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enough to turn a buck. But it was just right for corporate travel (it also served as a spy plane for French and British intelligence agencies during World War II).
The total number of Electra Ju- niors built was just over 100, with less than a dozen still flying today. The aircraft involved in the crash at Seven Lakes had been pristinely restored. The model was used as a stand-in for Amelia’s Lockheed 10 in the movie Earhart. The titular actress Hillary Swank had signed the cabin door. Two days before the crash at Seven Lakes Airport, another L12A had crashed during initial climb fol- lowing takeoff from Chino Airport (KCNO) in California. Both occupants were killed in the impact. The pur- pose of the Chino flight had been to prepare the aircraft for a three-plane f lyover celebrating Father’s Day. That particular aircraft was also a museum piece (this time literally), owned and operated by Yanks Air Museum.
If you do the math, it took just two days to wipe out 20% of the worldwide Lockheed 12A fleet.
A Connection Between the Two
All three occupants survived the Seven Lakes accident with varying degrees of injury. Sitting in front were long-time friends Glenn Hancock and Dan Gryder. Glenn owns the accident aircraft. Dan is a well-known aviation personality on YouTube. His chan- nel, Probable Cause, has amassed nearly 7 million views. His videos have been watched 2.1 million times. The Chino crash was fresh on Dan and Glenn’s minds; the preliminary report noted witness testimony in- dicating the flaps had been in the fully extended position during the taxi. A person on the ground filmed the takeoff, which seemed to confirm that the f laps had remained extended during initial climb. Not long after
liftoff, the aircraft entered an appar- ent stall-spin and crashed.
Two onboard cameras were used to film Glenn’s takeoff from Seven Lakes. The footage depicted both pi- lots as inordinately focused on the f lap setting before departure. Follow- ing takeoff was an inf light demonstra- tion of the handling characteristics of the Electra Junior in a climb with the flaps fully extended. Not long after this, the L12A returned for landing at Seven Lakes. Of the two cameras onboard, one was confiscated by the NTSB. The second camera, which Dan handled (and published on his channel soon after being discharged from the hospital), represents the only footage from inside the aircraft that has been released to the public.
In a phone conversation a month after the accident, Dan stated, “The purpose [of the f light] was because [Glenn]...doesn’t get a chance to fly much, so I kind of keep an eye on him...He was telling me that he was going to take the Lockheed out to Texas, and I said it’s been a few months since you flew that thing... The purpose of the flight was just two friends f lying together...It was not instruction...I [wanted] to keep an eye on him.” When asked about the purpose of filming, Dan replied: “Well, yes, in conjunction with the Chino accident, there had been a lot of speculation on whether the air- plane would climb with full flaps or not. And it certainly will, even in a reduced power setting...I showed we went through the checklist. Every- thing’s good.”
Dan’s video was captured immedi- ately after the aircraft had lined up on the grass runway for departure. Both pilots were focused on verifying that the flap selector was in the retracted position (a round push-pull knob on the L12A, which is the identical shape of the landing gear selector). They
also verified that the f lap gauge— partially hidden by the throttle quad- rant—indicated zero. Conspicuously, the tailwheel lock handle was in the unlocked position.
Deferred Checklist Items
The Electra Junior was built by engineers who had likely never heard of the term “human factors.” A glaring example is the nearly identical shape and actuation of the landing gear se- lector and flap handle. Indeed, in the Lockheed manual (and the associated Army Air Corp correlate), pilots are warned against accidentally retract- ing the landing gear on the ground. Even more relevant, standardized manufacturer checklists were not a part of aircraft certification in the ‘30s. There is no such thing as an of- ficial Electra Junior checklist. Each operator is on their own to figure out a suitable procedure. It is the same for maintenance. There are no of- ficial work cards or task sheets to guide mechanics. A modern BMW has a thousand pages of guidance for common maintenance items. The poor A&P fixing a leaking gear strut on an L12A has only his wit.
Of the videos that Glenn has pub- lished on YouTube, several depict the operation of the Lockheed. On these f lights, he verbalizes the before- takeoff checklist, confirming mix- ture, props and fuel pumps before entering the runway. The final item is ‘tailwheel to go.’ Before-takeoff checklists are used to ensure appro- priate takeoff configuration before departure. Minimizing distractions while on an active runway is a critical component of f light safety. Deferring checklist items is discouraged since a deferred item can easily become a forgotten one. Yet, in the case of the tailwheel lock, it is necessary. The locks are designed to increase directional stability on the ground during takeoff, landing and taxiing
The purpose of the flight was just two friends flying together... It was not instruction...I [wanted] to keep an eye on him.”
– Dan Gryder
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