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Final Landing
Did anyone else read Peter Garrison's article about pilot suicides in this
month's "Flying" mag? It really makes you wonder if some of those "inexplicable" accidents we talk about here -- you know, the ones where the normally safe and solid pilot flies off into horrible weather, or flies a plane with a known mechanical problem -- aren't really suicides? I found the conversations with ATC to be especially chilling... -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
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Jay,
I worked with a guy some years ago who did accident investigation and who said to me that he felt that over 10% of g.a. accidents were suicides (that seemed a bit high to me). Interestingly, there have only been two inflight breakups of Cessna 150s in history. One was in the '70s when I worked part time flying freight at Willow Run airport. A guy who had been turned down for a job flying DC-6s rented a 150, climbed to 10,000 feet over Willow Run while talking with controllers and telling them to clear everyone out of the area. He then dove vertically at the west ramp (in front of what was then the tower). The airplane started shedding parts at about 500 feet AGL. Two days later I had a trip and went into one of the large hangars (the old B-24 final assembly hangars - it's a fascinating airport) to preflight the airplane I was to fly. The accident investigation had been done and the wreckage was piled in a corner near the 402 I was to fly, so I took a moment to look at the wreckage. Everything was badly mangled. The thing that got my attention was that the engine evidently impacted straight down at extremely high speed as all of the cylinders were bent forward about 30 degrees. Sad events, when someone commits suicide with an airplane - and incidentally hurts all of the rest of us by driving up the accident rate and perceived level of safety. Worked on one many years ago where a young man had a serious alcohol problem and his marriage was breaking up, wife having filed for divorce. He was a private pilot. One afternoon he showed up at a local FBO seeking to rent an airplane. The receptionist could tell he was drunk, so she told him, correctly, that he had to have a checkout with an instructor to rent their airplanes. She then said the schedule was full for that day and the next, but she'd put him down for the third day. He declined and staggered out. Apparently badly depressed, he continued drinking and took some downers, then after dark, called his best friend from a pay phone and said he was drinking and taking downers because his life was in ruin and that he was going to go steal an airplane and commit suicide. Evidence observed later was that he broke into the same FBO, took the keys to a 152 and flew it about 5 miles to where it was found having impacted the bank of a canal in a nearly vertical attitude. The young man's body was inside. Interestingly, the grieving widow did find an attorney who filed a lawsuit alleging the altimeter "had to have been defective, otherwise he would have seen he was close to the ground and wouldn't have crashed". It went away as soon as the attorney was shown the blood-alcohol level of the pilot and learned of the phone call made to the best friend. There was another where an aircraft broker was supposed to be in one city closing a deal on the sale of some used airplanes, for which a very large sum of money had been entrusted to him to hold as a deposit. At the moment he was to be at the meeting, he was impacting the ground in a steep dive some 500 miles away, going in the opposite direction, while calling to the controllers that he was having contol difficulties. Post crash, the deposit money he was supposedly holding (and which was to be transferred at the closing) could not be found, but he had sent a letter to a friend asking him to look after his family if something should happen to him. That one certainly appeared to be a suicide, but made me wonder how many are planned so as to cover up the fact they are suicides. The other ones that puzzle me are pilots who get into minor emergencies (is that an oxymoron? g) and then do nothing, either freeze up or decide their time has come and just sit and watch. I don't know how many accidents of twin engine airplanes I've looked at where the pilot lost one engine but did absolutely nothing about securing and feathering the dead engine (or sometimes even retracting the gear). The prop control was found in the cruise or max high rpm setting after the crash, rather than having been pulled into the feather position. Sad subject for the first nice weather morning we've had in a while. Warmest regards, Rick |
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I wondered the same thing. I'm thinking that some are "borderline" suicidal
meaning that they don't care anymore but are not ready to kill themselves outright. Instead of a suicidal attitude, they have a "come-what-may" attitude and neglect to take normal precautions. Pretty impossible to prove in an accident. Marco Leon "Jay Honeck" wrote in message news:S18Id.20072$EG1.12888@attbi_s53... Did anyone else read Peter Garrison's article about pilot suicides in this month's "Flying" mag? It really makes you wonder if some of those "inexplicable" accidents we talk about here -- you know, the ones where the normally safe and solid pilot flies off into horrible weather, or flies a plane with a known mechanical problem -- aren't really suicides? I found the conversations with ATC to be especially chilling... -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
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) wrote:
Sad subject for the first nice weather morning we've had in a while. Your's is an interesting post. Thanks for taking the time to post it. -- Peter |
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"Jay Honeck" wrote:
Did anyone else read Peter Garrison's article about pilot suicides in this month's "Flying" mag? It really makes you wonder if some of those "inexplicable" accidents we talk about here -- you know, the ones where the normally safe and solid pilot flies off into horrible weather, or flies a plane with a known mechanical problem -- aren't really suicides? Haven't seen it, but that possibility goes through your mind, hearing of some accidents. A few days ago, a new private pilot near the end of the runway at an uncontrolled airport got out of his airplane with the engine running and walked into the propeller. No explanation has been determined (and maybe never will be), and perhaps it was something like removing chocks ... but you do wonder ... |
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On Fri, 21 Jan 2005 14:08:50 GMT, "Jay Honeck"
wrote: Did anyone else read Peter Garrison's article about pilot suicides in this month's "Flying" mag? Overheard at the airport restaurant: Old man: "My medical is due and if I don't pass I'm going to get in the Super Cub and fly out over the ocean until it runs out of gas.: Young Man: "No Dad NO ! ... not the Super Cub." - J.O.- |
#7
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Good one....
"John Ousterhout" wrote in message ... On Fri, 21 Jan 2005 14:08:50 GMT, "Jay Honeck" wrote: Did anyone else read Peter Garrison's article about pilot suicides in this month's "Flying" mag? Overheard at the airport restaurant: Old man: "My medical is due and if I don't pass I'm going to get in the Super Cub and fly out over the ocean until it runs out of gas.: Young Man: "No Dad NO ! ... not the Super Cub." - J.O.- |
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John,
Did you happen to read Ernie Gann's excellent novel, _Gentlemen of Adventure_? One of the main characters, when suffering from terminal cancer, sneaks out of the hospital, steals and ambulance, drives to a very small airport, takes an airplane (after writing out a check for more than it's worth and leaving it secured on the hangar floor) and flies out over the ocean until he runs out of fuel. Very moving. All the best, Rick |
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On 21 Jan 2005 08:41:12 -0800, "Michael"
wrote in .com:: I know a local pilot/owner of a C-150 (not an Aerobat) who was out teaching himself to do aerobatics. He got the plane rolled over and got stuck. Of course we know that had he simply pulled back on the yoke a bit, put in full aileron and maybe a bit of rudder, he would have rolled right side up again - not pretty, but it would work. Instead, he decide (his own words here) to "trust God and the Cessna engineers" and let go of the controls. The plane eventually righted itself. Irrational beliefs ultimately lead to irrational acts. -- Larry Dighera, |
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