Dale "Snort" Snodgrass was a real-life Top Gun naval aviator, flying F-14s from carriers. [Courtesy: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum]
Key Takeaways:
The NTSB concluded that airshow legend Dale "Snort" Snodgrass's fatal crash was caused by a flight control lock that was not removed before takeoff.
The engaged control lock immobilized the aircraft's aileron and elevator controls, preventing Snodgrass from lowering the nose after an aggressive pitch-up, leading to a stall-spin.
Evidence from the crash site and security footage confirmed the control lock was active, and the NTSB stated that a pre-takeoff functional check would have detected it, preventing the accident.
The failure to remove a control lock is blamed for the crash that killed airshow legend Dale “Snort” Snodgrass in Idaho last year.
“Had the pilot completed a functional check of the controls before initiating takeoff, the presence of the lock would have been detected and the accident would have been prevented.”
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
