Long-EZ Crash

[Guest]

What happens if you crash a Long and it ends up,,,,,,up side down. I think you would not be able to get out because of the way the canopy opens. Has this ever happend to a Long-EZ flyer?

[rglos]

Actually this happened when I first started flying mine. Sometime in 87 to 89. I,m sure it will still be in the Data base at the FAA

The Long was on a long final for Clow airport in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, when it finally ran dry. No Time to switch tanks and finre up again. Clow has a N-S runway and on the south end was a large bean field. My firend set it down  about 100 yards short in the bean field and the plants wrapped up the front wheel real good before it flipped.

Broke the canard off and the outer 1/3 of the right wing. It did not go straight over.

Fortunately, he was able to radio for help and they came and lifted it up.
While upside down and waiting he realized that if he had a punch to break the plastic, he could have crawled out himself. Since then, he has carried a punch. So have I in little bag. I don't know if this will work but it makes me warm and fuzzy.

So Mr. Doom and Gloom, there are a lot of "what if's". There are a lot of flip-over type canopy homebuilts with  low wing out there and not just the Long EZ, Vari EZ or Cozy series.

If you plan for every posibility, you might wind up with a plane so heavy
it will not fly.

[Charles Davis]

Flying will never be perfectly safe, any more than riding a motorcycle, driving a car, or walking on the sidewalk.

That said, if I ever had to set down off-field, I'd much rather do so in a composite aircraft than a sheetmetal one.  

From my review of all available information on LongEZ incidents, post crash fires in EZ's are extremely rare.  In fact, EZ accident rates are much lower than most popular certified aircraft.

These are very safe aircraft, and one of the deciding factors in my choice (including performance, low cost of ownership and others) that I chose an EZ over another plane.

p.s. Thanks for the idea about the punch.

[Jack]

While upside down and waiting he realized that if he had a punch to break the plastic, he could have crawled out himself. Since then, he has carried a punch. So have I in little bag..

I wear a survival vest that is stocked witih goodies, including my trusty knife that will either punch through the canopy or slice it.  It's my old Navy survival vest, that has pouches for my handheld radio and water bottle also.  It weighs in around 10 pounds, IMO pretty cheap insurance if you are forced down in  terrain out in the boondocks.

Jack

[sideshowbob]

Just an idea but you can buy plastic very lightweight punches like they use in buses if they crash and you need to break a window there very lightweight thin and mountable on the sidewall. :roll: