C310 down in Jax, FL

[guardrail]

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/topstories/article/337823/483/Small-plane-crashes-into-retention-pond

Sad news, thoughts and prayers to the family. RIP.

The girlfriend and I were supposed to fly from Fernandina down to St. Augustine today to do some sightseeing. Last night through this morning the forecast was beautiful weather nearly no wind. At 2PM low level clouds/fog was still in with no movement or clearing so we cancelled. It never fully cleared up and visibility was low all day. I know the subdivision well, my guess is they were coming in to 32 on the ILS as that would pass you right over the neighborhood. Where they ended up is less than a mile from the airport.

Flightaware shows the track to the end .
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N98BT/history/20131208/2145Z/KFPR/KCRG

 

[Ted]

METARs around the time of the crash:

[FONT=Monospace,Courier]KCRG 082340Z 06003KT 2SM BR OVC002 18/17 A3020 RMK AO2[/FONT]
[FONT=Monospace,Courier]KCRG 082339Z 05003KT 2SM BR OVC002 18/17 A3020 RMK AO2[/FONT]
[FONT=Monospace,Courier]KCRG 082333Z 06004KT 2 1/2SM BR OVC002 18/17 A3020 RMK AO2[/FONT]

 

[guardrail]

METARs around the time of the crash:

[FONT=Monospace,Courier]KCRG 082340Z 06003KT 2SM BR OVC002 18/17 A3020 RMK AO2[/FONT]
[FONT=Monospace,Courier]KCRG 082339Z 05003KT 2SM BR OVC002 18/17 A3020 RMK AO2[/FONT]
[FONT=Monospace,Courier]KCRG 082333Z 06004KT 2 1/2SM BR OVC002 18/17 A3020 RMK AO2[/FONT]

Yes it was bad all day. They were coming in from down south and it was crappy when they left, maybe they thought it would clear by the time they arrived?

 

[Henning]

Yes it was bad all day. They were coming in from down south and it was crappy when they left, maybe they thought it would clear by the time they arrived?

Still, 2 miles and 200' shouldn't have gotten them killed....

 

[txflyer]

The air traffic control tower was told prior to the crash that the pilot could not see the runway, JSO spokesperson Melissa Bujeda said.

Sad indeed. It doesn't say, but you have to assume the pilot was instrument rated flying in weather like that. In that case, it does not make a lot of sense.

Wolfgang's book points out that non-instrument rated pilots who think they can 'get by' on instruments if they have to, often find out within ten minutes that they don't have the skills in bad IMC. Especially if they must recover from a spin or upset attitude on instruments.

 

[Ted]

Yes it was bad all day. They were coming in from down south and it was crappy when they left, maybe they thought it would clear by the time they arrived?

Mins on the ILS are 200-1. So that actually puts them at being above mins on vis, at them on ceiling.

As Henning said, it shouldn't have gotten them killed. Of course, reported 200 doesn't mean actual, but other planes got in.

 

[Velocity173]

Looks like the accident site is maybe 2 miles from the house I grew up in as a kid. Dad used to work FSS at CRG.

RIP.

 

[Gadgetman]

This was a few miles from my home. So sad.

 

[frfly172]

So sad ,prayers go out to the family's.

 

[JOhnH]

I'm less than 20 mins from CRG (at C-310 speeds) and it was a gorgeous flying weekend here. I know a lot of pilots that get their weather report by looking out the window. That can get you into a lot of trouble with the kinds of weather patterns we have been seeing lately.