Stolen ATP Cessna 172 Crash

derg

Apparently a "terse" writer
Staff member

"About right now you'll probably realize that I’m not going to listen to y’all's instructions and I’m just heading to East Texas," he said, according to ATC recordings obtained by NBC News. "I’m going to pull the comm 1 circuit breaker and the comm 2 circuit breaker right here soon, as soon as I unkey the mic."
 

"About right now you'll probably realize that I’m not going to listen to y’all's instructions and I’m just heading to East Texas," he said, according to ATC recordings obtained by NBC News. "I’m going to pull the comm 1 circuit breaker and the comm 2 circuit breaker right here soon, as soon as I unkey the mic."
I really wish the guy could have gotten the help he obviously needed. On the other hand, I am glad he didn't take anyone else out with him. But damn, this makes me sad
 
Any 23 year old offing themselves is sad, but other than using a plane rather than a gun or pills, it's just one more sad event.

Looking here: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db471.pdf, it seems like youth suicide is on a noticeable and consistent uptick, although maybe not to a red lights and sirens degree.

Any younger members care to opine on why they imagine that might be?
 
Any 23 year old offing themselves is sad, but other than using a plane rather than a gun or pills, it's just one more sad event.

Looking here: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db471.pdf, it seems like youth suicide is on a noticeable and consistent uptick, although maybe not to a red lights and sirens degree.

Any younger members care to opine on why they imagine that might be?


Social media. Bullying. Lonely. Broken family structure.
 
Any 23 year old offing themselves is sad, but other than using a plane rather than a gun or pills, it's just one more sad event.

Looking here: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db471.pdf, it seems like youth suicide is on a noticeable and consistent uptick, although maybe not to a red lights and sirens degree.

Any younger members care to opine on why they imagine that might be?
*gestures vaguely at everything*
I really wonder if the state of the world in general is contributing. Home ownership is basically a fantasy, rent goes up, and the very real possibility that this generation won’t be able to retire. Climate change, increasing polarization and a general • negative atmosphere with all the worst parts aggravated by social media can’t be great for a person’s mental health in their formative years. I don’t blame younger people for being riddled with anxiety.
 
Kid in a nearby town, today, overdosed at his (or I guess her, it wasn't specified?) high school from fentanyl. This is in a sleepy little island community in WA. I think the narcan saved the kid, but man, that's just wild. It is certainly worrisome as a parent of school aged kids. On some level, we are both worried that the lack of stuff to do here might encourage this sort of stuff with kids more than other places. One of the marks on the decision matrix to possibly move back to Oregon in the next few years. Though this kinda makes me sad, even if it would result in being much closer to our folks, and both of our siblings and families. The northern frontier of the PNW is a powerful drug. And of course, the tax burden is much lower.
 
*gestures vaguely at everything*
I really wonder if the state of the world in general is contributing. Home ownership is basically a fantasy, rent goes up, and the very real possibility that this generation won’t be able to retire. Climate change, increasing polarization and a general • negative atmosphere with all the worst parts aggravated by social media can’t be great for a person’s mental health in their formative years. I don’t blame younger people for being riddled with anxiety.

Yep, millennials agree.
 
My first weekend as a freshman at ERAU-DAB in 1998, an instructor broke into the flight line and stole a Piper Seminole. Crashed it a mile short of the runway in DAB. Left a 7-page suicide note because his girlfriend dumped him.

But God forbid the FAA find out that you were sad one day in 1993.
 
*gestures vaguely at everything*
I really wonder if the state of the world in general is contributing. Home ownership is basically a fantasy, rent goes up, and the very real possibility that this generation won’t be able to retire. Climate change, increasing polarization and a general • negative atmosphere with all the worst parts aggravated by social media can’t be great for a person’s mental health in their formative years. I don’t blame younger people for being riddled with anxiety.
I mean…duh
 
*gestures vaguely at everything*
I really wonder if the state of the world in general is contributing. Home ownership is basically a fantasy, rent goes up, and the very real possibility that this generation won’t be able to retire.

Eh, yeah maybe some of that. But the reality is that, at least in the broad economic sense, everything is FINE. Like, surprisingly fine. By all previous metrics, we should be in a shallow but very real recession, and instead the economy is *growing*. The Boomers are dying off and sooner or later their houses will be for sale, and if the prices for these things don't go down, wages will certainly go up (I think both will probably occur, just not tomorrow). It's an ineradicable law of economics.

I would be more sanguine to agree with your other arguments, though. While I think that the reality is that the arrow of history is still pointing towards greater prosperity *and* rational egalitarianism (which is to say that everyone will benefit), that does not seem to be the received perception, and I have no idea what you do about that. Because these improvements occurring is, of course, predicated on everyone agreeing that they *are* occurring, and it seems like everyone has become a Pilot, suddenly. Totally sure that they're getting hosed all the time, when they're actually doing pretty well. *shrug*
 
Eh, yeah maybe some of that. But the reality is that, at least in the broad economic sense, everything is FINE. Like, surprisingly fine. By all previous metrics, we should be in a shallow but very real recession, and instead the economy is *growing*. The Boomers are dying off and sooner or later their houses will be for sale, and if the prices for these things don't go down, wages will certainly go up (I think both will probably occur, just not tomorrow). It's an ineradicable law of economics.

I would be more sanguine to agree with your other arguments, though. While I think that the reality is that the arrow of history is still pointing towards greater prosperity *and* rational egalitarianism (which is to say that everyone will benefit), that does not seem to be the received perception, and I have no idea what you do about that. Because these improvements occurring is, of course, predicated on everyone agreeing that they *are* occurring, and it seems like everyone has become a Pilot, suddenly. Totally sure that they're getting hosed all the time, when they're actually doing pretty well. *shrug*


I don’t think it’s fine. It’s the illusion of being fine.




Stuff like this…


 
Any 23 year old offing themselves is sad, but other than using a plane rather than a gun or pills, it's just one more sad event.

Looking here: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db471.pdf, it seems like youth suicide is on a noticeable and consistent uptick, although maybe not to a red lights and sirens degree.

Any younger members care to opine on why they imagine that might be?

I'm not the target of your question, but I have at least four friends that committed suicide, three were airline pilots.

They didn't broadcast their intentions, never asked for help, never did anything I could perceive as reaching out other than disappearing, getting a phone call about if I've seen (name) and then a few days later, finding the body.

The first, you're sad-mad. Sad because you second guess yourself about missing the cues that they were asking for help then mad because you would have went to the ends of the earth to help a buddy who genuinely asked for help, but didn't.

The next, you're a little numb, but selfishly pissed because, yet again, someone you were close to didn't at least give you an opportunity to be of assistance.

And then it just gets weird from there because you have all these conflicting emotions which all are equally valid and invalid at the same time.

If anyone, I mean ANYONE is on that emotional spiral, please reach out. I'm never going to say you're 'crazy' or 'you'll be ok after a beer' or anything else other than listen and help, if you'll let me. Where the rubber meets the road, I won't judge so you're safe and you will be heard.
 
Compounding the problem is how incredibly difficult it is to actually obtain mental health services these days. We pay out of pocket for the psychologist we utilize for our children, but she has a months long waitlist now for new patients. Several months ago I went through my insurance to try and find just a regular masters degree holding counselor for some CBT to help with my anxiety. Of the limited number of people on my plan in my area, they either weren't accepting new patients, or would take me as a patient, but only if I paid out of pocket (despite being approved by my insurance). That left me to suck it up, cut back on the drinking, and hit the gym more.
 
Unbelievably sad. Can you imagine trying to suppress your depression while on the hook for $100k worth of flight training?
 
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