Twenty-five years ago, a Seattle-area pilot tried to do his mother a favor. He would take her to visit a friend on the other side of the Cascades. Their route would go through the Snoqualmie Pass, which, on the day of the trip, was unfortunately beset by fog and low-lying clouds. The pilot was instrument-rated, […]
One takeaway from this tragedy: Altitude is the best defense.
Pilots are endowed with the right to take risks.
When an accident’s cause is not easily found.
When their equipment doesn’t work, pilots need to work a little harder.
The accident report highlights the culture of omertà among professional pilots that keeps them from blowing the whistle on incompetent or unsafe colleagues.
In December 1996, a pilot and his companion checked out a Beech T-34 Mentor from the flying club at the Memphis Naval Air Station in Millington, Tennessee. They departed at about 4:15 in the afternoon on a 300-nautical-mile trip to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. By the time they approached the Gulf Coast, it was dark. […]
A questionable takeoff in fog by the pilot of a Cessna 340 ends in tragedy.
They aren’t the only ones who have been led astray by incorrect expectations in IMC.
Get the latest stories & special offers delivered directly to your inbox.
SUBSCRIBE
