Dean Wilkinson wrote:

How many pilots that you knew well on a personal level have died in
general aviation accidents?

I'm not Ron, but this is usenet. I've known one.

If your answer is other than zero, what did you say to other people
afterwards about the circumstances of their accident?

He was an experienced Bonanza pilot. He stalled a canard design with which he was
unfamiliar and tried to recover as if it were a Bonnie. That led to a secondary stall
at too low an altitude.

Did you assign any blame to them?

A little.

Might a CAPS system saved their lives?

Maybe - do they work at 600' AGL? Familiarity training would have done the trick. If
he hadn't had a gear problem and elected to return to the field on his ferry flight
home, he also might have had a opportunity to get the experience he needed.

George Patterson
This marriage is off to a shaky start. The groom just asked the band to
play "Your cheatin' heart", and the bride just requested "Don't come home
a'drinkin' with lovin' on your mind".