Cause of Crash- Pilot Selfies

[csb]

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_27447690/ntsb-selfies-likely-contributed-fatal-plane-crash-near

NTSB: "Selfies" likely contributed to fatal plane crash near DenverBy Jesse Paul
The Denver PostPOSTED: 02/03/2015 06:23:20 AM MSTADD A COMMENT| UPDATED: 4 MIN. AGO

The plane that crashed, killing two people, on Saturday, May 31, 2014. (Photo provided by the Adams County Sheriff's Office via Twitter)

"Selfies" likely contributed to a single-engine plane crash east of Denver last May that killed two people, federal investigators said in a report released last week.

The National Transportation Safety Board said a GoPro video camera was found near the plane's wreckage in Watkins, about 25 miles east of Denver. Recordings on the device showed the pilot and a passenger were taking "self-photographs" with their cellphones, using the flash during the plane's takeoff roll, intitial climb and flight, the NTSB said.

Family members said Amritpal Singh, 29, was flying the plane when it crashed, killing him. The aircraft was registered to Singh.

"Post-accident examination of the airplane did not reveal any pre-impact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation," the NTSB said in their report, released Friday. "Based on the wreckage distribution, which was consistent with a high-speed impact, and the degraded visual reference conditions, it is likely that the pilot experienced spatial disorientation and lost control of the airplane."

Investigators found that the plane's crash was likely caused by an aerodynamic stall and "subsequent spin into terrain."


"It is likely that cell phone use during the accident flight distracted the pilot and contributed to the development of spatial disorientation and subsequent loss of control," the report says.

The aircraft, a Cessna-150 two-seater built in 1970, took off just after midnight on May 31, 2014 from Front Range Airport in Adams County. It was reported missing by Singh's family at 3:45 a.m. and the plane's wreckage was found at about 7:30 a.m.

Singh's family said the passenger killed in the crash was a musician in town for a concert at Adams City High School and that Singh was giving airplane rides to some of the people in town for the concert.

The plane crashed in an open field, leaving it in a mangled ball.

"The airplane impacted a field and bounced one time before it came to rest upright," the NTSB said.

Investigators said the GoPro did not record video of the crash itself.

Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, [email protected] or twitter.com/JesseAPaul

 

[csb]

The NTSB just said "selfies" because they still aren't allowed to use "raging idiot." That's a term that really should have been allowed following Pinnacle Flight 3701.

 

[mudpuppy]

Reminds me of this article: http://qz.com/233165/the-pilots-of-instagram-beautiful-views-from-the-cockpit-violating-rules-of-the-air/

 

[knight1fox3]

Waiting for Flyer to weigh in here.....

opcorn:

 

[Road Guy]

stupid is as stupid does

 

[Flyer_PE]

Selfies with flash late at night near the ground. Un-freaking-believable. Flying is a safe hobby but it is incredibly unforgiving to those who don't treat it with the proper respect. That clown didn't show any respect at all and he and his passenger paid the price.

As far as pictures from the cockpit, I don't have a problem with it other than maybe the shots taken on short final. So long as the cell phones are in "airplane" mode and the plane is in level cruise, I have no problem with the guy not acting as PIC taking a few shots out the window. If he's doing that when the workload is high (Instrument approach, short final....) he should be canned on the spot.

 

[mudpuppy]

^ how about these?

 

[Flyer_PE]

^If it's a jump seat pilot, I don't have a problem. I have a real issue with it if the person with the camera has any piloting duties (either PIC or co-pilot) and is taking those shots that close to the ground. The odds are low that anything will go wrong but there is no time to try and get your head back in the game in that phase of the flight.

 

[Road Guy]

What about that time goose took a picture of those commies while doing an inverted negative dive?

 

[knight1fox3]

^^ LOL

 

[Flyer_PE]

Anything is acceptable when you're sharing airspace with commies.

 

[csb]

Does that include the entire state of Illinois, or just the Chicago area?

 

[Flyer_PE]

^Just Chicago and all of Crook County.

 

[cement]

if his parents named him armpit, his prospects couldn't have been too bright

 

[Dleg]

I thought Nazis were the problem in Illinois, not commies...

 

[Flyer_PE]

Found a more detailed account: Link

5 minutes before the aircraft's first takeoff at Front Range airport, the Denver International METAR, which is 5 miles northwest of the accident site, reported 2.5 SM visibility and ceilings overcast at 300 feet. 5 minutes after the crash, a special observation METAR at Denver International reported 6 SM visibility, clouds scattered at 200 feet, clouds broken at 500 feet.

The pilot had an instrument rating. However, he was flying under visual flight rules (VFR) in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The NTSB hasn't been able to establish either his instrument or night currency from his log books.

I have an instrument rating and I'm current for both night and IFR operations and I would never in a million years go for a VFR joy ride in those conditions. I'm wondering if this guy was suicidal, drunk, or high.

 

[mudpuppy]

How can VFR even be possible with a 300'ceiling? Would conditions at Front Range be that much different than at DEN?

 

[Flyer_PE]

Not enough difference to make it legal or smart. The legal requirement for VFR is a 1000 ft. ceiling and either 1 or 3 miles visibility depending on the airspace class.

What he was doing was flying under Visual Flight Rules in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC). Even for an instrument rated pilot, that's a giant no-no.

 

[Road Guy]

There should really be a much much stricter policy for flying personal planes at night. At least over my house anyways....

I think I read this happened at night?

 

[Flyer_PE]

^it was at night. If the weather report in that article is accurate, his actions were illegal as well as stupid. The only thing stricter policies would do is add to the list of rules the dead guy broke.