Davey Allison Helicopter investigation
Brian Hoffmann
credit Jayski..
a.. An Update on Davey Allison's Helicopter Accident: Birmingham attorney
Jim Thompson was the lead attorney in a lawsuit filed on behalf of the Davey
Allison estate that claimed a flawed part called a collective yoke - not
pilot error as the National Transportation Safety Board ruled - caused the
July 1993 crash at Talladega Superspeedway that took Allison's life and
injured his Hueytown neighbor, Red Farmer. McDonnell-Douglas, the
California-based aircraft manufacturer that owns Hughes Aircraft, which
built the helicopter, settled the suit for an undisclosed sum in 1996
without admitting fault. "We deny that any defective condition contributed
to the accident," George S. McCall, the attorney for McDonnell-Douglas, said
last week. Both McCall and Thompson say they are prohibited by the court to
discuss the settlement in the case. Both the Allison estate and Farmer were
part of that settlement. Thompson, who has tried numerous air-crash cases,
said he has declined numerous cases when it was evident that pilot error was
the cause. He said he agreed to take the Allison case after his
investigation concluded that a failed part caused Allison's accident. "Tommy
Allison (Davey's cousin and the executor of the Allison estate) said that he
couldn't believe Davey made a mistake, because he was such an excellent
pilot," said Thompson, outlining what triggered the investigation and
finally the lawsuit. "He said Davey was accustomed to running 200 mph. He
said Davey didn't make a mistake at 10 mph." The NTSB ruled in 1994 that
pilot inexperience was the cause of the crash. The report said Allison had
just 2.8 hours of flight instruction on the Hughes 369HS helicopter and had
not practiced downwind landings like the one he was attempting in the media
center parking lot of the race track infield. The report said Allison had 54
hours of helicopter flight time at the time of the crash, but 45 of those
hours were in a less-demanding Robinson R-22 helicopter.
A flight instructor who trained Allison testified before the board that
Allison had "average" flight skills and tended to make his approaches too
fast and too shallow as a result of having trained on the smaller and slower
Robinson R-22. Witnesses to the crash said Allison was hovering just a few
feet off the ground when the helicopter suddenly shot straight up, stalled
and fell back on its tail. When the main rotor struck the asphalt, the
helicopter spun and the left side of the cockpit slammed onto the parking
lot. Allison suffered fatal head injuries when his head struck either the
inside of the cockpit or the asphalt. The eyewitness accounts pointed to
something failing in the control apparatus of the helicopter, Thompson said.
Investigators hired by Thompson dismantled the helicopter and found that the
collective yoke, the device that controls the pitch of the rotor blades, was
broken.
"We knew McDonnell-Douglas would argue that it was broken in the crash,"
Thompson said. "The helicopter wasn't that badly damaged in the crash and
the yoke was located between the seats in an area that had no damage at all.
The cables going to the yoke and hydraulic lines in the area showed no signs
of damage." Thompson said he hired a retired Hughes Aircraft test pilot to
recreate a failure of the yoke. With a back-up system in place to prevent a
crash, the yoke was disconnected, Thompson said. "The helicopter did exactly
what Davey's did," Thompson said. The broken part was sent to a metallurgist
in Florida. He testified that a dissection of the part found that the cast
metal contained air pockets that made it fail, according to Thompson. Paint
like that found on the outside of the yoke was found inside the part during
dissection, he said. "That meant the part was defective the day it left the
factory," Thompson said. The attorney believes metal fatigue finally caused
the part to fracture and that occurred just as Allison was about to put the
helicopter down.(Alabama Live)(9-23-2003)
donutbandit
news:bkq25j$10pk$1...@galaxy.us.dell.com:
> Very interesting.
>
> credit Jayski..
>
> a.. An Update on Davey Allison's Helicopter Accident:
I was a Davey Allison fan, and since he died, NASCAR just hasn't been the
same for me. No matter what the motives of this suit are, I would like to
see it come out if mechanical failure was the reason.
Kit
>
> I was a Davey Allison fan, and since he died, NASCAR just hasn't been the
> same for me. No matter what the motives of this suit are, I would like to
> see it come out if mechanical failure was the reason.
Ironically, before reading this, I was wondering today what the exact
cause of the helicopter crash was.
I liked the group of drivers you saw a lot of back then, like Bill
Eliott, Rusty Wallace, Alan Kulwicki, Davey Allison, Dale Earnhardt,
even Sterling Marlin (before he won his first race), than today, which
is crybabies and chickenshits like Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Tony
Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, et cetera.
cfswestern
"Kit" <adr...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:e756f30f.03092...@posting.google.com...
Everything was better when you were younger. That is universal.
donutbandit
news:ED4cb.7775$vj2.2170@fed1read06:
> Everything was better when you were younger. That is universal.
I tell you one thing - if Yip Yap had tried the crap on Allison that he did
to Rudd, he'd have needed a hospital that night.
You're nothing but an apologist for everything new - new drivers, new
tracks. You want to junk all the old "antique" tracks for more 1.5 mile
snoozeathons. Your reply doesn't surprise me at all. Would it surprise you
to learn that nobody here listens to a word you say?
cfswestern
Which Allison? Weren't there about six of them?
despicable
donutbandit
news:ed5cb.7854$vj2.6481@fed1read06:
> Which Allison? Weren't there about six of them?
Maybe there were 10 or 20. Study up on your NASCAR history and maybe you'll
gain some appreciation for the drivers of the past. Maybe you might even
begin to understand what is special about tracks like Martinsville and
Bristol.
Ms.Goodwrench
@fed1read06:
I don't feel that way... in most every instance, things only get better.
Kevin Chandler
Only 2.8 hours in helicopter type with an "average" skill ratings from his
instructor.
It is hard to believe that the part broke right at the time when we was
entering the stage of the flight that his instructor was critical of his
abilities. If memory serves me right, it was noted that he was trying to
land facing downwind and he was having trouble keeping it from
weathervaning.
Being a pilot myself, EVERYONE screws up. Most of us are able to walk away
with little or no damage.
Just my $.02 worth
How many of you are flying into ASN for Sunday's race?
Kevin
"Brian Hoffmann" <nas...@io.com> wrote in message
news:bkq25j$10pk$1...@galaxy.us.dell.com...
McWhom
"Kevin Chandler" <Kev...@CoaxNoSpam.Net> wrote in message
news:3Nncb.15$Id7.1...@news.abs.net...
> Hmmm...
>
> Only 2.8 hours in helicopter type with an "average" skill ratings from his
> instructor.
>
> It is hard to believe that the part broke right at the time when we was
> entering the stage of the flight that his instructor was critical of his
> abilities. If memory serves me right, it was noted that he was trying to
> land facing downwind and he was having trouble keeping it from
> weathervaning.
>
> Being a pilot myself, EVERYONE screws up. Most of us are able to walk
away
> with little or no damage.
>
> Just my $.02 worth
>
> How many of you are flying into ASN for Sunday's race?
>
> Kevin
>
> "Brian Hoffmann" <nas...@io.com> wrote in message
> news:bkq25j$10pk$1...@galaxy.us.dell.com...
> > Very interesting.
> >
> > credit Jayski..
> >
Witnesses to the crash said Allison was hovering just a few
> > feet off the ground when the helicopter suddenly shot straight up,
stalled
> > and fell back on its tail. When the main rotor struck the asphalt, the
> > helicopter spun and the left side of the cockpit slammed onto the
parking
> > lot.
<snip>
Thompson said he hired a retired Hughes Aircraft test pilot to
> > recreate a failure of the yoke. With a back-up system in place to
prevent
> a
> > crash, the yoke was disconnected, Thompson said. "The helicopter did
> exactly
> > what Davey's did," Thompson said. The broken part was sent to a
> metallurgist
> > in Florida. He testified that a dissection of the part found that the
cast
> > metal contained air pockets that made it fail, according to Thompson.
> Paint
> > like that found on the outside of the yoke was found inside the part
> during
> > dissection, he said. "That meant the part was defective the day it left
> the
> > factory," Thompson said.
<snip>
Interesting, so as a pilot you are inclined to go with an instructors
opinion rather than tested
and scientific evidence? That seems odd. Personally, I am inclined to
believe the "eye witness" accounts, which by the way say nothing about him
having any trouble with "weathervaning". Where did you get that info?
Also, testimony by the instructor says he tended to land shallow and fast.
How does that relate to the eyewitness accounts of him hovering and then
suddenly rising? I am no pilot, I did read the article (only this one
posted) and from the three pieces of information given, the one by the
instructor is at odds with the witnesses and testing.
Sean
Kit
>
> Everything was better when you were younger. That is universal.
It seems like a bit more class existed in the sport ten years ago.
BIG R DUDE
>From: "McWhom"
>Also, testimony by the instructor says he tended to land shallow and fast.
>How does that relate to the eyewitness accounts of him hovering and then
>suddenly rising?
I'm not big on conspiracy theories, but I know for a fact that instructor
pilots can be a lot like "expert" witnesses brought in by the prosecution. They
are there to make their side of the argument seem to be the right side. In
other words, he knew who was buttering his bread.
cfswestern
Yeah, three Bodines running around and Rusty Wallace declaring himself to be
the real champion. That was classy.
Between the in-car audio and around the clock interviews you are going to
get a little more name-calling and general mopery.
McWhom
"BIG R DUDE" <bigr...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030924192438...@mb-m14.aol.com...
I read an article not to long ago by a reporter that wrote from Davey's
wife's viewpoint. Appearantly, on this day Davey did not even want to go to
the track, had no plans to go anywhere and for some ( as I recall)
undisclosed reason he left for the track to meet (?) team personnel. Fate
has a terrible way of bringing tragedy at the most unexpected time in
unusual circumstance. God Bless Davey's family, I still miss watching him
drive, I am sure that NASCAR misses his presence. From what I have read in
the article I am not sure he would have been driving all that much longer.
He had had a horrible run of accidents and was really just getting healthy
again.
Sean
KKDavey28
>wife's viewpoint. Appearantly, on this day Davey did not even want to go to
>the track, had no plans to go anywhere and for some ( as I recall)
>undisclosed reason he left for the track to meet (?) team personnel. Fate
>has a terrible way of bringing tragedy at the most unexpected time in
>unusual circumstance. God Bless Davey's family, I still miss watching him
>drive, I am sure that NASCAR misses his presence. From what I have read in
>the article I am not sure he would have been driving all that much longer.
>He had had a horrible run of accidents and was really just getting healthy
>again.
Davey flew to the track (Talladega) to meet Neil Bonnet and his son run. They
were testing or practicing his son's Busch car.
donutbandit
news:NAWdnVEOHZ3...@comcast.com:
> From what I have read in
> the article I am not sure he would have been driving all that much
> longer. He had had a horrible run of accidents and was really just
> getting healthy again.
>
"He had a horrible run of accidents."
When Davey passed Kyle Petty in the last turn of the Winston, Kyle made
sure to take him out at the finish line.
Darryl Waltrip made sure to wreck him at Pocono and then made sure to feign
concern when the cameras all focused on him winning his last race.
Ernie Irvan (the lowest pile of crap to ever drive in NASCAR) spent all of
1992 beating and banging Davey every chance he got. Finally, at the second
Bristol race, Ernie drove into him on the first lap, and Davey had enough.
He turned right and T-boned Irvan into the wall with the pedal floored.
Irvan stayed away from Davey the rest of that season, until....
The last race at Atlanta, with Davey leading the points and leading the
race. Irvan blew a tire and took Davey out. Davey waved gallantly to the
fans, even though he knew his chance at the title was over, then spent 45
minutes at the infield care center waiting until Ernie was released.
Yeah, there sure as hell was a lot more class back then.
When Robert Yates decided to put Ernie Irvan in Davey's car, many of us
couldn't and didn't deal with it. It was the worst possible response to a
tragedy. I (and many other Davey Allison fans) have never forgiven Robert
Yates for this.
Biffan
>sure to take him out at the finish line.
Citation, please. Race, date, circumstances.
Biffan
45
Adam Petty (45)
1980-2000
Beloved Son, Grandson, Brother and Friend
Steve 65
>
> >When Davey passed Kyle Petty in the last turn of the Winston, Kyle made
> >sure to take him out at the finish line.
>
> Citation, please. Race, date, circumstances.
I remember the race, but not the year. Probably 90 or 91.
(just found a website which says 92) Kyle tried to get to
the inside crossing the finish line, got up into the side of
Davey, and turned him in to the trioval wall. Davey had to
be cut out of the car and was airlifted to a hospital with a
concussion. IIRC it was one of RYRs best cars, with a worst
finish of 2nd in its history. (Chassis #007?)
Kyle's statement in an interview afterwards ran along the
lines of "I waited a second too long to admit I was beat,
lost it, and got into him." It was in no way an intentional
hit and at worst could only be attributed to overconfidence
or over-competitiveness.
Steve 65
kb18fan
> When Robert Yates decided to put Ernie Irvan in Davey's car, many of us
> couldn't and didn't deal with it. It was the worst possible response to a
> tragedy. I (and many other Davey Allison fans) have never forgiven Robert
> Yates for this.
I agree. My husband was a big Davey Allison fan and was crushed when he
died. I clearly remember him saying that he couldn't believe Robert Yates
was putting "Swervin' Ervin" in the 28 car. He has yet to follow one
particular driver.
Ms.Goodwrench
news:MYBcb.1$BF...@tattler.gsu.edu:
I never cared much for Davey, but I was stunned too. And I liked Ernie.
But damn, it was just too weird at the time. One of our employees and a
good friend was a big DA fan, and he's hated Yates Racing ever since.
McWhom
"Ms.Goodwrench" <msgoodwr...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Xns940161B44CB2...@130.133.1.4...
While I don't share the thoughts about Davey being purposely wrecked, he did
have a horrible year. I was new to nascar at the time and I liked the color
scheme, Davey's attitude and smile as well as his apparent ability to drive
a car. I too could not believe that Yates would put Swervin Ervin (the
biggest wrecker in racing )in the 28 car. While Ernie's wreck into the wall
at Michigan was something no one deserves I was very happy to see Dale
Jarret take over the ride. I don't hold any grudges against Yates racing.
Some of you guys really beat up on the Bodine's collectively for wrecking
other drivers but I for one do not feel they come anywhere close to the
level of stupidity Ernie showed in the #4 Kodak car. The number of wrecks
he caused by making bad decisions trying to get to the front was just beyond
belief. I do think he settled down while driving the #28 Texaco car and
that may have something to do with the quality of equipment, and team he was
driving for.
Sean
wayne mann
I've often wondered, what happened to the sons driving career.
Did he just give it up, after his dad died?
\\/ayne //\ann
Kevin Chandler
> Interesting, so as a pilot you are inclined to go with an instructors
> opinion rather than tested
> and scientific evidence?
the crash. I don't believe you could prove it one way or the other.
> That seems odd. Personally, I am inclined to
> believe the "eye witness" accounts, which by the way say nothing about him
> having any trouble with "weathervaning". Where did you get that info?
>
Non-pilot eyewitnesses provide little information about piloting issues.
They can give you a 10,000 foot overview. I have been with people watching
others land. Most people that I know would not know a bad landing if they
saw it until after the plane crashed.
As I stated earlier, the weathervaning was something I thought I remembered.
If I am wrong, then I am wrong.
> Also, testimony by the instructor says he tended to land shallow and fast.
> How does that relate to the eyewitness accounts of him hovering and then
> suddenly rising?
The instructor was not predicting what Davey was going to do. His
statements tell me that landing this type of helicopter was something he was
still mastering. Any time you do something like this, there are a countless
number of things you might be having problems with. Just because he did not
make the same mistake he has made countless times does not mean he did not
make a different fatal mistake.
The 2.8 hours is very concerning. You could spend most of that time just
practicing emergency procedures. When I transition to a different plane, it
takes anywhere from 7 to 15 hours of work. Most of that work includes
emergency procedures and landings. Each landing and go around takes .1 of
an hour. I would guess that each airplane I transition to requires a
minimum of 20 landings. Each landing takes about .1 hour. I suspect he had
a lot less than 20 since that would only leave 48 minutes to cover
everything else.
Richard Nottage
>The last race at Atlanta, with Davey leading the points and leading the
>race. Irvan blew a tire and took Davey out. Davey waved gallantly to the
>fans, even though he knew his chance at the title was over, then spent 45
>minutes at the infield care center waiting until Ernie was released.
>
>Yeah, there sure as hell was a lot more class back then.
Kind of puts the rash of recent cry babies in perspective doesn't it.
Gentlemen, Eat my shorts ($1 to Bart)
Ms.Goodwrench
news:3fScnepZutW...@comcast.com:
I really took note of Ernie when he stood up and apologized to everyone
at the drivers meeting... that took guts. I was impressed by his
humility. You don't often see a driver in any series admit fault and
ask for another chance... but Ernie did and was largely successful.
I'll never forget the '92 Daytona 500. It was my first in person. My
dad had been getting tickets for years but because my son was young, I'd
never made the trip. But this year, the four of us went. I was
shopping in the Penney's in the Volusia Mall and found an Ernie shirt
really cheap. I bought it. Even decided to wear it the next day for
the 500. Everyone else in the family was decked out in DE stuff, and I
thought why not wear and Ernie shirt - afterall, he's a friend of Dale.
Of course, a few laps in, Ernie tried to make it three wide with Marlin
and Elliott coming out of 2 and the Demolition 500 ensued...
Though nearly ever driver I liked was wrecked out or heavily damaged and
just out there racing for points, it was still kind of a neat race in
that Davey won, and I got to see it. Didn't think it was neat at the
time, of course, but looking back, I'm so glad it turned out that way.
rjk...@gmail.com
rjk...@gmail.com
John McCoy
news:9bc2cb7c-0603-4f2c...@googlegroups.com:
> poopie.
And here we have another of those geniuses who somehow
don't realize they're responding to a 15 year old post.
John