Design Build Fly – Matthew Petroff https://mpetroff.net mpetroff.net Wed, 30 Nov 2016 02:27:08 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Last Moments of Blue Jay 3 https://mpetroff.net/2012/04/last-moments-of-blue-jay-3/ https://mpetroff.net/2012/04/last-moments-of-blue-jay-3/#respond Sun, 08 Apr 2012 17:00:52 +0000 http://www.mpetroff.net/?p=537 Continue reading →]]> After a number of previous successful test flights, Blue Jay 3 careened out of control with 1.75kg of payload, its wing snapped mid-flight, and it crashed into the ground at relatively high speed, splintering and cracking the fuselage. Fortunately, it didn’t hit anything or anyone on the way down, and Blue Jay 4 is still in one piece. The exact cause is unknown, but it appears to have been loss of aileron control after the wing warped, sending the plane into a sharp left turn. The force broke the left half of the wing off where it was attached to the fuselage.

Warped Wing

Careening

Broken Wing

Remnants of Fuselage

Aftermath

Flickr

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