[gothicbunny]

I had to do the walk of shame today. I knew it was coming eventually and I don't think Jeff could have been happier. However, for a 550 laden with extra night fly light weights, I got it down relatively unscathed.

I was flying and lost tail control. I assumed from inspection at the scene that it was a result of stripping the front TT gears. But once I got it home on pulled apart I found something completely different. The pin built in to the tail fin mount had come out.



As you can see, it is two pieces with a simple friction fit. When it came out, the tail case rotated on me and the rest was history.

I did get off lucky in damages. It seems the plastic bits are meant to be sacrificial and a good reason to avoid "upgrading" to metal.

Boom block, skids, antirotation bracket, battery tray, canopy clip, front TT gears, spindle, and the faulty clamp are all that need replacing. The right frame is cracked in the front but not at a critical point. The canopy took some minor damage, but being outfitted for night flying is purely cosmetic. The wiring on the boom lights needs to be patched. and the one tip of my tail push rod needs a little straightening.

All up, only about $50-60 worth of parts to replace and I happen to have a few of them I can strip off my 600 airframe anyway. It could have wound up a lot worse.

[gothicbunny]

Any crash that is less expensive than a set of blades is all good.

[Max]

Originally Posted by gothicbunny

Any crash that is less expensive than a set of blades is all good.

+1 on that!!!