Special VFR

As I read the article, I immediately recognized the accident. AOPA did one of their "Accident Case Study" videos on it. It has the actual audio from the pilot/ATC in the crash.
Interesting (and sad) to listen to:

 
I've never had trouble watching videos like this before. This one was tough. I had to turn it off with about 2 minutes remaining.

I'll say this, the controllers were fantastic. No attitude toward the pilot that would increase his stress level. They did everything they could.
 
Gerhardt said:
I've never had trouble watching videos like this before. This one was tough. I had to turn it off with about 2 minutes remaining.

I'll say this, the controllers were fantastic. No attitude toward the pilot that would increase his stress level. They did everything they could.
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For sure...the video reinforces something I've always said, "Any plan, even a bad one, is better than no plan."
 
tawood said:
For sure...the video reinforces something I've always said, "Any plan, even a bad one, is better than no plan."
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My similar saying is "Indecision usually causes more accidents than the wrong decision."
 
I watched the video first and I was really hearing the controller trying to get the pilot to ask for a special VFR. I was thinking just say the word special....just say the word special... The one controller pretty much said turn around and land, without a SVFR clearance. Hard to help someone that doesn't really want the help that the controller was giving.

I have done probably more than 100 SVFR in Alaska, and only 1 in the lower 48.
 
Zeldman said:
I watched the video first and I was really hearing the controller trying to get the pilot to ask for a special VFR. I was thinking just say the word special....just say the word special... The one controller pretty much said turn around and land, without a SVFR clearance. Hard to help someone that doesn't really want the help that the controller was giving.

I have done probably more than 100 SVFR in Alaska, and only 1 in the lower 48.
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Yeah, that was a word game destined to be lost by the pilot. (I've done exactly one SVFR, to get out of a towered field that often has morning fog, after the fog lifted just a little).
While I understand why the controllers aren't supposed to give advice, I'd be too tempted to sneak in, "You can't land unless you ask for a Special VFR clearance."
Of course, back when we called FS on the phone, if the briefer said "VFR not recommended", it was too often ignored.
 
SVFR is a tool I use fairly regularly. One mile and clear of clouds enroute isn't unusual, either. Doing it with the company of a controller who's watching you on radar is easier than doing it enroute while wondering who else is out there. To be clear of clouds with 1 mile vis usually means flying low. When the vis degrades, and it can go from fuzzy to zero instantly, you need to do a 180* turn in clouds while at low level to get back to where you came from. That isn't as fun as it sounds. Especially in winter when the ground is mostly white. I revised my fuel minimums as a result of days like that.
 
Kenny Phillips said:
My similar saying is "Indecision usually causes more accidents than the wrong decision."
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Hesitation is devastation


Man that was ruff, I couldn't be a controller I'd overstep, "you really sure you want to do that, the weather doesn't look to be getting any better, suggest left turn heading XYZ, vectors to runway 23"
 
Man... this was very difficult, and frankly (I'm going to say it) aggravating to listen to. This pilot was unprepared to handle anything outside of crystal clear VFR in the pattern. That's a pretty big trip he had planned, for a 200 hr pilot at least, and seems like he did zero contingency, preflight weather, or any kind of planning to handle flying that day. Plus, even the older Cirrus had decent autopilot systems that should have helped him not get that far behind the plane "I didn't realize how fast I was going, I just flew over your airport" JFC. I'm not going to do more arm chair quarterbacking on what he should have done or done differently.. everyone has a bad day flying, and some have (sadly) a catastrophic day of flying; but pilots like this don't help the perception of GA.

I strongly stick to my notion that anyone who is serious about doing cross country flying, and trying to stick to some kind of schedule, should get their instrument.
 
And why he ended up in a descending spiral turn breaks my heart. You have an autopilot, and a parachute. USE IT.
 
Gosh was this guy in over his head! He didn't even know how to talk on the radio
 
MtnMarcus said:
Gosh was this guy in over his head! He didn't even know how to talk on the radio
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Think him being over his head, and him starting to see where this was heading didn't help his radio work.
 
I’m not seeing anything in here that indicates a lack of SVFR clearance contributed to this accident...he was given instruction to land, and chose not to accept it. He was given vectors toward better weather, and he chose not to accept it. Like @Zeldman said, it’s hard to help somebody that doesn’t want it.
 
I give the supe or whoever broke in on the initial comms a little credit. The first controller was "The field is IFR, what are your intentions?" which I guess is the standard answer but the second voice clearly realizes the guy is in trouble and best to just get him down.

DPA: Do you have the field in sight?
3CD: Cirrus SR-20.

The controller is probably thinking, just pop the chute and get it over with at that point.
 
I remember this one from the AOPA video. Pilot was more concerned about not being able to depart after landing than he was about actually safely landing in the first place. I think AOPA did a better job of analyzing what went wrong than Rick Durden did.
 
I watched this one again last night, my second time I think. Very painful. Yes, the pilot was more afraid of getting stuck in Illinois than of losing control of the plane when he was already task-saturated. Poor ADM and a sad, sad outcome. :(
 
I never had much remorse for people with more money than brains.
Bribing one's way into a license is not a good way to ensure survival.
(heck, go take a CHL class; when you see who passes the very very low bar, you won't sleep for a few nights)
 
Yeah, popping a chute 200' AGL and at a 70 degree bank angle isn't going to help much. So many opportunities to do something smarter were wasted. Sad.
 
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