Thursday, December 13, 2018

Plane crash today near me

At the airport.

10 minutes later, my phone blew up.

"you OK?"

"Was it you?"

"Was that your plane that crashed?"

I appreciate their concern, but it was a Piper, and I fly a Cessna.

Sadly, the dude in the crashed Comanche died.

Eyewitnesses (One of my instructors from my flight school was on final and one of the A&P guys who take care of my airplane was driving up as it happened) said he had just taken offon rwy 9  and he turned to the left sharply a couple hundred feet up before diving into the ground. I'm guessing departure stall....but I really don't know for sure.

Winds were variable (but more or less easterly-ish) at about 8 knots, so that's likely not the cause.

A Comanche is a lot of airplane for a pilot who had just gotten his license 3 months or so earlier.

My prayers for his family. 

5 comments:

Comrade Misfit said...

I've had my phone blow up after a crash at the town airport, as well.

(Re: HP vs experience-- Lots of guys with more money than brains in this game.)

Old NFO said...

Sad, prayers for the family.

DTWND said...

During my ATC career we called it low-performance pilots in high-performance aircraft.

Dale
ATCS (ret.)

skybill said...

Hi B,
As you comment, Sounds like a "Departure Stall!!!" .. in a "Comanche!!" Hi speed A/C!!

"Blessed is Altitude!!!! May it always be .. below you!!!!"

skybill

As one of the old Aviators .. 'ol Gabe, at my old home airport usedta' say,"There are Old Pilots, and Bold Pilots, but no 'Old, Bold Pilots!!!'"
skybill
FAA PP (ASEL) and Master Parachute Rigger (Chest, Back and Seat)

DTWND said...

Experimental aircraft crash today at Willow Run airport. The guy (who first started building it in a hangar at 1D2) was trying to build a flying car. He asked me this past summer if I'd be interested in being one of the pilots to test his design/concept.

Dale