Selfies, in case you have recently emerged from solitary confinement, are those self portraits, preferably set in interesting or unusual surroundings or amid a clump of friends, that one takes with a cellphone camera, sometimes holding it on the end of a selfie stick to gain a wider field of view. They have spawned a great many cartoons, generally satirizing the implicit valuation of the solipsistic photographer’s face above the Grand Canyon or Mona Lisa. There have also been deaths and injuries, often of exotic kinds: falling into volcanoes, getting electrocuted or swept out to sea, or holding a gun in one hand and the camera in the other and getting the triggers mixed up. Falls from precarious places and encounters with moving trains seem to be among the more common mishaps.
Aftermath: Carelessness
Key Takeaways:
- An experienced pilot's 2014 crash was officially attributed by the NTSB to spatial disorientation and distraction from cellphone use, widely reported as selfie-taking.
- While the pilot was recorded taking selfies on previous flights, direct evidence of selfie-taking during the fatal, unrecorded flight segment was circumstantial.
- The accident highlights a broader lesson: social distractions, such as impressing passengers or seeking attention, can be dangerously impairing in aviation, especially during challenging conditions like night flight in Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) weather.
Key takeaways sponsored by Aviator Pro | Start Your Training ->
See a mistake? Contact us.
