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Pilots you knew who are no longer with us, and what did you learn from the reports?

So far (and I’m reluctant to say or even think this) this only pilot I know who has died in an aviation-related accident is my former helicopter instructor, a fantastic guy, full of energy and enthusiasm, ATP-H among many other things. He was doing his ASES (seaplane rating) at an airport in the mountains near here. He’d finished for the day, and was pulling out of the airfield in his car when he was T-boned by a truck. Dead on the spot.

As it happens the helicopter we used had just been sold, so I wasn’t trying to fly with him. I only found out about it because I got into a friendly argument with another instructor about the relative danger of driving and private flying.

LFMD, France

At the time, I hadn’t realized that PG had gone south so soon after his Greece trip report, which I rate as one of best ever written on here.
There’s the reason he never posted any more similar reports after that.

Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

I was very surprised. I had lots of emails with him, and many of us met him and his wife at the Carcassonne fly-in. Afterwards I tried to get in contact but got no reply so assumed he perhaps got out of GA (the main reason people “drop out”). Only very recently I heard of his crash, which (on the AAIB report) remains bizzare and really totally unexplained.

Yes that was a really excellent trip report.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Personally I find this thread quite moving and interesting at the same time… as well as sobering. Yet, it is also a chance to remember the people we knew and lost.

Since my first post, I had to add some more people to the somber list… I knew both JU Air Pilots by sight, the commander of the TB10 at Hergiswil was well known in the scene as well. Since then, the pilot who survived two mid air collisions has since passed away from cancer…

What did I learn? Well, the TB10 thread is still live here. We don’t know yet what to learn from the Ju Air Crash but the lesson is likely to be sombering to the effect that once again two pilots who many believed beyond this kind failed to bring their plane and passengers home.

LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

This is the accident report on PG’s catastrophic flight: HK36_TC_Super_Dimona_G_FMKA_12_18_pdf

I’m completely puzzled about this one. I have many hours on the Super Dimona. With its large wings and forgiving flight characteristics its virtually impossible to get into a loss of control situation.

Looks to me like the height was not adequate for TMG/SEP revaliadation?
Assuming they covered slow flight/stalls/wingdrops that is probably not adequate (especially with someone you don’t know personally)

But I am really puzzled by this one, HK36 just flies, does not bite and lands anywhere
Prop left featherd (or mags OFF) after a shutdown/restart exercise (happens with two people)

Something else? like a spiral dive from 1000ft,
HK36 is slippery maybe student used airbreaks? (wrong thing to do at 1000ft agl)
Or just could not put wings level? (can’t see horizon nose down at 600ft agl)

RIP PG,

Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

Wow, thanks for posting the report. So, he did not hold a TMG rating and had never flown a Super Dimona before. Then jumped into the aircraft, serving as instructor and thus as PIC. Scary. One of those cases where, in theory, this might come back on his family. Anyone know if there is a legal aftermath in process?

Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

The instructor being legally PIC in this case is not aligned with the reality of giving an experienced pilot a flight review in his own plane. I’ve never done a flight review in my own plane with any instructor who had ever sat in the type, and I don’t see it as a cause for concern. To me, the concerning thing is the unproven possibility that the accident was preceded by power on stalls at 1000 ft over terrain. If I were asked to do that by an instructor as part of a flight review in my plane, it would not happen.

The CAA issued a notice on that:
https://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/SafetyNotice2018007%202.pdf local copy

I think there was more to it than that, there is notional derogation to fly EASA TMGs without FCL TMG class rating (on NPPL/SMLG or SPL(S)/TMG or UK PPL) but surely it is not for instructing/examining…

https://members.gliding.co.uk/2018/03/22/update-easa-licensing-and-the-extended-opt-out-for-sailplane-pilots/

I got FE[A] who signed my SEP+TMG after 1h in SEP but I am sure it will be daft for them to do the flight in TMG without having the associated FCL class rating, in the other hand I flew with FI[S+TMG] on them and it was a big question mark how to log dual hours?

Last Edited by Ibra at 13 Feb 15:39
Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

Silvaire wrote:

To me, the concerning thing is the unproven possibility that the accident was preceded by power on stalls at 1000 ft over terrain. If I were asked to do that by an instructor as part of a flight review in my plane, it would not happen.

I did not know of the instructor until I read some of this thread. I then delved into the Greek trip report, then the accident report. A very impressive track record as a pilot, acres of experience, and yet…..comes to grief buried nose deep in a field in a TMG? I have spent a couple of hours wondering just how this could happen.

We read these things and it again appears to be regardless of experience, hours spent flying aircraft, military fast jets, commercial pilot et al, it would appear to stand for nought. A mistake, an error of judgement, ruins it all. Brings home the adage of regardless of how you fly, be more than safe by checking and keeping within known parameters. I also agree that stalls of any kind at 1000 feet, leaves little room for error, if in fact that is what caused the loss of control.

Fly safe. I want this thing to land l...
EGPF Glasgow
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