The M-101T Gzhel is a Russian light multipurpose single-engine aircraft developed by the Myasishchev Experimental Machine-Building Plant (Myasishchev EMZ), a federal state unitary enterprise. Work began in 1990, and the first flight took place in March 1995.[1] Serial production was concentrated at the Sokol Nizhny Novgorod Aircraft-Building Plant.[1]

History of development

The Gzhel was born out of the interest that Soviet and Russian design bureaus took in general aviation in the late 1980s and early 1990s: amid an economic crisis, the market for light multipurpose aircraft looked attractive and relatively accessible to investors.[2] In late 1989, NPO Molniya, of which the Myasishchev EMZ was a part, announced an internal competition for a light passenger air-taxi aircraft; of the 12 projects submitted, a consolation prize went to the Triplan by lead designer V. F. Spivak, the forerunner of the future M-101T.[2]

The Triplan originally called for a V-shaped tail and a forward horizontal stabilizer, but to reduce technical risk this layout was abandoned in favor of a conventional one. At the suggestion of E. Ya. Abramenko and V. F. Spivak, the aircraft was named Gzhel, with the permission of the company of the same name, a maker of Ceramics. The work was carried out under Project 70; the technical director was V. F. Spivak and the lead designer was A. V. Salov.[2] The key design decision was the choice of a turboprop engine: the aircraft was fitted with a Czech Walter M-601F22 (or M-601F32) engine driving a reversible, feathering, variable-pitch V-510 propeller.[1]

Design and specifications

The M-101T is an all-metal low-wing monoplane with a tricycle landing gear with a nose wheel. It is designed to seat 7, with a maximum takeoff weight of 3,270 kg and a maximum commercial payload of 700 kg. Its maximum speed is 400 km/h, its service ceiling is 7,600 m, and its maximum range is 1,100 km. The wingspan is 13.00 m and the length is 10.15 m.[1]

Test pilots V. Selivanov and A. Konovalenko noted that the aircraft is designed for pilots of above-average training: its high takeoff weight, restricted visibility from the cockpit, and abundant onboard equipment limited its use as a primary trainer, even though the manufacturer actively marketed it to civil aviation flight schools in precisely that role.[1]

Testing and operation

Between the construction of the first M-101 aircraft in 1995 and September 2001, the total flight time of these machines exceeded one thousand hours.[3] The aircraft was shown at international air shows, including Le Bourget and MAKS, consistently earning high marks from specialists.[3] In 2000, on a flight to the Dubai 2000 air show and back to its home airfield in Nizhny Novgorod, the M-101T covered 26,300 km in 80 flight hours, making scheduled landings at 26 airports in 18 countries.[3] During operational testing, the aircraft carried cargo and mail from the Moscow suburbs to 31 Russian airports, as far as Surgut and Krasnodar. The machine was tested at high-altitude airfields (1,500–2,400 m above sea level) and in high temperatures (up to 50 °C).[3]

The 2001 Crash

On September 12, 2001, near Ramenskoye airfield (Zhukovsky, Moscow Region), the first prototype M-101T (registration RA-15001) crashed during a test flight under the certification program.[4] The crew was accelerating in a dive to reach the design maximum speed. At an altitude of about 2,200 m and a speed of 435 km/h, severe vibration set in: because of flutter, both halves of the elevator broke away, and pitch control was lost.[4]

The crew decided to bail out with parachutes. The M-101T cockpit has a single door, on the left side. The test pilot in the left seat was the first to leave the aircraft, at an altitude of about 1,000 m, and was injured on landing. The second pilot, according to available information, saw that the uncontrollable aircraft was heading toward a populated area and returned to his station to steer it away; with too little time left, he was unable to leave the aircraft. It struck the ground in a field near the villages of Petrovskoye and Malyshevo, and the second pilot died on the way to the hospital.[4] According to the press service of the NORS company, the dead man was Alexander Beschastnov, Honored Test Pilot of Russia, who had made a significant personal contribution to the test program.[3]

The crash was investigated by an industry commission appointed by the Russian Aerospace Agency (Rosaviakosmos). Despite the accident, the certification process at the Myasishchev Experimental Machine-Building Plant continued.[3]

The Nizhny Novgorod Connection: the Sokol Plant

Serial production of the M-101T was organized at the Nizhny Novgorod aircraft plant Sokol. The plant subsequently suspended production of light multipurpose aircraft of this type.[5] Nizhny Novgorod served as the home airfield for the machines during operational testing: it was from here that the aircraft flew to the Dubai air show in 2000 and returned.[3]

Links

  • Wikidata (Q916866 — entry in the free knowledge base)

Sources

  1. aviationz.narod.ru — Aviation Portal 2004
  2. crown-airforce.narod.ru — The M-101T "Gzhel" Aircraft
  3. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — Certification Program for the M-101T "Gzhel" Aircraft Continues, Nizhny Novgorod News
  4. airdisaster.ru — Crash of the M-101T Gzhel near Ramenskoye (aircraft RA-15001), September 12, 2001. // AirDisaster.ru — Aviation Accidents, Incidents, and Air Disasters in the USSR and Russia
  5. interfax-russia.ru