Posted on 06/25/2011 3:32:19 PM PDT by CreviceTool
Charlevoix, Michigan (Indiana’s NewsCenter) – Officials with the FAA have confirmed that a single-engine plane that took off from Smith Field Airport in Fort Wayne crashed into a residential garage in Charlevoix, Michigan at about 7:30pm Friday Night. They say two people on board were killed and another person was critically injured. Sources close to the family tell us that Dr. Stephen Hatch and his wife Kim were the people killed in the crash. They tell us that Hatch’s son, Austin, was also in the aircraft and is in critical condition.
(Excerpt) Read more at indianasnewscenter.com ...
It is a syndrome of rich people and their toys.
The name sounds familiar but I don’t know who he is.
I don’t know who he is either, but perhaps you’re being a little harsh on the good doctor, here. Was the first crash the result of some terribly negligent action on his part? Just asking.
True dat.
People who fly a lot tend to be the most likely crash victims.
“A 2005 federal report on the September 2003 crash found inaccurate preflight planning resulted in the plane not having enough fuel. The National Transportation Safety Board determined a utility pole the airplane hit during its forced landing, a low ceiling and dark night also contributed to the crash.”
He argued it was equipment failure.
Sounds like the utility pole functioned exactly like it was supposed to.
Yep, running out of fuel is BAD. It’ll be interesting to see what caused this crash. Still, at this point, it’s hard for me to see it as anything other than a terrible tragedy.
I have logged roughly 3 million air miles - not without incident - but no crashes. I did it by leaving the flying to professionals and strenuously avoiding these risks:
- Flying on well maintained equipment that is suited for the journey
- Using only travel providers with spotless records
- Skipping trips when there are broad lines of thunderheads rising above 33,000 feet
- Skipping trips where weather phenomenon are present or anticipated like thunder snow, gale force winds, microbursts, etc.
The weather in Michigan last night was not stormy, but not VFR either. There was low cloud cover and shifting wind gusts due a to a cold front moving through. You wouldn’t find me on a puddle jumper last night.
I would say, running out of gas is pilot error, not "equipment failure." This posturing and refusal to accept responsibility would not bode well for the future. No doubt the second crash wil be investigated as well, so we'll see.
It happened last Sunday here in Columbus, too. A pair of doctors, husband and wife from New Jersey crashed on takeoff, both killed.
Whatever the reason, the sole survivor, Austin, had just verbally committed to play basketball for the University of Michigan in 2013. This kid’s future is now in jeopardy and he’s seen his whole family wiped out. He’s fortunate to have not just survived this crash but the one prior that killed his mom, sister and brother. But, he’ll be lucky if he ever plays basketball again and he’ll have the misfortune of living the rest of his life with the memories of two horrible accidents. God speed to him.
Sure enough, he had remembered a similar incident from a couple of years earlier in which the same pilot survived a plane crash in which he had run out of fuel.
The comments left on the source article paint the pilot as a nice church going man who was supportive of general aviation and his local airport.
If you run out of fuel in your car you have to walk, If you run out of fuel in your boat you have to swim, If you run out of fuel in your airplane, you have to pray,because you damned sure aint going to fly.
“So a person who has a car accident in which people died is somehow deranged if he gets another vehicle?”
No. The vast majority of automobile accidents involve another vehicle. Often, autos are the only mode of point-to-point travel in less densely populated areas.
The doctor could have flown commercially on American or Delta from FWA to TVC. But more typically, he could have driven the 325 miles. Geez - I drive farther than that between LA and San Jose dozens of times annually - it’s a snap.
But in some planes you can glide. And in others you can deploy a parachute.
They used to refer to some of the hotter private aircraft as “Doctor killers” because the docs thought their skill at medicine translted into piloting skill.
Gravity is a harsh mistress.
“...The National Transportation Safety Board determined a utility pole the airplane hit during its forced landing also contributed to the crash...”
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I’m not sure when I have read anything quite so stupid as that statement.
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