WSJ article readers followup

MIDDLE SEAT MAILBOX
By SCOTT MCCARTNEY

Understanding Why People Fly
Readers Hope the Death of Cory Lidle
Won't Feed Hysteria About Small Planes
October 20, 2006

The public has intense fascination with plane crashes, and little
understanding of aviation. So this week's Middle Seat column tried to
bring some context to a tragic event -- the crash of a small plane
carrying a New York Yankees pitcher into a Manhattan high-rise.

I received hundreds of emails from readers, the overwhelming majority
appreciative of my attempt to explain why people fly, and where mistakes
too often get made. For that, I'm very appreciative because I'm not
someone who likes to write about himself. But given the confusion and
hysteria surrounding the Cory Lidle crash, I thought it was appropriate
to take a personal stab at explanation. (As always, letters have been
edited.)

Hank Jonas: "I have more than 6,000 hours in planes -- single-engine,
multi-engine, commercial and instrument. If you have enough time in
aircraft, you will at some point get into a situation that you should
not be in. But hopefully you recognize it before it kills you. Enjoy
your Cirrus: It's a great aircraft. Just know its limits, but more
importantly know yours."

Ken Lanham: "It's sad to see two young men die in such an avoidable
accident, but it's too bad that this event will be singled out of all
the untimely deaths on that day to be used as justification for the
'something's gotta be done about these small planes' pundits and
politicians who will draw the wrong conclusions, possibly leading to the
wrong legislation. Your clear, correct and concise statement of the
facts will go a long way to set the record straight."

Mary-Catherine Fields: "There are so many different factors involved in
private airplane crashes. And you are correct; we may never know what
happened. But I think that every private pilot who reads your article
will have to ask themselves if they have taken a chance and just been
lucky. As the daughter of a retired airline pilot, I cannot tell you how
many times I have heard, 'There are old pilots, and there are bold
pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots.' I think he was just trying
to keep me safe, and so far it has worked. Thank you for making us all
take a moment and think."

Dan Downs: "Thank you for the very honest article. It's amazing how many
people ask me 'What happened?' after any aviation event because they
know I'm a pilot. My answer is the same as yours: 'I don't know, but I
can't think of anything but pilot error.' More significantly, you
stressed the positives of general aviation and presented the perspective
that ultimately the pilot is responsible, not the regulators."

But not everyone was in agreement.

Rob McMillen: "I wish you'd emphasized more that the majority of private
pilots are very safe and careful. The focus of your article reinforces
the views of the uninformed who want to believe every private pilot is
an amateur daredevil. My fear is that the uninformed will use articles
like this to press for more governmental restrictions that will further
increase the expense of private flying and reduce the opportunities for
new pilots. It is already becoming the hobby of the wealthy and the
current furor will likely contribute to making it more so."

And the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association -- the lobbying group for
all those private pilots who thanked me for writing the article -- sent
the Journal a letter of complaint.

My story said there have been 21 fatal accidents in Cirrus airplanes
since deliveries began in 1999. We mentioned the SR20 model because
that's what Mr. Lidle flew. There is also an SR22 model -- same
airplane, instruments, cockpit, cabin-size, parachute, etc. The SR22 has
a bigger engine and slightly longer wings. For most readers, and in
regards to the safety issue itself, there's no need to distinguish
between the two models in terms of fatal accidents. I didn't (though
perhaps I should have for technically inclined readers), but the issue
is Cirrus airplanes, not SR20s vs. SR22s. In terms of safety, it's the
same airplane, same issues.

Bruce Landsberg, the head of AOPA's Air Safety Foundation, wrote the
following: "Mr. McCartney writes that there were 21 fatal accidents in
Cirrus SR20 aircraft since 1999. However, the AOPA Air Safety
Foundation's database shows only eight. One accident per year doesn't
seem to show a systemic flaw with either the aircraft or the pilots who
fly it."

To clarify, there have been eight SR20 fatal accidents and 13 SR22 fatal
accidents, for a total of 21 fatal Cirrus accidents. For AOPA to suggest
that there have been only eight fatal Cirrus accidents is misleading and
obfuscates the issue. There have been too many Cirrus accidents -- one
accident is too many, and there have been lots. Better that we
acknowledge that and find the causes and work hard to prevent future
accidents.

That is, after all, why we look so closely at accidents and try to
quickly figure out what happened. One reader criticized my speculation
in the article about what happened to Mr. Lidle and his flight
instructor.

Alan R. Abbott: "I do not understand the need to speculate on the
possibility of human error with grieving families in your audience. The
litany of pilot error issues you list with 'financially successful
people feeling invincible' followed by 'Cory Lidle may prove no
different' is really inappropriate. To further suggest that 'they might
have just jumped in the plane and headed out for some fun' is likewise
irresponsible. And then the coup de grace is where you guess that they
'lost control of the plane, or they never looked out the left-side
windows'. Why guess? Why not wait for the FAA to do its job and then
write your column? What if the cause of the crash turns out to be a
catastrophic mechanical failure?"

But we do know a lot about what happened, and investigators do give us
early information: The propeller was turning at the time of the crash;
the engine was likely running. There's no indication of any mechanical
problem, and there was no distress call. The plane was intact until
hitting the building. So we know that they flew the plane into the
building -- their actions put them in a place they shouldn't have been.

Several readers and pilots suggested that the wind may have played a
role in the accident.

Richard A. Sporn: "An easterly wind combined with a westerly turn could
have easily guided the Cirrus into the building rather quickly. If an
easterly wind were present, a turn to the east would have easily kept
the plane over the East River without violating airspace rules. Until
the NTSB report is issued, that's my best guess."

The wind at La Guardia Airport, only a few miles away, was reported at
13 knots out of the east around the time of the accident. That's not a
tremendously strong wind, but certainly worth taking into account. I
agree a turn downwind made the situation worse for the two pilots in the
plane. The problem really comes from a lack of forethought -- in tight
quarters, a turn into the wind has a smaller radius than a turn with the
wind. A right-hand turn into the wind was a far better choice for that
airplane.

The most rewarding stories, of course, are those that make a difference
in people's lives. Some letters I received really warmed my heart.

Janice Place: "My 29-year-old son-in-law recently earned his pilot's
license. Since then, he has flown for several hours almost every
weekend. I would say that he has about 75 flying hours so far. This
weekend, he planned to rent a plane and fly himself and my daughter from
the Manhattan area, where they reside, to Rhode Island where we live. My
husband and I were worried sick about this."

Last weekend, Ms. Place said, the son-in-law decided he was not yet
completely comfortable flying by himself to T.F. Greene Airport outside
Providence. Instead, he plans to take the train with his daughter, and
take a lesson in Providence with an instructor so he'll be more familiar
with the area.

"My daughter sent me your article today," she writes. "Perhaps your
article also helped convince them that a new pilot needs to be a little
more patient before he takes the chance of biting off more than he can
chew! Thank you for your insights about private piloting. I am thrilled
that our son-in-law has had the courage to see his dreams of flying come
true. I look forward to the days when they can get to us in R.I. in
under one hour, rather than fighting hours of dense traffic on the
highway. I just want to know that he is doing all he can to keep himself
and others safe."

Have a question about air travel or the airline industry? Write to me at

john smith wrote:
MIDDLE SEAT MAILBOX
By SCOTT MCCARTNEY

Understanding Why People Fly
Readers Hope the Death of Cory Lidle
Won't Feed Hysteria About Small Planes
October 20, 2006


I thought this was well written and on the mark. I've always felt that there
but for the grace of God, go I when I read about newbies getting hurt or killed.
I was just luckier than them as were most of us.

God grants a special dispensation to the young, stupid and/ or inexperienced.
We hope that we get past that point but sometimes we don't and lightning
strikes. That's how we sometimes lose good people.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com