Darkwing theducksmail"AT"yahoo.com wrote:

"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
...

Could the lack of a moon have contributed to this tragic accident?


TOP CIVIL AIR PATROL OFFICERS KILLED
(http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archive...ll.html#196556)
The FAA and NTSB are investigating how two seasoned pilots, both
senior officers in the Civil Air Patrol, flew into a mountain near
Las Vegas Thursday evening. Col. Edwin Lewis, director of
operations for CAP's western region, and Col. Dion DeCamp,
commander of the Nevada unit, died when their CAP Cessna 182 hit
8,500-ft. Mt. Polosi, about 12 miles southwest of Las Vegas.
According to the FAA preliminary report



Oh I just love reading stuff like this. Two experienced (way more than me)
pilots in the same cockpit auger it in. Makes me and my feeble skills feel
real good...pause...NOT.

What's really sad is both of them being locals should have known
better.

The Southwestern desert area is full of peaks in the 6000 to 9000
foot range.

There are no lights, they are damn hard to see under a full moon, and
impossible to see in anything less.

There are four simple solutions to the problem:

1. Don't fly at night in the area.

2. Sophisticated terrain avoidance technology.

3. Always fly high.

4. Stay over a highway.

Numbers 1 and 4 are probably the most practical for most GA VFR pilots.

As a student, my night cross country was through the Banning Pass to
Palm Springs on a night with close to a full moon.

The fact that for a conciderable portion of the flight the only thing
I could reliably see was the traffic on the highway below me while
surrounded by mountains I could not climb over made a lasting impression.

I think that was the CFI's goal.

--
Jim Pennino

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