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Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative: A Hawker Hurricane Mk IV, OO-HUR (ex.KZ321) crashed during an international aviation day in Cheb, Czech Republic. After taking off for a display flight, the pilot climbed to about 300 m and reported that he had an indication of an extended landing gear. After a radio call he requested information as to whether the landing gear was extended. The pilot executed a pass parallel to the runway centerline in the direction of RWY 23 at an altitude of approximately 400 m AGL. The landing gear was not seen to be extended from the station. This information was immediately relayed to the pilot by radio. The pilot then commenced his display and performed four aerobatic manoeuvres according to the planned programme - a roll ending below the horizon, then a counter-rotation in a rising barrel three-quarter turn with a change of direction of about 270° to the left, after the RWY 23 axis sweep, a left turn, and after the RWY 05 axis sweep, a right turn terminating at an angle of approx. 30-45° to the RWY 23 axis, to its centre. The pilot continued the manoeuvre with a steep climb in the runway axis after the stall, followed by a transition to a high bank turn. During the turn, he went into a descent. During the descent, the aircraft tightened the turn and entered a steep descent. In a critical situation, the pilot attempted to counter-steer the aircraft out of the steep descent in the turn, but the low altitude was not sufficient to regain control. The aircraft first hit the ground in a field. After destroying the fuselage, tearing off the engine and the left wing, it crashed into a fence and a gasworks building. The debris stopped when it hit a concrete power pole, a tree and a garden fence, about 60 m from the point of first impact. The engine struck the garden in front of a house, bounced and impacted on the local road between the houses. One person was injured by a piece of debris that flew off. Smaller pieces of debris damaged several properties and a vehicle. The pilot of the aircraft was killed on impact. The aircraft was destroyed.
The cause of the air accident was the pilot’s attempt to make a vertical manoeuvre to quickly reverse the flight direction using a sharp and steep descending turn in a small space when the aircraft stalled and started autorotating. Given the steep aircraft position, the altitude was not sufficient for recovery which the pilot attempted. As a result, the aircraft crash against the ground.
Factors that contributed to the occurrence of the air accident: • Resolving the issue with fastening of safety seat belts; • Resolving the undercarriage state during the flight before the performance; • Change in the set of presented manoeuvres after the start of the performance
RIP sir, you will be missed One of the most experienced czech pilot and instructor Petr Pačes died today in Hawker Hurricane Mk.IV. in marking of ww2 czechoslovak ace Karel Kuttelwascher plane after crash in Cheb Airshow (CZ). Requiescat in pace. pic.twitter.com/e920YzIodN