Losing an old friend

Some of you may remember my first airplane, N9636B. It was a 172RG and
I had many hours in it. I frequently talked here about my experiences
with it.

I was curious as to what it was doing now and did a search on the
plane. To my shock, I learned that it crashed near Catalina Island on
September 5, killing two ATP rated pilots, one of them an FAA Aviation
Safety Inspector flying his EBC requirements and the other an examiner.
Very experienced guys, I would guess.

The accident report is he
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?e...09X01430&key=1

N9636B was a good airplane, except for the perennial problems I had
with the gear until I replaced the hydraulic pack. After that it flew
flawlessly. I understand that the people who bought it from me had used
it as a trainer and that it had suffered a gear up landing that
required a complete engine teardown and overhaul.

Well, now I suppose I will always wonder what happened to the plane. :-(