Aircraft Failed During Test Flight After Reaching 9.4 Feet

The University of Maryland Clark School's Gamera II human powered helicopter suffered a structural failure during a test flight September 1 that reached an altitude of 9.4 feet.

The cause of the crash was the midair failure of a joint in one of the airframe arms. The joint had been repaired from a previous crash and had passed a static load test. No one was injured in the accident.

The Gamera II was built and flown by students at the A. James Clark school of Engineering at the University of Maryland in pursuit of the Sikorsky prize. The aircraft recently satisfied two of the three requirements for the prize, which was established in 1980, with a flight lasting 65 seconds and staying within a 10-meter box for the duration of the flight. The third requirement is the attainment of an altitude of 3 meters ... or 9.8 feet. All three must occur on the same flight.

The team from Maryland is still the odds-on favorite to win the prize. They will no doubt again repair the aircraft in their quest to win the $250,000 award.

(Image from UMD YouTube Video)

FMI: www.eng.umd.edu