- 11:50 PM
- 12/21/24
The parachute is an emergency device that Cirrus provides on many of their aircraft. Assuming a mechanical failure of airframe or engine, the pilot can deploy this emergency device and it will (generally) safely deliver the aircraft and occupants to the ground. There are many assumptions, however: 1) that there is enough air under you to deploy the parachute and arrest the decent 2) that the airspeed of the aircraft is slow enough to safely deploy the parachute 3) that the attitude of the aircraft is such that a deployment won't end up in a highly tangled mass of kevlar In this instance, items #1 and #3 would have prevented the parachute from rendering any assistance at all. It's a safety device meant for deployment at significant altitude (>1000 feet) when a mechanical failure prevents flying the aircraft to the ground. My 2 cents.
posted by Sanman at 01:28 PM on October 12, 2006
The SR20 is actually a lower performing aircraft than the SR22. It can fly slower, it stalls at a lower speed, and is the most appropriate Cirrus aircraft for an entry-level pilot. That said, even the SR20 isn't a "beginner" aircraft...
posted by Sanman at 12:56 PM on October 12, 2006
Right. As if only good pilots can foresee every eventuality and situation. I've seen a lot of "good" pilots go into black bags. None of them fly a high-performance aircraft into tight airspace close to the ground unless they are intending to land. If they do, and get away with it, they aren't "good" pilots...they are lucky.
posted by Sanman at 12:27 PM on October 12, 2006
Not sure, but they were never above 800 feet and decended rapidly after crossing the top of the bridge. That decent could have been part of the stall induced spin...we'll find out when the NTSB writes it up. Second-guessing...sure, maybe. If the instructor was flying the aircraft this mistake just got magnified by a factor of 10. The 26 year old should have known better...and if he was flying, 2 people are dead because of his incompetence.
posted by Sanman at 12:17 PM on October 12, 2006
...no instructor worth his weight in salt would advocate being at 300 feet above the East River in between Teterboro, La Guardia, and JFK airspace and 50 story buildings. Those conditions are only acceptable when you're avoiding SAM's or dropping bombs, and when the government is paying you to do it. Spin characteristics of the Cirrus notwithstanding, at 300 feet crap comes at you so fast you won't even know you're spinning until it's non-recoverable. In the panic (ground to your left, sky to your right, world spinning around like a merry-go-round) even experienced pilots tend to grab the stick and pull...thus tightening the spin and insuring impact. Tragic for both the instructor and Lidle, but if either had lived they would have had their license pulled.
posted by Sanman at 11:58 AM on October 12, 2006
FYI...I'm a licensed pilot with 2,412 hours PIC in 4 aircraft types. The Cirrus is a great little plane, but a lot of folks with more money than sense buy them. Instructor on board or not, they both put themselves in a situation that no airplane would get them out of. Over-confidence, under-experience. Read the NTSB report when it comes out...
posted by Sanman at 11:24 AM on October 12, 2006
He could have been in the safest aircraft in the world, but he still would have been at 300 feet above the East River in between buildings. That's not a position an inexperienced pilot should find himself in. The Cirrus accident rate is indicative of the people who buy it, not the inherent safety of the aircraft. Robinson goes through the same issues every year (with their training helicopters) when numerous student pilots experience a ground interrupt due to inexperience and lack of judgement. Don't blame the airplane for lack of judgement and over-confidence.
posted by Sanman at 11:07 AM on October 12, 2006
99% of all General Aviation accidents are eventually classified as "pilot error". The NTSB analysis of this crash will no doubt come to the same conclusion. Having an engine or structural failure is bad, but having it at 300 feet above the East River while bounded by buildings on both sides is poor planning. Cory Lidle or not, there is NO forgiveness in aircraft crashes. Good pilots never put themselves in a position where an engine or structural failure is non-recoverable. There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold, pilots.
posted by Sanman at 10:01 AM on October 12, 2006
A methanol-fueled binge, no doubt. Another proud episode from the Unser clan.
posted by Sanman at 09:32 AM on August 11, 2006
Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to in the mail, we have to win it. The man who knows HOW to win it will always have a job, like the Quarry brothers. They got their collective blocks knocked off for years and made a few bucks. The man who also knows WHY to win it will always be his boss. Like the promotors who profit so greatly from these zealots who are willing to get their blocks knocked off. Another in a long line of boxing misfortunes.
posted by Sanman at 10:37 PM on June 14, 2006
Rehab has never been proven to work over the long haul, especially for mental midgets like Dwight Gooden. Personal resolve and discipline has been proven to work for centuries and will continue to do so. I feel no pity for people who constantly make bad decisions and place themselves in harms way. Once, OK. Twice, you're stupid. 11 times? I'm done with you...
posted by Sanman at 11:52 AM on May 31, 2006
Just watched archived footage of Gilles Villeneuve's fatal crash. Ugghhh... Say what you will about safety in open-wheel racing today, but it's 99% better than it was back then. The 60's and 70's were simply horrible.
posted by Sanman at 10:19 PM on March 27, 2006
Finally saw the video. Imagine the energy absorbed by his body...yikes. What was Ganassi doing!?! He was grinning from ear to ear and going on about the race. Wheldon himself appeared put off by his boss' behavior.
posted by Sanman at 06:05 PM on March 27, 2006
Is there a link to the actual crash video or still footage? I haven't seen anything at all. From all accounts it appears that he made a very bad rookie mistake. Like flying aerobatics, it just takes one slip up to ruin your day. Sanman
posted by Sanman at 10:32 PM on March 26, 2006
Corey Lidle's Plane Crashes into New York City Skyscraper
I know the feelings associated with canyon-bashing and river-ripping...just like your video of the RV4 pilot in Alaska. It's great stuff...very fun... When a meteor hits your plane and knocks you out of the sky, it's an accident. Everything else is preventable... http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-yankees-planecrash-investigation&prov=ap&type=lgns Pilot error...over-confidence...under-skilled...you can read the exact same story 104 times at the NTSB website. Airplanes have no forgiveness, even for wealthy, overconfident ballplayers or magazine magnates.