"Philip Sondericker" wrote in message
...
in article , C J Campbell at
wrote on 7/9/04 9:54 PM:


All the stories are fiction, though some of them are kind of fun to
read.
The only place you will find where he admits that the book is entirely
fiction is an oblique mention of it in the introduction. You will not
find
any of the incidents in the NTSB database.

I'm glad somebody else noticed this. I felt distinctly ripped off after I
brought the book home and discovered halfway through the introduction that
it was a work of fiction. Why the subterfuge? Frankly, I found it to be
false advertising.


There is a real incident where a hunter shot himself down. It may not be as
funny as the story of the drunken hunters, but at least this one really
happened:

NTSB Identification: SEA02LA058.
The docket is stored in the Docket Management System (DMS). Please contact
Public Inquiries
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, March 25, 2002 in Fort Peck, MT
Probable Cause Approval Date: 9/9/2002
Aircraft: Piper PA-18-150, registration: N22EV
Injuries: 2 Serious.
The pilot was conducting a predator (coyote) control flight over private
rangeland. During the flight, at a reported altitude of approximately 40
feet above ground level (AGL), the passenger inadvertently discharged a
semiautomatic 12-gauge shotgun. The pilot, who was seated in the forward
seat, reported that the gun fired 3-4 times, striking the right wing, fuel
tank and aileron assembly. He reported that the damage resulted in a loss of
aileron and elevator control. The airplane entered a descending turn to the
right and subsequently impacted terrain in a nose-low attitude. The pilot
reported the aircraft was on fire upon touchdown and continued to burn after
the impact. The pilot reported that there were no preexisting mechanical
malfunctions or failures that contributed to the accident.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of
this accident as follows:

The pilot's inability to maintain aircraft control and foreign object damage
to the aileron and wing. The restricted movement of the flight controls was
a factor.