On 20 Apr 2005 12:15:04 -0700, "John Clonts"
wrote:

Perhaps the kind of service performed is a clue. What if he had been
having
trouble with the HSI, for instance?


Pretty hard to imagine how a faulty HSI would cause loss of control--
even in inadvertent IMC....

You don't fly IFR do you? :-))
An AI, or HSI usually fails slowly. It just slowly rolls over to one
side or the other. If the pilot doesn't have a good scan technique he
just rolls with it.

I've flown that area and had the weather get really hazy just before
dark. Still VMC, but enough to start relying on the gauges.
I've also gotten caught down there when the visability went for good
to nil in a very short time. It wasn't real problem, but if you aren't
prepared it can scare you and getting disoriented is a strong likely
hood.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com