Stupid Pilot Tricks

While the self-righteous denigrate those who mess up, we shout our barbaric yawp in praise of folly.

pberge

Friday, January 10, 2025 at 10:12 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The article humorously critiques a range of aviation accidents from 2021, attributing most to significant pilot errors, poor judgment, and a disregard for safety.
Incidents detailed span helicopter mishaps like wire strikes and loss of control, to fixed-wing issues including inappropriate low-altitude maneuvers, procedural errors, and landing on unintended surfaces.
Many accidents involved pilots operating without proper certification, falsifying records, or intentionally violating regulations, culminating in a "winner" for egregious incompetence.
The overall tone suggests that "stupid never takes a holiday," highlighting the persistent human folly and preventable mistakes in aviation safety.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Once again it’s time to review 365 days and sleepless nights of merriment and angst afforded the flying community by those who think “safety first” is the initial rehab step after crashing.

Rules: Any documented goof is fair game, but we don’t shade the dead; might come back to haunt us. We lampoon 2021, the most recent year that NTSB (National Transportation Something Board) provides “completed” analysis of accidents from the year that brought us COVID, Prince Harry, and Megyn.