Yeah, no pilot error there. A 21 year old pilot, taking off into snow and 30 mph gusting winds, at 1am, for a cross country flight over featureless terrain, without an instrument rating, carrying 3 young rock stars.
Who could ever call that pilot error?
I remember reading once that there was the possibility he was star struck and threw caution to the wind to impress which seems to have been responsible for killing a lot of rock stars in the past, like Stevie Ray Vaughn, helicopter taking off in heavy fog and they have to fly over a 1000 foot mountain, uh.. hello. You just know before that chopper took off they were questioning if it was a good idea. “But you can’t see anything!” “Don’t worry it’s cool man!”
The pilot error was in agreeing to take off in unsuitable conditions.
“Yeah, no pilot error there. A 21 year old pilot, taking off into snow and 30 mph gusting winds, at 1am, for a cross country flight over featureless terrain, without an instrument rating, carrying 3 young rock stars. Who could ever call that pilot error?”
I’m with you...the NTSB must have a bunch of EXTRA BUDGET to kill.