'Talk to Me Goose'

A pilot flies through an incident with grief on his shoulders.

Mariano Pernogotti

Thursday, November 24, 2022 at 02:23 PM ET

Verified

[Credit: Joel Kimmel]

Key Takeaways:

A pilot, deeply grieving his father's recent death, encountered an inflight emergency with his aircraft experiencing oil fumes and severe engine vibrations.
His intense sorrow and distraction led him to initially dismiss critical warning signs, such as the smell of oil, until the engine problems became undeniable.
Despite the escalating mechanical failure (a disintegrated engine compression ring), he successfully diverted and landed the plane safely at St. Simons Island.
The incident served as a crucial lesson, demonstrating that intense grief can profoundly impair a pilot's judgment and ability to recognize safety cues, much like a physical illness.

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It was the first thing that ran through my mind: “Talk to me, Goose.” But this wasn’t the Hollywood thriller I grew up with—Top Gun—this was a real-life tragedy. I’d just lost my father, and now I had an inflight emergency involving oil fumes in the cockpit and a vibrating engine.

As we taxied out that morning, the tears started down my cheek. With a shaky voice, I asked for—and read back—my clearance. By the time the Piper Arrow reached rotation speed and lifted off the runway, my sobbing convulsions broke squelch and the tears in my eyes made it difficult for me to see. This was my departure from Leesburg International Airport (KLEE) in Florida after spending the last week of my father’s life by his side in the hospital and then in hospice.