Miracle, Yet a Tragedy

Ugh. This guy really was not that responsible of a pilot. Reading that article really made me shake my head a few times.

"I don't know what happened," he said. "It started running real rough."
He knew from his training and countless hours aloft that, above all, he needed to keep the engine running. He nursed the plane along, telling himself, "Maybe I can limp home."
His house and landing strip, which sit atop a sizable hill, appeared on the horizon. Losing altitude fast, Everett's biggest worry was that his wheels might clip one of the trees on his approach. If he could just hold on
"Then it just finally quit," Everett said. "It wasn't a good situation. This was not a plane that could glide."
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I'm not completely familar with the area. Something tells me though that he could have put the plane down somewhere else. I highly doubt trying to limp it back to his grass strip was the best choice.



NTSB report said:
The pilot reported that he added a "fuel stabilizer chemical" to the automotive gasoline in the airplane, in October 2005. The accident flight was the airplane's first flight since then. According to the pilot, he performed a pre-flight inspection prior to the accident flight; however, the airplane was not equipped with fuel sumps to check for fuel contamination or water. The pilot stated he departed with full fuel (approximately 13 gallons).
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This guy was just ASKING for a bad day based on the above.

This article really does not make general aviation look safe whatsoever. Yeah, it's too bad. But the guy was pushing a button that said "airplane crash" over and over. Eventually the button is going to work and down he went.

article said:
Last week, inspectors from the Federal Aviation Administration came by for the second time since the crash and told Everett that his medical records checked out OK but he was apparently behind in his annual in-flight certification. His slap-on-the-wrist punishment: A letter of reprimand that will stay in his file for two years providedhe successfully completes the flying test.
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He walked away. I'm glad for him.
 
OWNERSHIP of an aircraft increases (erroneously and dangerously) by an order of magnitude, the probability of the owner/pilot trying to make some runway in an emergency, rather than land off-field with his baby.
 
Dave Krall CFII said:
OWNERSHIP of an aircraft increases (erroneously and dangerously) by an order of magnitude, the probability of the owner/pilot trying to make some runway in an emergency, rather than land off-field with his baby.
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Interesting data, Dave. In spite of whatever misjudgments Everett may have made, facts are that the territory which has been his realm is heavily forested, or blueberry barrens which don't equate to being flat. Rather, the areas can be very uneven terrain, often with rocky or ledged areas not conducive to an ideal forced landing(not that any forced landing is ideal). Word around here is that he has been very adept with handling the bi-plane. Sad, whatever.

HR
 
Lawreston said:
Interesting data, Dave. In spite of whatever misjudgments Everett may have made, facts are that the territory which has been his realm is heavily forested, or blueberry barrens which don't equate to being flat. Rather, the areas can be very uneven terrain, often with rocky or ledged areas not conducive to an ideal forced landing(not that any forced landing is ideal). Word around here is that he has been very adept with handling the bi-plane. Sad, whatever.

HR
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Yeah, I hear ya.
I was just speaking in general terms, and of course I have tons of bombproof data to support my statements.
 
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