Expert witness (non skydiving related)

[Bsquared 1]

Non-skydiving related.   Posting for a friend.  Former FAA Manager/attorney seeking expert witness in Seattle area.   Master Rigger preferred    This is a wing walking incident and the attorney is battling the FAA on the need for air show wing walkers to wear a rig….really bad idea

The attorneys number is 562-682-6686  

Mods, please delete if this is not appropriate  

 

[chuckakers 425]

20 hours ago, Bsquared said:

Non-skydiving related.   Posting for a friend.  Former FAA Manager/attorney seeking expert witness in Seattle area.   Master Rigger preferred    This is a wing walking incident and the attorney is battling the FAA on the need for air show wing walkers to wear a rig….really bad idea

The attorneys number is 562-682-6686  

Mods, please delete if this is not appropriate 

 

Interesting situation. Shouldn't be too difficult to convince folks what would happen if a wing walker had an accidental deployment. Yikes!

[BIGUN 1,296]

2 hours ago, chuckakers said:

Shouldn't be too difficult to convince folks what would happen if a wing walker had an accidental deployment.

To them, the pilot, the plane and perhaps the crowd. 

[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

2 hours ago, chuckakers said:

Interesting situation. Shouldn't be too difficult to convince folks what would happen if a wing walker had an accidental deployment. Yikes!

Not to mention the fact that airshow wingwalkers usually are performing 'down on the deck'. 

Not really a whole lot of time to deploy before impact.

(yes, I know there are some super low deployments where the forward speed of the aircraft & jumper open the canopy more or less horizontally)

[Bsquared 1]

The attorney found his expert….no one else need to reply or contact him. Thanks

[fcajump 164]

On 5/11/2024 at 3:31 PM, Bsquared said:

Non-skydiving related.   Posting for a friend.  Former FAA Manager/attorney seeking expert witness in Seattle area.   Master Rigger preferred    This is a wing walking incident and the attorney is battling the FAA on the need for air show wing walkers to wear a rig….really bad idea

The attorneys number is 562-682-6686  

Mods, please delete if this is not appropriate  

 

VERY bad idea to wear a rig while wing walking.(inadvertent deployment while on the wing/javelin/ strapped to the upper stantion and/or at the N-strut would be devastating for all involved.  (Aside - wing riders shouldn't either, for many of the same reasons, but they do need capable station straps/belts)

I am a master rigger/jumper, but I think talking to current experienced wing walkers and (even better) pilots that are also wing walkers would be a better subject matter expert.
There are several shows that have highly experienced walkers to whom they might want to reach out.
 

FWIW - over the last 30 years of knowing and working directly with wing-walkers at a local show, I have known and/or learned of several fatalities.  If you look at the raw statistics, as a profession/recreation, it does not have a great record compared to jumping... BUT, NOT due to falls*.  The incidents have been either mechanical in nature, or pilot issues (error or medical).

*that I know of the only two falls, one who was "flying" from the belly of a plane whose harness came unclipped (not a wing-walker), and another who was doing a plane to helicopter transfer and got impatient and reached too far.  (I could argue this later stunt would be a time for a PEP).

JW

PS - Please forward me any public information about this incident and investigation as I know walkers that would be very concerned about the possible repercussions of this case.

Edited May 21, 2024 by fcajump