Flying back to SLC from LAX this morning, just before we started our descent we could hear several airplanes talking on Guard (121.5) about a mid-air over Landmark, Idaho just east of McCall. Anyone heard anything else?

That doesn't sound good.

Hopefully it doesn't turn out to be more fodder for the media's assault on Aviation in the Idaho wilderness.

Not good! There are a lot of BCP members flying around Idaho now!

aktahoe1 wrote:Not good! There are a lot of BCP members flying around Idaho now!

i thought that myself

Prayers and condolences....

Hate to hear this! That area always puts me on edge. I've seen more planes near me there than I think anywhere else in the backcountry. Had a twin a few years ago zoom 500' under me a few years ago. No calls or anything.

Condolences and I hope no BCPers were involved.

Sad news, always a congested area in the mornings with those coming and going for breakfast at Sulpher. God be with all.

Updated

http://www.kboi2.com/news/local/Cascade-Landmark-Airstripe-Idaho-Planes-Crash-266064291.html?mobile=y

Tragic. Earlier report suggested a Citabria and a Cessna involved. The pilot referenced in the update owns a yellow and black 7GCBC, and is a very experienced backcountry pilot. All eyes out there and don't be shy about a radio call. We have a common bc freq or is it strip by strip?

Picture on the news update shows the yellow/black Citabria. Prop and left wing damage, and not parked on a runway or anything, just left where it came to a stop, which looks more like a meadow. Tap "view the photo gallery" on the news link.

Very unfortunate.

Karmutzen wrote:We have a common bc freq or is it strip by strip?

122.9 is published as the CTAF for nearly all of the charted strips. It is always tuned in on my standby in the Idaho BC, and my COM1 if landing or taking off. I must admit I am guilty of not always making a call, but I am very vigilant about scanning for traffic.

Karmutzen wrote:Tragic. Earlier report suggested a Citabria and a Cessna involved. The pilot referenced in the update owns a yellow and black 7GCBC, and is a very experienced backcountry pilot. All eyes out there and don't be shy about a radio call. We have a common bc freq or is it strip by strip?

Picture on the news update shows the yellow/black Citabria. Prop and left wing damage, and not parked on a runway or anything, just left where it came to a stop.

The article referenced the surviving pilot as Amy Hoover - I'm guessing it was THIS Amy Hoover?
http://www.cwu.edu/aviation/dr-amy-hoover

delete -- someone already noted what I posted above.

Sucks they hit, but a good job on getting that bent bird on the ground. We have areas here that I avoid and I keep my head on a swivel as well as stay on the radio giving position reports... but half the time the other planes flying around are not on frequency or are not radio equipt. I put a couple Vision X Extreme lights on my gear with a wig wag controller to try and help make my Avid a bit more visible. Sometimes that extra 2 seconds of being spotted are all it take to avoid a collision like this.

Condolences to the family of the one who flew west...

It would be nice if pilots would recognize the benefit of position reports and give them.
I think giving a position reports around 5 miles out when approaching an airstrip, and having atleast a landing light on all the time are good habits and should be encouraged.
Gary

I'm guessing it was THIS Amy Hoover?

Yep. She's OK.

shortfielder wrote:It would be nice if pilots would recognize the benefit of position reports and give them.
I think giving a position reports around 5 miles out when approaching an airstrip, and having atleast a landing light on all the time are good habits and should be encouraged.
Gary

I was up there once and a lot of I am sure local pilots were giving position reports like "this is November Whisky Tango Fox Trot over cat hair ball creek at 8500" If you are not flying a lot up there you have no idea where that is. I asked and some dildo told me to stay away unless I was familiar with the area.

I was once in a canyon (pretty high on the right side) and was giving a position reports to the best of my ability. I was overtaking another plane so I slowed down to stay safe. I could tell its color and that it was a Cessna. I followed it for about 15 miles all the while trying to make radio contact on every frequency I could think of. Never did make contact.

Another time I heard a position report and some guy piped in with "hey is that you Frank" then "yeah who is this" then "it is Jimmy, how is your fat wife" then "oh fat as ever" Was not the exact transmission but they shot the breeze for way too long on 122.9. Hard to report position on a frequency that is used up with shoot the bull stuff.

Sorry for the loss of a pilot, maybe a father or grandfather. Sorry for the rant.

Tim

Ye, I here a lot of folks jabberin away on an active freq, like 122.8 or .9. Not what they were designed for.

I would guess less than 1 in 10 will give position reports ijn route, with the exception of when they are getting ready to land or take off. Although I can see the importance of that, I think it could be argued that it may be even more important while in route. Possably two moving targets at higher speeds.

My 2 biggest fears are wires/towers, and a midair. I sometimes have trouble keeping track of a plane that I am flying with kf he gets more than a mile away. I feel they are difficult enough to see when you know there is someone there and have a general idea where they are. I see no harm in short position report, and definite advantages.

I had a good friend have a midair a couple years ago, and he is a very good pilot. Thankfuly, he was lucky enough to walk away.
Gary

shortfielder wrote:It would be nice if pilots would recognize the benefit of position reports and give them.
I think giving a position reports around 5 miles out when approaching an airstrip, and having atleast a landing light on all the time are good habits and should be encouraged.
Gary

X2

So sorry for the loss of life, and thankful that one of the aviators was able to make it to the ground relatively safely.

As has been mentioned, position reports are important, but there is no way this alone will keep the sky's safe in the Idaho backcountry. Even though I have flown the area a lot, I still am not as clear on my position reports as I could be, and there is always someone in the sky who is in the mountains for the first time and has no idea what position was just called out, even if it is a known airstrip. So, position reports help, but we all have to keep good scans up, all the time.

We were coming back from Socal to Oregon in the Bonanza yesterday, 10.5, flight follow the whole way. Probably one of the busiest flying weekends of the year, and we had very little traffic conflict all the way up the state of California. Then, as we are in the mountains of Northern Ca, the place where I would least expect traffic, the controller calls out head on traffic at ten miles, two hundred feet above us. The Bonanza has great visibility, especially for traffic above, but we didn't spot the traffic. So I make a course change and descend. Controller starts getting anxious as the traffic is closing fast, and we eventually pass with less than 1 mile separation......., and my wife and I never saw them.

The sky is a big place, but airplanes still run into each other. We have to always be looking, always, and even then, this can fail.