Fatal crash. One CFI and one Student in a C-150 that is based out of Pearson field.

http://www.kgw.com/news/local/2-dead-in ... 63295.html

Best wishes to the friends and families.

Very sad, I wonder what happened. Anyone who learned to fly at Evergreen Field might remember this plane. I got my PPL in 18677 when I was 17.

That's tough, very sad.

At an uninformed glance, it looks like they set it down upright but must have stalled pretty high and pancaked really hard. We'll never know what happened from the pilots' perspectives, only whether the engine was running or not.

.......OR.....it hit the top of a tree (photo background) and pitched over. Looks like it nosed in pretty hard and even broke it's back. No fire. Either way forced landings suck and of course condolences to the families...

Zane wrote:That's tough, very sad.

At an uninformed glance, it looks like they set it down upright but must have stalled pretty high and pancaked really hard. We'll never know what happened from the pilots' perspectives, only whether the engine was running or not.

Damn. Instructional flight. Low ceiling? Anything could have happened. Stall spin with partial recovery? This is the type that generates law suits. Double Damn! I somehow doubt an engine failure, but I have no data to base that on. Just a feeling about instruction in that neighborhood. It's tough to find good days this time of year to practice steep turns and stalls. You know? How far along was the student? If he's 17 he's maybe getting ready for the check ride? Departure stalls at low altitude. All F*&%#ng speculation.

May God's Blessings and peace flow to both families.

EB

Im a student pilot at Pearson. Todd was my instructor, Jimmy was in my flight school. He had recently soloed. Theres no way they were in a spin its nearly impossible to spin that 150 and there is no practice manuever that would bring them even close. Departure stalls are out of the question too, every time we would practice we would start no lower than 3000 feet and simulate a takeoff. Todd would never fly low because he told me he wanted as much altitude as possible in case anything went wrong. He had been flying for 26 years. The weather turned very quick, visibility dropped significantly and it was very foggy. My guess is either disorientation in the fog or a misjudged emergency landing. That 150 had bare bones equipment. There is an airport nearby maybe they thought they were above it and were trying to get out of the clouds and clipped the tree. According to the preliminary NTSB report they clipped a tall conifer tree and impacted in a nose down attitude. They never had a chance that little cessna. I started in this one and moved to the 172 because it was just too small. They may have had engine trouble even though according to the NTSB its not the case. You all know you pick your spot and you get one shot at it. He may have misjudged the distance and stalled trying to clear the trees into the field. It looks like the flaps are down in the picture and that field would have been ideal but really I think well never really know what happened.

Pearsonpilot
Sorry for your loss of a couple of Very good friends!
Be Ever Vigilant!
Go with Gusto and make sure you LEARN from this!
If you need some conversation, please PM me, been there done that with a couple of friends!
Sometimes it is just time? No other Explanation!!
GT

Thanks M6. Yeah the worse part is just not knowing what happened. I have a 3 year old son and a beautiful wife and it crossed my mind for a second to give it up but then someone said to me, "If he had died in a car accident, would you never get in a car again?" That really made sense to me.

Doesn't make it any easier to deal with, but here are a few stats.
transportation = auto - 31,000
transportation = water / air / space - 1,564
drowning - 3443
falls - 25,903
GT

Pearsonpilot wrote:Thanks M6. Yeah the worse part is just not knowing what happened. I have a 3 year old son and a beautiful wife and it crossed my mind for a second to give it up but then someone said to me, "If he had died in a car accident, would you never get in a car again?" That really made sense to me.

Sorry to here about about the loss of a good friend and CFI. I rent their Arrow from time to time. I only met Todd in passing but he seemed like a great guy.

Warning, preacherizing follows. I am a low time pilot.

Pearsonpilot wrote:Theres no way they were in a spin its nearly impossible to spin that 150 and there is no practice manuever that would bring them even close.

This kind of thinking is dangerous. Any aircraft will spin, and the spins that kill people are the kind that sneak up on the pilot...like subconsciously pulling on the yoke to stretch a glide while looking for a spot to put it down in a deadstick situation, or cranking a turn aggressively with too little airspeed. The Cessna wing is wonderfully forgiving but the hills and the record books are littered with wreckage from just that. Be careful with thinking in absolutes.

It doesn't really make sense to speculate if there isn't much forensic data from the NTSB, I think you'll just drive yourself nuts. Most of us have been there...it is far more difficult to deal with a mystery than an conclusively identifiable cause which you can then file away as: "Don't do that thing." I personally have had 3. Dealing with the emotions of losing a friend while simultaneously evaluating your beloved hobby is tough, and common.

Hang in there, don't give up on your pilot training. Do resolve to try as hard as possible to return home every flight, and that means diligence, no shortcuts, no complacency, and being honest with yourself that you don't know shit. You don't know what you don't know, until you find out. I personally struggle with complacency during periods when I fly more frequently, usually in the form of more relaxed preflights, and checklists. I'm comfortable with being a weenie.

I have a problem with people that proclaim that "flying is safe," because it's not. Its default state is to fall out of the sky and impact the ground, whereas a car simply rolls to a stop. Flying is a calculated series of actions from start to finish that adds all the complexities of a 3rd dimension and fluid dynamics. Our equipment is pretty damned good though, and that makes it seem more comfortable that it should feel.

Well spoken Zane..

To keep it short and sweet....

Gravity wins EVERY time... No matter how good a pilot you think you are.