NTSB: Selfies cause fatal CO crash

So just so I have this right. The article seems to indicate that the selfies caused what appears to be a student pilot to lose control of an airplane, with a passenger, at night, in IMC?

Not so sure it was the selfies that caused it if that's the case. A more likely scenario is that he just didn't know what he hell be was doing, and it would have happened any way.
 
mshunter said:
So just so I have this right. The article seems to indicate that the selfies caused what appears to be a student pilot to lose control of an airplane, with a passenger, at night, in IMC?

Not so sure it was the selfies that caused it if that's the case. A more likely scenario is that he just didn't know what he hell be was doing, and it would have happened any way.
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The taking of the selfie was the last of many poor decisions he made that night. I can see the flash being an issue.
 
And a 2014 Darwin award goes to.......

The passenger and their family have my sympathy...
 
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mshunter said:
So just so I have this right. The article seems to indicate that the selfies caused what appears to be a student pilot to lose control of an airplane, with a passenger, at night, in IMC?

Not so sure it was the selfies that caused it if that's the case. A more likely scenario is that he just didn't know what he hell be was doing, and it would have happened any way.
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In fairness the article does say it was just a contributing factor, but it's pretty clear that the article is written around the selfie. Seems kind of sensationalist to me.

Not qualified for night flights yet is in night IMC? Yeah this flight was not destined to end well...cell phones on board or not.
 
Eh, it's kind of pointless to argue about since all of our information comes from an article which wouldn't have even been written if there weren't a clickbait tie-in, but the closest scenario that I can think of to the exact verbiage of the article would be that the dumbass wasn't night current.
 
poser765 said:
In fairness the article does say it was just a contributing factor, but it's pretty clear that the article is written around the selfie. Seems kind of sensationalist to me.

Not qualified for night flights yet is in night IMC? Yeah this flight was not destined to end well...cell phones on board or not.
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From the article, it states he didn't have his 3 take off and landings at night in order to be legal to carry passengers. He might have been IFR current, but not current to take on a passenger. But being current, and being safe are two different things.

Quoting from the article: The NTSB said the 29-year-old pilot did not meet the requirements for night flights with passengers.
 
SilkyD said:
From the article, it states he didn't have his 3 take off and landings at night in order to be legal to carry passengers. He might have been IFR current, but not current to take on a passenger. But being current, and being safe are two different things.

Quoting from the article: The NTSB said the 29-year-old pilot did not meet the requirements for night flights with passengers.
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Yeah I didn't read it that way...but that is certainly a way it could be taken. Either way, if his skills are such that the flash from a cell phone camera is enough to make him lose his orientation, then he probably shouldn't have been in night IMC, instrument current or not.
 
mshunter said:
So just so I have this right. The article seems to indicate that the selfies caused what appears to be a student pilot to lose control of an airplane, with a passenger, at night, in IMC?

Not so sure it was the selfies that caused it if that's the case. A more likely scenario is that he just didn't know what he hell be was doing, and it would have happened any way.
Click to expand...

Not a student. Instrument-rated CMEL w/ approx 725 hours, according to the NTSB report.

It appears that he may have had some currency issues. Not to mention that he was flying VFR in night IMC.

http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief2.aspx?ev_id=20140531X12318&ntsbno=CEN14FA265&akey=1
 
It's all down to personal attitudes to risk. Shame the training he had couldn't correct for that. Wish the docket had some interviews with family etc as to did he do this often, was it spur of the moment etc.
 
The news of course wants to make it sensational. Seems like the NTSB and the news later state the GoPro never captured the accident flight. There was however a history of taking selfies during critical phases of flight as demonstrated over the past few flights from the GoPro. Sad situation from someone who should have known better than to depart VFR in IMC conditions at a time that fatigue could impair judgement.
 
I think we all knew it was just a matter of time before selfies contributed to an accident. It's a distraction that takes your eyes away from the scan. Not saying it's not ok, just an additional risk factor.
 
Murdoughnut said:
I think we all knew it was just a matter of time before selfies contributed to an accident. It's a distraction that takes your eyes away from the scan. Not saying it's not ok, just an additional risk factor.
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I would be really interested to see the results of a study looking at how often instruments are scanned during, say, a 2 hour 121 flight.
 
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