150 Crash New Bedford MA

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PaulS

Touchdown! Greaser!
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PaulS
A 74 year old pilot perished in a crash in a cemetery yesterday about 40 minutes after taking off from New Bedford airport. From the witness reports I'm guessing either incapacitation or a stall/spin accident. This was on the news this morning with an interview of the guy's wife. This shook my wife a little I'm afraid. Be careful out there. RIP and condolences to the family.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/ne...mourns-after-small-plane-crashes-14810424.php
 
Very sad. Condolences to family.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Ryanb said:
Crashed into a cemetery? Hmm...
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That cemetery is right before the approach end of 14. I solo’d at EWB. It was a little eery feeling every time I turned final and saw that cemetery in front of me. Added just a little extra pucker factor for some reason.
 
There’s a short video circulating around of about 5-6 second’s length that shows the aircraft in a VERY steep, high speed descent. Looks more like full incapacitation. No rotation, straight-in. Terrible to see.
 
I’ve been to quite a few airports that had cemeteries right next to them.
 
Lachlan said:
There’s a short video circulating around of about 5-6 second’s length that shows the aircraft in a VERY steep, high speed descent. Looks more like full incapacitation. No rotation, straight-in. Terrible to see.
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There are a few videos on this one. Looks like aerobatics gone wrong. I suppose it could have been incapacitation, but very aggressive maneuvers before hand.
 
Fearless Tower said:
SAV is actually built on top of a graveyard. There are still two tombstones embedded in the runway.
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What is the purpose for that? Eerie...:rolleyes:
edit: meaning tombstones embedded in the runway
 
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I'm definitely leaning toward pilot incapacitation on this one, sounds like full throttle to impact.

 
PaulS said:
I'm definitely leaning toward pilot incapacitation on this one, sounds like full throttle to impact.

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Looks probable. It’s definitely not stalled or spinning, just a vertical nosedive at what sounds like full throttle.
 
Is there an aerobatic box? Aerobatic maneuvers near the airport followed by high speed full throttle steep descent into the ground seems more intentional.

Incapacitation - you are saying he slumped forward on the yoke and never moved despite angle and turbulence etc.? Would take a hefty push to get that nose down full throttle (the engine probably wound up in the dive. Maybe wasn’t full throttle).
 
Terry M - 3CK (Chicago) said:
Is there an aerobatic box? Aerobatic maneuvers near the airport followed by high speed full throttle steep descent into the ground seems more intentional.

Incapacitation - you are saying he slumped forward on the yoke and never moved despite angle and turbulence etc.? Would take a hefty push to get that nose down full throttle (the engine probably wound up in the dive. Maybe wasn’t full throttle).
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It is a fixed prop so it may not have been at full power, I don't think it was in control in any of this video and the turn before the dive was very tight. I don't know what happened, I doubt suicide but hopefully they can piece it together.
 
He entered Class D without talking to tower, and was not in contact at any time between entering delta and termination of flight. Those who knew him said that is extremely uncharacteristic.
 
Weekend Warrior said:
There are a few videos on this one. Looks like aerobatics gone wrong. I suppose it could have been incapacitation, but very aggressive maneuvers before hand.
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Can’t imagine why someone would do aerobatics that low... :confused:
 
PaulS said:
I'm definitely leaning toward pilot incapacitation on this one, sounds like full throttle to impact.

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That sure doesn't sound like any C150 unless it lost its prop and the engine was far past redline.
 
Dan Thomas said:
That sure doesn't sound like any C150 unless it lost its prop and the engine was far past redline.
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Yeah, that doesn’t sound anything like the 150 I had. It sounds like a 3 bladed 185 at full throttle.
 
Skip Miller said:
KBDR Bridgeport CT is one of them. Not immediately adjacent, but it is at the downwind to base turn. -Skip
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Thought that whole city was a graveyard, god knows CTs economy and non gov welfare jobs are basically dead.
 
I'm guessing that suicide is most likely. There are very few things that will make a plane go straight down into the ground, which it appears that this one did. Mention of the pilot being in good spirits before the flight is actually not uncommon with someone about to commit suicide.

In incapacitation, even if he slumped forward against the yoke the AOA would increase in the dive and tend to pull the aircraft upwards from a straight line, and I think you would also see a tendency to roll in that situation as well.
 
mryan75 said:
Or a flight control issue? And really classy of the reporter to contact the guy's wife to get the tears on the 5 o'clock news. Scum.
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Blood sells ads. Tears sell ads. News is a business, period.
 
Kenny Phillips said:
Blood sells ads. Tears sell ads. News is a business, period.
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What you're describing isn't news, it's sensationalism. And it's inhumane. How anyone can cold call someone the day they became a widow to play up their pain for ad sales is beyond me.
 
dbahn said:
I'm guessing that suicide is most likely. There are very few things that will make a plane go straight down into the ground, which it appears that this one did. Mention of the pilot being in good spirits before the flight is actually not uncommon with someone about to commit suicide.

In incapacitation, even if he slumped forward against the yoke the AOA would increase in the dive and tend to pull the aircraft upwards from a straight line, and I think you would also see a tendency to roll in that situation as well.
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Please explain the erratic flight leading up to the final dive, and how that fits into a suicide theory. Have you ever flown a 150? Just curious.
 
Lachlan said:
Please explain the erratic flight leading up to the final dive, and how that fits into a suicide theory. Have you ever flown a 150? Just curious.
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Behavior before suicide runs the gamut, and it isn't always rational.

I'm not sure what having flown a 150 has to do with it but yes, I learned in one and then right after getting the PP cert I took a 10 hour aerobatics course in a 150 Aerobat.
 
Ryanb said:
I was thinking that too... sounds like an RC.
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That’s what I thought. Looks like he put it on its side. There was a funny little change in direction then it just turn on its side
 
dbahn said:
Behavior before suicide runs the gamut, and it isn't always rational.

I'm not sure what having flown a 150 has to do with it but yes, I learned in one and then right after getting the PP cert I took a 10 hour aerobatics course in a 150 Aerobat.
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Soooo that 10hr “aerobatics” course... that gets you into the head of a pilot who you never met?

You should call the NTSB and save them some time
 
James331 said:
Soooo that 10hr “aerobatics” course... that gets you into the head of a pilot who you never met?

You should call the NTSB and save them some time
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I’m pretty sure this poster is plenty qualified to speak to both the flying and the clinical.
 
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