Date: | Tuesday 1 February 1972 |
Time: | 14:58 |
Type: | VFW/Fokker VFW.614 |
Owner/operator: | VFW-Fokker |
Registration: | D-BABA |
MSN: | G001 |
Year of manufacture: | 1971 |
Total airframe hrs: | 30 hours |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 3 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
Category: | Accident |
Location: | near Bremen Airport (BRE) -
Germany
|
Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
Nature: | Test |
Departure airport: | Bremen Airport (BRE/EDDW) |
Destination airport: | Bremen Airport (BRE/EDDW) |
Narrative:Since its first flight on July 14, 1971, the VFW/Fokker VFW.614 prototype was engaged in several test flights. Changes were made following elevator flutter problems during test flights. For the flight on February 1, 1972 the airplane had been fitted with flutter dampers.
The flight test called for an asymmetric flutter at 220 kt and 10,000 feet. This time the flutter could not be eliminated by slowing down and the crew abandoned the aircraft. Co-pilot Hans Bardill was killed when his parachute failed to open. The airplane entered a vertical dive and crashed.
Sources:
VFW 614 flight tests (Flight Int. 17-4-1976) Location
Images:
photo (c) Ralf P. Kokoschka; Bremen Airport (BRE); March 1971
photo (c) Ralf P. Kokoschka; Bremen Airport (BRE); March 1971
Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |