View Single Post
  #4  
Old February 14th 14, 05:51 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 278
Default Five months in jail (and PTSD) - pilot found criminally negligentfor not following a preflight checklist

Happened right down the valley from where I fly. We share the airfield with an unrelated hang glider winch launch operation so we talked a lot about the incident. Something similar happened with a hot air balloon ride operator a few years back. The balloon operator got a heavier sentence because he seemed to be systematically reckless. The hang glider pilot screwed up and made one big mistake. The sentence seems about right, maybe a bit lighter than I would have expected. I actually thought he might get a bit more time because it's said he swallowed a memory card after the accident which could be considered an attempt to conceal/destroy evidence.