Yesterday, while returning from a trip upstate, my scanner picked up the unmistakable sounds of a plane crash down by the TWA800 memorial at Smith Point Beach, but no word on which plane had gone down.
Later in the evening the identity was revealed, and it was one just like these, taken from in front of my own plane recently. The plane, a Curtis P-40 Warhawk, was kept yards away from mine and flown by someone just a bit younger than myself.
The reaction from local sources mirrored the famous crash of TWA 800 itself, closing the beach and mobilizing a cast of hundreds. They kept all the surfers to interview and wouldn't even admit vacationers in their 60 foot winnebagos who had confirmed reservations at the campground.
It is made much more poignant because his wife and child were on the beach watching him fly.
That hits you where it counts. Seeing something on the news is not the same as something that you can personally identify with. I've noticed a lot of reports on plane crashes in recent months - what is up with that?
There have been two recent well publicised commercial crashes - Buffalo NY and Amsterdam. In both cases it is likely going to be determined that the pilots simply were not paying attention to their job and let the autopilots slow the plane to a stall with fatalities in both cases. [All the flight crew was killed in both instances].
One cause is said to be some airlines accepting captains with much less experience than before - reason being given is that the automation is such that for most of the flight a pilot is not even really needed.
Two other crashes, the one by me over the weekend and one up in Butte Montana a few weeks ago were both flown by highly experienced very skilled pilots in their sixties. The actual causes for these crashes has not been released yet and may be tougher to come up with, absent the presence of cockpit voice recorders or flight data recorders (black boxes) on either flight.
10 comments:
Yesterday, while returning from a trip upstate, my scanner picked up the unmistakable sounds of a plane crash down by the TWA800 memorial at Smith Point Beach, but no word on which plane had gone down.
Later in the evening the identity was revealed, and it was one just like these, taken from in front of my own plane recently. The plane, a Curtis P-40 Warhawk, was kept yards away from mine and flown by someone just a bit younger than myself.
I'm sorry to read this....
Bobby
It is sad.
The reaction from local sources mirrored the famous crash of TWA 800 itself, closing the beach and mobilizing a cast of hundreds. They kept all the surfers to interview and wouldn't even admit vacationers in their 60 foot winnebagos who had confirmed reservations at the campground.
It is made much more poignant because his wife and child were on the beach watching him fly.
That is so sad... wish there was something I could say or do.
So there was a loss of life. How sad. But he died doing what heloved, that must be some consolation. Maggs
Sad things happen in this world and the plane and pilot will be a big loss
Fin, I'm so sorry. That is so sad to hear. *hugs* My condolences.
That hits you where it counts. Seeing something on the news is not the same as something that you can personally identify with. I've noticed a lot of reports on plane crashes in recent months - what is up with that?
There have been two recent well publicised commercial crashes - Buffalo NY and Amsterdam. In both cases it is likely going to be determined that the pilots simply were not paying attention to their job and let the autopilots slow the plane to a stall with fatalities in both cases. [All the flight crew was killed in both instances].
One cause is said to be some airlines accepting captains with much less experience than before - reason being given is that the automation is such that for most of the flight a pilot is not even really needed.
Two other crashes, the one by me over the weekend and one up in Butte Montana a few weeks ago were both flown by highly experienced very skilled pilots in their sixties. The actual causes for these crashes has not been released yet and may be tougher to come up with, absent the presence of cockpit voice recorders or flight data recorders (black boxes) on either flight.
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