H-1 lost

Tragic news. The H-1 replica was lost and the pilot killed in a crash on the way home from Oshkosh.

http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2003/08/05/news/wyoming/e16d66520269aa46c84e92931c207a07.txt

Bummer! See May '03 issue of "Air & Space" mag for detailed write-up on the plane's development...and several magnificent photos. Sorry to learn of this tragedy.

That is very sad news. I got a real close up look
at it on Saturday.

Below is a picture from the AirVenture web
site, the Airbus Beluga is in the background.

The finish on this plane was so polished you could use it as a mirror to shave with.

A bit more news on the Mr. Wright and the H-1 here:

http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2003/08/07/news/wyoming/30b188ab206c9aacebc515650ce5935b.txt

The Hughes replica was a familiar sight here in OR. Cottage Grove is 15 mi south of us.

Flying is and always will be dangerous. I always try to plan a route over emergency landing places. This is not always possible. I have made cross-country flights over northern CA with nothing but forest below, and I was constantly looking for clearings. Just in case. I have been lucky: in all my years of flying, I haven't even put a scratch on a plane. (In fact, I don't remember even making a hard landing).

Gez Floyd,
I guess some pilots are just not as lucky as you. I heard he was having problems with the prop and had to put it down quick, tried to land on a road. Its a sad day for everbody.

I kinda think thats what Floyd meant. Thank goodness I've never had that happen. I'm sure that the highway nearby was James Wrights target, just didn't make it. Sad to loose such a good looking plane. Worse yet to lose it's pilot.

I visited the H-1 project in Cottage Grove while the fuselage was still in the mock-up stage. I was impressed by the care that people were giving to building ailerons and tail feathers. At the time, they were having trouble getting the L.G. to operate. The engine was out for an overhaul at the time. My friend Patrick Marooney introduced me to the gang, and we spent some time talking about airplanes.

The H-1 was a familiar sight here. Jim flew over I-5 low and fast! I could hear the radial engine coming, and I got out into the yard a couple of times to see it zoom over. The plane was on display at the Eugene airport, and I think that was in June.

At the Eugene airport in June 2003....

>I kinda think thats what Floyd meant. Thank goodness I've
>never had that happen. I'm sure that the highway nearby was
>James Wrights target, just didn't make it. Sad to loose
>such a good looking plane. Worse yet to lose it's pilot.
>
>From somewhere near Parkville, Mo.
>William Crane
>AMA 6733

Yeah, the pilot!

Aother replica can be built, but...not a human being...

In Christ,

An interesting and touching eye witness account of the crash:

http://www.wrightools.com/hughes/

Just FYI to all H-1 fans. Copied and pasted from the NTSB website, monthly accident database. This is only the preliminary report. It may be awhile before the final report comes out.

*******************************************************************

NTSB Identification: DEN03FA138
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, August 04, 2003 in Yellowstone Nat, WY
Aircraft: Wright Hughes 1-B, registration: N258Y
Injuries: 1 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On August 4, 2003, at approximately 1830 mountain daylight time, a Wright, Hughes 1-B homebuilt, N258Y, was destroyed during impact with terrain in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. The private pilot, the sole occupant in the airplane, was fatally injured. The flight was being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight that originated at approximately 1700 from Gillette, Wyoming. The pilot had not filed a flight plan; however, friends of the pilot said the destination was Eugene, Oregon.

Witnesses said that the airplane was flying south to north at 300 to 400 feet above the ground. They said that the airplane pitched to the right and impacted the ground. Subsequently, a large postimpact fireball was observed.

I know this is old news. Of all the published pictures of the H-1 replica, I haven't seen one published of the instrument panel. Here is one of the H-1 instrument panel I took at Eugene Oregon in June 2003. Note that there appears to be two airspeed indicators: the one seems to be from a Cessna 150, or something. It only registers to 120 MPH. The other airspeed indicater seems to go much higher.

I'm sorry I can't post this on the Stuka site right now because the picture registers 243 kb and I can't seem to get it down to the required 50 kb for you to see.