Posted on 10/14/2014 4:25:14 PM PDT by 11th_VA
Doug Butzier, the Libertarian Party nominee for U.S. Senate in Iowa, was killed in a plane crash, authorities said Tuesday. He was 59.
Key West Fire Chief Brian Arnold confirmed the crash and Butzier's death in a brief interview. He said Butzier was piloting an airplane late Monday night when it crashed roughly a mile from the Dubuque airport, which Butzier was approaching. No one else was in the plane.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating a crash in the Dubuque area that caused no ground injuries.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Accident, eh?
Now any “dead” voters may vote for a dead candidate.
Small planes crash a LOT.
I never realized how much till I moved to a place with a half dozen small airfields within about 10 miles.
It is bizarre ...
RIP.
Piloting a small craft himself. That’s just asking for it.
Pride
Well, this is sad. Prayers for his family. But, you know this has got to be exceptionally bad news for Bruce Braley. Everyone knows that Libertarian votes are usually votes taken away from the GOP candidate.
Lots of American politicians have cashed out this way. It’s a hazard of the job.
Prayers up for his loved ones.
Prayers up for Mr Butzier and his family.
Why not fly commercial? Why not drive? I don't understand the people who charter planes. Bill Gates flew commercial in coach, and started chartering planes only when he could afford the very best (pilot- and plane-wise) - over a decade after MSFT became the largest software company in the world.
98% of the time pilot error. My father was a pilot and flew a number of light planes for about 40 years. He was meticulous in detail and safety and only had two scary incidents in all those years - both when he was in his “low hours” period.
One a major mechanical failure on take-off that few pilots could have recovered from (failure of hydraulics on contant speed prop, fluid covering windshield). He landed safely with no power.
Another unpredictable weather change over mountains on VFR (before IFR rating), with limited fuel, but made it down safely.
Countless times in pilot prep area he would point out other pilots doing risky things......
In a campaign, time is your most precious commodity. And driving takes longer. A lot longer.
And you can’t possibly get commercial flights between small Iowa towns, especially on a campaign schedule.
I ran in the Republican gubernatorial primary this year. We only had to use a plane once. Had no choice, really. It was impossible to make all the congressional district caucuses without one. Even then, we couldn’t make the last meeting in time.
I prefer driving though, myself. I avoid small aircraft, especially single engine small aircraft, like the plague. Only get on one if I absolutely have to. And then I pray a lot.
Every single one of the small plane crashes I’ve seen around here have been on take off or landing. In Napoleon Michigan is a house that has ended up with at least 2 planes in their front yard that I know of. Its right across the highway from the airfield with a livestock auction between. The pole for an antenna on the auction building is bent at a 45 degree angle where a plane hit it.
The small field outside Brooklyn Michigan used to be really bad because it got lots of traffic on race weekends and had a power line intersecting the grass strip. After years of legal wrangling I believe the power lines were moved.
As all pilots know, take-off and landing are the most dangerous moments of flying - take-off being the most dangerous.....
And that’s why most accidents occur then. The pilot has only seconds to correct an error or problem - and mistakes can be fatal.
Father, fully-rated pilot, uncle, Navy pilot & flight instructor, son pilot....me, just thousands of hours in the right seat......and even a few in the cockpits of a 767 over South America and 777 over the Atlantic.....
No, it’s not. Small planes are unsafe.
Anyway, I hope dead or alive that doesn’t steal votes Ernst needs to win.
You're right. I hadn't considered the fact that travel-wise, retail politics is a very different animal from the typical business circuit, which revolves around major cities.
Out of curiosity, did you ever consider first running for mayor or a seat in the state legislature?
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