Thanks, Juan for the update on the OV-1 Mohawk. I am very familiar with the Mohawk although I did not fly one. I was an instrument instructor pilot for the U.S. Army at the Aviation Center at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Several of my students, after getting their instrument rating in "C Phase," received their wings and were off -- most to Viet Nam, qualified in the Mohawk. They used the side-looking radar flying on the DMZ between South and North Viet Nam. My civilian instructor in "train for instructing school" at Rucker was also an instructor in the Mohawk to qualify U.S. Army personnel. He had to eject from the Mohawk and had a pretty banged up face but lived. You mentioned the heavyweight of the Mohawk and that made Mohawk pilots cautious while loving the aircraft. Your update brought many memories back about flying days at Rucker. Believe it or not, the U.S. Army used the DeHavilland Beaver for trining in instrument flying. A wonderful aircraft (beloved really) but a fuel hog for instruments (fuel for destination plus alternative plus 50 minutes of fuel). I love your reporting. I hope you can get back to commercial flying again soon -- although I love the camping locations. - Dean from Minnesota
Grumman had a facility at Stuart where they rebuilt/ restored the OV1. I worked as an A&P on the field in the late 70s and early 80s. I got my pilot's license there. So sad to hear of this crash.
Dr. Masessa was my skin cancer surgeon. His OV-1 had the names of Vietnam MIA/POWs painted of the fuselage. His death is a real loss to the aviation community as well as his numerous patients.
The Mohawk is a tough bird. We had a hotdog pilot in the 24th Aviation Battalion come around doing a short-field landing and clipped a power pole on the downwind turn into the landing. It cut the wing off just outboard of the right engine and he landed it ! A week later they hung it on a sling and brought the old girl home under a Chinook ! Captain Bergemon was not drinking before the episode but he was afterwards ! The props run about a foot from the fuselage so it is impossible to bail out without an ejection seat. If you go over the side the prop gets you and if you go over the back the tail gets you.
Juan, last year at Culpeper Airfest 2018 ,during Friday’s practice, I was part of the nighttime RC demonstration flying team. Manfred Radius finished his routine then Redline Aerobics, two RV8 fitted with pyrotechnic flairs on wingtips and ejecting red flairs went through an aerobatic routine. I was standing on the Hot ramp and witnessed the second RV8 miss the two rolls and pull-up that the leader did, second pilot only did one and a half and pulled straight into the ground!! Huge fireball, I’m guessing they were at 300’agl. I knew he was in trouble as soon as the wingtip flats started the arch downward. I was also standing with the Culpeper Fire Department, they didn’t see it coming like I did. However in the two seconds it took for the terrible fireball the commander yelled at the top of his voice LETS GO!!!! There wasn’t anything they could do except contain the fire. Are RC team was part of the airshow safety briefing along with all of the airshow acts, I wish I could remember him and his teammate! I can’t imagine what he must have felt and still have to fly and land his airplane. We all went home that night wondering if the show would go on! But late that night we were informed that it would, and it did. The next day at the show was very somber, all acts preformed except Redline. There were many tributes to the fallen team member! I haven’t heard a word about this accident have you? PS love your intelligence and your perspective.
Who but Juan Brown, reporter extraordinaire, would stop during an afternoon of epic trail riding in the High Sierra to do a remote report on a tragic aircraft event! You're the best channel on YT Juan, and I wish I was there with you on my GS! Have a blast and see you here!
@@meganperreault5191 Are you kidding. I was a Mohawk Crew Chief in Vietnam. Of course it was military. US Army supported the First Air Cav. Thanks Richard...
Juan, a professional and educating report of this sad accident. Some time is sovhard to comprehend, how easily, just one mistake, can erase, in a second, thousands of flying hours and experience. My condolences to the family.
It's a sad but realistic fact that even with the best of ability and the most honorable of intentions given the nature of display flight, errors will creep in. All we can do is learn and adapt. Some of these old birds are getting even older, in some cases so are the pilots. Fly safe, fly within your limits and always remember you are just one mistake or mechanical failure away from a bad situation. My thoughts go out to the friends and family of this unfortunate pilot. RIP.
Always Sad & Depressing news when I hear about another loss of life in an aircraft........ Rest in Eternal Peace & GOD BLESS to his family and friends. BIG Thank You Juan for the report.
Thanks for the update on this incident. Very good explanation of the stall for us non-avaition viewers. I really appreciate the effort you make to bring us factual, unbiased reporting. Praying for your return to excellent health! Ride safe my friend!
We may actually be experiencing something similar to "Groundhog Day"; ANOTHER Physician; several profound losses from the "Physician-Pilot" sector of the general aviation community, and this is just the east coast! Not only was this physician active in communities in central and southern Florida plus northern New Jersey (dermatologist), he was active in the efforts to "bring missing members of our armed forces home from Vietnam".
Amen to that! I honestly believe that the AOPA, AMA, American College of Surgeons, ADA, and other medical fraternals, should join together, learn what the propensity of the problems and **causes which lead to these crashes are, and address them through an earnest effort of [both] education and practical training exercises. As tragic, demoralizing, and serious as the 737-MAX/738 NG and 739 NG, the loss of so many who do their best to extend our collective lifespans, and keep our time here as healthy and productive as possible, needs to be addressed, and addressed immediately. **Distracted piloting definitely plays a key role in these events
Would Medical folks like Doctors not be more inclined to think about issues a little longer than normal folks due to the nature of their day jobs? Where some would immediately take action medical types are trained to weigh up all possible outcomes by nature of their work they need to be sure of outcome before doing potential harm to a patient and so a little too much thinking time when something goes wrong? Don't know, just an abstract thought.
The pilot was Dr. Joseph Masessa, 59 y/o...a Dermatologist/pilot from Florida. There are several videos online of his performances. The video you have linked IS of an interview with this (now deceased) pilot. He talks about flying the aircraft (including the STALL speed)...where he compares that to flying a "dead brick." Thanks for the video link. May he rest in peace.
"Aggravated Stall" yea, He was hauling that stick back from what I could tell, needed another 500' or so. I want to know what got him to where the cell phone video starts. Damn near inverted nose straight down at 1000' is not what I think he intended. Another sad loss this year, bummer.
So sorry to hear of another loss of our military aviation heritage. An excellent description of the dynamics of the stall. Juan, you sound like a flight instructor. No wonder you have a Luscombe. Thanks for the report.
When I went to Fort Rucker to flight school almost 40 yrs ago, I saw few Mohawks and wished I had chosen fixed wing, instead of rotary wing training. Those OV-1s looked very cool, odd looking but cool. But good choice with the Huey. So sad and tragic. Flown away. RIP.
I instantly knew which guy was riding behind all of you guys ... 😁 Great report, Juan. The MSM would be asking about ejection seats in a ultralite ... Hate hearing these stories. Seems like there's been far too many this year - might just be because I'm paying more attention lately, but 2019 might be the worst one yet.
Had a next-door neighbor that had to punch out of one of these in the early '70s; he got a little banged up. My father flew Cobras in Vietnam, and may have already been made head of helicopter gunnery instruction by the time of the Mohawk incident. My old man was shot down in 'Nam... at NIGHT! : )
The OV1D had Lycoming T53L701 engines each developing 1350 shaft HP. The reason it initially got its "Widow Maker nickname was that it was introduced to army fixed wing aviators in the early 1960s, who had been flying bug smasher single engine O-1 Cessna Birddogs for the most part and even with the earlier A model, the aircraft was a fairly high performance platform and was a little beyond the capabilities of the average army aviator. The temptation to show off resulted in a few deaths that were not related to any problems with the aircraft. The A model, I believe, had only 750 shaft hp turbine engines and was a little underpowered even when equipped with only photo reconnaissance mission gear. I am qualified in the B, C, and D and never once had an issue with the aircraft. Fully aerobatic, plenty of power and totally reliable and I'd fly it anywhere. I had 30 months of almost daily combat recon flights in Vietnam primarily in two other army reconnaissance platforms, but the Mohawk has a special place in my heart.
An old instructor taught me 55 years ago that you can stall at any airspeed, but you can’t stall at “0” G. When you have asymmetric thrust, don’t hang out anything you don’t need till you need it.
Juan,,AllI saw from NEWS FOOTAGE was going straight down< Lord rest his Soul, sadly this happened, but had no idea what had taken place,,but you are so correct,,too heavy a gross weight to do AEROBATICS,,NOT MY CHOICE, not a quick type for that mission, ,,, Stay safe out there on the trails GOD BLESS YOU ALL, TILL NEXT TIME,,,,,,, CHEERS FROM. NJ🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
You realize the Mohawk was a ground attack aircraft, right? That mission, by its nature, requires aerobatic capabilities. In airshow configuration this aircraft is also going to be operating light, no weapons, no filled drop tanks, not at max fuel. Highly unlikely this had anything to do with the design of the aircraft or even its age.
@blancolirio >>> I think the Mohawk is poweted by the Lycoming T53 turboprop engine. The Rolls Royce {formerly Allison} T56 is used on the Lockheed C-130.
@@blancolirio >>> Glad to be of help. {It is RARE when I actually do that...😊} BTW: *I ♥ BLEEDAIR BLIMPS* ALSO BTW: I worked on EC-130Gs and Qs in the USN. I also worked on - and flew on - HC-130Hs in the USCG. In other words, I've seen a _Herky Bird_ or two...😊
I must have missed it on the news. Thanks Juan. I think his was the one that was flying over the house during the Alliance air show. I heard it as I was outside at the time and got a really bad picture of it as I was too slow. Not sure if that was him or not.
When I was a boy a Ov1 mohawk crashed about five miles north of Libby Air field that was almost fifty your ago Pilot was also killed it that crash. Sad to hear of this fatal crash.
Adam Reznik I caught that as well. Allison T-56-425 that I flew with had over 4,600 HP per engine. Coupled with that huge HAM STD 4664 prop it was a beast and damn reliable.
Juan, so sorry for all his family and friends. Alaska is a small place in a circle of friends, if you don't know the pilot/aircraft, you have friends that do. At 3:30/4:47 min you describe an accelerated stall, but not being a pilot and at the moment trying to wrap my mind about the physics of this... . Easy to observe, birds stall all the time, but only when they want to. But what of a Peregrine falcon in a very steep dive? Most all birds are masters of flight, but would be Great Fun if you were to invite an ornithologist and physicist to explain how it's done. Bob
Bob Berceli Birds have significant advantages, including using muscles to change the angle of attack of the entire wing relative to the body. Aircraft rely on the rear-mounted elevator to re-orient the entire airframe and wings relative to the airflow, in order to recover from a stall.
1. Minor correction: T53 engines. You must have been thinking of your Herc time. 2. Only Army aircraft with ejection seats (I believe). www.ejectionsite.com/ov1seats.htm
18000 is max gross. We pushed 20,000 in the Gulf War with 300 gal drops and full mission gear. Aircraft as flown without weapons, cameras, SLAR, APR, HF, ASN86, FLIR, etc. etc. was around what you're guessing without fuel. A real hotrod when so very light. A very complicated aircraft though. Complicated to maintain, complicated to fly. Had ejection seats for a reason, she could be very unforgiving. Called the 'Widowmaker" for a reason. 38% total crash rate through the life of the aircraft. That number includes everything from pilot error to enemy fire though.
Not sure what you're getting at. The Mohawk was a built for war airframe. A typical "Grumman Ironworks" aircraft of the same generation and engineers as the A-6 Intruder and F-14 Tomcat that it shared many systems with. A combat airframe built for close air support and taking a punch with armored plates and a myriad of combat redundant systems. Fully aerobatical, all weather, built for low level combat. The Army stopped "officially" arming them for CAS missions to be IAW service agreements with the Air Force regarding armed fixed wing vs armed rotor wing towards the end of the Vietnam conflict. They hung special electronic warfare systems (read surveillance/reconnaissance spy shit) all over it and kept flying it, mostly in secret, until 1996 when drones, satellites and some specially configured Dash 7's took over her mission. Vietnam showed her to be particularly worthy of the "Ironworks" moniker when the NVA would shoot entire bits off of the airframe and she would bring her crews home safely. Giant gapping holes, missing vertical stabs etc. You are right on the money about it being very unforgiving though. However, the high loss numbers were generally due to enemy fire and not from pilot error, ala the Harrier which will bite a guy.
Back during the Vietnam era, a good friend of mine flew one three years for Motorola testing side looking radar. He was not fond of it and said with payload as they configured it, it took up all the runway length as was possible. He said it was a widowmaker.
What is going on with 2019? I mean come on! I dont understand why such a heavy plane would be doing such low level acrobatics. That's crazy. I would not do a barrel roll in that bird. It would be like doing a barrel roll at 240 in an A380. Crazy. You look great Juan. This extended vaca is doing you good. But I bet you miss your beloved London. See ya here! XXX. 🙏🛫🙏
You're off your rocker. First off an A380 is not rated for any aerobatics, the Mohawk is and was designed with low level attack work in mind, much like an A10. This is a flight envelope that requires aerobatic capability and good control response. It's not a King Air.
The 18,000lbs is the MAX gross weight for the aircraft with full fuel, wing tanks two crew and cameras/radar to complete the mission. It didn't weigh anywhere close to that flying the airshow.
EMAS...It's designed to stop overruns. It's basically a truck runoff ramp for aircraft. It's crushed and gets deeper the farther the aircraft gets into it.
a combination of the above factors. In many municipal, state and federal agencies, supposedly because of the "2008" financial crisis" (but which more accurately described as "financial catastrophe 2008 to 2028"), and also to to hollowing out of the material economy (factories) with 100,000 of them closing and going overseas), infrastructure maintenance or replacement such as lines, transformers, etc gets deferred, causing a situation of technical debt much like we see with roads and bridges everywhere in the US,. Then there is the hot dry wind, which propels clumps of burning brush through the air about shoulder height, as if from some bizarre disaster movie. Flaming incendiary grenades. The dry winds cause ground-level "flash fuels" to be susceptible to almost any ignition source. As the dry material is ignited, it is almost instantly completely ablaze, and the hot gas of the fire enveloping a clump of this loose material then buoys the burning bush into the air whereupon it is caught by the powerful hot dry winds. Then you have a millions of softball sized clumps of burning, light weight materials being hurled thru the air by the fire, racing behind the fire line and setting new spots aflame maybe 100 yards or so behind the firefighting line, behind the fire crews, sometimes for quite a distance, starting NEW fires. This chain reaction gets waay out of control fast with the hot dry winds combined with the dry underbrush fire grenades.. Finally you have many more people living in the "exurbs" or at the "urban-wildlife interface" so they can be amongst nature have a forest behind their house.
67-H mos, OV-1D, My aircraft. Well I worked on them. They're called The Widow Maker. I wouldn't fly in it w/out an ejection seat. When I first became familiar with the Widow Maker in 1985 , there was 11 crashes 10 fatalities, that's with EJECTION SEATS . The guy didn't say if the pilot was killed ? Sad to say but my guess is that the pilot is deceased. OV-1D mechanic
Avco Lycoming T-53 L701AB engines TYVM! With about 1400 SHP (they are old you know) and IDR the BHP TBH and it's too late for me to find my manuals tonight. Also 2 3-bladed, reversable pitch, Hamilton Standard Type 53C51-27 constant-speed propellers (with Auto Feather), @ 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) diameter (yes, but wiki is faster than looking for my manuals this late at night and it's "good enough" for my purposes. Max speed is 329kts. With 3 vertical stabilizers/rudders, speed brakes, massive flaps, flaperons and ailerons, 297-gallon, self-sealing, internal fuel tank, with two 150 gal wing mounted "drop tanks" or 2 300 gal ferry tanks. "IF" it still had ejection seats (because you absof#@kinglutely do NOT want to jump, even with a parachute!), they would be Martin Baker MKJ5D seats. The US Army's only post WWII "air to air" kill was with an OV-1 Mohawk against a Mig 23! The "Official" Grumman "Birthday" for the OV-1 Mohawk is April 14th, 1959. In short, as long as you have two turning and burning, you have a relatively slow, highly maneuverable, very rugged, "low level" ground attack ("JOV-1" model) weapons/observation/reconnaissance platform. The US Army were fools for giving them up when they did (especially the J models). It is an awesome aircraft and my most favorite airplane! Even 67-18265 F#@! PITA "only seeping "at altitude", halfway through a 3-hour flight, on alternating Tuesdays and Thursdays unless Saturn is in ascendance in which case it is...ah whatever you get the idea, Hydraulic Fluid Seeping PIG!!!! The wing, landing gear, fuselage and speed brakes I understood, but... I have to ask, HOW did you get it on your NOSE?!!! IN FLIGHT!!! It boggles the mind!
Star Gazer He gave an update on a crash of an airplane and did not include the most significant point of the story, the status of the pilot. You can assume anything, but he never said it.
Ugly? Never. It brought me back safely from Laos, Cambodia, and the jungles and mountains of South Viet Nam at night, in the rain about a hundred times. Beautiful bird.
@@BustedWalletGarage They did not ask me for my opinion. They asked me to go and do my job. It's over, it's history. Seems we still can not learn from it.
The pilot was experienced and skilled: th-cam.com/video/0Vq_zWRCmmU/w-d-xo.html And judging from one of his interviews posted in the comments here, he knew the dangers involved with flying this particular aircraft. The linked video is from 2014, so he had a lot of time in it. More than likely, he either had a medical issue, or a problem with the aircraft. Sucks.
Crash footage: th-cam.com/video/vx_vL46q3eM/w-d-xo.html It's of poor quality, stretched for some reason, and does not show the context of the crash, just the plane flying into the ground with what looks like a very shallow angle of attack and a nose down attitude...
Yucannt Hahvitt Thanks for the link. That's exactly what Juan means by accelerated stall, don't confuse the angle of flight with angle of attack (high-g maneuver).
@@gordonrichardson2972 Are you illiterate? I said "shallow angle of attack AND a nose down attitude" It is very clear if you actually READ what I said that I am fully aware of what angle of attack is.
Actually an ejection seat can save you even at runway level, but only just, given it's fired upward and far enough and hope the chute opens asap, it happened before. Anyway I can't even believe how on earth would such aircraft experts, old cats, longtime pilots, put themselfs to such risk knowing the airplanes are aging without any backup solution, I would have put the ejection seats in my self if I had ones, and load it with more than enough parachutes, with escape hatches built for the purpose, etc etc, dragging chutes to slow plane down, basically a giant parachute, if you have a problem and the landing is going to be the problem, all you need to do is to get to nearest field where easily accessible and nearby emergency services and then you would intentionally stall out, deploy chute, that's it, why on earth chutes aren't mandatory, as always people just won't learn themselfs, enough people need to die first as always in this terrible system of profits first, this is really the blame to the school system and the crony business culture, people are too worried about the stock markets and basic surival to have any time left for actual advancements, safety systems around the world are pisspoor, there's no profit in it, but it takes only a bit, and some things are so cheap to make, all smaller/mid aircraft could have simple emergency radio beacons and LED lights specifically for emergency landing off airfields, when decision to land is made the pilot engages this system or it's engaged automatically if airplane has major malfunction, additionally the airplane's landing lights would be activated, just like a locomotive approaching, angled specifically so it's seen by oncoming traffic which part of car license must have knowledge of emergency aircraft landing, and different lights at back of the aircraft to tell drivers to stop but don't need to get off the road, ground traffic would have a special reciever that picks up on the signal that is within determined relevance range, not more than 1 km, there would be an alarm inside ground vehicles specifically to warn about imminent landing nearby and that drivers have to stop vehicle by the side of the road, clear the roads, the warning signal will be lights and audio, the lights and audio would get stronger as the aircraft gets closer, which means the vehicles that are not in the vicinity would only get a lighter warning so that they wouldn't need to act as much as the ones closer, most of the ground vehicles would only get to a standby state and their warnings wouldn't elevate to the maximum. Additionally as with LED lights, there could be dual transmitters, basically one front and one back and would work similar to how ILS beacons work, the cars would be the "ILS" receivers so they would know which way the aircraft is going, so STOP on ROAD if you get aircraft going into same direction, and GET OFF THE ROAD if the aircraft is coming head on. There is no advanced electronics needed, all this data is predetermined and alarms, states, behavior is pre-programmed into the systems in basic circuitry, you don't need no GPS, no smart-anything, no internet, nothing, the signal is just a dumb tone in a predetermined frequency for this exact purpose with some encoded data (bits), just like wireless doorbells work, the receivers inside ground traffic do not transmit any data or anything at any time, there is no radiation health hazard or privacy concern, the trasmission form aircraft is momentary for the emergency and outside the cockpit, mounted under the aircraft so it doesn't radiate the pilot directly. This could have been done 30 years ago, the electronics needed for this are piece of cake, but the system provides and extremely effective service.
Preliminary NTSB Report - app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20191102X80415&AKey=1&RType=Prelim&IType=FA
Thanks, Juan for the update on the OV-1 Mohawk. I am very familiar with the Mohawk although I did not fly one. I was an instrument instructor pilot for the U.S. Army at the Aviation Center at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Several of my students, after getting their instrument rating in "C Phase," received their wings and were off -- most to Viet Nam, qualified in the Mohawk. They used the side-looking radar flying on the DMZ between South and North Viet Nam. My civilian instructor in "train for instructing school" at Rucker was also an instructor in the Mohawk to qualify U.S. Army personnel. He had to eject from the Mohawk and had a pretty banged up face but lived. You mentioned the heavyweight of the Mohawk and that made Mohawk pilots cautious while loving the aircraft. Your update brought many memories back about flying days at Rucker. Believe it or not, the U.S. Army used the DeHavilland Beaver for trining in instrument flying. A wonderful aircraft (beloved really) but a fuel hog for instruments (fuel for destination plus alternative plus 50 minutes of fuel). I love your reporting. I hope you can get back to commercial flying again soon -- although I love the camping locations. - Dean from Minnesota
Grumman had a facility at Stuart where they rebuilt/ restored the OV1. I worked as an A&P on the field in the late 70s and early 80s. I got my pilot's license there. So sad to hear of this crash.
Dr. Masessa was my skin cancer surgeon. His OV-1 had the names of Vietnam MIA/POWs painted of the fuselage. His death is a real loss to the aviation community as well as his numerous patients.
The Mohawk is a tough bird. We had a hotdog pilot in the 24th Aviation Battalion come around doing a short-field landing and clipped a power pole on the downwind turn into the landing. It cut the wing off just outboard of the right engine and he landed it ! A week later they hung it on a sling and brought the old girl home under a Chinook ! Captain Bergemon was not drinking before the episode but he was afterwards !
The props run about a foot from the fuselage so it is impossible to bail out without an ejection seat. If you go over the side the prop gets you and if you go over the back the tail gets you.
Juan, last year at Culpeper Airfest 2018 ,during Friday’s practice, I was part of the nighttime RC demonstration flying team. Manfred Radius finished his routine then Redline Aerobics, two RV8 fitted with pyrotechnic flairs on wingtips and ejecting red flairs went through an aerobatic routine.
I was standing on the Hot ramp and witnessed the second RV8 miss the two rolls and pull-up that the leader did, second pilot only did one and a half and pulled straight into the ground!! Huge fireball, I’m guessing they were at 300’agl. I knew he was in trouble as soon as the wingtip flats started the arch downward. I was also standing with the Culpeper Fire Department, they didn’t see it coming like I did.
However in the two seconds it took for the terrible fireball the commander yelled at the top of his voice LETS GO!!!! There wasn’t anything they could do except contain the fire.
Are RC team was part of the airshow safety briefing along with all of the airshow acts, I wish I could remember him and his teammate! I can’t imagine what he must have felt and still have to fly and land his airplane. We all went home that night wondering if the show would go on! But late that night we were informed that it would, and it did. The next day at the show was very somber, all acts preformed except Redline. There were many tributes to the fallen team member!
I haven’t heard a word about this accident have you? PS love your intelligence and your perspective.
Who but Juan Brown, reporter extraordinaire, would stop during an afternoon of epic trail riding in the High Sierra to do a remote report on a tragic aircraft event! You're the best channel on YT Juan, and I wish I was there with you on my GS! Have a blast and see you here!
Juan Brown, the Mohawk was ever military!
@@meganperreault5191 Are you kidding. I was a Mohawk Crew Chief in Vietnam. Of course it was military. US Army supported the First Air Cav. Thanks Richard...
I met the pilot this April at the Sun&Fun Airshow in Lakeland, FL. He was so enthusiastic and truly loved his Mohawk.
Juan, a professional and educating report of this sad accident.
Some time is sovhard to comprehend, how easily, just one mistake, can erase, in a second, thousands of flying hours and experience. My condolences to the family.
It's a sad but realistic fact that even with the best of ability and the most honorable of intentions given the nature of display flight, errors will creep in. All we can do is learn and adapt. Some of these old birds are getting even older, in some cases so are the pilots. Fly safe, fly within your limits and always remember you are just one mistake or mechanical failure away from a bad situation. My thoughts go out to the friends and family of this unfortunate pilot. RIP.
Dr. Joseph Masessa is the named PIC. The whole community extends their comediennes to you the ones left behind.
I was acquainted with Joe in both aviation and auto racing. Always a real gentlemen, RIP Joe
Thanks for your report Jaun.
Very sad to here of another crash😪
Stay safe out on the trails
Very sad about the Mohawk OV-1D. Very jealous about the ride, looks like great conditions. Braaap!
Always Sad & Depressing news when I hear about another loss of life in an aircraft........ Rest in Eternal Peace & GOD BLESS to his family and friends.
BIG Thank You Juan for the report.
Thanks for the update on this incident. Very good explanation of the stall for us non-avaition viewers. I really appreciate the effort you make to bring us factual, unbiased reporting. Praying for your return to excellent health! Ride safe my friend!
We may actually be experiencing something similar to "Groundhog Day"; ANOTHER Physician; several profound losses from the "Physician-Pilot" sector of the general aviation community, and this is just the east coast! Not only was this physician active in communities in central and southern Florida plus northern New Jersey (dermatologist), he was active in the efforts to "bring missing members of our armed forces home from Vietnam".
We are losing our history each time a pilot buys his farm. The same with multi-crewed Warbirds. RIP, people....
Amen to that! I honestly believe that the AOPA, AMA, American College of Surgeons, ADA, and other medical fraternals, should join together, learn what the propensity of the problems and **causes which lead to these crashes are, and address them through an earnest effort of [both] education and practical training exercises. As tragic, demoralizing, and serious as the 737-MAX/738 NG and 739 NG, the loss of so many who do their best to extend our collective lifespans, and keep our time here as healthy and productive as possible, needs to be addressed, and addressed immediately.
**Distracted piloting definitely plays a key role in these events
Would Medical folks like Doctors not be more inclined to think about issues a little longer than normal folks due to the nature of their day jobs? Where some would immediately take action medical types are trained to weigh up all possible outcomes by nature of their work they need to be sure of outcome before doing potential harm to a patient and so a little too much thinking time when something goes wrong? Don't know, just an abstract thought.
The pilot was Dr. Joseph Masessa, 59 y/o...a Dermatologist/pilot from Florida. There are several videos online of his performances. The video you have linked IS of an interview with this (now deceased) pilot. He talks about flying the aircraft (including the STALL speed)...where he compares that to flying a "dead brick." Thanks for the video link. May he rest in peace.
As ever sir thank you for this early report on this tragic crash,we have lost so many flying doctors in crashes recently.
Condolences to Joe's family, sad to hear that news. Ride safe on the trails, Juan and your buddies.
Earlier today i saw a video on youtube of him going in. Condolences to his family
"Aggravated Stall" yea, He was hauling that stick back from what I could tell, needed another 500' or so. I want to know what got him to where the cell phone video starts. Damn near inverted nose straight down at 1000' is not what I think he intended. Another sad loss this year, bummer.
So sorry to hear of another loss of our military aviation heritage. An excellent description of the dynamics of the stall. Juan, you sound like a flight instructor. No wonder you have a Luscombe. Thanks for the report.
Michael Laviolette Juan was a flight instructor in the military.
So sad, but happy to hear your report.
Thank you for posting. Glad to see you enjoying beautiful California! Be safe and well. 👍🏻👍🏻✌🏻
AS a fellow airline pilot, now retired...I appreciate these videos.
When I went to Fort Rucker to flight school almost 40 yrs ago, I saw few Mohawks and wished I had chosen fixed wing, instead of rotary wing training. Those OV-1s looked very cool, odd looking but cool. But good choice with the Huey. So sad and tragic. Flown away. RIP.
I think he's performed up here at Oshkosh. Sorry to hear of it...
I instantly knew which guy was riding behind all of you guys ... 😁
Great report, Juan. The MSM would be asking about ejection seats in a ultralite ...
Hate hearing these stories. Seems like there's been far too many this year - might just be because I'm paying more attention lately, but 2019 might be the worst one yet.
thanks, again! I really appreciate your time and experience and your enthusiasm!
Really enjoy your reporting Juan! All my best to the air show family on this tragedy. More Calpocolypse please!!
Had a next-door neighbor that had to punch out of one of these in the early '70s; he got a little banged up. My father flew Cobras in Vietnam, and may have already been made head of helicopter gunnery instruction by the time of the Mohawk incident. My old man was shot down in 'Nam... at NIGHT! : )
Thanks Juan...
The OV1D had Lycoming T53L701 engines each developing 1350 shaft HP. The reason it initially got its "Widow Maker nickname was that it was introduced to army fixed wing aviators in the early 1960s, who had been flying bug smasher single engine O-1 Cessna Birddogs for the most part and even with the earlier A model, the aircraft was a fairly high performance platform and was a little beyond the capabilities of the average army aviator. The temptation to show off resulted in a few deaths that were not related to any problems with the aircraft. The A model, I believe, had only 750 shaft hp turbine engines and was a little underpowered even when equipped with only photo reconnaissance mission gear. I am qualified in the B, C, and D and never once had an issue with the aircraft. Fully aerobatic, plenty of power and totally reliable and I'd fly it anywhere. I had 30 months of almost daily combat recon flights in Vietnam primarily in two other army reconnaissance platforms, but the Mohawk has a special place in my heart.
Damn shame, been to that air show many times growing up and into adulthood. Seen him fly a few times. What a loss.
This is the first I have heard about this. Is there no video of the accident.
Thanks for sharing again.
Yes, there is a video of it crashing into the ground. Google it.
Thank You for the report
Stalls have been and continue to be a major cause of crashes at Air Shows
Always thought gravity was.
(I'm being sarcastic with very poor taste.)
Excellent reporting!
An old instructor taught me 55 years ago that you can stall at any airspeed, but you can’t stall at “0” G. When you have asymmetric thrust, don’t hang out anything you don’t need till you need it.
Juan,,AllI saw from NEWS FOOTAGE was going straight down< Lord rest his Soul, sadly this happened, but had no idea what had taken place,,but you are so correct,,too heavy a gross weight to do AEROBATICS,,NOT MY CHOICE, not a quick type for that mission, ,,, Stay safe out there on the trails GOD BLESS YOU ALL, TILL NEXT TIME,,,,,,, CHEERS FROM. NJ🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
You realize the Mohawk was a ground attack aircraft, right? That mission, by its nature, requires aerobatic capabilities. In airshow configuration this aircraft is also going to be operating light, no weapons, no filled drop tanks, not at max fuel. Highly unlikely this had anything to do with the design of the aircraft or even its age.
@@sparky6086 Google it, same as I did.
I live nine miles from the Stuart airport. Been to the show many times. Shame this happened.
Bummer news, thanks Juan.
This OV-1D was at our airshow cyxu 2 yrs ago. Very unfortunate.
RIP Dr. Joseph Massesa. The air show was canceled on Friday and Saturday. It is raining here Sunday morning.. S. Florida
Hey Juan! Glad your well!
I was station at the 225th Avaition Co. in Viet nam The Engines had a governor on them to prevent structural damage. A great plane.
Another great video Juan .
Unfortunate accident. Correction: engines are Lycoming T53, not T56.
T-53L701 engines
Miss those trails. Great report sir 😊
Lord I love your videos. Even when they have sad news. It is still the straight truth 👍
Very sad. Condolences to the family.
Strictly speaking, Witham Field in Stuart, Florida (where I live). General shock around here about the crash
@blancolirio >>> I think the Mohawk is poweted by the Lycoming T53 turboprop engine.
The Rolls Royce {formerly Allison} T56 is used on the Lockheed C-130.
correct, my mistake (as a former C-130 driver).
@@blancolirio >>> Glad to be of help. {It is RARE when I actually do that...😊}
BTW: *I ♥ BLEEDAIR BLIMPS*
ALSO BTW: I worked on EC-130Gs and Qs in the USN. I also worked on - and flew on - HC-130Hs in the USCG.
In other words, I've seen a _Herky Bird_ or two...😊
thanks, Juan
I must have missed it on the news. Thanks Juan. I think his was the one that was flying over the house during the Alliance air show. I heard it as I was outside at the time and got a really bad picture of it as I was too slow. Not sure if that was him or not.
My condolences to his family.
Nice scenery. Thanks, Juan.
Just watched the video on ABC. God speed to the pilot and his family
When I was a boy a Ov1 mohawk crashed about five miles north of Libby Air field that was almost fifty your ago Pilot was also killed it that crash. Sad to hear of this fatal crash.
1:10 Lycoming T53
The T56 is the Allison powerplant.
Adam Reznik
I caught that as well. Allison T-56-425 that I flew with had over 4,600 HP per engine. Coupled with that huge HAM STD 4664 prop it was a beast and damn reliable.
the airport at ft. stuart is named wright airfield. i always kind of liked that when i was in flight school at stuart.
Is Aggravated stall an issue for vectored thrust aircraft such as the F22? Wouldn't such a craft be virtually immune?
Phillip C Accelerated stall.
Juan, so sorry for all his family and friends. Alaska is a small place in a circle of friends, if you don't know the pilot/aircraft, you have friends that do. At 3:30/4:47 min you describe an accelerated stall, but not being a pilot and at the moment trying to wrap my mind about the physics of this... . Easy to observe, birds stall all the time, but only when they want to. But what of a Peregrine falcon in a very steep dive? Most all birds are masters of flight, but would be Great Fun if you were to invite an ornithologist and physicist to explain how it's done. Bob
Bob Berceli Birds have significant advantages, including using muscles to change the angle of attack of the entire wing relative to the body. Aircraft rely on the rear-mounted elevator to re-orient the entire airframe and wings relative to the airflow, in order to recover from a stall.
Several old youtube vids of the OV-1D Mohawk that crashed. From the airshow cockpit vid looks like it was quite a show for the aircraft type.
When it comes to aviation news, I turn to Juan Browne.
be nice if you showed a picture of the aircraft so we can view and know what it looks like,thanks
field report, see links.
If any aircraft should have been nicknamed the "Dragonfly" . . . the OV-1D is IT !!!
1. Minor correction: T53 engines. You must have been thinking of your Herc time.
2. Only Army aircraft with ejection seats (I believe).
www.ejectionsite.com/ov1seats.htm
Ride fun but rough staying safe.
Travell save guys have a good ride over there 😀😀👍👍
Juan,you could always trail in a Ninja🤔 be good Simulator training 😁 / Sorry for the loss💔
Wow, 9 ton! I would have guessed it at about 3 max.
18000 is max gross. We pushed 20,000 in the Gulf War with 300 gal drops and full mission gear. Aircraft as flown without weapons, cameras, SLAR, APR, HF, ASN86, FLIR, etc. etc. was around what you're guessing without fuel. A real hotrod when so very light. A very complicated aircraft though. Complicated to maintain, complicated to fly. Had ejection seats for a reason, she could be very unforgiving. Called the 'Widowmaker" for a reason. 38% total crash rate through the life of the aircraft. That number includes everything from pilot error to enemy fire though.
But its basically a 'light aviation' airframe 10 tons is immense. Sounds like a tricky juggling act to fly of a good day.
Not sure what you're getting at. The Mohawk was a built for war airframe. A typical "Grumman Ironworks" aircraft of the same generation and engineers as the A-6 Intruder and F-14 Tomcat that it shared many systems with. A combat airframe built for close air support and taking a punch with armored plates and a myriad of combat redundant systems. Fully aerobatical, all weather, built for low level combat. The Army stopped "officially" arming them for CAS missions to be IAW service agreements with the Air Force regarding armed fixed wing vs armed rotor wing towards the end of the Vietnam conflict. They hung special electronic warfare systems (read surveillance/reconnaissance spy shit) all over it and kept flying it, mostly in secret, until 1996 when drones, satellites and some specially configured Dash 7's took over her mission.
Vietnam showed her to be particularly worthy of the "Ironworks" moniker when the NVA would shoot entire bits off of the airframe and she would bring her crews home safely. Giant gapping holes, missing vertical stabs etc.
You are right on the money about it being very unforgiving though. However, the high loss numbers were generally due to enemy fire and not from pilot error, ala the Harrier which will bite a guy.
Back during the Vietnam era, a good friend of mine flew one three years for Motorola testing side looking radar. He was not fond of it and said with payload as they configured it, it took up all the runway length as was possible. He said it was a widowmaker.
You did not introduce your companions?
His name is out. At least it made it to Twitter (Julie Clark)
So, "see you here" refer to the channel... I thought you mean hangar...
RIP CAPTAIN
God’s speed...😇
Enjoy the Ride ... dirty-side down.... always!!
What is going on with 2019? I mean come on! I dont understand why such a heavy plane would be doing such low level acrobatics. That's crazy. I would not do a barrel roll in that bird. It would be like doing a barrel roll at 240 in an A380. Crazy. You look great Juan. This extended vaca is doing you good. But I bet you miss your beloved London. See ya here! XXX. 🙏🛫🙏
You're off your rocker. First off an A380 is not rated for any aerobatics, the Mohawk is and was designed with low level attack work in mind, much like an A10. This is a flight envelope that requires aerobatic capability and good control response. It's not a King Air.
The 18,000lbs is the MAX gross weight for the aircraft with full fuel, wing tanks two crew and cameras/radar to complete the mission. It didn't weigh anywhere close to that flying the airshow.
Is that Spaulding behind you?
Yes!
Terrible news. "Never play with an airplane, particularly at low altitudes. They are not toys!"
So sad. RIP
Husqvarna Power!
Wait... soft concrete? Do tell more...
EMAS...It's designed to stop overruns. It's basically a truck runoff ramp for aircraft. It's crushed and gets deeper the farther the aircraft gets into it.
Still... "soft" concrete... seems like an oxymoron. Lol
@@stargazer7644 well played...
a combination of the above factors. In many municipal, state and federal agencies, supposedly because of the "2008" financial crisis" (but which more accurately described as "financial catastrophe 2008 to 2028"), and also to to hollowing out of the material economy (factories) with 100,000 of them closing and going overseas), infrastructure maintenance or replacement such as lines, transformers, etc gets deferred, causing a situation of technical debt much like we see with roads and bridges everywhere in the US,. Then there is the hot dry wind, which propels clumps of burning brush through the air about shoulder height, as if from some bizarre disaster movie. Flaming incendiary grenades. The dry winds cause ground-level "flash fuels" to be susceptible to almost any ignition source. As the dry material is ignited, it is almost instantly completely ablaze, and the hot gas of the fire enveloping a clump of this loose material then buoys the burning bush into the air whereupon it is caught by the powerful hot dry winds. Then you have a millions of softball sized clumps of burning, light weight materials being hurled thru the air by the fire, racing behind the fire line and setting new spots aflame maybe 100 yards or so behind the firefighting line, behind the fire crews, sometimes for quite a distance, starting NEW fires. This chain reaction gets waay out of control fast with the hot dry winds combined with the dry underbrush fire grenades.. Finally you have many more people living in the "exurbs" or at the "urban-wildlife interface" so they can be amongst nature have a forest behind their house.
Low level maneuvering is soooo unforgiving. #Sad
67-H mos, OV-1D, My aircraft. Well I worked on them. They're called The Widow Maker. I wouldn't fly in it w/out an ejection seat. When I first became familiar with the Widow Maker in 1985 , there was 11 crashes 10 fatalities, that's with EJECTION SEATS . The guy didn't say if the pilot was killed ? Sad to say but my guess is that the pilot is deceased.
OV-1D mechanic
Lycoming T-53 engines, not T-56. I have flown them in the Army..
vonmazur1 At 1:09. Correct. In another comment, Juan says he flew the C-130, which had Allison T56 engines.
Avco Lycoming T-53 L701AB engines TYVM! With about 1400 SHP (they are old you know) and IDR the BHP TBH and it's too late for me to find my manuals tonight. Also 2 3-bladed, reversable pitch, Hamilton Standard Type 53C51-27 constant-speed propellers (with Auto Feather), @ 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) diameter (yes, but wiki is faster than looking for my manuals this late at night and it's "good enough" for my purposes. Max speed is 329kts. With 3 vertical stabilizers/rudders, speed brakes, massive flaps, flaperons and ailerons, 297-gallon, self-sealing, internal fuel tank, with two 150 gal wing mounted "drop tanks" or 2 300 gal ferry tanks. "IF" it still had ejection seats (because you absof#@kinglutely do NOT want to jump, even with a parachute!), they would be Martin Baker MKJ5D seats. The US Army's only post WWII "air to air" kill was with an OV-1 Mohawk against a Mig 23! The "Official" Grumman "Birthday" for the OV-1 Mohawk is April 14th, 1959. In short, as long as you have two turning and burning, you have a relatively slow, highly maneuverable, very rugged, "low level" ground attack ("JOV-1" model) weapons/observation/reconnaissance platform. The US Army were fools for giving them up when they did (especially the J models). It is an awesome aircraft and my most favorite airplane! Even 67-18265 F#@! PITA "only seeping "at altitude", halfway through a 3-hour flight, on alternating Tuesdays and Thursdays unless Saturn is in ascendance in which case it is...ah whatever you get the idea, Hydraulic Fluid Seeping PIG!!!! The wing, landing gear, fuselage and speed brakes I understood, but... I have to ask, HOW did you get it on your NOSE?!!! IN FLIGHT!!! It boggles the mind!
Plane looks like a complicated machine.
“WILD HOGS”
If driving the Airbus doesnt work out for You maybe You can be a Ride guide and outfitter for back country adventures
Walt Lars Juan is a B777 pilot (not currently Airbus), but he does have many other skills.
@@gordonrichardson2972 I thought He said AirBus
As much as they pack people in AC today they are all flying Buses 😁
Juan never mentioned the status of the pilot.
Yes he did, in not so many words. 2:13
Well when they don't announce a name it kind of means they have to contact the family
Star Gazer He gave an update on a crash of an airplane and did not include the most significant point of the story, the status of the pilot. You can assume anything, but he never said it.
Sad news. At least the men and women were doing what they enjoyed.
What an ugly airplane the Mohawk is. A face only a mother could love.
Ugly? Never. It brought me back safely from Laos, Cambodia, and the jungles and mountains of South Viet Nam at night, in the rain about a hundred times. Beautiful bird.
dan1of10 bechtold you shouldn’t have been there in the first place but that discussion is for another day.
@@BustedWalletGarage They did not ask me for my opinion. They asked me to go and do my job. It's over, it's history. Seems we still can not learn from it.
The pilot was experienced and skilled: th-cam.com/video/0Vq_zWRCmmU/w-d-xo.html
And judging from one of his interviews posted in the comments here, he knew the dangers involved with flying this particular aircraft. The linked video is from 2014, so he had a lot of time in it. More than likely, he either had a medical issue, or a problem with the aircraft. Sucks.
Crash footage: th-cam.com/video/vx_vL46q3eM/w-d-xo.html It's of poor quality, stretched for some reason, and does not show the context of the crash, just the plane flying into the ground with what looks like a very shallow angle of attack and a nose down attitude...
Yucannt Hahvitt Thanks for the link. That's exactly what Juan means by accelerated stall, don't confuse the angle of flight with angle of attack (high-g maneuver).
@@gordonrichardson2972 Are you illiterate? I said "shallow angle of attack AND a nose down attitude" It is very clear if you actually READ what I said that I am fully aware of what angle of attack is.
@@yucannthahvitt251 What's with the attitude?
Actually an ejection seat can save you even at runway level, but only just, given it's fired upward and far enough and hope the chute opens asap, it happened before. Anyway I can't even believe how on earth would such aircraft experts, old cats, longtime pilots, put themselfs to such risk knowing the airplanes are aging without any backup solution, I would have put the ejection seats in my self if I had ones, and load it with more than enough parachutes, with escape hatches built for the purpose, etc etc, dragging chutes to slow plane down, basically a giant parachute, if you have a problem and the landing is going to be the problem, all you need to do is to get to nearest field where easily accessible and nearby emergency services and then you would intentionally stall out, deploy chute, that's it, why on earth chutes aren't mandatory, as always people just won't learn themselfs, enough people need to die first as always in this terrible system of profits first, this is really the blame to the school system and the crony business culture, people are too worried about the stock markets and basic surival to have any time left for actual advancements, safety systems around the world are pisspoor, there's no profit in it, but it takes only a bit, and some things are so cheap to make, all smaller/mid aircraft could have simple emergency radio beacons and LED lights specifically for emergency landing off airfields, when decision to land is made the pilot engages this system or it's engaged automatically if airplane has major malfunction, additionally the airplane's landing lights would be activated, just like a locomotive approaching, angled specifically so it's seen by oncoming traffic which part of car license must have knowledge of emergency aircraft landing, and different lights at back of the aircraft to tell drivers to stop but don't need to get off the road, ground traffic would have a special reciever that picks up on the signal that is within determined relevance range, not more than 1 km, there would be an alarm inside ground vehicles specifically to warn about imminent landing nearby and that drivers have to stop vehicle by the side of the road, clear the roads, the warning signal will be lights and audio, the lights and audio would get stronger as the aircraft gets closer, which means the vehicles that are not in the vicinity would only get a lighter warning so that they wouldn't need to act as much as the ones closer, most of the ground vehicles would only get to a standby state and their warnings wouldn't elevate to the maximum. Additionally as with LED lights, there could be dual transmitters, basically one front and one back and would work similar to how ILS beacons work, the cars would be the "ILS" receivers so they would know which way the aircraft is going, so STOP on ROAD if you get aircraft going into same direction, and GET OFF THE ROAD if the aircraft is coming head on. There is no advanced electronics needed, all this data is predetermined and alarms, states, behavior is pre-programmed into the systems in basic circuitry, you don't need no GPS, no smart-anything, no internet, nothing, the signal is just a dumb tone in a predetermined frequency for this exact purpose with some encoded data (bits), just like wireless doorbells work, the receivers inside ground traffic do not transmit any data or anything at any time, there is no radiation health hazard or privacy concern, the trasmission form aircraft is momentary for the emergency and outside the cockpit, mounted under the aircraft so it doesn't radiate the pilot directly. This could have been done 30 years ago, the electronics needed for this are piece of cake, but the system provides and extremely effective service.
I just saw this plane and met the guy last summer. Shame.
Pilot named as Dr Joe Masessa: aviation-safety.net/wikibase/230334
When your ego overrides your wallet...😢