This upset me more than maybe it should have

Stick around aviation long enough and you will have friends who die flying, not to mention acquaintances and strangers. The great majority will be at fault for killing themselves, and sometimes their families or friends. I quit letting it bother me, except for when they take kids with them. I'll never get past that. A friend of mine became an airshow pilot, then killed himself and a 17 year old boy he was giving an aerobatic flight to.
 
Ed Haywood said:
Stick around aviation long enough and you will have friends who die flying, not to mention acquaintances and strangers. The great majority will be at fault for killing themselves, and sometimes their families or friends. I quit letting it bother me, except for when they take kids with them. I'll never get past that. A friend of mine became an airshow pilot, then killed himself and a 17 year old boy he was giving an aerobatic flight to.
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In AL by any chance?
 
Ed Haywood said:
Stick around aviation long enough and you will have friends who die flying
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FTFY.

When I was 8, one of my neighbor friends died falling off a tree. I remember the day before it happened, we were hanging out in that very same tree. At the time, I was too chicken to go very high up it, though.
 
cowtowner said:
Flew up to Illinois to a small town grass strip Christmas Eve to visit my parents.
We flew out Christmas Day because Sunday there was supposed to be some weather coming in.

There was a 172 tied down on the field and the wife and I parked next to them. They were still there when we left. This is a small town, everybody knows everybody. Straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting.

Today the airport manager called me (he and I have become friendly) to see if I had seen the guy in the 172 on Christmas Day. Told him I hadn't and he then told me the FSDO called him today.
Seems the guy didn't make it home. They were wondering what fuel he got at the airport. Manager told him that he filled up with mogas from the station in town.

Fuel starvation in IFR conditions and he wasn't rated. Killed him and his wife.

He was in this little town for the same reason I was. Visiting his parents for the holidays

The weather in the Midwest was unseasonably warm, but with that came a strong southern wind. Made it great going to Illinois, but I made two stops heading home for fuel because of the headwinds.
I don't even like letting my Cherokee get below 15 gallons. Plus I like to stretch my legs and go to the bathroom

This crash has me mad at this guy and sad for his family. I told my wife about it today and she's really upset. Listening to his ATC calls I wonder why he didn't just turn back north with the wind at his back and find fuel. Maybe it was too late by then.

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How many cars have you parked near over the years where the driver went and did something stupid and killed someone?
 
Piperonca said:
Another 17 year old pax dead:
https://www.waff.com/story/19557022/two-people-killed-in-madison-county-plane-crash/
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As an aerobatic pilot, that never fails to **** me off. Some kid trusts you, goes up for the ride of his life, and winds up dead. This one sounds impromptu, which is even worse. News story should have labeled the photos crash victim and crash perpetrator.

The emotional wreckage my friend's crash caused on both families was terrible, and lasting.
 
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