| Author |
Message |
    
Matthew Byrne
New member
Username: Mbyrne
Post Number: 45
Registered: 07-2003
| | Posted on Monday, July 23, 2007 - 10:16 am: | |
MONDAY, July 23, 2007, 10:06 a.m.
By The Associated Press
Pilot killed trying to break record to EAA
Basel, Switzerland - A veteran pilot trying to break a speed record to the EAA in Oshkosh was killed today when his small, experimental plane crashed into an apartment building and playground, and three people on the ground were injured, authorities said.
The crash occurred at 11:25 a.m., shortly after the single-engine plane took off from EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, across the border in France, authorities said.
It plowed through the attic of an apartment building in northwestern Basel before crashing in flames on the playground.
The pilot was identified as Hans Georg Schmid, a former Swissair pilot who logged more than 16,000 hours of flight experience during three decades with the former national carrier. His body was found in the park, said Klaus Mannhart, spokesman for Basel cantonal police.
Schmid was trying to break a world record for a solo single-engine flight over 4,970 miles by reaching Oshkosh, Wis., where the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture is being held this week, in 30 hours. The plane was fueled by 450 gallons of kerosene, airport spokeswoman Sabrina Walter said.
"There was a loud bang," said Silvia Kalman, an adult supervisor taking care of 19 children at the playground when the plane crashed.
A jungle gym burst into flames, she said. It was unclear if any of the children were among the injured.
Hours later, the playground was still littered with the plane's wreckage.
Schmid designed the plane, called the "Express 2000 ER," and was planning to use it to fly around the world twice later this year, according to Lycoming Engines, the Williamsport, Pa.-based company that built the engine.
He has set world records circumnavigating the globe in both eastbound and westbound directions using a homemade plane he designed. His new attempts would have been northbound and southbound, crossing the North Pole and Antarctica on each trip, Lycoming says on its Web site.
The company said Schmid held more than 160 aviation world records in all. The new plane had a successful initial flight last month, according to the Experimental Aviation Association of Switzerland.
Vincent Devauchelle, deputy director of the airport, said the Swiss Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau was looking into the accident. |
Chris Michalak
New member
Username: Chris_m
Post Number: 3
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Monday, July 23, 2007 - 11:20 am: | |
I had just read this on-line at another site, and am still beside myself. Having just chatted with him about his building success makes it even harder. A sad day, indeed.
HG was a great guy, and he will be missed.
(Not to start the speculation game of arm-chair quarterbacking, but 450 gal of fuel on board would equate to almost 6,000 lbs in the air, or a wing loading of 43 lbs/sq ft. Can't imagine the bird flying happy at that weight.) |
Allyn J. Roe
New member
Username: Allynroe
Post Number: 10
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Monday, July 23, 2007 - 12:00 pm: | |
Hopefully they will pull his Chelton units and be able to see what exactly happened. This data was very helpful with Larry’s crash.
We are seeing far too many of these postings!
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Jim Oyler
New member
Username: Midniteoyl
Post Number: 117
Registered: 07-2003
| | Posted on Monday, July 23, 2007 - 12:58 pm: | |
RIP Hans... may you soar with the Angels... |
Eric Holmberg
New member
Username: Erich
Post Number: 116
Registered: 05-2002
| | Posted on Monday, July 23, 2007 - 12:31 pm: | |
Condolences to his family. Hans was such a careful builder and was always such a joy to correspond with over email. He will be missed.
Here's a link to his thread on here with pictures of him and his plane.
http://www.express-builder.com/old/forum/messages/107/1470.html
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Eric Holmberg
New member
Username: Erich
Post Number: 117
Registered: 05-2002
| | Posted on Monday, July 23, 2007 - 03:16 pm: | |
The Tages Anzeiger did a nice article on Hans.
Original in German:
http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/dyn/news/schweiz/774473.html
Google translation to English (a bit rough around the edges):
http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tagesanzeiger.ch%2Fdyn% 2Fnews%2Fschweiz%2F774473.html&langpair=de%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2F language_tools |
Charles M. Robinson
New member
Username: F15epilot
Post Number: 56
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Monday, July 23, 2007 - 07:30 pm: | |
What a tragedy and loss. A gorgeous plane and inspirational builder/pilot.
And let's let the safety folks do their job, please. The previous poster's numbers were, by my calculations a bit high on the weight, anyway. Let's leave that to the experts.
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Chris Michalak
New member
Username: Chris_m
Post Number: 4
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Monday, July 23, 2007 - 09:30 pm: | |
Charles is right - my numbers were probably a bit high (just another good reason not to speculate).
Glad nobody on the ground was severly injured as well. Hopefully the investigation will find the root cause.
My condolences as well to his family. Hans was a remarkable pilot, builder and friend. |
Jerry Sjostrand
New member
Username: Jerry
Post Number: 75
Registered: 08-1999
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 24, 2007 - 11:42 am: | |
To all you Express folks;
You are wondering as to the cause of the crash of HG's Express. Andre Goepfert was helping at the last minute before the takeoff attempt and observed the crash. He called me shortly after because he wanted me to be able to help avoid speculations amongst builders and enthusiasts here in the States. The aircraft was extremely overloaded, the CG was "very" marginal, and HG lost pitch stability after using the runway length at Basel (a big airport) on the takeoff attempt. Andre was taking pictures with a video camera but was unable to review the pictures yesterday as the authorities "requested" the camera immediately. In Andre's mind and in mine there is no question as to the "reason" for the crash. This aircraft was "not an Express" but a highly modified aircraft using Express wings, empenage and fuselage. A normally built Express will perform just fine if operated within it's design parameters.
I new HG. He flew with me in my Express and I was in Switzerland to help him 4 years ago. He was a good and careful builder and a skilled pilot that was proven by his previous flights around the world with his highly modified Longeze. His aircraft was carefully built. However, his optimism and dreams were not to be fulfilled, sad to say.
I have been involved with the "Express" since 1987
when Ken Wheeler appeared at Oshkosh with his "dream machine". I fell in love too and flew mine in 1995. I also crashed on takeoff (first flight) because of lack of airspeed (loss of stability, or normally known as a "stall"). This airplane will bite you if flown too slow or overloaded or out of CG. Many examples have crashed and we have lost too may pilots. I was lucky "twice".
Although I have not had my Express for over 4 years now and have not flown "anything", I am still a pilot (at heart) and will always be available to help those who want to join the "Express family".
Good luck to all. Cheers, Jerry Sjostrand
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Allyn J. Roe
New member
Username: Allynroe
Post Number: 11
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 24, 2007 - 12:07 pm: | |
Here is a link showing video of the take off and the crash.
http://www.sf.tv/var/videoplayer.php...eotext/164120/&rubrik=sftagesschau
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Allyn J. Roe
New member
Username: Allynroe
Post Number: 12
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 24, 2007 - 01:54 pm: | |
http://www.sf.tv/var/videoplayer.php?videourl=http%3A%2F%2Freal.xobix.ch%2Framge n%2Fsfdrs%2Fvod%2Fnewsonline%2F2007%2F07%2F20070724_171916_lastminutes.rm&textin c=http://tagesschau.sf.tv/sfwebtool/getvideotext/164120/&rubrik=sftagesschau
Sorry for the bad link. Try this one. |
David Frederiksen
New member
Username: Davidf
Post Number: 5
Registered: 06-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 24, 2007 - 05:14 pm: | |
We will miss Hans. He was very generous to builders all around the world including me. Condolences to the family. A real doer not a dreamer has left this world.
David Frederiksen
Central Australia
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Jim Oyler
New member
Username: Midniteoyl
Post Number: 118
Registered: 07-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - 03:03 pm: | |
someone please d/l the vid and relay it to me plz...
Jim |
Werner Maag, CH8174 Stadel, Switzerland
New member
Username: Wmaag
Post Number: 25
Registered: 01-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - 11:18 pm: | |
We are all very sad about the accident of Hans Georg Schmid here in Switzerland. The Project was ambitious but Hans was a record flyer and reached out far. The outcome of the official accident agency will hopefully find an explanation why he did not accelerate enough on that 3900 m long runway 16 in Basel (LFSB) The press is now intensly looking into the processes of our EAS (Experimental Aviation of Switzerland)whose president I am since this year. As the airplane crashed into the roof of an appartment building (luckily only very few minor injuries but 14 families lost home for months) questions about safety, licensing and medical fitness are coming up. We from EAS are holding up the flag and answer the press' requests clearly with all the facts. However the record attempt itself, all calculations and the special permit regarding overweight have been done under guidance and supervision of the Swiss FOCA (Federal buro Of Civil Aviation). Werner Maag |
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