MIA controller killed in Cessna crash 5/14/22

[NovemberEcho]

If I’m not mistaken, the water in that inlet is often rough enough that there’s an entire YouTube channel dedicated to boats getting swamped trying to get in/out of it

 

[knot4u]

Yeah, never had any training related to water ditching while in primary.

I did, because we were doing spins off of Malibu.

 

[FlyingAccountant]

Here's a pretty well reasoned analysis:

Looks like he had engine issues as soon as he took off and was initially out over the water on the ocean side. He turned 180 to head back to the airport and ended up over land at that point. There were some tall condo buildings on the beach between the road and the water that likely committed him to the road/bridge as he didn't have the altitude to get around them after he turned back.

I'm not second guessing this guy, but I probably would have taken my chances with the water. The guy presenting this makes an interesting point that slow speed ditchings in water rarely result in fatalities.

 

[NovemberEcho]

Here's a pretty well reasoned analysis:

Looks like he had engine issues as soon as he took off and was initially out over the water on the ocean side. He turned 180 to head back to the airport and ended up over land at that point. There were some tall condo buildings on the beach between the road and the water that likely committed him to the road/bridge as he didn't have the altitude to get around them after he turned back.

I'm not second guessing this guy, but I probably would have taken my chances with the water. The guy presenting this makes an interesting point that slow speed ditchings in water rarely result in fatalities.

haven’t watched the video yet but did the engine quit before the 180 or was it still running and he probably thought he could make the airport?

 

[Skåning]

Just speculation, but if the pilot didn’t know how to swim it would effect the ditching decision.

 

[N826AW]

That’s a crazy busy area for boating. A water landing may have actually been more dangerous.

I drove over this bridge yesterday. I cannot imagine trying to land in the water there. There are multiple sandbars and tons of boaters/swimmers.

 

[touch-n-go]

Just speculation, but if the pilot didn’t know how to swim it would effect the ditching decision.

Yes. Plus he had 2 passengers who may also have not known how to swim. That plus the complications of egressing from backseat for passenger

 

[MikeD]

I drove over this bridge yesterday. I cannot imagine trying to land in the water there. There are multiple sandbars and tons of boaters/swimmers.

Yes. Plus he had 2 passengers who may also have not known how to swim. That plus the complications of egressing from backseat for passenger

Very possible that he was aware of all of these and they may have factored into his decision.

 

[GypsyPilot]

Just speculation, but if the pilot didn’t know how to swim it would effect the ditching decision.

At first I thought this was a silly argument, but I looked it up and almost half of the adults in the US can’t swim:

Nearly half of adults can't swim well enough to save themselves

Only 56% of adults can perform the five basic skills needed to swim and exit the water safely.

www.local3news.com

That’s absolutely shocking to me. I grew up in a landlocked mountain town, and everyone I knew learned how to swim. I never would’ve guessed at these statistics.