In the late afternoon of October 13, 2017, a 47-year-old, 300-hour pilot with his wife in the seat beside him, was flying westward, below treetop level, over the Mississippi River alongside the town of Ramsey, Minnesota. He banked gently left to follow a bend in the river. Perhaps he was blinded by the low sun; perhaps there was no time to react. His Cessna 172, modified with a 180 hp engine and tailwheel gear, struck power lines 40 feet above the surface and plunged into the water.
The pilot took particular pleasure in low-altitude flying. Even as a student pilot he had triggered calls to the police for buzzing his house. He liked to phone his instructor, who was a personal friend, to report his latest reckless stunts. The instructor tried to persuade him to be more careful, but the pilot shrugged him off, saying, “You realize I am going to die in an aircraft one day.” Well, the instructor suggested, at least he should not take his wife or son with him.
