DC-3 Crash Bluebonnet Belle July 2018 (De-Monetized) 

I paid $12 in '93 to ride up in a DC-3 carrying skydivers up to see if I wanted to try diving myself. Also for the fact that I knew how historical the DC-3 was. I think the pilot cruised about 120 knots and then slowed to about 90 when they jumped from the plane. After they jumped the pilot invited me to sit in the co-pilot seat and when I went into the cockpit he was flying with his arm out the window like a farmer driving his truck down the road so I did the same, lol. That particular skydiving place had several accidents and rarely flew the DC-3 after that so I was very fortunate to get a chance to not only ride in one but, sit in the 2nd seat. I'm not a pilot but, love the channel and your explanations.

I Flew the DC-3 (C-47) in Vietnam. One CAN encounter a problem on landing (or even takeoff, for that matter,) IF there is a strong quartering tail wind (i.e. wind from the rear). When that happens the big vertical tail surface, in that back, acts like a rudder with REVERSE command. In other words, during the landing rollout, normally when the pilot pushes the right rudder pedal down, the aircraft will turn right and vice-versa for the left. BUT....In a left quartering tail wind, if the pilot, pushes the right rudder pedal down...the aircraft turns LEFT! Explanation: The BIG vertical tail presents a larger surface, when the right pedal is depressed, to a left quartering tail wind,. As a result there is more force placed on the tail, from the wind, and that force tends to act as a torque to rotate the aircraft to the LEFT (instead of what the pilot THINKS should happen)OR... In other words, the tail acts like a big weather vain and rotates the aircraft in the OPPOSITE direction from the rudder pedal depression! Scary, if one does not anticipate that response. The pilot doesn't know "WHAT the hell" is going on. The fix: When the aircraft is in the landing rollout, or even still on the ground, during takeoff) the yoke must be brought back all the way, almost into the pilot's stomach. He then has to "bicycle pedal" the rudders to determine WHICH pedal depression will give him the response he's looking for. Don't know if the description above was a factor in this accident...but it may be one thing to consider. A lost engine, on takeoff, just makes the situation WORSE!

I absolutely LOVE the "Apologies" to Lennon and McCartney!!! Glad everyone came out if the accident alive.

Max Take-off weight take-off calls for max power against brakes (column in your stomach). The moment the brakes are released the column must go into the instrument panel to get the tail off the ground as soon as possible. Anyway that was the way we were taught in the South African Air Force many years ago. It worked for me.

That DC-3 spin was the most fascinating thing I’ve seen.

OMG! That cornball over the hill gang "Ticket to Ride" bit was just the tension reliever I needed for my 2020 bad news syndrome depression.

So many nuggets of wisdom about the DC3 here, I think I'll watch it again.

"Ticket to Ride". Hilarious. Thank you Juan

A few observations (from a couple of thousand hours, captain C47s) This was not so much a rudder problem (although that can bite severely), this was a premature unstick problem. As you say, the control column is held full forward, until a flying speed is reached - to pin the aircraft to the runway. You cannot allow a premature lift-off, as you saw from this accident. (In other words, you get the tail up to STOP the wing flying. You cannot have the wing flying, before she is ready to lift.) Regards comment from the captain that the co-pilot was applying forward pressure too early. Utter nonsense. The control column should be held hard against the instrument panel from the first application of power. That tail ain’t going to lift unless you have a 40 kt headwind, and even it it does, the C47 cannot tip on its nose. I did see a C47 ding the pitot tubes and the propeller-tips in a nose-tip, but that was due too much braking. Also, you do not achieve engine-out flying speed at take-off. This is a Performance-X aircraft. - not Performance-A - the V2 decision is only achieved once the gear is up, because at max wt you are going nowhere if the gear will not retract. So the normal solution is if an engine quits prior to gear-retract, you have to put it down again. Also, on landing as soon as the main wheels touch, you push the control column forward onto the instrument panel, as you saw with the South African C47 landing. This stops any bounce, and you cannot tip her over - not possible. And even if you wanted to hold off (which would be highly inadvisable) you cannot 3-point a C47. Simply not enough elevator authority, especially when fully laden. Note: the C47 can be a real beast to the unwary. Most new pilots cannot even taxi the thing. It is always interesting to see pilots transition from complete inexperience-incompetence, to landing safely in a 25 kt crosswind, in approx three to four months of commercial flying. P

UPDATE-This video has been De-Monetized by the staff at RU-vid. Thank you for your support on Patreon for making this content possible. www.patreon.com/user?u=5295000&fan_landing=true Without your support on Patreon I would not have the patience to put up with the children who run RU-vid who continue to run Ads on MY De-Monetized content and take ALL the proceeds! Juan UPDATE: De-Monetized by RU-vid- "Edited video gameplay with some clips that focus on graphic violence; moderate violence that shows blood; dead bodies prepared for burial or shown in historical events like wars, as part of a non-educational video" "This video is running limited or no ads due to content identified as not suitable for most advertisers. It remains fully playable and is eligible to earn subscription revenue from RU-vid Premium." "After review, this video has been confirmed by manual review as not suitable for most advertisers. It remains fully playable and is eligible to earn subscription revenue from RU-vid Premium."

Juan - as a newly minted CFII I will be saving your walk around of the Mighty Luscombe/DC3 video in my bag of tricks to help explain AOA and stalls. This was so great. Thanks so much!

My sweetheart is a thirty-three-year-old Medevac pilot, here in the US. He's type-rated on the Embraer 145. He currently flies a Pilatus pc-12 and a Beechcraft King Air. I met him about six months ago and I am officially obsessed with aircraft. I knew nothing about planes or flying before. I just found your videos and I love the expertise!!! You seem like a pretty awesome guy. Thanks for making your channel ♡♡♡

Tough life Juan-- Ride your motorcycle to the airport , fly the Luscombe, meet some flyin friends ,play music , fly your 777 to Narita and eat fresh SUSHI , and get paid 😳🤴

Blancolirio, you are good. The DC-3 is an incredibly forgiving aircraft. That the C-47 recovered from that spin with a single revolution does not surprise me. The skydivers were negligent. When you line up, particularly if putting people out on the skin,, you don't snooze. You get it done and you get out of there. Also the congregation around the door. No, you line up with face on the guy's rig in front of you, everyone ,usually, with left foot forward to begin a synchronized exit, stretching up the center line of the aircraft. I blame the skydivers for that milling cow situation. I have spotted dozens of times,, exited DC-3s and C-47s hundreds of times, sat the right seat once (for just a few minutes, pilot had to take a leak). Your footage of the Springbok pilot was a thing of beauty. And your description was far beyond my knowledge. I learned something today. Thank you. You have taught me so much and so many times. I appreciate your knowledge. I hope I am so fortunate to be your passenger some day.

Oh the sound of those P&W's during take-off! The only aircraft with the roar to give me goose bumps

Fascinating stuff for a lifelong warbird fan who first flew in a DC-3 before he was ten. What a sad loss of airframe but so relieved everyone got out. “Our hero Dan Gryder” - hasn’t aged terribly well!

"Apologies to McCartney/Lennon".....cracked me up! LOL!

Juan, your aviation knowledge never ceases to amaze me. I would fly with you any time.

Those skydivers got a hell of a thrill ride out of that ride. It's surreal even on 90s' tape to see the aircraft falling below the skydivers, I can't imagine what that was like in person. That and being sucked out of the plane lol, really lucky no one smacked the tail on their way out.

Thanks Juan. As a non-pilot, I learned a lot about the DC3.

Excellent commentary, sad to lose another historic aircraft. Thanks for the insight & Ticket to Ride!

The end of this video are two friends living their best life. Love it

Alright! Awesome video! Mr. Browne your through explanations of these incidents are so in depth , that I get the feeling of what those pilots and passengers must have been experiencing... and just what kind of skill is needed to fly one of these great old planes. Thank you very much. Loved the duo singing at the end...

Thank You for taking the time to explain the technical aspects of "wash out and wash in". I now get the picture of stall characteristics much more clearly and the why as to how the stall occurs and where the buffet comes from. GREAT info for me as I am still a student pilot and feel the more I understand aerodynamics the better I can understand how to fly and why we do what we do when we fly and train. Many thanks.

Love the rolling shutter effect on that big ol' double bass Juan!

I made my license on taildragger TMG with tandem landing gear and I remember how difficult was for me to learn propper rudder handling as I made very heavy inputs at beginning and not adjust them after tail wheel comes from the ground. It takes a lot of time and my instructor nerves to teach me this. And this was at light low power airplane, cant imagine the heavy and powerfull DC3. Thanks Juan for nice explanation.

I had a friend who was a pilot for Northeast Airlines, flying DC-3's. He had the right temperament for the job. Calm, meticulous, attentive. He went on to work as an air traffic controller in the Boston center. I flew in DC-3's on Northeast Airlines, and also on United Airlines, between Salt Lake and Elko. I always enjoyed my flights in the DC-3, but I can see that you really have to know what you're doing, to handle the characteristics of the type. If you lose focus, the DC-3 will fly you.

Just wanted to thank you, man. You keep all of us at United/LAXMM informed. We always start the shift checking out what is new on your channel. Oh yea, and always remember...do all your cabin write ups AFTER takeoff! Namaste, Brother

Even though it sounds like they didn't really break any rules, it does seem like caution was not taken when it came to how the pilot had no seat time with a dc3 let alone a heavy dc3. Thanks again for your excellent coverage of aviation news Juan.

Juan your broadcasts are amazing. I learn things from you I didn't even know I didn't know. Keep it up my friend, you are helping us all.

Great presentation Juan. As usual, I learned some today thanks to your immense efforts and thank you for the opportunity.

Back in the 70s there was a bad Lodestar stall / crash with skydivers...too many at the back trying to exit out a small door...long fuselage didn't help. Great report Juan!

I have never flown a more docile twin than the DC3. It's slow forgiving and lumbering. He must have worked hard to crash this AC. Then again it was a CAF. Great report on the check pilot. 100% correct.

Love that blancolirio Unplugged moment at the end. Awesome!

Good a recent updated video so thank you again. Excellent interview with Dan on the camera also.

Dear Lord I pray that Juan Browne never says my tail number on a RU-vid video. Great learning experience & surprise guest, also! Well done.

Sad ending for a historic Gooney Bird. Thanks, Juan, for all the insights.

I was humming that tune to my wife the moment I heard the phrase.....then at the end you broke out the duet, well done! 👍

Wow, I appreciate your work into these videos

What he have here folks is a takeoff stall followed by a spin to the right and then a “Secondary Spin” to the left which was aggravated by the “P-factor”, Torque, spiraling slipstream, and I’m guessing the pilot might have relaxed his RH rudder pressure when the plane started spinning to the right. All in all, you guys are correct and I believe both pilots failed by lack of ADM skills, piloting skills, and the Captain should’ve performed the takeoff rather than let the “new guy” try it while barking out commands. What a circus! They should have never let the plane get so close to stalling or even flying speed or V-1 speed without the tail up and flying in the clean air. What a lesson to be learned here. Anyone arguing this or not understanding this has absolutely no business flying a DC-3. There’s way too many pilots emphasizing trimming for “hands free flight” and then letting the plane fly them! I can see that from the beginning of the takeoff, both the PF (pilot flying) and the PM (pilot monitoring ie: the guy who suggested not trying to get tail up too early), were both riding as passengers, all the way to the crash. Also, I do believe that during an aft CG takeoff in a DC-3, if you aren’t able to get the tail off/up, early in the takeoff roll, it will become increasingly difficult to raise the tail as the main wing starts making lift and is taking weight off the mains. I don’t think they even had a chance in preventing a stall at that point. And yes, I just watched the video again and at the point just before liftoff and even up until the brief spin to the right and then left, there was not even a single attempt to get the tail up and flying. There was only neutral and/or up elevator deflections, and no down commands. It’s as if the PF was either completely dumbfounded or was thinking he wanted some kind of “3 point” takeoff. Maybe these planes should not be flown by volunteers if this is what we get? Can easily tell that they lifted off well below Vmc speed. Had they lost either engine, the roll (spin) would’ve been worse and probably would’ve been no one but witnesses to tell the story. :-(

I don’t understand the hypocrisy in demonetizing this channel when plenty there is content with air crash investigation and break downs with information including many incidents where no passengers survive. Informal and educational videos with content creators such as Juan Brown who has the credentials to speak on these matters in ways others can’t.

We have a saying in the texas hill country. "It's called Burnet durnit." Its pronounced burn it.

Heartbreaking incident. Excellent report. Gotta pop the tail wheel. The Commemorative Air Force crew when I flew on That's All Brother in March of 2019 really knew what they were doing. I could follow the takeoff roll: Roll, tail wheel goes up, roll on main gear, and liftoff. The reverse upon landing. Perfect! The best part: The characteristic drone of those Pratt & Whitney 1830s. Beautiful sound!

Thanks again Juan for your in-depth yet completely understandable commentary. I learned a bunch!!!! But I had forgotten what a studied bass fiddle player you were.. ;-) Awesome video ending to a tragic aviation accident.

Great ending. That video of the DC - 3 doing a power-on stall was scary. That pilot must have had all the heavy handed counter moves. I spun a Cessna 150 once (major stupidity). All the reflexive control inputs had no effect until I realized what had happened. Then I remembered the spin recovery technique from the training manual. OK- forward yoke, neutral aileron, opposite rudder - problem solved. At that point I called it a day and flew directly back to the airport. I learned about flying from that. I never did it again. I notice that spins are "prohibited by owner" in the Cessna 152. I am currently grounded - medical. I fly right seat with friends on rare occasions. You're never too old to learn. Right ? That was an outstanding video, Juan.

"If you ca.n taxi it; you can fly it". Well, not really.

The crash is tragic, hope everyone recovers ok, and Juan your coverage is spot on as usual. We need to get better at this, or these old planes won't be flying anymore. Completely agree of course about getting that tail up early. It's not intuitive, but it's so much better than trying to fly the plane off the deck 3 point. Watching the video, I kept asking myself "why isn't the tail up?". One thing I'd add, though, was the lack of coordination between pilots. I think the left seat guy is at fault here, too. From the description, the right seat guy was unsure of his skills. If I'm left seat, and I hear that, I'm going to either say "why don't I fly this one, and you follow me on the controls", or "you fly it, but I'll be with you on the controls and if things get weird I'll take over". Because during takeoff is a really tricky time to do a control handoff, especially tailwheel. The left seat guy let the plane get to a point where he couldn't recover it, or his recovery was incorrect, clearly. I'm not saying this to beat anyone up, just to suggest that CRM requires some coordination beforehand. Like most, this crash didn't have to happen.

That bass strum. ❤. Defeating cancer. Teaching, showing and encouraging aeronatutical saftey. Even before Petey get's in a plane... that little chap has extremely complex training and awareness thanks to Juan. The vids of motor trail across US, the camera work, the time just sharing and putting together the knowlege in an age/world where 30 seconds waiting for a coffee is an offence! Does Juan even have any weakness? Blancolirio doesn't. Keep doing what you do sir.

Dan is a great instructor; seen quite a few videos of him. Good to have him in this video.

Thank You, Juan. Very informative. The ending was amazing!

Thanks for the detail covered in this video. As an enthusiast it so nice to have detailed explanation of aircraft operation and behavior.

Explaining the different areas of wing stall via the Luscomb's wing side view was very informative. - Thank you for posting Juan -

Another great informative video. Jam session at the end was cool too. Hope to see more of that.

14 commercials. RU-vid is trying to force people to pay for premium services. Love the channel ❤

Thanks Juan for another calm, lucid, and humble approach to accident analysis. Your explanation of the wing washout of angle of incidence and the vintage tuft movie clip was excellent - the info possibly came as surprise to some newbies. Hated to see another DC-3 lost, but the homespun Beatles you deployed when rolling the end credits provided an amusing after the crack-up wrap-up!

From a non-pilot fan/follower of your page, I enjoyed the tag. I didn't know that you played bass... great job!

Something that is apparently no longer taught is the use of differential power to help with longitudinal control at slower speeds in the DC-3. That was taught during WWII, with higher powered light bombers, and is effective in the DC3 as well as the C-46. I successfully employed the technique once in a DC-3 take off in 1983. I’ve seen it successfully employed by a C46 takeoff in Laredo as well. We often flew at really high gross weights and aft CG, 26000, lbs +. We never pinned the yoke immediately on takeoff, to avoid unnecessary drag and protect the elevator from damage on unimproved runways. Unlike a 777, that airplane requires a degree of feel, vs purely by the numbers. 50 kts was the go/no go for the tail to fly. If it didn’t you would abort because of too aft CG, or too heavy, over 31,000 lbs. That happened to me once, in 1982. Training on DC-3’s these days is too much like training in a Champ or a Luscombe. You must stay ahead of the mass, with the controls. Asymmetric thrust can be your friend, if managed properly, from brake release on the ramp, until parking again.

Too funny with so much going on you found a way to get me to laugh with your impromptu unplugged "Ticket to Ride" tarmack session. Good work Brownie!

Love the music bit at the end! That was great. Thanks Juan for bringing us all this relavant info. Love your channel.

The analogy of a boxing match is great. My instructor told me to kick the rudder like riding a bicycle. That was in a Cub, so it didn't need large inputs, but they should be crisp.

There was good reason in days gone by that airports had tri-runways. I can still hear my instructor in the 8KCAB yelling in the intercom "ALL the stick, ALL the stick". LOVE the music add on.

Love the show! Your explanations of the accidents, evidence and previous history is a complete package. I am not a pilot but the learning experience in your channel should be a conscious stop for every pilot. Fantastic! Specially the music performance at the end!

Well covered, Juan. I felt like I was watching an NTSB report that was just the highlights. But, 3 to 4 hours is a little tough to just watch in one sitting. Thanks for the Readers Digest report and the silly Ticket to Ride cover! HA!

thank god everyone survived. sad to see such a gorgeous plane go but at least we can be thankful there were zero casualties.

Juan - it's not correct to state the the rudder is 'blanked out' in a tail low condition. The DC-3 rudder is effective as soon as you release the brakes. There is plenty of airflow from the engines at all times. The main reason to raise the tail on take-off is to prevent the aircraft getting airborne at too low a speed. The DC-3 will get airborne well below Vmc if the tail is not raised. This is what happened here - airborne at too low a speed and excessive control inputs caused what looks like an aileron stall.

I mean, I feel like a broken record but...spectacular stuff, Juan.

Glad everyone made it out alive! Great video Juan. Really liked the Ticket to ride at the end. Good times sitting around with a buddy picking out some tunes. Time to get my old Gibson out and do some picking myself. 😊

Juan, once again, thanks for this very informative update.

Though putting people and rare airplanes in danger is unacceptable, you don’t really get the experience of a vintage aircraft by looking at it in a museum. I hope they continue to fly, but more safely.

Very interesting from a highly trained pilot . Well done . From a fan in Qld Australia

Excellent video. Thorough, comprehensive, expert and professional. Really liked the ending too, u guys rock :)

Many years ago I made several sport jumps from a DC-3. All the seats were removed, the aft door removed and then loaded with about 40 skydivers (can't remember the exact number). We flew to 15,000 feet where we all stood up and started marching toward the door trying to get as many out the door as fast as we could. I remember that as we marched toward the door at the tail of the aircraft it felt like walking on a trampoline as the tail bounced up and down with all the weight of the jumpers shifting about. I can imagine it must have felt very unsettling in the cockpit.

"Ticket to ride" Don't give up your day job. LOL Keep up the great work you do here.

There is a fascinating BBC program about an RAF fast jet pilot learning to fly a spitfire. The first thing they did was put him in a DC3 because it is a tail drager. He found it very different and the training pilot was hilarious yelling at him to fly it properly. He flew the spitfire beautifully due to his DC3 flights, superb training and RAF background. Here in the UK airshow flying has been seriously curtailed after one idiot decided to fly an old hawker hunter into the ground killing several people but not himself! The restrictions will be permanent because quite rightly our Civil Aviation Authority cannot risk another incident. You will have the same problem in the US if you are not careful.

I commend you for using Dan for an example of how to operate the DC-3. He may be an interesting person but he has his strong points just like everyone m. 👍

Great video as always! I absolutely loved your jam session at the end!

Absolutely great aviation content! Thanks from Portugal! 😀👍🇵🇹

I’m glad everyone got out, I wish the entire crew a speedy recovery. The loss of this DC3 breaks my heart. I was lucky enough to have taken a 30 minute flight on one over the Superstition Mountains in Arizona. It was the most pleasent flights I’ve ever had before! The video of the DC3 landing is incredible in how long it keeps the tail flying. This is one well designed plane!

Loved the show. After watching the entire 7 months or so with, Plane Savers, I feel a whole new appreciation for the DC3. My first real interaction was with Shawnee Airlines in the mid 70's when I started working at PBI. Ironically, when getting my A&P, my practical was with the jug of the DC3-1800. AND, haven't touched one since!!! So I enjoy watching anything on this AC. This was a sad deal. Sure have to wonder just how heavy that ass end was!!! Keep it up, another great vlog. BTW, neither of you should quit the day job... But loved the ending, it's fun.

Took off in ground effect and immediately stalled! I think of those WWII Gooney-Birds towing gliders. That took some flying skill! Glad everyone survived this accident!

I hear my instructor, Don't horse it off - fly the airplane

The CAF has had a long and sad history of destroying historic classic aircraft (B-26, A-20, CASA HE-111, etc.) Glad that everyone got out. Wonder what was learned here?

That was very informative gentlemen. I got a few hours in a C120 and Aeronca Champ. I've always admired the DC3. Merry Christmas guys.

I'm digging Ticket to Ride in A at the end. Slappa da bass, Mr. Browne!

Glad you guys are pilots; If you had to make a living singing........... You'd starve! Great information as always. Thank you!

Juan, I'm a new subscriber and very afraid to fly. But, I really like your channel.

Juan, over on Twit.tv they were talking about the RU-vid de-monetization issue and I saw at least 3 ads in less than 4 minutes at the end [I watched the ending separately this morning, the last 5 inutes] . I always look forward to your videos, thank you.

Very informative analysis love the guitars and singing at the end

Beautiful warbird.......sad. But the ending with you guys jammin' balanced it out! :)

Juan, I picked up your channel here during the Camp fire series. My office is at McClellan Park so I see much of the traffic coming in an out as out loading dock backs up to the tarmac within 50 fee by the tower. Not only do I appreciate your knowledge but your passion is conveyed to your viewers, for some of us in real time as Blancolirio world headquarters is about 30 miles north of my location. Keep on keeping on good sir. Merry Christmas and happy landings!

Two thumbs up, especially for the ending!!! Love it. Thank you for the great content.

Thanks for the song. It went through my head as he said it.

It's all covered in the tailwheel training, but it must feel a little weird to push the stick/column forward to get the tail up,and then back to actually take off.

10:50 Beech Barons, have a very similar wing design (Long, tapered, constant-cord wing) and similar power-on stall characteristics. Also the Baron like the old Cessna 401s looses a lot of vertical stab effectiveness at high-angle of attack. I ended up doing an stall-spin in a B-55 Baron during VMC training once when I could not apply full right-rudder due to the heel of my right foot being restricted by a sheet metal cover below the rudder peddles. My instructor barked "FULL RUDDER!" and abruptly planted his #12 boot on the right rudder, and the induced yaw caused the right wingtip to instantly stall, and the what ever airflow remained over the vertical stab to separate, and with full power on the right engine, even with abrupt full-down elevator the aircraft yawed violently left and rolled inverted. We did just what the DC-3 did in the video but and managed a similar recovery, but with only a few hundred feet to spare. Much appreciation on this one Juan as the content here is life-saving.

Always wonderful analysis, thanks Juan.

That's a shame. The copilot was inexperienced and overwhelmed.

It sounds like you're saying, "If you can't afford training, you really can't afford to fly."

Great explanation of wingtip stall characteristics and wing washout design. I have seen this before, but never really got what it was all about. Very good information. Just read a book on the XB-70 which included intentional washout in the design.

Best video i saw from you ! Cause you get into other opinions and put you playing music ! Congradulations !

Greatly explained.