I guess I would describe myself as a nodding acquaintance of the late Rob Holland. We spent part of an afternoon at the Abbotsford Air Show years ago shooting a video. He was patient, gracious, forthcoming and laser focused on the task at hand. Ever since, whenever our paths crossed he would give me that nod.
I welcome the respectful silence until the investigation work is done and the report issued. Itâs kinder to the pilot, his loved ones, and the truth. I wish it was the norm for air crashes. Itâs what Iâd want if I died flying. RIP Rob.
Pretty much every single person I ever met or talked to in the aerobatic circus respected and liked Rob. This guy was top notch, both on a personal and pilot level.
As one of these people who refuse to comment on accident causes based on video footage or hearsay (this seems to be extremely difficult for some) I wish more of our flying comrades would get this kind of courtesy and respect.
My guess is, that within the fairly small and closeknit aerobatics community, silent shock probably sums things up best. There is not much to say.
Spreading rumors or even entertaining any of the âYoutube Expertsâ (laughable to sit there in airline attire to pontificate about stuff) would be insulting.
Most of the people whoâd voluntarily (or, for profit) make statements, would likely find themselves unable to properly push an aerobatic plane back into its hangar and definitely not in safe company around those who liked and respected Rob.
Should everything be accessible by the media or public? Since so few media and internet influencers tend to report with any accuracy who cares if they canât get footage of the incident?
Iâm not defending every self-appointed âexpertâ on the internet but I donât think thereâs much harm in discussing an accidentâs probable cause prior to the NTSB final report. Many possible causes are often discussed which translates in multiple ways to be a safer pilot. AOPA does a good job with itâs Early Analysis series.
Hereâs a thought. If they release ANY of the crash videos, people will know what cameras / information / etc⌠might be available to FOI request data from related to the drone swarms alleged in the not too distant past. There are a lot of interesting implications if we do end up getting any crash video from this sad accident.
When the way itâs supposed to be looks so foreign to us, it a good indicator of ânormalization of devianceâ. Letâs try, just this once, being respectful and patient. It just could become the new normal.
I think the claim of information blackout is more of a reflection that the story author is not familiar with Safety/Accident Investigations conducted by the US Air Force. The Safety Investigation comes first, usually within about 8 days a Prelim report is issued (not usually to the public). At the 30 day mark the Report is complete and the Facts are released to the public (no recommendations. interviews or anything else is made public). The Accident Investigation comes next and that report is/ can be made public. That investigations starts immediately after the Safety Report is complete and also has a time period of 30 days. I urge patience here, this happened on a USAF base. I expect that the NTSB and FAA will be involved in the investigation and perhaps, will take over after the Safety Report is issued. Iâve seen that occur before for a civilian crash on a USAF base.
âA lot can be gleaned from video of a plane crash and when combined with ATC audio the average armchair crash investigator has a lot of evidence at their disposal.â
Agree, and beyond acknowledging the mentioned Air Force procedures with possible delays, as pilots and supporters of aviation we should always seek out everything available about such an event like this tragic crash from all involved sources as soon as is reasonable, and not wait for a government entity to âofficiallyâ tell us things that we donât necessarily need to know, potentially years away from today.
Trust in our own knowledge gathering and intuitive powers - brainstorm, speculate, eliminate, postulate and eventually discriminate as much as desired - let social media spew, government crawl, and ignore the moralists who proclaim their version of what truth and respect should be for anyone other than themselves.
And if something is discovered that reminds us to check in with our own flying, use it. The example from the blog of âA high-profile stall/spin crash of a plane like mine has certainly made me much more aware of the stall margins and the rapid results of not respecting themâ is an excellent one.
No better way to show respect and honor for the deceased pilot than positively translating the tragedy from sadness to education. I know thatâs what I would want, my loved ones would want, and every pilot Iâve asked would want.
I am disturbed that the crash came relatively shortly after the widespread claims of drones flying near many military facilities. I hope that in the end we will be able to rule out âfriendly fireâ. Claims of needing secrecy in the name of security can too-readily hide flawed judgement or protective systems that need better coordination or that need further development of command and control methods.
A respected aviator is gone. One who inspired thousands and mastered flight in a way few ever will. May Rob Holland rest in peace.
In the information vacuum, this accident has a lot of people scratching their heads. The perfect pilot (the âpilotâs pilotâ) loved and adored by so many, expert at his craft, an innovator in free-style acrobatic flight, the very best equipment, and a seemingly perfect day. Rob traveled 500 mi that day only to have the accident occur directly above the destination field. Questions I have are was he doing a low-approach fly-by, and did he report problems with his equipment, such as a jammed control, prior to the accident? All we know is that something catastrophic occurred with either his aircraft or his body. Hopefully we will all know more soon once that NTSB report comes out. It wonât change anything, but having some kind of explanation will maybe help answer the âwhy?â. Why now? Why Rob? Maybe the answer will somehow make me a better pilot. Or maybe help the many pilots and loved ones still processing this tragic loss. RIP Rob.
I donât know why some people are so against discussing accidents. Do they think the NTSB is going to be putting AvWeb comments in their report? Thinking through âwhat ifâ scenarios can make you a safer pilot by considering what youâd do in that situation, or how youâd avoid it.
The issue is a reaction to speculation masquerading as âfactsâ. Since this accident, Iâve been told it was due to A) Striking the emergency arresting barrier, B) Structural failure in flight, and C) Medical emergency.
All with zero proof.
Iâm all for discussing accidents, even before the NTSB results are available, but there really needs some definitive data to center such discussion on. It doesnât exist, in this case.
If the subject was unexplained crash of a certified or even popular E/AB aircraft, I would be on the side of open discussion and even tolerate a fair bit of speculation. BUT: it was not a 172, 206 or RV6 taking Grandpa to a $100 burger outing, it was a custom built airframe that had been stressed near or over breaking points by a pilot almost standing alone at his skill level. So immediate inclusion in the tide of digital BS is simply not urgent. Not much likely to be gained - any more than we will get when information formally released. On top of that: this was on a military base. The rules and reasoning of civvy street simply do not and can not apply.
Here is a shocker that most probably wonât believe⌠I in fact have surveillance video of the accident from a distance just off the start of the runway. It clearly shows that it was not a routine landing.
Instead of releasing the video to the public for some sort of âfameâ, I reached out to some individuals in the community and I was encourage not to share the video out of respect for the family and the investigation.
My shop is off base but at the beginning of the runway at Langley Air Force Base. He flew directly over my building as he came in for his approach. He pulled his smoke and did a backflip, followed by a second one⌠but ended up nosing it into the ground.
I figure that the base has enough cameras throughout their facilities to catch what happened. I donât find a need to release my footage just so that the public can talk about it prior to the NTSB release. If the report comes back different than what my video shows then we will see if I need to release it.
If only the amateur accident âinvestigatorsâ like Blancorolio at Gryder would follow your lead. Narcissism is a powerful addiction.
Preliminary report is available. Summarized in the current Avweb headline. Control surface balance is one of the most critical issues in a wide range of aircraft. The report includes a statement that Holland had provision for varying the elevator counterweight. The access hole for accomplishing that was via a hole between the counterweight and stabilizer. The non standard screw/plug apparently had no means of safety. Plug was found some distance from aircraft and stabilizer was gouged. Apparently loss of control preceded the plug departing the aircraft just before impact. A piece of plastic tape over the hole instead of the plug and the accident never would have happened.
Not in the report but some suggestion that the plug was supposed to be âsafetiedâ with locktite or something similar and had been removed and reinstalled without the locktite. No valid reason for the plug, a piece of tape would have been better.