Leaving the Scene

Let'sgoflying!

Let'sgoflying!

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Dave Taylor
Everyone has heard of the motorist law (I think there is one in most states, no?)
Is there such a thing for aviators?
We had one yesterday.
Some say pilot was obliged to stay (he departed).
The thought that pops is maybe such a pilot is avoiding screening for alcohol or drugs.
However, maybe there is a valid reason; 'Not sure why I left, I was in shock'......or leaving the area would help ensure you don't say anything stupid which really did not need to be said.

Honestly if your a/c is a crumpled mess, there is nothing most pilots/owners can do to clear the runway; who has a crane or bags in their hangar - the airport authority is going to be stuck with that problem.

Maybe it is best to take immediate measures to ensure the safety of others (notify airport auth, get on the radio) then disappear to gather your thoughts or call your attorney.

Maybe Patrick Sw. can weigh in.
 
1) if you're in shock, you shouldn't be flying.

Many years ago I had an event ( not an accident nor incident as defined by the FAA) while taxiing. I made sure to get the airplane to an area of the taxiway where it would not interfere with operations.

On the other hand, if I were involved with another airplane, vehicle or person, I'm definitely staying there. With my lawyer on the phone and taking pictures like crazy.
 
What happened again? Pilot A witnessed a plane crashed by Pilot B but rather than render aid & wait for LE to arrive to provide witness information Pilot A flew his own plane away?

I sorta had something like that happen at a grass strip last summer. The plane was wrecked and on the runway but other pilots departed. LE had already been there to take measurements, they just hadn't gotten a tractor out there to hoist it onto a flat bed trailer yet. In my case no one was avoiding anything other than unnecessary delay in their own lives.
 
murphey said:
1) if you're in shock, you shouldn't be flying.
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It didn't sound to me like he flew away, it sounded like he crashed his plane (at his home airport) then drove off leaving his plane there.

At least that's how I understood it.
 
Sluggo63 said:
It didn't sound to me like he flew away, it sounded like he crashed his plane (at his home airport) then drove off leaving his plane there.\
At least that's how I understood it.
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I think he was driven away by someone else. Certainly not via airplane in any case, the only runway was closed! But this is a distraction from the thread.
 
I'm not aware of any reg requiring pilots to stay at the scene. Note that in NTSB 830 that the pilot isn't the one who has to make the official statements.

I think it's also important to differentiate who does the accident investigation...the officers on the scene vs. NTSB/FAA in some faraway place who have to travel to the scene.
 
If by some chance the pilot was injured, I'd think leaving the scene to get the injury attended to would be the prudent action.
 
Volzalum said:
If by some chance the pilot was injured, I'd think leaving the scene to get the injury attended to would be the prudent action.
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Reminds me of a story a co-worker told me.

About 45 years ago, he was a freshman in college. A friend had recently gotten his pilot's license, and invited him along on a flight with one of the co-eds.

As they were climbing out, the engine started running rough. The pilot turned control over to my friend (!) and started digging under the panel, claiming there was an electrical problem (!!).

(I read the NTSB report: Carb Ice).

My friend (whose dad had been a Navy pilot in WWII) shepherded the plane down, eventually crash-landing the top of a hill. No one was badly hurt, but they were all pretty giddy. They started a snowball fight next to the wreckage.

My friend had seen one of the main wheels skip forward at impact, bouncing over the hill. For some reason, he went after it. As you might expect, he was in shock, at this point. The tire was next to a road. He picked it up as a truck drew to a stop.

"Were you in that plane accident?"

"Yes."

"Can we give you a ride or something?"

He asked for a ride back to the airport. He got into the back of the truck, with the wheel, completely forgetting about the other two people.

He walked into the FBO...still carrying the wheel...and sat down in a chair. After about fifteen minutes, he decided to use the pay phone to call his mother. He rambled on with her for a few minutes, and finally broke the news that he'd just been in a plate crash. "Well, don't you think you should tell someone? Go to the hospital, maybe?"

He walked up the FBO's counter, plopped the tire atop it, and told the guy they'd just crashed one of the FBO's airplanes.

In the interim, other assistance had arrived at the crash site, so he ended up being the last to the hospital.

So here's a case of a guy leaving the scene of an accident....

Ron Wanttaja
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Maybe Patrick Sw. can weigh in.
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Funny you should mention that. Patrick Swayze and US Air 5050 are the most pertinent examples that come to mind.

As far as I know, nothing bad came to PS for leaving the scene. In the end, it was the word of the construction workers against his and by the time he did present himself, there was no way to prove he had been drinking.

Same for the flight crew of 5050. They claimed they were with the Union Reps, but again, by the time they came face to face with any feds, there was no way to prove they were intoxicated as many suspected.

Can you imagine if Sully and Skiles had 'disappeared' for a day or two after getting fished out of the river?
 
The way it should be is that unless you need to go to the hospital that you should remain at the accident site or a safe place closeby until local law enforcement can get on scene and administer a breathalyzer if you appear intoxicated.

If you do go to the hospital then a blood test should be administered there if suspicions dictate. You should not just be able to disappear for a period of time sufficient to sober up.

Of course there would be exceptions such as if you crash in the wilderness and survival dictates that you hike out.
 
SkyDog58 said:
The way it should be is that unless you need to go to the hospital that you should remain at the accident site or a safe place closeby until local law enforcement can get on scene and administer a breathalyzer if you appear intoxicated.

If you do go to the hospital then a blood test should be administered there if suspicions dictate. You should not just be able to disappear for a period of time sufficient to sober up.

Of course there would be exceptions such as if you crash in the wilderness and survival dictates that you hike out.
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Should doesn't matter.
If there is no rule against leaving, and you happen to be buzzed (not that I'm saying that is a good idea), then the prudent thing would be to make your ass scarce.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
You are right. It is some other stupid form that you have to fill out.

And, you would probably get your certificate revoked if you filled out the wrong one...

Edit:

The regulation is under 49 CFR 830

https://www.ntsb.gov/Pages/Report.aspx

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title49/49cfr830_main_02.tpl
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AFAIK, no one has suffered even a short a suspension for not filling in a report until asked to do so despite the language for some events in Part 830.
 
This happened in Kansas a couple weeks ago... Dude crashed his Maule in a cow pasture on the way to a bank meeting. Got a rental car in town and didn't tell any authorities and just drove back to his place.
 
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