The pilot, 65, had 33,000 hours. He had retired six years earlier as a 777 captain after a 36-year career in airline flying. He was a CFI-I and ATP with ratings in a slew of Boeing and Lockheed types, and was an air-frame and power-plant mechanic to boot.
Aftermath: Scud Run
Key Takeaways:
- A highly experienced pilot with over 33,000 hours crashed his aircraft while attempting a visual flight rules (VFR) flight in deteriorating weather, despite being instrument-rated and current.
- The pilot initially made a cautious decision to land short due to poor weather, but then chose to depart VFR the next morning into marginal conditions, only requesting an IFR clearance after encountering trouble.
- The accident illustrates the "decision sub n" phenomenon, where a pilot makes a series of small, incremental decisions in progressively worsening conditions, leading to a gradual acceptance of increasing risk until a critical point is reached.
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