N6483B missing near Aberdeen, SD

ArnoldPalmer said:
Our Civil Air Patrol wing was involved in some of the search operations. Heavy snow hindered the search at the start. And WX has been crap most of the last week.

Most crashes happen within 5 miles of arrival/destination airport.

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What SAR resources were activated in both departure and arrival airports, as most accidents occur at those two points? Seems ground searches should have been started at both points when right when he was reported overdue?
 
James331 said:
What SAR resources were activated in both departure and arrival airports, as most accidents occur at those two points? Seems ground searches should have been started at both points when right when he was reported overdue?
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I think resources (including CAP) were notified immediately after the bird went missing. First email I received from our squadron (out of KFAR) was on October 10, and that indicated that the SAR was on. We were limited to ground searches for the initial part of the day, thanks to lousy weather - and then we got the big storm that dumped up to 3 feet of snow in the Dakotas. That kept us on the ground through the weekend and early part of the week. CAP and other resources were out of Jamestown,ND and Aberdeen,SD.

First day for air search was Oct 13. WX crapped on us after till the 15th.

Bird had no operable transponder, nor did the guy have a cellphone on board.
 
ArnoldPalmer said:
Our Civil Air Patrol wing was involved in some of the search operations. Heavy snow hindered the search at the start. And WX has been crap most of the last week.

Most crashes happen within 5 miles of arrival/destination airport.

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First off...thanks for searching!!!

Can I ask a question and I hope it does not come across as negative as it's not meant to in any way.

Knowing the statistic you stated you would think the searches (including aerial) would first focus on that 5 mile radius circle and only after thoroughly exhausting that then start the standard patterns like we were seeing on ADSB. Perhaps that was done first and it's just not as obvious.

Definitely makes think about this differently. Just think if he lived 3 miles from the airport. He could have crashed 300ft from his house and perhaps survived a few days. But it seems like a crash should be somewhere in the middle or farther so doesn't seem right to look close to home (departure).
 
ArnoldPalmer said:
I think resources (including CAP) were notified immediately after the bird went missing. First email I received from our squadron (out of KFAR) was on October 10, and that indicated that the SAR was on. We were limited to ground searches for the initial part of the day, thanks to lousy weather - and then we got the big storm that dumped up to 3 feet of snow in the Dakotas. That kept us on the ground through the weekend and early part of the week. CAP and other resources were out of Jamestown,ND and Aberdeen,SD.

First day for air search was Oct 13. WX crapped on us after till the 15th.

Bird had no operable transponder, nor did the guy have a cellphone on board.
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What about locals, PD, family, etc?

I’m sure lots of folks with sleds up there who would love a excuse to ride.
 
Sinistar said:
First off...thanks for searching!!!

Can I ask a question and I hope it does not come across as negative as it's not meant to in any way.

Knowing the statistic you stated you would think the searches (including aerial) would first focus on that 5 mile radius circle and only after thoroughly exhausting that then start the standard patterns like we were seeing on ADSB. Perhaps that was done first and it's just not as obvious.

Definitely makes think about this differently. Just think if he lived 3 miles from the airport. He could have crashed 300ft from his house and perhaps survived a few days. But it seems like a crash should be somewhere in the middle or farther so doesn't seem right to look close to home (departure).
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Thanks.. but I was not actively involved with this search. Just got the emails; and work has kept me busy.

I think there was a disconnect between the SD and ND wings. The email I saw on the 15th said that the search was moving to ND and closer to Oakes, ND where the pilot owned property. I think there was some speculation that he left the ABR area and had made it to ND. Guess they missed it. Plane was pretty tore up and was down in an embankment, hidden from the road.
 
James331 said:
What about locals, PD, family, etc?

I’m sure lots of folks with sleds up there who would love a excuse to ride.
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A hunter checking on his deer stand found the wreckage. It was well hidden from the road and had skidded across a creek and ended on the bank. So probably even the locals missed it.
 
ArnoldPalmer said:
A hunter checking on his deer stand found the wreckage. It was well hidden from the road and had skidded across a creek and ended on the bank. So probably even the locals missed it.
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Seems this accident time frame matched that thing I posted pretty well.

I wonder if time would have made a difference to the victim or if it was a non survivable impact.
 
Sinistar said:
Wow.

I know I wouldn't have started looking that close to the airport. Its still hard to fathom taking 2 and half weeks to find a plane out here on the flatlands. Now thinking more about a Spot or Reslink(sp?).
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Snowfall would do a pretty good job hiding a predominantly white airplane.
 
GRG55 said:
Snowfall would do a pretty good job hiding a predominantly white airplane.
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The absence of trees might seem like an advantage, but without contrast, and just fields of snow, finding it from the air might be impossible.
 
Yeah, if there was snow and it's a typical white plane probably very difficult. I was thinking the snow came after the crash but I must have that wrong.
 
Sinistar said:
Now thinking more about a Spot or Reslink(sp?).
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Yes. I consider a PLB on my person a basic requirement for cross-country flight. It is one relatively inexpensive thing you can do that will really reduce the time to find you, as long as you are conscious to activate it.

I prefer a FastFind due to the reliability of the satellite link and the way the antenna is stowed, but any of these will likely really help.
 
James331 said:
So they don’t have a cause of the crash is what it sounds like.
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Not quite sure if you are joking ? Non-certificated non-instrument rated pilot’s decision to take off into IMC at night.

Or do you mean something more proximate? Speculation but maybe he just flew it too close to the ground while scud running into a tree?
 
PeterNSteinmetz said:
Not quite sure if you are joking ? Non-certificated non-instrument rated pilot’s decision to take off into IMC at night.

Or do you mean something more proximate? Speculation but maybe he just flew it too close to the ground while scud running into a tree?
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Well I could take off and fly all day visually in 700 BKN, and I don’t think paperwork crashed the plane. Do they have audio or witnesses or something that said he went IIMC? went into a spin?

I see FAR violations, but I don’t see a cause yet.
 
Given the wx its hard to imagine why the pilot even took off?

However, just because he's a student pilot doesn't mean he wasn't good at flying. My CFI has at least one pilot who had no interest in the written. He says this person fly's great. He would give additional solo X/C endorsements once in awhile and that seemed to satiate. But not something he was going to do forever. So the person who crashed may have very well been a good pilot and perhaps had several solo endorsements.

I am starting to wonder if this incident is more rooted in being an owner. Perhaps he was on a 90 day solo endorsement and just decided to go up. Perhaps more relevant...I wonder if his plane was nearing annual or was going to be flown somewhere for annual and that made him feel the need to go in what turned out to be very bad flying wx.

I am wondering about his CFI as well. I would think the FAA would definitely be heading there soon as he was student pilot. Was his solo endorsement valid? DId he have a night endoresment? Gosh it would be bad if the CFI actually endorsed him for this flight.
 
I believe one of the articles said he had flown the plane to that airport for annual and was told it needs some work. Then decided to go home. Was unclear if the plane was out of annual.

I know there are experts here who would fly in those conditions. Frankly it strikes me as very poor ADM to go up in that unless you are such an expert.
 
“Plane deemed non-flight worthy”. Interested to see if that played a role in the crash instead of the obvious conditions
 
benyflyguy said:
“Plane deemed non-flight worthy”. Interested to see if that played a role in the crash instead of the obvious conditions
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I am just going out on a limb here, but I don't expect that the FAA will determine that 'failure to inspect the dinglearm control bearing in accordance with the 1956 AD' was the ultimate cause of the mishap.
 
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