Still in shock -- lost a wonderful lady yesterday

[N5922S]

Debra Birch was doing her 3rd solo (T&Gs) at KJSO when she attempted a go-around and pulled up too steeply -- stall/spin into a hangar. She did not survive. Life is such a *****.

 

[Jim Logajan]

NO. Not for all airplanes! The Cirrus, for example, requires takeoff flaps.

Relevant to this is that I believe some models of the Jabiru recommend or require one stage of flaps during takeoff.

 

[Jim Logajan]

Every power change REQUIRES a trim change, period. Must be hammered home from day one.

That is not a general rule. Once I've got my trim set to my desired landing speed I use power changes to adjust my glide slope to bring me to my aim point. This is what I was trained to do in a power airplane. In a glider I would adjust speed brakes or even slip. In neither case would I touch trim unless I found myself constantly holding pressure on the yoke or stick either way.

I believe the Jabiru in question may have stall speeds of 42/47 kias dirty/clean and a recommended landing speed of 65 kias. The T.O.S.S. (take off safety speed) would also be 65 kias. Balked landing speed initially is also 65 kias. Vx and Vy are 58 and 78 kias respectively.

Now here is the balked landing procedure copied and pasted from the 2012 J-230D POH (I think the accident plane is a J-250; if I recall that means different sized wings but otherwise similar airframe):4.8.1 Baulked Landing
Power ...................................................... FULL THROTTLE
Carburettor heat ..................................... COLD
Control yaw to left .................................... RUDDER
Control pitch up ....................................... ELEVATOR
Airspeed .................................................. ESTABLISH NORMAL CLIMB SPEED
Wing Flaps .............................................. RETRACT SLOWLY
NOTE
Full power, full flap go-around will produce an initially strong yaw to the left and nose pitch up. These effects must be anticipated & controlled using the rudder and elevator respectively.
(Bold emphasis added by me.)

 

[Jim Logajan]

Indeed. Perhaps there is something to all this certified flight testing. Having a plane with flawed flight characteristics and then just putting notes about it in the POH is not all that great of a strategy. Pitching up in the go around is pretty normal, but banking to the left??

The Jabiru J-230 (not sure of the no longer sold J-250) is certified in several countries: http://www.jabiru.net.au/factory-built-aircraft