It doesn’t look good. For example:
The ferry pilot had a valid third-class medical certificate without restrictions issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). A third-class medical certificate is designed for student pilots, recreational pilots and private pilots. A second-class medical certificate is required to exercise the privileges of a commercial pilot certificate.
The ferry pilot knew the hill existed and had planned to fly around it or over the top if visual reference was lost. However, that plan was not executed and impact occurred without warning.
Peter wrote:
Be careful. Just because one (largely unmoderated, unless something really blows up) site posts something doesn’t mean that a person (who is alive) can’t sue. Does the poster there have access to SR’s bank account? I don’t think so…
Also somebody can be a 61.75 holder and fly on an EASA medical.
Think he will be focussed on his own lawsuit defence now….
SV and TAWS equipped, but not displayed at the time of the crash.
What a terrible waste.
Yes, this is what annoyed me at the time of the crash. A paid ferry pilot who didn’t know how to fly that route. And as the report shows, didn’t know the aircraft systems. And wasn’t even legal to fly the aircraft on a commercial basis.
Point A to Point B …. draw a line on the map …. and (if you choose to fly that low) look at the minimum enroute altitude …. it ain’t exactly rocket science
I cannot get my head around the decision making here. You decide to fly below the highest elevation figure on your route (!!) in whiteout conditions, know there’s a hill in front of you, have TAWS and SV but don’t switch it on….. seriously? This has nothing to do with the legalities (second class medical, etc), this is just appallingly poor airmanship.
And then had the gall to blame the dead pilot ie he was flying and I was on my laptop…..
This doesn’t read well for the ferry pilot. The aircraft seems to have been a great bit of kit and very capable, yet the safety advantages it has didn’t seem to be used.
I must admit I would have expected better of a ferry pilot, especially up in that area.
Just spotted this thread.
I don’t want to be drawn into a long discussion, but suffice to say that there is much more to this than what is in the report.
I agree that it was an entirely avoidable accident, an entirely avoidable tragedy.
My thanks again to the SAR teams whose efforts gave us both the best possible chance of survival.
Sam, obviously a terrible tragedy and glad you survived.
But given the report, and your commercial work in aviation I don’t think it is enough to leave it at that with a “there is more to it” comment.
Either there is material information or there isn’t. If there was, why wasn’t it in the report and what is it?
