We just had a fatal airplane wreck near where I live about 10 days ago, an older couple in a 205 crashed into Mount Walker near Quilcene WA at 2,000' elevation in reportedly scuddy conditions. They lived in the San Juan Islands just north of here, I didn't know them but know people who did. Their deaths affected me anyways, kind of a "there but for the grace of God go I" sort of deal. Could have easily been me or one of my good friends, we've all done things that started out OK but went to hell in a hurry. So play it safe out there , and as for me, "I'd rather be lucky than good".

Eric

I did not know Berk, except from the threads on this forum, but he has been in my thoughts since Saturday. I took my wife and my three-year-old daughter into JC on Saturday. There were two other planes that flew out of Baker City with me into JC. At that time I had no idea there had been an accident. It was a beautiful day and a great flight.

Like I said before Berk and his family have been in my thoughts since I heard of the crash, but yesterday was the first time I flew since Saturday. I had to fly to Hermiston to pick up my daughter from her grandparents. I thought of Berk and his wife the entire flight. My wife even made a comment of how quiet I was. It was a little out of character for me. At that point my wife and I discussed the crash, what may have led to it and how we can learn from this tragic situation.

During that flight I realized how complacent I have been in recent flights. I found myself looking for a place to land the entire flight; I was going over all the emergency procedures in my head, and I was going through scenarios in my head. (I cannot remember the last time I did that) I even went over what I wanted my wife to do if we were going to land in unsuitable terrain. My wife made the comment, you have never told me these things before. She did not know why you needed the doors open if you are going to crash. I should have went over all these things with her on a regular basis, not just the first time she got into the plane with me, about three years ago.

So with all that in mind this is the way I look at Berk. He was soldier of aviation. Our soldiers give their lives so we have our freedom. Berk gave his life so all of us can continue to fly in a safe manner. I know he made me think of all the things I have learned as a pilot. He made me realize how complacent I have been, how easy it is to get into a bad situation, and most of all he made me realize how lucky we are for our families and things we do with our families.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. Just from reading the treads on this forum he has made a great impression on a great deal of people. I also want to thank Berk for giving me another day to fly safely and enjoy my family.

Sonic

I couldn't agree more with your post. It has been a very sobering mountain flying season so far, with good pilots in good planes being forced down. My reflections on the incidents made me realize that it's not enough to have a PLB, it's not enough to even wear it in the pocket of your cargo pants. Everyone onboard should know what it is, where it is, and how to turn it on and deploy the antenna. From now on, my trips will start with passing around the PLB to my copilot and pax so they can touch it, open the switch cover and see how the antenna works and which switch to push to get help. I also thought about opening the doors of the Maule before an unintended landing (OK, a crash). I decided it would be a good idea to engage the lock after opening the door as the Maule latch will re-engage if slammed. It might even be better to bend the pushrod (observer doors) to disable the latch completely.

Sad that it takes this kind of incident to get me to think on this level of detail. That's the legacy of the "soldiers" you mention. We owe it to them to be a little more prepared the next time we fly.

YB

I met Berk yearly at a summer festival and enjoyed corresponding with him over the years about airplanes, flying and life in general. He was truly a very caring and generous man.
Wayne, your concept that Berk is continuing to gift us in death by helping us think and consider what we need to do as pilots is similar to what I feel about my father. He was an airline pilot and crashed many years ago, killing a plane full. I reflect on that memory every time I fly and I think it helps me in both attitude and execution.
Berk lives on... so long as we remember.

Berk was a board member at KMUD radio, which is a lot like the KFAT if anyone remembers that, and like what KFAT became KPIG. He had a radio show and was much liked at these "independent radio stations" that are a thorn in the ass of big radio, that is why I listen to them.

Anyway I emailed Zane about this and suggested that we have a clip of one of his broad casts, a light hearted on perhaps where we can stop by and have a listen to him, and maybe a link to his radio station.

Just a thought.

Dane

Hi everybody, this is my first post here...my friend Berk's unfortunate demise brought me here...great to see yet another group of people whose lives were enriched by knowing Berk. I've known Berk since before he got his ppl as we live in the same area and have gone to all the same gatherings over the years. Berk was a gentle soul and a lover of life and I never saw anything negative come out of him over the years. Anyway, my funny story about Berk happened before he got his license. He and Suz had hiked in to our wilderness strip on the beach here in Northern Cal and were staying at the house there with some friends. The people there told Berk that I would be flying in later with supplies and I guess he got real excited and really wanted to watch me land. So he headed out to the strip and sat down to wait for my arrival. Well, it was a nice, sunny day and I landed and as I was taxiing back, up jumped Berk from right next to the runway! He had fallen asleep and missed the whole thing and didn't wake up until he heard me turning around at the other end. He was so bummed that he missed the landing and we all got a good laugh about it. He was a great guy and will be sorely missed by all of us.