3 lives lost

I wrote an article about this that was published in Plane and Pilot ,
called "The Wrong Stuff." It is available to view on my website at
www.genehudson.com if you care to read more about this stuff.

Couldn't find the article there. I found where it was listed with other
articles, and many of those other articles are clickable links which take
you into their content, but "The Wrong Stuff" is not clickable.


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Geoffrey,

If you give me an email address I can send it to you, I still have the
original draft on my computer.

Gene

"Terry" wrote in message
link.net...

Terry,

Very sorry to read of this accident.

Despite the recent influx of gee-whiz electronics and the advances made in
mechanical / structural areas, flying is still a very human endeavour...and
humans are falible.

I hope you find peace

Sincerest Regards,

Jay Beckman
PP-ASEL
Chandler, AZ

Gene, how about posting it here?

wrote:
Geoffrey,
If you give me an email address I can send it to you, I still have the
original draft on my computer.

There is no way visibility goes from adequate VFR to low IMC in less than
sixty seconds. I'm calling bull**** on this.

"nobody" wrote in message
...

Did you read the story? She did not take off in IMC, vis was 4sm at
takeoff.

wrote in message
oups.com...

In the interest of effort that probably will not be wasted (you seem to
be listening) , I want to point out that the idea that there was
'something psychologically busted in her brain' misses the most
important point. Most likely there was not; the fact is, we all are
susceptible to the same kind of error. That's the point; that she
*wasn't* different from the rest of us, that the only thing that
separates us from 'them' is a will to choose--and it is a choice--not
to succumb to the same temptations.


Like I said, I understand VFR into IMC, and I can see it happening in the
context of a rational thought process. This specific case I have a much
harder time with. I'm just trying to reconstruct the thought process in my
head that could lead someone to take off in these conditions.

-cwk.

Colin W Kingsbury wrote:

There is no way visibility goes from adequate VFR to low IMC in less
than
sixty seconds. I'm calling bull**** on this.

It's not usual, but I've had it happen once or twice. Only once did I
get caught in it, and then only for about 5 seconds, but it can happen,
even in daytime. You fly out of BED in MA, IIRC, right? I fly out of
FIT in MA usually, but once at BED I took off, was flying a pattern in
VFR conditions with 6 mile visibility, 1500 ft. ceilings, and just
managed to get down and land before a rainshower came through at about
30 kts and vis. went to .5 miles with a 200 ft ceiling.

The 5 second time was with 1200 ft. ceiling and 4-6 mile vis., and then
I just flew into a cloud, which I THOUGHT I could see through and was
just light rain. Boom - white. I knew that the weather was clear to
the left, made a shallow 90 deg. turn, and popped out 5 seconds later.
Went back to FIT and landed.....

I agree with you that even with 4 mi. vis. and the ceilings reported at
the airport, you've got to wonder what the pilot was thinking, but
weather CAN close in very quickly, especially if you're moving at 100
mph.....

--
Marc J. Zeitlin
http://marc.zeitlin.home.comcast.net/
http://www.cozybuilders.org/
Copyright (c) 2004

Colin W Kingsbury wrote:

There is no way visibility goes from adequate VFR to low IMC in less than
sixty seconds. I'm calling bull**** on this.

Well, you've obviously never lived near a coast of had warm moist air
move over snow. I've had my house go from sunshine to completely fogged
in within this amount of time, and I live on top of a hill nowhere's
near water. Snow can cause fog very quickly under the right conditions.

I personally think the pilot should have seen this coming, however, it
is amazing how fast conditions can change. Even so, usually the
conditions that might cause these changes can be known in advance, which
I'm assuming is your fundamental point - and with that I agree.


Matt

John,

I don't mind posting the article here, as long as the powers that be
are ok with it--but its about 1500 words, a little larger than the
typical post.
If thats ok with the local etiquette, its ok with me.

Gene

Colin,

I'm just trying to reconstruct the thought process in my
head that could lead someone to take off in these conditions.

Good, that's what I am trying to get people to do.

The reasons are many, but they all fall into the same category: trying
to please somebody. Often its financial pressure (I need the revenue
today); time pressure (we gotta get to work by 8am); social pressures
(they'll think I'm a wimp); need to prove one's self (I'll show them, I
can fly in conditions the rest of these weaklings are afraid of), etc.

Ron Brown is dead because his USAF pilot succumbed to the time
pressure.
JFK Jr is dead because he felt he needed to prove he could do it by
himself.

At the end of Oct we just lost another bizjet in San Diego because they
were in too much of a hurry to take the time to make a phone call and
prefile; instead they did a night VFR takeoff under a 2100 ft overcast,
in a valley surrounded by mountains. The idea was to file in the air
by radio. Their airplane made a big boom and a great flash of light as
it dashed itslef into a zillion pieces against the side of Otay
mountain, 8 nm east of the departure airport. The wreckage was about
3000 feet away from the site where another jet pilot did *exactly* the
same thing, from the same airport, hitting the same mountain, ten years
earlier. In that case it was carrying half of Reba MacEntyre's band.

I'm sure they saved at least 10 to 15 minutes each.

Recommended reading: AC60-22, available online at the faa's website.
Redefining Airmanship, by Tony Kern. Aviation Psychology, ed by
Roscoe. Human Factors in Aviation, ed by Nagel.

"If you think you are late now, just imagine how late you will be when
you are dead."

Gene