"Michael" wrote in message
om...

Define too many. My understanding is that accidents like the Kennedy
fiasco are relatively rare, and an instrument rating seems to make
little difference. Most night accidents are the usual stuff - botched
takeoffs and landings. Meanwhile, night flight goes on. Most pilots
I know locally have done the Houston-New Orleans run at night, and
that might as well be over water. I think the people losing control
are a tiny minority - most pilots can handle it.

April 5, 2000

The Black Hole Approach: Don't Get Sucked In!

Whether you fly a piston single or a heavy jet, a long straight-in approach
at night over featureless terrain is a well-proven prescription controlled
flight into terrain. AVweb's Linda Pendleton examines the optical illusions
involved, and offers suggestions for making sure that you don't become a
thing that goes bump in the night.

http://www.avweb.com/news/airman/182402-1.html