Toon Jacobs, recently congratulated in this blog for his creation of the fourth electric Cri-Cri, died in the crash of his aircraft on September 21.
Toon and Thea Jacobs with PH-THE and the 1/4-scale model it inspired
An experienced pilot and builder of several aircraft, Jacobs was reported to be conducting high-speed taxi tests when the accident occurred. He had converted the aircraft to electric power after having flown it for several years with internal combustion engines. We will report more on the incident when authorities release a final report.
The CAFE Foundation extends our heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Jacobs.
Comments 2
Sad to hear of this. The photos I’ve seen of this crash indicate a post impact fire in the battery packs. Two days ago, A Tesla S went up in flames in Seattle after having the battery pack pierced by a piece of road debris. These accidents tell me that a lot of attention needs to be paid to the crashworthiness of battery enclosures.
It seems that it [might not have been] a hight speed taxi test but loss of power in the downwind leg. (Editor’s Note: there have been conflicting reports on the accident. It seems best to await an official determination.)
The plane seems to be in very height angle during this leg and the pilot tried to land as fast as possible and crashed. The battery started to burn after the crash and the fire was difficult to stop. I really think that the electric engine he was using (one with [brushes]) is probably the problem. loss of power. I had exactly the same problem with my electric engine and I survived my crash.
(Editor’s Note: Frederic Laude and several friends have resurrected CC-01, a thirty-year-old canard that flew originally with a two-stroke engine. They replaced that with a brushed electric motor and did suffer at least one very hard landing, which required repair to the landing gear and one rudder. One has to respect M. Laude’s views, since he is a long-time, highly-experienced pilot. But others have been flying brushed motors for several years with few issues. the blog will not make any judgments until final reports come from the official authority.)