Lifeguard Fatal Five in Nevada Feb 24, 2023

Maybe? You think he was manually flying the aircraft into the flight levels?
Maybe not knowingly. Have you ever checked your scoreboard and found that the AP wasn’t actually engaged? Or the mode you thought you’d selected wasn’t showing engaged? I know I have.
 
Maybe not knowingly. Have you ever checked your scoreboard and found that the AP wasn’t actually engaged? Or the mode you thought you’d selected wasn’t showing engaged? I know I have.
The King autopilots in those legacies do have a history of a number of different “interesting” failure modes (reference another medevac crash under similar circumstances maybe 10-15 years ago, also in the southwest). Certainly something the investigators will look at.
 
Maybe? You think he was manually flying the aircraft into the flight levels?

Moderate turbulence was reported. Could he have found some stronger turbulence that damaged the aircraft?

Manually flying into the flight levels isn't that difficult. Would probably go against the GOM tho
Curious what avionics suite it had.

It's not easy to break a Pilatus. and in the extremely rare case that you do, it's going straight down.

This plane was likely intact 'till impact.
 
Hence why cautious about hard-core speculating. And why armchair wannabe-investigator idiots like Dan Gryder and his less angry little brother Juan Browne, so annoy the crap out of me with their idiotic clickbait accident videos they make right after an accident, trying to wrap things up like a 1 hour prime time crime episode.

Yes! So much this. +100000!

I don’t get these people and their videos on YouTube.
 
It's not easy to break a Pilatus. and in the extremely rare case that you do, it's going straight down.

This plane was likely intact 'till impact.
I agree. It reads like either a loss of instrumentation or spatial D in moderate turbulence at night IMC.
 
That last one was nothing but a death wish. The NTSB report was sickening.

Yeah, I just reread it to jog my memory.

The highlights:
  • Slightly over MTOW, and past the aft CG.
  • 12 people onboard when there was only 10 seats. Two pax were sitting on the floor(!).
  • A pilot of questionable abilities who had trouble handling the aircraft in even the best conditions.
  • Airplane had sat outside during a snowstorm and wasn't properly deiced. The report makes a point to state that this alone wouldn't have doomed the airplane but it was a hole in the swiss cheese.
  • The runway was covered in snow and the only person plowing it couldn't keep up. He advised the pilot that the condition of the runway was terrible and that there were "berms" of snow on it. The pilot insisted on going anyway.
  • Low IFR conditions during a snowstorm.
  • Two separate people advised him not to go and he declined. The owner of the lodge they were staying at felt so strongly about it that he took pictures and video of the airplane on the tarmac as it was leaving.
It baffles me that someone could be so reckless, especially with 11 other lives in his hands. The CVR is startling too, talk about foreshadowing, even the pax knew it was sketchy.
 
Manually flying into the flight levels isn't that difficult. Would probably go against the GOM tho
Curious what avionics suite it had.

It's not easy to break a Pilatus. and in the extremely rare case that you do, it's going straight down.

This plane was likely intact 'till impact.
You think their GOM would prohibit hand flying? I've never had that restriction.
 
Manually flying into the flight levels isn't that difficult. Would probably go against the GOM tho
Curious what avionics suite it had.

It's not easy to break a Pilatus. and in the extremely rare case that you do, it's going straight down.

This plane was likely intact 'till impact.
I would imagine it had the standard King EFIS 40, probably upgraded with a GTN-something.
 
You think their GOM would prohibit hand flying? I've never had that restriction.

I worded that wrong.
If the pilot was hand flying it due to loss of A/P while flying single pilot, that would likely be against the GOM

I would imagine it had the standard King EFIS 40, probably upgraded with a GTN-something.

The GTN would not likely bork itself and nuke 2 separate AHARS

I can't remember if you can tumble an old King EFIS.
It it had a King, that's where I'd look.

If it was a Garmin, I'd check if there was a pressurization failure or medical incapacitation of the pilot
 
TF you think a PC12 is made out of
“The PC12 cannot be destroyed my normal turbulence Fholbert son of Gloin.”
It's not easy to break a Pilatus. and in the extremely rare case that you do, it's going straight down.

This plane was likely intact 'till impact.
“How do we know if the airplane broke up in flight? We found parts of the airplane one-half to three-quarters of a mile away” from the crash scene, NTSB Vice Chair Bruce Landsberg said at a news briefing in Carson City.

 
Last edited:
Maybe? You think he was manually flying the aircraft into the flight levels?

Moderate turbulence was reported. Could he have found some stronger turbulence that damaged the aircraft?
I’ve had that model (assuming it has standard avionics) A/P kick off in turbulence a few times.
 
“How do we know if the airplane broke up in flight? We found parts of the airplane one-half to three-quarters of a mile away” from the crash scene, NTSB Vice Chair Bruce Landsberg said at a news briefing in Carson City.


Well, that'll do it.
Now, directly due to the turbulence or did it cause an unusual attitude that led to the breakup.

(I'm guessing the latter)
 
Well, that'll do it.
Now, directly due to the turbulence or did it cause an unusual attitude that led to the breakup.

(I'm guessing the latter)
Based on your recent guessing and my recent guessing, I'd be wise to stay the course.
 
Back
Top