Bystanders SHOCKED Seeing Pilot's Fatal Mistake!

Bystanders witnessed this plane crash at Spirit Lake, Idaho and were left in disbelief. What fatal mistake did the pilot make?

#aviation #pilotdebrief #flying

Full details for this NTSB investigation here:

Bush Pilot Video Clip Sources:

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[benparadude]

I was the passenger on this flight, not exactly sure why the report says I received minor injuries…..I sustained a major head concussion and whiplash, 2 broken ribs, nerve damage to my foot from a puncture wound. I lost my First class medical for one year.

Mike and I did take a few minutes discussing which would be the better direction to take off. The wind socks and flags where changing directions, indicated more of a thermic condition. Mike had commented on how rough the field was on the east end of the runway when we touched down and didn’t want to put that kind of stress on the landing gear. The plane was involved in an off field landing with the gear retracted just a few months prior and this was a big concern for him.

I was concerned be fore we landed there at how much distance it took to take off out of the first airport as well, as the water takeoff. We both were under the impression that the propeller was not pitched properly for the float configuration. This conversation took place during our initial run up of the day. This was my first flight in a float plane, so I was very reluctant to go along before we left our home airport.

The sad thing is, his family is blaming me for this tragedy not to mention the insurance company failing to cover my hospital and ongoing medical treatments.

If there is one thing I learned from this, make sure you know the capabilities and history of the pilot and plane before you go flying.

I, am deeply saddened for their loss and it could have been prevented.

[Tskyguy]

" The sad thing is, his family is blaming me for this " I've been a pilot and I.A. for 32 years and I've seen the family's do this many times. They never can believe that their loved one made a mistake or may of been a bad pilot. It's always he's the greatest pilot that ever lived sort of thing. And when they can't blame another person they blame the aircraft. I'm really glad you survived it Ben.

[Paladin]

My old flight instructor always drilled into me how you can't use the runway behind you. He also insisted we takeoff into the wind from as far back as we could get the plane. Seeing this video reminded me of his sage advice.

[edadan]

I had a very similar incident about 30 years ago...shortly after receiving my PPL. I was flying with two friends to an airport in the North Georgia mountains on a very hot day. I made a full stop landing and decided to take off based on what the windsock was telling me. My direction of takeoff sent me into uphill terrain with trees beginning at the end of the runway. The stall horn was going off almost immediately, but I couldn't abort without crashing into the trees. The stall horn continued for several minutes while I was trying to gain airspeed and climb at the same time. Obviously, we made it, but it was the scariest flight of my life. Looking back, I should have taken off in the other direction. I would have had a slight tail wind but there were no trees or obstacles in my path. I never went back to the airport...didn't want to tempt fate!

[blancolirio]

Thanks for covering this and revealing the important points of the airfield owner...."local knowledge" is key at unfamiliar strips.

[gregwilson]

I think what should be mention is the the plane is on floats this changes all flight characteristics. This makes the plane much heaver with a way way more parasitic drag. you should also use the whole runway just to give yourself the best shot, especially on a float equipped plane.

[SoloRenegade]

when struggling to climb, NEVER climb any more than absolutely necessary, he could have leveled off at slightly lower altitude and skimmed the trees to let it accelerate more. let it accelerate as much as possible before attempting to climb any more than absolutely necessary, even if that means missing trees by inches.

[MrSteve]

I’ve watched your videos now Hoover for months and I think I’ve learnt more from you than I ever did at flight school, I think it’s true what they say in respect of once you have passed your PPL the learning then begins. And you have given me a massive boost in that direction in which I thank you . Respect Steve.

[jamesroets]

Density altitude is one of the old bugaboos of mountain flying. I'm surprised that during any kind of briefing, that the density altitude wasn't mentioned. That may have made all the difference. Inexcusable, in my opinion, for these two highly experienced pilots to have blown that off.

[Jumpingoffthecliff]

I did a short field take off in my Mooney and was mushing and barely climbing after leaving ground effect. There were trees at the end of the runway and I'm pretty sure I wasn't going to clear them until I lowered the nose and headed straight for the trees. It allowed me to build air speed and climb over the trees. It's a bit counter intuitive when you're not climbing to lower the nose, but you have to get decent airspeed first, THEN climb. When I watched this video I immediately wanted him to lower the nose. I'm pretty sure every pilot watching this thought the exact same thing.

[jimharrod]

Your call sign, should be "Brilliant". I appreciate how you can explain everything as you do, to even us who are not pilots. Thanks!

[mikedonohue]

As an aviation college professor and former Research Pilot for NASA I really appreciate your clips. You do good work!

[bertg.]

The addition of floats to a taildragger changed . . . Everything.

[your_royal_highness]

I was an idiot when I flew (for about four years; gave up because I did not trust my skills with 130 hours). I took off from a short grass runway in a 172. Had four passengers and I was somewhat overweight in hindsight. There was a slight crosswind and as soon as Iifted off the wind pushed me over the short fence and above a cornfield. The wheels were clackety clacking on the corn stalks. I KNEW I had no choice but to say fairly level to gain airspeed and yes there were trees off the end of field and runway. Turned out once I was going fast enough it was easy enough to clear the trees but it sure seemed it took forever to hold the plane level that low off the ground.

[tomseim]

I wonder if either of these pilots had taken a mountain flying course. I once was a member of a club that owned a Grumman Cheetah. The plane was totaled when one of the members flew it into a mountain strip, with a very heavy passenger, and she botched the landing, crashing into a building at the end of the strip. Neither were injured. After studying the accident, including all relevant aircraft and meteorological data, I concluded that that crash probably saved both of their lives as they likely would have crashed into the 75 to100-foot tall trees on departing. She had not considered density altitude or climb performance before making the flight except to say that it might be a factor. Plus, this was a gravel/grass/dirt strip and the POH doesn't have data for that, so you have to add significant safety margins. That runway was a one-way in, one-way out situation because of the surrounding terrain, meaning you will likely have tailwinds on one phase of the flight. This is a recurring theme of accidents at mountain strips and high altitude airports.

[QFWP]

Love your final comments about the benefits and detractions of taking off from both runways. A great debrief for pilots to consider.

[TheGeorgiaRover]

Sadly, this appears to be the result of very poor decision making. With 10, 000 hours under his belt, it seems that the PIC may have become the victim of complacency.

[ADD]

Nothing is a bigger waste on a takeoff than the runway you leave behind you.

[daviddelaney]

Lots of things going on here. Poor choice of runway, amphibs, density altitude, and a underpowered engine. I very rarely need all 280hp I have on tap but I am always glad it's there. I can't imagine thinking flying a plane with floats with that little engine and that high a DA into rising terrain was a good idea. Sad to lose another aviator. 😢

[jamesf]

Just want to thank you for creating these videos. You may not realize it, but you're helping a lot of pilots, myself included. I would even say that you're saving lives. By the way, has anyone ever told you that you could be Steve-O's twin brother or stunt double? ... The resemblance is amazing.