Accident Case Study: Hazardous Attitudes

It’s an overcast afternoon on February 3, 2019, when the pilot of a Cessna 414 Chancellor departs Fullerton Municipal Airport in California. He plans to fly VFR to Minden, Nevada, 320 nautical miles to the north.

Join the AOPA Air Safety Institute as we follow the flight that four minutes after departure encounters instrument meteorological conditions - weather air traffic control had warned the pilot about. Within another two minutes things turn from bad to ugly, in microburst conditions, turbulence, and rain showers. Learn how hazardous attitudes can betray pilots who don’t heed warnings.

[JulianAlpsNews]

I love the narrator's tone.

Thank you for these masterfully produced videos!

[AndiKravljaca]

Every time I fly, I imagine this voice narrating the decisions I made leading up to a disaster. And I try to make decisions which a video like this can't question. It's a pretty sobering realization, that you're just a couple of bad decisions away having your personality deconstructed by a video such as this one. I applaud this channel for making us all safer.

[JWALL_]

My instructor told me today “our rules are written in blood” a very ominous yet true statement

[SoItGoes]

Netflix pick this up as a series! And pay these guys big bucks. I need it more often than one every 7 month.

[danevannett]

The pilot was Antonio Pastini 75 yrs. Old and had been on the FAA radar for sometime for dangerous flying. He went under an alias to continue flying he had also been fraudulently passing himself off as a retired police officer complete with a stolen Chicago police officers badge he had many financial indescretions in the form of restaurant businesses and was also affiliated with Dennis Hof the brothel owner and was his go to pilot. At the time of the accident it was found that he had drugs in his system I don't recall if they were in the therapeutic range or above but the combination of his skills or lack thereof his unprofessional mindset as a pilot and the drugs in his system added up to a tragic outcome absolutely gut wrenching.
This guy was a real piece of work.
RIP to the innocent victims and their families.

[gratt]

As a low time VFR pilot videos like this helped me to avoid a flight into IMC. My wife and daughter were with me as the weather started to change. For a split second I thought I saw an area that was clear, but remembered other pilots who made the same mistake. Thank you so much for these videos! Always sorry that most result in a loss of life; I believe countless are saved.

[fernandopratesi]

"Perhaps the pilot was taking risks he had successfully taken before.." that stuck with me. Dangerous habits can be insidious, or not always blatant. We'll never know how many times he had blown into IMC without a clearance, I doubt this was the first time, just the one that bit him. Thanks for this, so much sobering learning

[PAWILLIA]

In Memory of the 4 who had absolutely nothing to do with the Pilot’s arrogant decision making. May they Rest In Peace.

[Juliet_Whiskey]

Considering how rare rain is in the Los Angeles basin, I wonder if some local pilots underestimate the severity of weather.

[madmikemackas]

The quality of these videos and the narration are unmatched. Truly the best aviation accident explanations and demonstrations. I’m always excited to see a new one but it’s unfortunate when you think of the reasons for the material. However, I do believe these are only going to help aviators, amateur pilots, and even weathered professionals learn very important lessons! Thank you for the content and keep them coming. Perfectly executed 💯

[ajmomoho]

Going VFR in those conditions in a pressurized twin makes no sense to me.
Horrible that 4 people on the ground died due to this negligence.

[neskyz]

The ASI can’t produce these videos fast enough if you ask me. I’ve watched them over and over and try to glean another “pearl of wisdom” each time.

[philiporourke]

The death music they use in some of these vids is eerie. But helps to get the point across.

[svenfreitag]

As usual, these case visualizations are a great source of insights; the professional narration is a treat in itself. Thank you!

[joelleerickson]

Another excellent ASI case study. Please keep these coming and produce more! They are invaluable teaching tools to all pilots.

[justinpro]

It hits so much deeper when there is real footage of the crash...
Another great video, thank you!

[TheEclectic]

These are the only videos on youtube that I put bell notifications on for. I wish we could get one every week, but I can tell from the production value how much work goes into every one.

[peterbland]

Astounding how quickly things went awry.

[doesntmatter]

This reminds me of what my grandfather told me many time growing up.
*If you must say " I'm sorry" It is ALWAYS to late"*

[richardlee]

I live less than 2 miles North of the crash site in YLinda. The sound of the impact was booming. we looked South and saw the smoke afterwards with sirens all around us. I hope GA pilots learn from this pilot's reckless pattern of behavior. RIP to the pilot and those who died on the ground.