Body of man who fell from plane found in Tenn.

[W.G.Ewald]

Body of man who fell from plane found in Tenn. - Houston Chronicle

Authorities in Tennessee have found the body of a man who was thrown from an experimental aircraft while an instructor was teaching him to fly.

Bradley County Interim Fire Chief Troy Spence says search crews located the deceased student pilot at about 11:45 a.m. Saturday. He declined to release the man's name.

Collegedale Municipal Airport employee Lowell Sterchi told the Chattanooga Times Free Press that the man was being trained by an instructor in his Zodiac 601 aircraft on Friday when the canopy came off. The instructor also was not identified.

The man's seat belt was not fastened and he was thrown out of the plane.

Sterchi said the instructor landed the plane and was not physically hurt. He says the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have been notified.

 

[pmaitra]

Body of man who fell from plane found in Tenn. - Houston Chronicle

Is that the plane? If the student pilot was thrown off or fell from that plane, it couldn't merely have been because his seat belt was not fastened, but the cockpit canopy was also not fastened.

 

[W.G.Ewald]

Is that the plane? If the student pilot was thrown off or fell from that plane, it couldn't merely have been because his seat belt was not fastened, but the cockpit canopy was also not fastened.

The photo is from the Zodiac website. The subject aircraft had the canopy come completely off, probably during an aerobatic maneuver, and the student pilot apparently was not wearing his harness. :-(

 

[W.G.Ewald]

Sport Pilot Talk "¢ View topic - Thoughts on the Zodiac?

 

[W.G.Ewald]

Can I fly aerobatics with the ZODIAC?

The ZODIAC is not designed as an aerobatic airplane - it's designed more for stability than for aerobatic maneuverability. However, the design is stressed a full +/- 6 g's and the controls are quite responsive. Of course, any aerobatics require proper training and equipment.

ZODIAC FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)