375 Final NTSB Report on Night Crash that Killed a ND Senator and family + GA News
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Today we're talking about the fatal night crash of a Piper Cherokee cruiser in Moab, Utah in October 2023. That crash killed a North Dakota state senator and his family. The NTSB final report is out and we'll talk about how somatographic illusion tripped up this high time pilot and about some of the things you may want to do differently when you fly at night. And during my updates, I'll be talking about crosswind landings. Hello again and welcome to Aviation News Talk where we talk in general aviation.

My name is Max Trescott. I've been flying for 50 years. I'm the author of several books and the 2008 National Flight Instructor of the Year. And my mission is to help you become the safest possible pilot. Earlier this week in episode 374, we talked about new information in the NTSB's preliminary report for the mid-air collision in Washington, D.C. So if you didn't hear that episode, you may want to check it out at aviationnewstalk.com slash 374.

And if you're new to the show, if you would take a moment right now and touch either the subscribe key or the follow key so that next week's episode is downloaded for free. And thanks to these people who've signed up in the past week to support Aviation News Talk. They include Martin Stolfa and Rich Selman. And if you'd like to hear your name next week, stop what you're doing right now and take a moment to go out to aviationnewstalk.com slash support and sign up to join the club.

Coming up in the news for the week of March 10th, 2025, a Citation jet crashed on takeoff, killing the pilot. Police report the two pilots argued over the radio before a mid-air collision. And we have two stories about drones and guns. All this and more in the News Starts Now.

From FlightSafety.org, in what's starting to look like a bad year for business jet crashes, a Cessna Citation 525 jet taking off from Mesquite, Texas, crashed shortly after taking off Thursday morning.

The pilot, who was the only person on board, died in the crash. Weather was good at the time with clear skies and winds reported at 180 at 4 knots. Mesquite is a non-towered airport, and since live ATC doesn't have a receiver there, we don't have a recording of any transmissions the pilot may have made. The airport has a single runway that's 6,000 feet long and oriented north-south, so the wind was straight down the runway.

The aircraft was built in 2007, and the registration was issued over six years ago, so presumably the owner pilot was not new to the aircraft. A post on X from someone who said the pilot was a friend described him as a good, experienced pilot.

According to data from ADSBExchange.com, at 7.29 a.m., the airplane began taxiing from the apron toward runway 1-8. Three minutes later, it started its departure. The first data point in the air was about 30 feet above the runway and showed a ground speed of 133 knots immediately after rotation. The airplane started a shallow right turn and reached a maximum altitude of about 380 feet above ground. At that point, it had a ground speed of 169 knots.

The aircraft crashed about a mile southwest of the departure end of the runway. The last data points showed the airplane at 196 knots, descending at 2,700 feet per minute.

From KGUN9.com TV, you may recall we've talked about the midair collision that occurred last month between a faster Lancer and a slower Cessna 172 at the Marana Airport in Arizona. Two people on board the Lancer died and the two people aboard the 172 survived. The planes had flown multiple loops in the traffic pattern with the slower 172 in front of the Lancer. And while the NTSB preliminary report isn't yet out, the Marana police have released their report.

Here's what the website says. Quote, new details are available in last month's Marana plane crash as the Marana police report was obtained by KGUN 9. The report claims a witness heard the pilots of the two planes involved in the midair collision were arguing on the radio just before the crash happened.

The investigations by Morana Police cite witnesses who say the land-sare pilot had aborted one or two landings and said on the radio he was going around to try again. The witness told police that just before the crash, he heard radio calls between two planes where pilots argued about one plane cutting the other off. People on board the flight school plane said they heard the land-sare pilot say he was trying to land again. They expected him to turn slightly, so they continued with their practice takeoff.

Moments later, the planes made contact and the Lancer lost control and crashed. Autopsy reports for the two people killed showed no medical problems that would have impaired the pilot's ability to fly. Toxicology reports found no alcohol or drugs in the pilot's system.

From AOPA.org, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure held a hearing March 4th focused on modernizing ATC equipment and hiring more controllers while dismissing calls for privatization of ATC services.

Representatives from the aviation industry and members of Congress suggested that the privatization debate must be put aside to make progress on modernization and hiring. In February, a coalition of 34 aviation industry organizations, including AOPA, told members of Congress in a letter that privatization would be a, quote, "...distraction from these needed investments and reforms."

And while this is encouraging news, I think we can expect that proponents of ATC privatization will continue to push for it. And if that were to happen, most people believe that GA aircraft would end up paying something for using ATC services. From Newsweek.com, National Weather Service suspending critical weather tool sparks concerns.

Meteorologists are warning that canceled weather balloon launches due to National Weather Service or NWS staffing shortages could seriously impact critical weather forecasting abilities. NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which includes NWS, has been severely impacted by the cuts with hundreds of employees recently losing their jobs and thousands more at risk. Some critical NOAA facilities are also set to be shuttered due to activities of DOGE.

A public information statement on the weather balloon launch suspensions was posted on the NWS website last week. The statement announced that NWS was immediately temporarily suspending some weather balloon launches in Albany, New York and Gray, Maine due to a lack of Weather Forecast Office staffing.

From SMDP.com, all electric aircraft completes coast-to-coast flight landing at Santa Monica Airport. History was made this past Saturday when the first ever coast-to-coast flight by an all-electric aircraft was completed with a Beta CX-300 touching down at Santa Monica Airport.

The flight began in Burlington, Vermont, home of Beta Technologies, manufacturer of the CX-300, on February 7th of this year. And after 22 days, 20 flights, and 2,900 miles, test pilot Chris Caputo flew the last leg of the journey into Santa Monica. He said, quote, Our next stop is Edwards Air Force Base. We're going to do some work with the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School.

Caputo made a low and slow pass over the length of the runway before circling around and landing. The noise of the aircraft was non-existent.

Beta claims that it only generates 65 decibels, the equivalent of a refrigerator running or the volume of a normal conversation. Pudo said, During takeoff, it'll be ever so slightly louder then, but not by very much. Inside the cockpit, you don't even need the headphones. We just use those to communicate with ATC. But you could take off the headphones inside the cockpit and you can have a normal conversation. It's really quiet.

The only noise you're going to hear is the spinning of the propeller. You're not going to hear any engine noise at all. So when we're coming in on approach, the power is literally back at idle, and we're gliding in, it's almost silent. The object of the exercise was not to set a record, but to thoroughly test equipment, durability, reliability, and support infrastructure across the country.

From AviationWeek.com, Austria's Diamond Aircraft Buys Volocopter. Austrian GA aircraft manufacturer Diamond Aircraft has acquired insolvent German electric aircraft maker Volocopter.

The deal was officially announced March 10th in a securities filing by Chinese automotive supplier Wanfeng, which builds diamond aircraft in China. And you may recall I said in January that Volocopter was one of multiple eVTOL air taxi companies that are running out of cash.

From avweb.com, NORAD scrambled aircraft after three separate violations of TFRs over Mar-a-Lago on Saturday. The airspace breaches prompted F-16 fighter jets to escort the offending aircraft out of the restricted zone. USA Today reported that during two of the intercepts, the F-16s deployed flares to alert the pilots. Boy, I bet that got their attention. This follows three previous airspace violations last month at the Palm Beach residence.

Following the incidents, NORAD issued a reminder to all operators to carefully check FAA NOTAMs to airmen, particularly those regarding Mar-a-Lago's airspace. From avweb.com, Sling Pilot Academy debuts new quieter airplane. Sling Pilot Academy has expanded its operations to Long Beach, California, unveiling the Whisper Sling, a new noise-reducing pilot training aircraft.

The announcement was made during a ceremony on March 5th at the Academy's newly established campus at Long Beach Airport. With this expansion, Sling now operates five training schools across Southern California.

The Whisper Sling aircraft was specifically designed to minimize noise, with a goal of fostering better relationships with the communities surrounding the airport towards flight schools are located. The aircraft feature custom exhaust modifications, a specially designed quieter propeller, and sound-deadening material in its engine compartment. According to the company, it's 10 decibels quieter than the regular Sling training aircraft.

From VerticalMag.com, Sikorsky unveils Rotor Blown Wing UAS. That rotor blown wing moniker is derived from the design of the UAS, which incorporates the vertical lift capabilities of a helicopter and the forward speed of an airplane into a novel tail-sitting configuration wherein the thrust is forced down the cord line of the wing. Once vertical lift is achieved, the aircraft transitions into forward flight.

Rich Benton, Sikorsky VP and General Manager, said, "...combining helicopter and airplane flight characteristics onto a flying wing reflects Sikorsky's drive to innovate next-generation VTOL UAS aircraft that can fly faster and farther than traditional helicopters. Our rotor-blown wing platform is a prime example of how we are leveraging the breadth of our 102-year aviation heritage to develop new designs that meet the emerging missions of commercial and military operators."

In January of this year, Sikorsky successfully completed more than 40 takeoffs and landings. During this testing, the aircraft also performed 30 transitions from vertical to horizontal flight, which Sikorsky said is the most complex maneuver demanded of the design.

And finally, we have two stories related to shooting drones. This first one comes from MissionLocal.org. In a possible first, a suspect fired upon a San Francisco police drone and later at officers before police returned fire and sent him to the hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.

The incident may be the first of a San Francisco Police Department drone being fired upon. The department only began using drones last year. It's unclear whether the drone was hit. At 4.32 p.m. on Saturday, officers have been called to the 41st Avenue between Lincoln Way and Irving Street, responding to a man armed with a gun who was threatening neighbors, according to the police department. It's unclear how exactly the shooting occurred, but the department said the man fired his gun first.

Officers attempted to make contact with the armed subject. The department wrote in during the encounter the subject discharged his firearm and an officer-involved shooting occurred. And this second story comes from WCYB.com. It says Tennessee Congressman Tim Burchett has proposed a bill allowing Americans to use a shotgun to shoot down drones above their property.

H.R. 1907, also known as the Defense Against Drones Act, allows for a property owner to shoot down an unmanned aircraft using a legally obtained shotgun if the person believes the drone is flying 200 feet or lower over the property.

The bill allows for the property owner to return the drone to the owner should they choose and also requires the property owner to report the aircraft and its registration number to the FAA within 60 days of the drone shooting. The bill comes just under two weeks after the Tennessee National Guard reported mysterious drone sightings in recent months similar to the sightings seen in Northeast states. Well, let's hope that bill doesn't become law.

That's the news for this week. Coming up next, a few of my updates. And then we'll talk about the fatal nighttime crash of a Piper Cherokee in Moab, Utah that killed a North Dakota state senator and his family. All right here on the Aviation News Talk podcast. ♪

And now let's get to the good news. First, congratulations to Chaz Ryan. He says, hello, Max. Thanks for all you do and the experts you have on the show. I earned my commercial certificate last week and use the oral exam guide authored by Jason Blair. I am now prepping for my CFI written exam. Well, Chaz, congratulations to you.

And here's an amazing conversation that occurred between the tower and a fire truck at the Rochester, Minnesota airport earlier this month. November 4784 Juliet, a beach musketeer that was in the traffic pattern, had just crash-landed onto a golf course, and fortunately the pilot survived, and the tower was looking for the fire truck to go to the heat of the downed aircraft. Here's what that sounded like, courtesy of LiveATC.net. Rochester Tower, I just lost my engine, April Juliet.

A4 Juliet, roger and any runway clear to land? I'm not gonna make it back to the runway, A4 Juliet. A4 Juliet, roger. We got rescue coming for you. Rescue 5, you're gonna have to get outside the gate. I don't have a position on that aircraft yet, but it's somewhere to the northwest of the field. I could just see him go down and that was it.

Copy that. I need to get permission from admin just because we have American Airlines on the ground. I mean, that aircraft is down. Do we really worry about an aircraft? I mean, we've got Endeavour coming in yet, but this aircraft is actually down and crashed. Copy that. What kind of aircraft is it? It's a Beech Musketeer.

I copy that. I am in the process of calling the admin at this time. I get it. We need to get some rescue out there, though. Copy. We have to follow protocol through the fire department.

4-5, any word? I mean, I got an aircraft looking, but I need some sort of actual rescue looking for this guy. You just said that they did find an aircraft and one person on board? Well, at least they found it, and hopefully they can get that person some help. Roger that. I apologize about that. We just can't. Our contract says we have to stay here for any type of incoming flight for commercial.

Understandable. It's just frustrating when we can't get somebody some help. I understand. All I can say is if you're involved in running contracts for airport fire departments, you might want to put a little bit more flexibility into the contract.

And I want to mention a couple of Bonanza accidents that happened this past week. Early Friday morning, November 566 Charlie, a Bonanza A36 crashed on takeoff at KPGV, the Pitt-Greenville Airport in South Carolina. Two people on board were killed. The airport is non-towered and the pilot can be heard on liveATC.net at 746 AM announcing his takeoff on runway 2. ADSBExchange.com has the most complete data on the flight.

It shows that the aircraft climbed about 500 feet before starting a right turn,

During the turn, the aircraft lost 250 feet, which would put it about 275 feet above the ground. It then resumed to climb. It turned about 270 degrees when it reached its maximum altitude of 1,200 feet MSL. The turn then tightened, and the aircraft began increasing airspeed and losing altitude. Just 16 seconds passed from the time the aircraft reached its maximum altitude until the last recorded data point a few hundred feet above the ground.

The descending spiral looked to me like a classic loss of control on IMC, so I looked at the weather and here's what I found. 16 minutes before the crash, the weather was reported as winds 040 at 5, visibility 10, 500 foot overcast, temperature 8 and dew point 8.

And by the way, this pilot was going to Vero Beach, Florida, so he was headed south. Since he was taking off to the north, he needed to turn about 180 degrees to get on course. However, he apparently lost control on that climbing right turn to get on course. And here's something you may not have thought about, but maybe you should consider when you're taking off into a low overcast.

I think it's much easier to climb straight ahead in IMC than it is to do a climbing turn. Now, this pilot took off to the north because the 5 knot wind favored that runway. However, the runway was 7,175 feet long. If you were in this situation, might you have considered taking off from runway 20 instead? Yes, you would have a 5 knot tailwind. And yes, you've been taught to take off into the wind.

But in this case, would safety have been enhanced if the pilot took off with a 5 knot tailwind and could climb straight out rather than making a climbing rate turn at low altitude? I certainly think so. And I'm going to keep this accident in mind the next time I need to take off in low IFR conditions, and I hope you do as well.

And you probably heard about another Bonanza A36, November 347 Mike, that crashed earlier in the week shortly after takeoff from an airport in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Immediately after takeoff, the pilot announced that his door was open and that he was returning to the airport. And very shortly after that, he crashed. Miraculously, all five people on board survived, though with injuries.

hopefully you know that having a door open in flight is not an emergency in any aircraft I can think of. So don't panic. Just fly a normal traffic pattern and return to land, as there's no need to rush around the pattern at low altitude to try and get on the ground as soon as possible. Now let's talk about crosswinds and crosswind landings. Last week I noted that two business jets had runaway excursions after experiencing strong crosswinds in Texas.

In both cases, the reported gust likely exceeded the aircraft's maximum demonstrated crosswind. As you probably know, the max demonstrated crosswind published for an aircraft is not a limitation, which means you are allowed to exceed it. An aircraft may be perfectly flyable when taking off and landing with wind speeds that exceed the max demonstrated crosswind, but there's no guarantee that an aircraft will be flyable at wind speeds or gusts that exceed that maximum.

So if you choose to take off or land when the sustained wind and or the gust exceeds the maximum, you are in essence a test pilot. Unfortunately, you're probably not trained as a test pilot and you're certainly not getting paid to be a test pilot. So before your next flight, I'd encourage you to sit back and reflect about the circumstances in which you will allow yourself to take off or land when the winds or the gust exceed the maximum demonstrated crosswind.

because you're certainly going to make a better decision from the comfort of your easy chair than when you're in the airplane and feeling pressure, self-induced or otherwise, to land or take off in a high crosswind.

Personally, I'm extremely reluctant to take off or land when the gust factor exceeds the maximum demonstrated crosswind. Because if I choose to fly in those conditions, I'm betting, or hoping, that the gust won't come at the worst possible time and exceed the capabilities of the aircraft or the pilot or both.

Years ago, I was giving recurrent training to a private pilot, and we were sitting in a Cessna 172 getting ready to start up. I knew before we got to the plane that the wind gust exceeded the aircraft's maximum demonstrated crosswind, but I wanted to see what the pilot would do.

Generally, I see pilots get the ATIS after starting the engine, but in this case, I ask him to get the ATIS before starting the engine. He got it and then started the engine, so he had decided that we would fly. After he started it, I ask him, if we were to have an accident, how would we explain our decision to fly when the wind gust exceeded the maximum demonstrated crosswind?

He thought about it, and then I gave my answer, which I said, we were stupid. He agreed and shut down the engine, and we scheduled another time to fly. Now, this past weekend, I was flying with a local client, and we encountered crosswinds

We flew his Vision Jet from California to Austin, Texas, where we stayed for two nights and then we returned home. We made a couple of stops along the way, including one in Southern California to pick up a colleague of his. The most logical refueling stop for us would have been El Paso, Texas, as it's about midway between Southern California and Austin. However, the conditions were unlike anything I've ever seen.

Surface winds were gusting to 42 knots with four mile visibility in blowing dust. Now that kind of weather isn't very pleasant for humans, and it's certainly not good for aircraft engines either as they would be ingesting the dust. So we chose to refuel at Tucson, Arizona instead. Based on the winds, we expected to be given an approach to runway 22. So we were a little surprised to be assigned the RNAV GPS Zulu runway 30 approach.

The ATIS said the winds were 230 at 9 knots, so I thought we'd be fine landing in that crosswind. However, when we were on final for runway 30, the tower reported the winds as 230 at 20, gusting to 25 knots. The pilot had already selected 100% flaps, and I pointed out that we should probably use the 50% flaps setting as the maximum demonstrated crosswind on the Vision Jet is higher at the 50% setting than at the 100% setting. But in the back of my mind...

I was starting to think about the two business jet runway excursions that I talked about in last week's episode. The maximum demonstrated crosswind in the Vision Jet is 18 knots at 50% flaps.

Our crosswind was at a 70 degree angle to the runway, and I knew that at 70 degrees I would experience about 90% of the wind value. 90% of 20 is 18, so the sustained winds were right at the aircraft's maximum demonstrated crosswinds, and the gusts were a little higher. Did I really want to sit in the right seat watching a test pilot when we had another good option available?

We were on about a four mile final when I pointed out to the pilot that we could cancel IFR and request runway 22 instead. Actually, we didn't need to cancel IFR to do that, but by flying VFR, we could ignore the circling boundaries and minimums while maneuvering to line up with runway 22. The pilot acknowledged that, but didn't call the tower. So I mentioned it again and said that towers in general will give us just about anything we want as long as it's reasonable.

This time he did call the tower and they cleared us for runway 22. As we were touching down, I noted that we had a one knot crosswind. So with that simple request, we turned what would have been a very challenging landing into a landing that was about as easy as it gets. Plus our FBO was right next to runway 22. So it was actually faster for us to get to and from the FBO.

As pilots, when we have options available to us, we want to choose the more conservative options that increase our safety margins. And remember, it is not cheating to make choices that are easier and reduce our workload.

On the return trip, we had another encounter with crosswinds. This time it was a nine-knock crosswind and the pilot was handling it well. But in short final, I thought I'd just add one little tip to remind him to keep the right wing down on the flare. And all I said was, and remember, the right wheel will touch down first. I don't know if he needed the tip, but I do know that he made a perfect landing.

In the Cirrus aircraft I fly, Cirrus recommends that pilots use the crab method for compensating for the wind when on final. Of course, once you're over the runway, you'll need to transition to the side slip or low wing method in which you lower the upwind wing into the wind and use opposite rudder to keep the aircraft parallel to the runway. Often when I see pilots make that transition in the flare, they have the wings level and the aircraft begins to drift laterally in the flare.

And you don't want to be touching down while the aircraft is moving sideways, which is why I mentioned to the pilot to remember that the right wheel should be touching down first.

Coincidentally, here's an email I received from a listener this week. He wrote, conventional wisdom would say that most flat spots are caused on landing, too fast or side loading caused by landing in the crab.

I'm wondering if it's possible that the flat spotting happened on takeoff rather than landing. I'm wondering if I accidentally applied the right brake with my right rudder input. I took off yesterday with a strong left crosswind and had my ailerons deflected into the wind and right rudder for controlling the left turning tendencies. I had a good landing, so I would not suspect it happened on landing. If it did, I'd expect flat spotting on both tires. Is this something that you have seen before?

Note, I have not flat-spotted tires in 172s, 182s, or DA40s in over 800 hours. I have about 300 hours in the SR20. The flat spots, only on the right main wheel, is baffling me. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Yes, I have heard of other CSIP instructors talk about this, though I have never encountered the issue on any of my flights.

What I've heard is that when landing in a crosswind, if you allow the aircraft to drift left or right, just as the aircraft is touching down, you can get a flat spot. I'm guessing this occurs less frequently in other aircraft because their landing speeds are so much lower. I have seen Cirrus pilots flat spot, and in one case, blow a tire when they brake too hard on landing. I make sure that I have my heels very far back and my toes very low on the pedals when taking off and landing. And when landing, I never pump the brakes.

First, I let the aircraft accelerate naturally without using any brakes. Then I gradually increase pressure on the brake pedals.

I've found that I can apply very strong pressure to the brakes, but I have to do it by continually increasing the pressure slowly and not increasing and decreasing the pressure on the brakes, which essentially would be pumping the brakes. In the SR20, for takeoffs, I find that for the first one or two seconds after I apply full power, I need some brake, usually right brake. After that, there's enough air over the rudder to steer with just the rudder, so I move my feet to the bottom of the pedals.

Take a look at your feet and see how low you have them on the pedals. If your feet are at an angle similar to what they'd be in a car, they are way too high.

I think of my feet as being at about a 15 degree angle with the floor, so they're very flat on the floor, and just my toes are on the very bottom of the rudder pedal when I'm using rudder on the runway. Hope this helps. And while we're talking about crosswinds, let me mention a crosswind landing accident involving a CRS SR-22 that occurred earlier this month at the Myrtle Beach Grand Strand Airport in South Carolina. According to reports, the plane was substantially damaged, and the pilot sustained minor injuries.

Preliminary information indicates the aircraft veered off runway 23 while attempting a go-around in gusting wind conditions. The recorded weather at the airport at 11.53 a.m., about 11 minutes after the accident, included winds from 310 at 14 gusting to 29, direction variable between 280 and 340.

So the winds at 310 were coming in at an 80 degree angle, which means the aircraft was essentially experiencing 100% of the crosswind. If you take the sine of 80 degrees, it's 0.98, so you're getting 98% of the crosswind. Now let's look at the max demonstrated crosswind for the SR-22. This was a 2017 G6, so for that model it's 21 knots.

So the gusts of 29 knots definitely exceed the maximum for this aircraft. By the way, the gust factor, the difference between the sustained winds and the gust, was 15 knots. So here's one thing to think about regarding that 15 knot difference. Imagine you land with a zero crosswind. Pretty easy, right? Now imagine landing with a 15 knot crosswind.

You'd have one wing down and a lot of opposite rudder. Now imagine having to go back and forth between those extremes while you're in the flare. A lot of work. Now imagine that same scenario with a steady 14 knot crosswind and 29 knot gust. You'd have the same difference, but it's going to be even more work. So in this particular case, it probably would have made sense to divert and land at another airport.

Why be a test pilot unless you're getting paid to be one? By the way, here's what I do to calculate crosswind values quickly in my head when I don't have time to use a calculator. Just remember that when you have a 30 degree crosswind, you're experiencing 50% of the wind as a crosswind. So if I'm landing on runway 23 and the winds are 260 at 10 knots, I multiply 10 by 0.5 and I know that I have a 5 knot crosswind. For higher crosswinds, I just add 20 to both numbers.

So for a 50 degree crosswind, that means I'm getting about 70% of the crosswind. And for a 70 degree crosswind, I'm getting about 90% of the crosswind.

Now the actual percentages are a little higher. For 50 degrees, it's really 76%, and for 70 degrees, it's 94%. But the numbers I use, 30, 50, and 70 degrees, for 50, 70, and 90% are easy to remember. I can quickly multiply any number in my head by 0.5, 0.7, or 0.9 to approximate the crosswind.

I hope that helps, and I hope you remember to consider alternatives like different runways or different airports when you have really strong crosswinds. And just a quick reminder that if you still haven't taken a moment to sign up for our Lightspeed giveaway, you will not be getting a free top-of-the-line DeltaZulu headset worth $1,200.

Instead, some other lucky listener who took the two minutes it's going to take to sign up will be getting that headset. But it's not too late to go out on the web and sign up at aviationnewstalk.com slash giveaway. And to help you get to that website, I've included that link in our show notes. And of course, whenever you buy a Lightspeed headset, Lightspeed will send a check to support Aviation News Talk. But only if you first go to the special link we've set up for you to get to their website.

So when you buy, go first to aviationnewstalk.com slash lightspeed, which will take you to their website where you can make your purchase. Coming up next, our analysis of the fatal crash in Moab, Utah. All right here on the Aviation News Talk podcast. The NTSB released its final report for the crash of a plane in Moab, Utah in October 2023 that killed a North Dakota state senator who was the pilot, his wife, and their two children.

It was a night takeoff in the Senator's Piper PA-28140 Cherokee Cruiser. The probable cause was the pilot's loss of visual reference to the horizon while departing during dark night, which resulted in the pilot experiencing spatial disorientation and subsequent controlled flight into terrain.

Now, when I think of spatial disorientation, I typically think of a pilot who's lost control and is no longer in level flight. But that's not what happened here, as the board acknowledged, when they ended the probable cause with the words, subsequent controlled flight into terrain.

Today we'll talk in detail about this crash and about some of the dangers of night flying. And if you think these kinds of accidents only happen to low-time pilots, well, think again. This pilot was commercially rated with over 2,000 hours of experience. Yet he fell into a common trap that continues to kill both experienced and inexperienced pilots when they take off at night. That trap is something we've talked a lot about on this show, which is somatographic illusion, which is a form of spatial disorientation.

Hopefully you recall that when the human body is accelerated, we perceive that our head is tilting back, which tricks us into believing that we're climbing, which means that when pilots are taking off in dark night conditions, they will perceive they're climbing when in fact they are level or even descending simply because they're accelerating.

Before we go further, let me give you some high-level statistics about night flying. For eight years, I gave a presentation at AirVenture in Oshkosh on the dangers of night flying, so these numbers are pretty familiar to me. Approximately 20% of all fatal accidents occur at night.

But what percentage of personal flying do you think is done at night? Well, not much. Each year when I gave the presentation, I'd survey the audience by a show of hands to see how much of their flying time was at night. I think I started with 50%, and usually one hand would go up, and I'd joke about that person being a FedEx pilot.

As I gave lower and lower percentages, more hands would go up. I would stop at 5%, and the most hands I ever saw raised for 5% was about a third of the audience. I don't know of any other sources that state what percentage of personal flying is done at night, but based on my surveys at AirVenture, I've always figured that less than 5% of personal flying is done at night. Yet, 20% of fatal accidents occur at night. So,

So, based on that, it's reasonable to guess that pilots are about four times more likely to have a fatal accident at night than when they're in the daytime. One number we can state with certainty is that if you crash at night, the odds of being in a fatal accident versus a non-fatal accident are double the odds of daytime crashes.

In the daytime, about 15% of all accidents are fatal, but at night, fully 30% of all accidents are fatal, which makes sense. And here's a number that I found years ago buried in NTSB statistics. Fully 90% of night accidents incurred in so-called dark night conditions, which means there's no moon or that the moon was obscured by an overcast.

And if you've ever flown in dark night conditions, you know there's a world of difference between what that looks like compared to flying with a full moon. And on those rare occasions when I've given student pilots their required night flying training when there was a full moon, I've pointed out that what we were seeing in no way resembles what you see when you fly when there's no moon. And by the way, I'm not saying that you shouldn't fly at night.

I am saying that night flying is more difficult and you need to bring your A-game when you fly at night. Because mistakes that may be obvious in the daytime may not be noticeable at night. And to that point, had the senator taken off in the daytime, this accident wouldn't have occurred. Which is the case for so many accidents involving somatographic illusion.

Let's talk a little bit about the pilot's background. He was a lieutenant colonel in the North Dakota Army National Guard, where he'd served for 29 years flying Black Hawk helicopters. A guard spokesman said he'd logged about 1,776 total military flight hours in military helicopters. There's no record of him having any fixed-wing experience in the Guard. The NTSB report said that he had 2,079.6 hours total for all aircraft.

and 239.1 hours total in make and model, which would be the Piper Cruiser. It also says, probably incorrectly, that he had 257.5 hours pilot and command time in all aircraft. I suspect they meant to say PIC time in airplanes, as the word aircraft includes helicopters, but I think they can be forgiven for this apparent mistake, as relatively few pilots are dual rated, and I suspect the NTSB routinely uses the word aircraft

in place of the word airplanes. And notably, the NTSB says the pilot's logbook recorded a total of just 44.8 hours of night flying experience for slightly over 2% of his total flying hours, so not a lot of night flying experience. It did note that the last recorded night flights were on September 27th and 28th, 2023, for a total of 3.6 hours. That would have been just days before the crash, so perhaps he did some night flying to practice before his trip.

Now let's talk about the trip. The pilot flew to Scottsdale, Arizona with his family on September 29th. They went there to be part of a send-off for the senator's sister before she deployed overseas through the Arizona National Guard for a year. They spent the weekend together, and then two days later, he departed with his family for Casper, Wyoming. They stopped in Moab, Utah to refuel. And here's what the NTSB report says about that stop.

An airport security video recorded the aircraft landing at 5.47 p.m. at the Canyonlands Regional Airport, KCNY, Moab. According to an FBO employee, the pilot purchased 27 gallons of fuel, parked the airplane near the fuel island, and departed the airport with his family. The occupants returned later in the evening and boarded the airplane.

At 8.22, ADS-B data showed the airplane on runway 2-1. Security video showed that the pilot-controlled runway lights were not illuminated at the time. A minute later, ADS-B data showed the airplane was about mid-runway when it departed the runway surface. At 8.24, ADS-B data showed the airplane had drifted left of the centerline and had begun a right turn about 400 feet past the departure end of the runway, an altitude of about 4,500 feet MSL.

A witness, located near the departure end of runway 21, reported that he saw the airplane take off to the southwest. He stated that the runway lights were not on and that the engine was loud and smooth. The witness further saw, quote, the light in the nose turn off, so that would be the landing light, and stated that the airplane wasn't very high when it turned steeply to the right and stayed in the steep bank until it was parallel with the runway, but in the opposite direction.

The witness says that, based upon a reference light from a tower, the red light of the airplane appeared to be losing altitude before he lost sight of it and heard two sounds that were about one second apart.

After the second sound, there was no longer an engine sound. The last ADS-B data point recorded, about 8.24, captured the airplane 715 feet southwest of the accident site at an altitude of 4,300 feet MSL, or zero feet above ground level. The pilot requested a weather briefing from ForeFlight. He listed the destination as Casper, Wyoming, and indicated the departure would occur around 8 p.m.

VMC was reported for the departure, the route of flight, and destination. A weather study revealed that moonrise occurred at about 8:23, which was just four minutes before the accident. Around 8:27 PM, the center of the moon's disk was about 0.32 degrees above the horizon, so that's less than one degree. So in essence, there was no moon, and like most night accidents, this one occurred in dark night conditions.

Now let me tell you what I see from looking at the ADS-B data. The aircraft took off from runway 2-1. The first data point not on the runway was 100 feet above the ground, and the ground speed was 72 knots.

The aircraft drifted slightly to the left of the runway in the climb, and as it reached the end of the runway, it reached its slowest speed of 68 knots. From that point on, the aircraft accelerated continuously. It began a turn to the right, consistent with a right downwind departure. Shortly after it finished its turn to the downwind, it impacted terrain. At the start of the turn, the aircraft had an 80-knot ground speed. As it finished the turn, the ground speed had increased to 113 knots.

That's an increase of 23 knots during the turn. Surface winds at the time were 260 at 3, so part of that increase can be attributed to the change in wind direction during the turn, but most of the speed increase was because the pilot was descending during the turn.

The aircraft reached a maximum altitude of about 300 feet AGL as it reached the end of the runway. Then in the turn it descended 100 feet, held that altitude throughout most of the turn, and then briefly dropped 200 feet as it reached 113 knots. At that point, the pilot apparently recognized he was descending as the last data points show that he climbed 200 feet and the speed slowed to 107 knots.

The airplane came to rest on a hill at an elevation of about 4,649 feet MSL, which is just 70 feet above field elevation, on a heading of 200. A line of debris that included the nose and main landing gear assembly extended southwest about 540 feet and included two impact points.

The first point of probable impact was a 12-foot by 24-inch gouge indentation on a hill at an elevation of 4,635 feet and was consistent with only the nose landing gear impacting the terrain. About 50 feet northeast of this point were indications of contact by the right and then the left main landing gear. So essentially this aircraft contacted the ground under control in a nearly wings-level attitude.

About 540 feet away was a second impact mark that was within about 40 feet of the final location of the main wreckage. Photos of the wreckage show the fuselage largely intact and upright with the right wing ripped off. The nose wheel separated from the strut and was found in the first impact area. Both main landing gear assemblies, including the struts, separated from the fuselage. Flight control continuity was confirmed from the cockpit to the respective primary flight controls.

Now, here's what you need to know about the Moab Airport. It's located about 17 miles from the city of Moab, and there are very few lights in the vicinity of the airport. In fact, to the south of the airport, the direction the aircraft took off, there are no lights at all. And I know this because I've landed in Moab from the south at night in dark night conditions, and we couldn't see anything except the runway lights. And frankly, it was a little scary.

I was flying with a relatively low-time pilot, and we flew the RNAV GPS-3 instrument approach to enhance our safety for a night landing. It's a non-precision approach that comes in at an angle to the runway, and it has LP minimums that are 782 feet above the runway.

At minimums, the pilots started descending for the runway, but I told them to level off and not descend further until we were practically over the runway. And that's because it was so dark that we couldn't see anything about the terrain in front of the runway. So rather than risk striking something we couldn't see, we stayed higher until we were over something safe, which was the runway.

Now the accident pilot was taking off in the opposite direction, so the area he was turning over was the direction we were coming from to land. The witness described the turn as steep and descending. From the ADS-B data, it looks like it took about 30 seconds to complete the turn.

If the pilot had been flying a standard rate turn, he would have been banked about 12 degrees and it would have taken 60 seconds to complete the turn. So we can infer from the data that the pilot was turning at twice the rate of a standard rate turn, so it's likely he was banked no more than 30 degrees. However, as he turned, he was accelerating throughout the turn, and some autographic illusion would have given him the false sensation that his head was tilting back, which pilots interpret as a climb.

Given that the ADS-B track shows a fairly nice consistent turn flown at a constant rate, I think it's likely that the pilot had instrument fixation and was focused almost solely on his bank angle while neglecting his other instruments until the very end when he rolled out of the turn and started a sudden climb.

Instrument fixation is a common issue among pilots flying an IMC. This occurs when a pilot stares at one instrument for too long, neglecting others, which can lead to a loss of situational awareness and, in severe cases, spatial disorientation or loss of control.

Some of the causes of instrument fixation are 1. Stress or task saturation. In high workload situations like flying an approach in poor weather, pilots may focus too much on a single instrument, such as the airspeed indicator or the attitude indicator, while ignoring others. 2. Lack of proficiency. An infrequent practice of instrument flying can make it harder for pilots to smoothly transition their attention between instruments. 3. Fatigue or hypoxia. I

A tired or oxygen-deprived brain is less capable of effective instrument scan patterns. And four, tunnel vision under stress. Pilots, especially in emergencies, may fixate on what they perceive as the most critical parameter while missing other vital information. And I would imagine that climbing out of an airport in pitch black conditions with one's family on board would lead to a lot of stress.

Now here are some prevention strategies. One, use a proper instrument scan. And these scans are different if you're flying in an older round gauge airplane versus one with a modern glass cockpit. When flying aircraft with round gauges, you can use a hub and spoke scan, in which the attitude indicator is the hub and the other instruments are the spokes.

First look at the attitude indicator, interpret what it's telling you, then look at one of the other instruments, and then return to the attitude indicator. Repeat this by looking at another instrument and then returning the attitude indicator.

A US Navy study found that pilots look at the attitude indicator 84% of the time, so it's the most important instrument. But you also have to look at other instruments to maintain heading, airspeed, and altitude. For glass cockpit aircraft, I teach people to scan all four pitch instruments first, which are on a horizontal line across the middle of the display.

So look at the left at the airspeed, then the pitch of the attitude indicator, the altimeter, and then the vertical speed indicator. Then go to the top and look at the bank instruments, which are on a vertical line down the middle of the display.

Look at the top and snap the two triangle points together so that your wings are level. This is a much more accurate way of leveling the wings than looking at the wings on the little airplane symbol in the middle of the attitude indicator. Then move your eyes down the vertical line and look at the heading, and if you're tracking a course, look for a deflection in the D-bar that's part of the course pointer in the middle of your HSI. Then repeat these horizontal and vertical scans.

Two, cross-check and verify. Compare multiple instruments to confirm accuracy instead of trusting just one. Three, stay ahead of the airplane. Anticipating changes in heading, altitude, or speed reduces the tendency to react impulsively.

4. Use automation wisely. Proper use of the autopilot can reduce workload and help maintain situational awareness. 5. Practice and maintain proficiency. Regular instrument flying practice, even in a simulator, helps pilots maintain an efficient scan. And having a good instrument scan and using these other techniques will reduce the chance of you having instrument fixation.

I mentioned that this accident wouldn't have happened if the pilot took off in the daytime. That's because having visual contact with the ground largely prevents somatogravic illusion in the daytime. So let's look at what the pilot could have done differently to have planned ahead to make this a daytime takeoff.

In the NTSB docket of backup information, not all of which is contained in the final report, there's a summary of NTSB conversations with various eyewitnesses. One of them was a conversation with a manager of the FBO. She stated that she received a phone call from the pilot while he was in the air. He asked for a courtesy car to be used after he arrived at the airport. He was going to arrive after hours. They discussed the use of a taxi as a means for the pilot to leave the airport. That was the extent of the conversation.

Around 6 o'clock that evening, she observed the airplane at the South Surf fuel island. She did not observe the airplane land. She spoke with a pilot and confirmed that he was the pilot who called and asked about a courtesy car. She then gave him the keys to the FBO's courtesy car and told him to leave the keys on the seat when he brought it back. She did not have any other interactions with him after that.

The aircraft landed at 5.47 p.m. and took off at 8.23 p.m., so they were on the ground for over two and a half hours, part of that time using the courtesy car. So a reasonable guess is that they used the car to get dinner and then return to the airport. Sunset that day was at 7 p.m., and local civil twilight, which is essentially when it's completely dark, was at 7.26 p.m. The plane departed three minutes before civil twilight, so it would have been very dark.

I've mentioned in past shows that when I'm flying with clients who've bought airplanes and need to move them across the country, I usually bring lunch and dinner with me. That's because over the years, I've found that it's hard to get food quickly at a GA terminal. Typically, we lose at least an hour getting a car, driving to get food, and coming back. And that lost hour can be precious when you're flying long distances, especially if you're trying to avoid flying at night.

These days, though, there is another solution. Rather than carrying food with you as I do, you can use DoorDash or Uber Eats to have food delivered to you at the airport. If you place this order before you arrive, the food can be there when you show up. So had this family either carried food with them or used a service like DoorDash, assuming it's available in Moab, they could have shortened the two and a half hours they spent on the ground and left earlier.

Even leaving just 23 minutes earlier at sunset would have given them sufficient light to see the terrain as they were departing. Another thing the pilot could have done differently would have been to climb straight ahead and delay his turn until he was at a higher altitude. For example, at night, taking off from an airport with no obstacles, I think it would be prudent to climb straight ahead until reaching 1,000 feet AGL and then start the turn. In the daytime, you can safely turn at lower altitudes.

For example, the FAA says that we're to make our crosswind turn 300 feet below pattern altitude. So for an 800-foot traffic pattern, that would be 500 feet. And for a 1,000-foot traffic pattern, that would be 700 feet. Yet this pilot was hundreds of feet below these recommended turning altitudes when he started his turn.

A key thing to remember when you're facing a challenge such as taking off or landing at night or returning to the airport after an emergency, you want to try to fly as standard a pattern as you can. So had this pilot climbed to five or 700 feet before turning, he would have been significantly safer. But at night with no ground cues, this pilot was flying close to the ground throughout his turn and he had no idea of the danger he was in.

Another thing the pilot could have done differently during the climb out was to turn at a more shallow bank angle, say 10 or 15 degrees a bank. One benefit is that you'll have a better climb rate when banked at 10 or 15 degrees than at 30 degrees. That's because the steeper the turn, the more your lift is directed horizontally for the turn, which results in less vertical lift.

So shallower banks produce greater climb rates. When you can't see the terrain below you, it's comforting to know that you're getting the best possible climb rate. Also, a bank angle of 10 or 15 degrees is easier to maintain than 30 degrees since you don't need as much back pressure on the yoke or the stick in the turn. Also, you won't need to worry quite as much about the bank angle accidentally steepening into a steep turn.

With a 30 degree bank, it takes just 15 degrees to reach a 45 degree bank steep turn. But at a 15 degree bank, inadvertently adding another 15 degrees only takes you to a 30 degree bank. And since the 10 or 15 degree bank turn is easier to maintain, you're less likely to get fixated on your bank instruments, giving you more time to scan your pitch instruments.

So while 30 degree banked climbing turns can be perfectly safe, especially in the daytime, you may want to consider using smaller bank angles during nighttime climb outs.

So here are some key takeaways from this accident that I hope you'll remember. One, the night accident rate is significantly higher than the daytime accident rate. So when you can, consider adjusting your schedule so you complete your flight before dark. Two, when you're taking off at night or into IMC, always climb initially at VY, the best rate of climb airspeed, and confirm on the VSI that you have a positive rate of climb.

Three, remember that somatographic illusion is a stealthy killer that can trick you into believing you're climbing anytime you're accelerating. And if you can't see the ground because it's dark night or you're an IMC, you won't know that you're not climbing unless you have a good instrument scan.

4. Avoid instrument fixation by developing good instrument scanning techniques. 5. When flying long distance, consider bringing meals with you or ordering from DoorDash so that you don't waste time on the ground driving to get food.

And just a reminder that I love hearing from you and I read many of your emails on the show. If you'd like to send me a message, just go out to aviationnewstalk.com, click on contact at the top of the page. That's absolutely the best way to send me a message. And of course, I also want to thank everyone who supports the show in one of the following ways. We love it when you join the club and sign up at aviationnewstalk.com slash support to

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coming down. Kill your silence, baby, sliding upside down. You can all