If it's true the wingtip hit the ground upon landing, then the stresses will be most severe in the wing root (as that's where the lever arm is the longest). I would then expect the wing to sever at that location, leading to a full loss of the wing. Worst-case scenario indeed, which can possibly be compared to the falling seeds of a Sycamore.
But would you fly an airplane that just has hit the ground with its wingtip? To do so on a high-wing a/c this would have to be some pretty violent maneuver in itself, not just a little 'grazing' of the perimeter fence. Baffled....
But would you fly an airplane that just has hit the ground with its wingtip?
Human stupidity has no bounds. There was a famous case of a Robin hitting a bale of hay, and the wing came off on a subsequent flight (killing them). People do all kinds of stuff which they "should" know is likely to be really dodgy structurally but say nothing. Where I am based, one pilot had a prop strike on a towbar, took a 1" square chunk out of the prop, chucked the towbar into some grass, went for a flight, said nothing...
If it had been possible, they would have gotten out. Very simple ...
Well the circumstances still seem unclear because I heard on the radio that 3 jumpers got out of the aircraft but were too low to open their chutes, which is inconsistent with what other people here say. So : wait and see what the investigation will say.
So : wait and see what the investigation will say.
By then it's all forgotten.
I've often wondered how controllable an airplane might be if you lose part of a wing. Obviously, if the whole wing is gone, you're f*cked, but how much can you lose and still at least fly to a controlled crash? There's a video on YouTube somewhere of an Israeli fighter pilot who apparently lost a wing in an F104 - and landed the thing. No idea about the veracity, of course.
Israel never operated the F104 Starfighter
By then it's all forgotten.
... and that's why we should discuss accidents.
Unfortunately if you speak to anybody in the paradropping business, you get stories of pranks - done both by the parachutists and by the pilots. It seems to be a business which has traditionally operated right on the ragged edge of both regulation and sensible practice, where you could get paid without having a commercial license (obviously had to keep one's profile low), and where the commercial pressure to fly is massive.
Neil, you are correct. Was an F15. Video [here](
Fake? I don't really see how it could fly. A story developed around an image of a ground damage?
The comparison with the F15 is ridiculous and absolutely irrelevant. An F15 is completely controlled by electronics and hydraulics, it needs to because it was not designed with inherent stability. We are talking a totally different bird here.
