ideas all at the same time....

Fred, check your hotmail address. I still have it and included a pic of the rudder section.



Hehe..and they say speed kills!!! LOL!!!

Dave...

becarful with your next flight, you never know when somthing is going to happen

becarful with your next flight, you never know when somthing is going to happen

that had to be a hard crash.

just to add my 2 cents .....stalled it .. 4-0.... i got lucky when i stalled my super star on final ... well actually i was a 3rd of the way down the runway and 6 feet off the deck and my right wing just fell out of the sky ... so i know the feelin ...although i didnt have torepair anythin

5-0 for the stall... my last crash a year ago was a decathlon that i stalled... dipped and flipped...i have a u can do but havent flown it yet...sorry for your loss... take it in the yard and give it a burial....w/ a match