History of the Ultimate Aircraft Corporation

[Martin X. Moleski, SJ]

Bill Glaze asked:

> Do you know what happened to the Ultimate biplane that JoAnn Osteruud
> landed inverted at an air show?  She was (I was told) making a low
> inverted pass over the runway, and kind of lost it.

Here is the short NTSB report:

NTSB Identification: LAX97LA155

Accident occurred APR-11-97 at YUMA, AZ
Aircraft: Price Gordon ULTIMATE 10-300S, registration: N325GP
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.

On April 11, 1997, at 1935 hours mountain standard time, a Price Gordon 
Ultimate
10-300S, N325GP, collided with runway 21 and came to rest inverted while
participating in an air show at the MCAS Yuma, Arizona, airport. The 
airplane
was destroyed, and the pilot/owner was not injured. Visual meteorological
conditions existed at the time of the flight and no flight plan was filed 
for
the local flight.

<http://www.canard.com/ntsb/LAX/97A155.htm>

> She did show a lot of class when she rushed right up to the announcers
> stand and apologized to the crowd for frightening them.

I believe she was flying into the setting sun and lost
orientation.

Gord also said that she had taken out the mixer between
the elevator and ailerons.  He said that the controls
became very heavy without the mixer.

> She used to be a flight engineer with United; I worked with her some when
> I was a 727 Captain.
> Just curious about the airplane.

Lost and gone forever, I imagine.

> Word was, it had just had a strengthened rudder post, and other
> engineering changes which probably saved her life.  I'm sure you know
> more about this than I do.

I wonder whether she had the composite empennage installed?

Some day I'll add a page for Joanne.  :o)

						Marty
 
=====================================
# To be removed from this list, send a message to 
# discussion-request at nsrca.org
# and put leave discussion on the first line of the body.
#