In cockpit view of the Miss Velma crash at Duxford in 2017

[Mysticpuma]

Not sure if any of you have seen this yet but this is the incredible in cockpit footage of the air crash at Duxford last-year involvong the P-51 "Miss Velma" flown by British warbird pilot, Mark Levy.

The footage begins with the aircraft in formation and then shows Mark bring it in for an emergency landing in a corn field. Really impressive to watch.

 

https://youtu.be/BBpqvPujZgM

[bzc3lk]

 

[Trooper117]

Great interview... one minute he's in a 3 ship formation, then in around another minute and 24 seconds later he's piling into a cornfield!

[Herne]

So damn close to the runway. Must have been a really tough call to turn away

[-332FG-Gordon200]

10 minutes ago, =FEW=Herne said:

So damn close to the runway. Must have been a really tough call to turn away

He didn't have enough altitude to clear the road lined with spectator's cars and reach the airfield. You can see him briefly consider it before banking right and trying to get level and tail down for impact.

Here's a shorter version of the video.

 

[JG1_Shadepiece]

He came down very fast right at the end, so it was definitely the best call. He did a good job to save the airframe from serious damage.

[Herne]

Yes I'm sure it was the right call, just so close with so little time to process that it would have been all too easy to make the wrong one.

[JG1_Shadepiece]

Oh I completely agree. That's such a bummer.

[Poochnboo]

3 hours ago, ACG_RED_Shadepiece said:

He did a good job to save the airframe from serious damage.

Yes, but if you hear what he says in the interview, that isn't what you should be worrying about in a crash. He says that you should use that airplane to stay alive. And if it means doing something that will wreck the machine but cause you to live, so be it. As he was about to touch down I found myself saying, "Get the wing up!" If that wing had dropped and touched first...well...there wouldn't have been an interview. But he knew what he was doing. 

Edited May 18, 2018 by Poochnboo

[AndyJWest]

The interview is well worth a listen. An honest appraisal of what he did right, and what he did wrong. As he said, it was made much more difficult by the fact that the engine kept quitting and restarting. If it had just quit he would have had more time to think things through. 

[Hoots]

Very good video, one of the things I hearsometimes is that when the engine stops the aircraft belongs to the insurance company. The other thing drummed into me was just as he says, fly the aircraft into the crash. Of course now I fly gliders the engine stopping problem is removed

[JG1_Shadepiece]

"Fly the plane into the crash..." That probably speaks to me the most about the situation. @Poochnboo you're totally right. Survival should be your number one priority. However, it is good that flying the plane as far into the crash as possible is most likely going to prevent the airplane from being totally destroyed. That is of you have a nice big field to put down in.

[Chief_Mouser]

Thanks for posting. Very enlightening if you watch the whole video.

Cheers.

[352nd_Wheels]

As mentioned in the interview the aircraft was rebuilt at Fighter Rebuiders in Chino. It shipped a couple of weeks ago and should already be back in England getting ready for Duxford.

 

Wheels