A36 crash

Dan Luke wrote:
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?e...18X00470&key=1

A brand new one. Ouch. There go the insurance rates again.


A fellow with a four month old private pilot's licence flying an A-36. I'll be
curious to find out what really happened. Preliminary findings are that it was
VMC at 2015 hours (getting dark?) and that it had just been serviced that day.
All sorts of possibilities come to mind.

It'll be a year before the NTSB releases final findings, and even then it'll
probably be wrong. My heartfelt condolences for those he left behind.




--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

VE

"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" wrote:
A fellow with a four month old private pilot's licence flying an A-36.

Yes. That is a lot of airplane for a newbie. Plenty of people have bought a
Bo' and successfully learned to fly in it, but we don't know what this pilot
trained in.

I'll be
curious to find out what really happened. Preliminary findings are that it
was
VMC at 2015 hours (getting dark?) and that it had just been serviced that
day.
All sorts of possibilities come to mind.

Perhaps the kind of service performed is a clue. What if he had been having
trouble with the HSI, for instance?

It'll be a year before the NTSB releases final findings, and even then
it'll
probably be wrong.

They may not have much to go on besides circumstantial stuff.
--
Dan
C-172RG at BFM

Having lots of money can buy you almost anything... except experience.

kontiki wrote:
Having lots of money can buy you almost anything... except experience.


Well, he's had an experience I'd just as soon avoid.




--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

VE

Which we know as "Thurmond Munson Syndrom"

kontiki wrote:
Having lots of money can buy you almost anything... except experience.

Good judgment is something else Munson didn't have. Showing off flaps-up
touch-and-goes in a Citation at night wasn't the smartest thing.



"jsmith" wrote in message
...
Which we know as "Thurmond Munson Syndrom"

kontiki wrote:
Having lots of money can buy you almost anything... except experience.

Perhaps the kind of service performed is a clue. What if he had been
having
trouble with the HSI, for instance?


Pretty hard to imagine how a faulty HSI would cause loss of control--
even in inadvertent IMC....

--
Cheers,
John Clonts
Temple, Texas
N7NZ

"John Clonts" wrote:

Pretty hard to imagine how a faulty HSI would cause loss of control--
even in inadvertent IMC....

Might that not contribute to the pilot's becming disoriented?

Anyway, that was just an example. It might have been the AI portion of the
display, instead.

If I had to bet, though, my money would be on simple spatial disorientation.
Until you've had it happen to you, you just don't know how easily you can
become completely fuzzled at night if you're not on your guard.
--
Dan
C-172RG at BFM

On 20 Apr 2005 12:15:04 -0700, "John Clonts"
wrote:

Perhaps the kind of service performed is a clue. What if he had been
having
trouble with the HSI, for instance?


Pretty hard to imagine how a faulty HSI would cause loss of control--
even in inadvertent IMC....

You don't fly IFR do you? :-))
An AI, or HSI usually fails slowly. It just slowly rolls over to one
side or the other. If the pilot doesn't have a good scan technique he
just rolls with it.

I've flown that area and had the weather get really hazy just before
dark. Still VMC, but enough to start relying on the gauges.
I've also gotten caught down there when the visability went for good
to nil in a very short time. It wasn't real problem, but if you aren't
prepared it can scare you and getting disoriented is a strong likely
hood.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

Pretty hard to imagine how a faulty HSI would cause loss of
control-even in inadvertent IMC....

You don't fly IFR do you? :-))
An AI, or HSI usually fails slowly. It just slowly rolls over to one
side or the other. If the pilot doesn't have a good scan technique
he just rolls with it.

Yes, but probably not as much as you.

Agreed about the AI, disagree about the HSI.

Seems to me there's a BIG difference in the implications and dangers
between AI failing, which can cause loss of airplane ATTITUDE control,
and and HSI or DG failing, which could cause some loss of NAVIGATIONAL
awareness.

If your Horizontal Situation Indicator gradually turns to an incorrect
heading, do you think you might gradually, unknowingly, increase your
bank angle trying to "follow" it? Or maybe the CDI going off-scale
would induce you into a 60-degree bank trying to "catch it"? I think
not.

--
Cheers,
John Clonts
Temple, Texas
N7NZ