Downright Scary...

Whilst supping a cold one with friends at our hangar not long ago, a
short-lived yet intense summer storm blew through. High winds, heavy rain,
and impressive lightning caused us to lower the door a tad, but didn't deter
us from our appointed beers.

Right as the storm passed, we watched in amazement as a Skyhawk entered
downwind for Rwy 12. We all commented how we were glad not to have been in
that poor shmuck's shoes, and then returned to our conversation.

A few minutes later our hotel courtesy van went zipping past, obviously on
the way to pick up our wayward pilot. We toasted my night manager as he
went roaring by, and did it again as he drove back with our new guests, en
route back to the hotel...

The next morning I sought out our brave and stalwart guests, and was
surprised to meet a newly minted Private Pilot, off on his first long cross
country trip in a rented 172 with his wife. He nonchalantly mentioned the
"rough ride" into Iowa City, but soon the conversation drifted to local
attractions and our theme suites.

I then turned my attention to his wife, and asked her how she had enjoyed
the flight. She confessed that it had been pretty scary, so we started
giving her the usual pep-talk about how the bumps really aren't anything to
worry about, and how turbulence can be bothersome but not really dangerous.
We were pretty well along into our speechifying about how safe flying is,
when she stopped all conversation by saying "Things got pretty spooky when
we couldn't see anything....I just covered my eyes and couldn't look out!"

We kind of looked at each other, stunned, and asked her what she meant.

She went on to say that about 15 miles out, just past the nearby town (and
airport) of Tipton, IA, their windshield had gone completely white -- and
then almost immediately totally black. It was at this point where she
covered her eyes in fright, and couldn't look.

She then mentioned how her husband had called Cedar Rapids approach, and how
they had "given them directions to Iowa City."

Uncomfortable silence followed this revelation, as we realized how close to
dying this poor woman had come. Not wanting to scare her any more than
necessary, I asked what Cedar Rapids had done. She replied that the
controller had asked what their intentions were, since conditions were
rock-solid IFR with thunderstorms from their present position all the way
into Iowa City. She said her husband had announced his intention to land in
Iowa City, and that the controller then gave them a vector towards the
airport.

At this point our hapless pilot piped up about how he had "flown
instruments" down the heading until they popped into the clear, pretty much
right over the airport. This must have been when we spotted him on
downwind.

I told them both how lucky they were, and left it at that. After all, they
were here for a good time, and it wasn't my position as innkeeper to be
lecturing my guests. In fact, I didn't even mention the "Tipton Towers" --
twin TV transmission towers that reach some 1700 feet into the sky right
near Tipton.

However, this man's complacence in the face of stormy IFR conditions is
exactly what we all read about in the NTSB reports each month. The guy
over-flew a perfectly good airport (Tipton) in order to fly head-long into
the clouds, a thunderstorm, potential death, and (almost coincidentally)
Iowa City. He had risked his life (and his wife's life) in order to
penetrate a fast-moving, short-lived storm, just so he could get here in
time for...dinner?

God was on his side that day. Downright scary, I tell you.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:

I told them both how lucky they were, and left it at that. After all, they
were here for a good time, and it wasn't my position as innkeeper to be
lecturing my guests.

It's tough to be caught between your need to behave as an inkeeper and your need to
talk some sense to someone who really needs a good talking to. As an inkeeper, I
suppose you have his home address? Perhaps you could write the man and suggest that
he discuss his experience with his old CFI.

George Patterson
In Idaho, tossing a rattlesnake into a crowded room is felony assault.
In Tennessee, it's evangelism.

Jay Honeck wrote:

snip
God was on his side that day. Downright scary, I tell you.

Wow. My thoughts and prayers go out to the wife. She doesn't deserve
to die from her husband's foolish and blatant recklessness.

--
Peter







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Do you know a local volunteer Aviation Safety Counselor in your area? It
would be appropriate for you to give him a call and suggest he contact the
pilot and tell the pilot someone at the airport saw him land in a
thunderstorm. Remember this is NOT equivalent to reporting him to the
FSDO; an ASC is NOT an FAA employee and will not initiate enforcement
proceedings but instead will offer advice in a non-confrontative way.

--------------------
Richard Kaplan, CFII

www.flyimc.com

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:JSmGc.14184$JR4.8572@attbi_s54...
I told them both how lucky they were, and left it at that. After all,
they
were here for a good time, and it wasn't my position as innkeeper to be
lecturing my guests.

True, but it wouldn't have been lecturing to inform the non-pilot of the
reckless and illegal risk her husband was subjecting her to. She surely has
a right to know, so she can make an informed decision whether to fly with
him again.

--Gary

True, but it wouldn't have been lecturing to inform the non-pilot of the
reckless and illegal risk her husband was subjecting her to. She surely
has
a right to know, so she can make an informed decision whether to fly with
him again.

That would not have been a tenable position for us, as I'm sure you suspect.

Later in the conversation, however, I did go into my usual spiel about
spatial disorientation, how my old primary instructor demonstrated it to me
(at night, over Lake Michigan, with my panel covered), and how dangerous it
is. Hopefully he/she got the message that they were in grave danger.

Our attitude and obtuse comments, in combination with his wife's instinctive
fear, may have done the job of quietly kicking him in the pants for
subjecting his wife to such an ordeal.

Or maybe not. It's hard to tell.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

On the other hand, he could be brought up on charges of attempted
involuntary manslaughter.

"Blanche" wrote in message

.....charges of attempted
involuntary manslaughter.

"Attempted......... involuntary........ manslaughter"

Think about this.

"John Gaquin" wrote in message
...

"Blanche" wrote in message

.....charges of attempted
involuntary manslaughter.

"Attempted......... involuntary........ manslaughter"

Think about this.


Perhaps "Reckless Endangerment"?

On the other hand, he could be brought up on charges of attempted
involuntary manslaughter.


So could all of us that makes a poor judgement when flying. While we're out
flinging charges, we should charge the CFI with neglegence in teaching the
pilot, the FAA for allowing him to be certificated before he was ready, the
controller for giving him a vector to the airport rather than a stern lecture
and a command to do a 180...

We speak as if we value the freedom to fly - and to do all the things that we
do in the air. Well, the freedom to say "no" is meaningless without the
freedom to say "yes".

Jose


--
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