WIX Archives

CWH Cornell Down

Posted by Mike Henniger on Tue Apr 16, 2002 12:16:16 PM

This happend last weekend I believe, so it may not be news to everyone. I don't think it has been mentioned on WIX, so I thought I would.

Regards,

Mike


Date: Tuesday, April 16, 2002 9:22 AM
Subject: Details on crash of CWH Cornell CF-CVT

Some details from this morning's Hamilton Spectator:

Pilot survices crash of vintage plane by Brian Bradley

A Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum Cornell aircraft was significantly damaged when a flooded engine forced the pilot to make an emergency landing.

The 40 km/h landing in a muddy field near Welland Sunday caused damage to the right wing and landing gear, and the engine of the two seat training aircraft was completely detached.

The Second World War aircraft lost all power about 10 minutes after take off from Welland-Port Colborne Airport in the rain. Pilot Alfred Beam of Fort Erie, 48, acted quickly and spotted a suitable area to take the plane down.

After turning to avoid a tree, Beam landed the $75,000 plane in a farmers field in the town of Sherkston.

Beam walked away unharmed.

A brief investigation by the museum's chief engineer foudn that the float in the carburetor was defective. The float limits the flow of gas to the engine.

"This is the first aircraft we've had do this" said R. J. Franks, chairman for the museum which maintains the plane. The downed plane is one of three that are currently qualified for flight.

Franks insisted that the failure was not a result of human error or aged aircraft hardware.

"Our engineering team is precise and we have to meet Transport Canada standards," he said. "It's not a question of old aircraft... Planes here are operated and maintained like commercial aircraft. They have annual inspections."

The failure will not hamper plans for the annual air show on Father's Day. Franks stressed that all planes receive routine maintenance and meet Transport Canada standards before flight.

"If we didn't think that old planes were 100% safe, we wouldn't put anyone at risk," he said.

Because there were no injuries, the event did not warrant investigation by the Transportation Safety Board.

The plane will undergo a two-to-three-year restoration period before becoming airborne again.

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