Today on the Golf Hotel Whiskey blog, I saw one of the most
chilling flying videos I’ve ever viewed. It’s a graphic example of why
inadvertent VFR into IMC is the most dangerous accident type. Statistically, if
a pilot inadvertently flies into a cloud and subsequently has an accident, 90%
of the time one or more people aboard that flight will die. By contrast, only
about 15% of daytime accidents are fatal and 30% of nighttime accidents are
fatal. Therefore, when teaching
Private pilots I literally tell them “Do not enter a cloud under any
circumstances under penalty of death.” Obviously that doesn’t apply later when
they become instrument rated and are on an IFR flight plan.
In this video, the pilot shows a callous disregard for the
dangers of flying in the clouds…
without an IFR clearance. He can be seen calmly
flying in IMC until suddenly bushes appear at the aircraft’s level ahead and to
the right. Just how close the pilot came to killing all aboard is later
demonstrated by a close-up view of the damage to the right wing.
It’s one thing for a pilot to break the rules and endanger
himself. It is unconscionable that this pilot’s careless disregard nearly
killed a plane full of passengers along for the ride. They undoubtedly put
their trust in the pilot, never suspecting that he would take them to within a
couple of feet of their death.
Yesterday, the FAA announced the emergency revocation of the
licenses for the crew that flew Northwest Airlines Flight 188 past their
destination while out of radio contact for 78 minutes. Candidly, this pilot’s
behavior was far more egregious. If he’s identified, the FAA should revoke his
certificates.
I noticed in the comments that the original poster says the matter is with the FAA. I couldn’t make out the last letter of the callsign and I don’t really know any other way to check.
But I agree, the view happily continuing to fly through the cloud in a valley – what?!