182 down in the water at Santa Barbara

[sarangan]

Some countries even require an instrument rating for night flight. I can't say I don't entirely disagree.

An instrument rating is an overkill, but it won't be a bad idea to require some instrument time at night.

 

[FormerHangie]

Sometimes I read these things- I get sad. This one for some reason I get mad.
Capable plane.
Sounds like pilot flew a lot.
Had to be in this soup before given his routing.
Why TF has this happened.
I get angry about this crap because I’m a low time IFR pilot who has a 182 that is pretty capable IMO. I have placed myself in his position but I go back to my training. But I know what I’m about to climb into and have a plan.
Is it possible to longer you do it you can get complacent??

Why are you angry? You don't know the cause.

A couple of years ago we had a similar crash not far from here. The pilot was an experienced instrument pilot and the weather was standard IFR. He got into the soup and lost some of his instruments, became disoriented and dove in. I don't know how his plane was equipped, but I sure wouldn't want to have to look at conflicting instruments and guess which one's telling the truth while trying to stay level and on course.

 

[asicer]

I don't know how his plane was equipped, but I sure wouldn't want to have to look at conflicting instruments and guess which one's telling the truth while trying to stay level and on course.

This plane down in the water at Santa Barbara was a 2006 Turbo 182. It is extremely likely that it was equipped with a G1000, in which case there's no need to guess which instrument is telling the truth as the liar should have a big red 'X' right through it.

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

An instrument rating is an overkill, but it won't be a bad idea to require some instrument time at night.

Some countries do just that and require additional training but not a full instrument ticket for night VFR flight - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_visual_flight_rules

 

[NordicDave]

Considering the high rate of descent speed, wonder if this could be a case of pilot incapacitation? Certainly disorientation can’t be ruled out as others have stated.

 

[luvflyin]

Why are you angry? You don't know the cause.

A couple of years ago we had a similar crash not far from here. The pilot was an experienced instrument pilot and the weather was standard IFR. He got into the soup and lost some of his instruments, became disoriented and dove in. I don't know how his plane was equipped, but I sure wouldn't want to have to look at conflicting instruments and guess which one's telling the truth while trying to stay level and on course.

Don’t remember which one it was, there was an accident thread here a few years ago. Some of the speculations were failing instruments. Not just failed but failing. It dawned on me that I had done a lot of partial panel during training but not on recognizing impending failures. They just all of a sudden got covered up. No hints that one might be starting to lie to you. I got a CFII and worked on just that

 

[drummer4468]

Don’t remember which one it was, there was an accident thread here a few years ago. Some of the speculations were failing instruments. Not just failed but failing. It dawned on me that I had done a lot of partial panel during training but not on recognizing impending failures. They just all of a sudden got covered up. No hints that one might be starting to lie to you. I got a CFII and worked on just that

This is an excellent point. Very early in my IR training, my instructor silently failed my vac system in the Redbird FMX. Wasn't used to the panel we were using so I missed the annunciator light. So I'm buzzing along practicing holds in the soup with the autopilot on, just to build the procedural foundations. intercept the course, identify the fix, turn the heading bug, hack the clock. Routine stuff getting me nice and complacent. Slowly, everything starts to not quite feel right, and the plane is just not doing what I *think* I'm telling it to do, according to the AI, AP, and DG. As it keeps getting worse, I start panicking trying to get the "little airplane" back on the horizon, while fighting the AP forgetting there's a button to disengage it(never used AP before). Next thing I know we're approaching ludicrous speed and hemorrhaging altitude , and quickly ended up lawn-darting into a crater at Vne. All I saw was a quick flash of trees, then black screens.

I have my opinions about the feel of simulator flying, and most times the "realism" that machine leaves a lot to be desired. But damn, that was a harrowing experience. Served a valuable lesson for keeping the scan up and continuously crosschecking everything. As well as being familiar with AP systems and when/how to disengage them. Don't just be ready for a failure, expect it at all times.