Man thrown from experinental plane

[ComplexHiAv8r]

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Authorities in southeastern Tennessee are searching for a man who was thrown from an experimental aircraft while he was learning to fly from an instructor. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that police in Collegedale and the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office on Friday were searching the ground for the man, who has not been identified. Collegedale Municipal Airport employee Lowell Sterchi said the man was being trained by an instructor in his Zodiac 601 aircraft at about 2,500 feet when the canopy came off. The man's seat belt was not fastened and he was thrown out from the plane over the East Brainerd and Apison areas of the county. Sterchi said the instructor, who Sterchi would not identify, landed the plane and was not physically hurt. Sterchi said the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have been notified Associated Press

 

[JordanD]

Holy crap. The stuff nightmares are made of.

 

[flyingbum]

Wow, that's nuts man. RIP, no way he survived that.

 

[Itchy]

Wow. That sucks. He had some time to reflect on his mistake. RIP

 

[JustinS]

Freak accident. Good reminder to wear your seatbelt while you're moving... Never been an issue for anyone I know in an airplane.

 

[rd757]

That's awful!! What a way to go... RIP.

 

[Angel7]

dam..when your enjoying your flight and all of a sudden your out of the plane

 

[Cloud Surfer]

There is just no excuse for anyone not to wear a seat belt or harness. They're there for a reason. It's mind-boggling why so many people choose not to wear them.

 

[Jet]

Heh, you guys are ruthless with the jokes man.


Natural selection at its finest.

 

[gotWXdagain]

Hope the CFI did due dilligence to try to make sure the guy was wearing the thing. That must have been a horrible feeling flying the plane back by himself and having to explain to the-probably waiting-family why their dad/husband isn't coming home.

 

[Inverted]

That will ruin the CFI's career. Not that it matters now, somebody is dead. That is horrible, RIP.

 

[smack300]

Wow that is insane. The guilt that the CFI must feel has to be incredible. Man what a bummer situation.

 

[ChasenSFO]

I never take my seatbelt off in GA aircraft. Sad he learned the hard way, CFI is going to have one hell of a road ahead. RIP.

 

[Okie_Pilot]

WHOA.

That sucks.

Yeah, really no excuse NOT to wear a seatbelt in a car/airplane/vehicle when the option exists to wear one.

 

[DPApilot]

I never take my seatbelt off in GA aircraft. Sad he learned the hard way, CFI is going to have one hell of a road ahead. RIP.

The only time mine comes off is if I have to pee. Shoulder harnesses are a different thing.

 

[🦈💜]

WHY no seatbelt?!! WHY did the canopy come off? WHY did the "student" go with it?

So confused by this...

 

[cezzna]

More to this story me thinks. Sounds like body disposal laundering or perhaps a life insurance scam.

Not buying it. Could be an assisted suicide.

 

[CFI A&P]

Could've been a botched roll with too much negative it in.

I can't count how many times I've hit my head on a canopy during negative. Haven't fallen out yet.

A 601 right? At least flutter didn't get them.

 

[drunkenbeagle]

WHY no seatbelt?!! WHY did the canopy come off? WHY did the "student" go with it?

So confused by this...

My experience with experimental's - the builder will try to save a loose canopy at the expense of everything else.

Pilot will say screw it and let the canopy go, builder totally forget the thing isn't on the ground. Seen it before!

 

[🦈💜]

Could've been a botched roll with too much negative it in.

I can't count how many times I've hit my head on a canopy during negative. Haven't fallen out yet.

A 601 right? At least flutter didn't get them.

It could be, I guess... or spin recovery through the vertical. I had forgotten that those things were nominally aerobatic.

I dunno. Really not my business, but I look askance to reports that the "student" wasn't belted in.

~Fox