I’ll never forget when my flight instructor told me I could someday inadvertently get into an IFR situation and had me put on a hood that blocked my outside view. Now turn left, turn right etc. Now fly straight and level. I felt I was level, even though I saw the instruments say otherwise. When I took the hood off I was shocked to realize we were left wing high and diving at the ground! Trust the instruments, not your inner ear.
I even notice on takeoff, as a passenger, when takeoff power is switched to climb power and the flaps go up it feels like the airplane moves "down" rather than just less up if I have my eyes closed.
Wow ....hats off to you and all the new pilots..I certainly appreciate all of you people..I used to hang and party at a drop zone here in NJ and I love the culture and all the great people..
so do pilots actually know how to fly the plane or not? If auto pilot fails why can't they just fly the plane themselves? If this guy was a fighter pilot would be have been able to fly it? If so why are commercial pilots and people with their licenses more like systems baby sitters and less like pilots? Are they really just trained to check and recheck things why can they not just take the controls, control the rudders/aileros/etc, and give the proper power to the engines to do what they want? I don't get it am I missing something? Surely there is somebody out there who can actually "fly" this plane and not just sit in the cockpit with it on auto pilot, didn't he have some type of higher level pilots clearance, how did he get that, by paying or bribing someone?
This one in particular made me feel awful for the air traffic controller who seemed to know very early on that this pilot was in over his head, and still couldn't do anything to help him and his wife out of it.
that music is repetitive and overkill. the detailed descriptions of how these passengers are systematically killed is the best thing going on this channel.
I may not be a pilot, but from my medical experience I know a panic attack when I hear one. I'm guessing he lost his auto pilot and he was not confident in flying the plane himself. He got it in his head that he needed to get to higher altitude for visual and that was his only focus. That's what happens during panic attacks, people pick one thing that they need right now in order to fix everything, and nothing else matters. That's why he wasn't paying attention to his instruments or the the controllers instructions. Add the fact that his wife was probably panicking also so he was distracted. Just my guess from the little bit of info thats available.
Sounds plausible. Spatial disorientation is an overwhelming sensation when visuals are lost. I do like your observation about the wife. It has always been my firm belief that if you take the wife flying, the wife must be able to fly the aircraft. You never know what happens. Or, don't feel embarrassed over bringing a co-pilot on your journey.
As someone completely outside on this, my impression is that the pilot was way over his head in terms of capability in flying that jet. Status symbol, and the status of being able to fly your own private jet. ATC was trying to help all the way, and must have known what he was dealing with.
I think he liked the jet cause it was fast and convenient. “Status” had nothing to do with it. Just one of thousands of GA pilots who killed himself by getting in over his head
You could sense the fear and desperation in the pilots voice. Clearly the controller did and offered whatever help he could. Very sad way to end your life in a 21,000’ drop from the sky with the aircraft coming apart around you.
@@jquest43 She survived a fall from 21,000 feet that triggered an in-flight breakup due to extreme aerodynamic loads the airplane wasn't designed to handle? I don't think so.
Sounds pretty clearly like the pilot became disorientated when we was forced to hand fly. If there is one rule that all instrument rated pilots should live by, it is trust your instruments.
I’m only 15, I’ve never flown before, so I don’t have a right/don’t want to criticize, but this was the first thing that came to my mind, he got very disoriented, very fast. Fly the plane first, then worry about everything else going on
Aviate, navigate, communicate. The priority order. I suspect this pilot was out of practice/rusty at flying IFR with no autopilot. In addition, when last had he trained on insteument failure situations? Simulators are excellent at teahcing use if backup instruments (and things like AoA and airspeed). Compasses can show inaccurate readings of actual heading, but they ALWAYS show direction of turn, and rate of turn. The rudder is your friend. I used to train flying only on rudder and elevator - extremely good practice. Didn't early aircraft only have these things anyway? Now if he had vacuum pump failure, plus icing, and failure of altimeter, he could be in big trouble in IFR. Doesn't seem any indication of that, though. Finally, spatial disorientation is serious, and hits even the best pilots in IFR. It can literally turn an excellent pilot into a half-blind, fully reactive, gibbering idiot. This is why good co-pilots are vital in IFR.
I knew this gentleman and had flown with him a couple times and he was an outstanding pilot...I only have a vfr rating and don't fly that often it's just to expensive so when he offered to take me up one time I jumped at the chance. I was amazed at the all glass cockpit of his cessna and I was a little overwhelmed by all the tech and asked him if it made flying easier, I'll never forget his response...he told me that as he was training to get his ATP he went from analog to glass through the years and sometimes the tech just confuses you more and sometimes takes the instinct and fun out of being a pilot. I've heard alot of other pilots say the same thing...I'm perfectly happy in a piper warrior with dials and buttons. He was a good guy and a great pilot I was sad when this happened.
good chance if he had of had analogue instruments he would still be here, I flew glass, but that don't mean I liked it or put 100% trust in it, but I loved to hand fly and did it to and from altitude on my legs, anybody that can not hand fly smooth as or smoother than an autopilot has chosen the wrong profession!
Sorry about your friend, but if he was an outstanding pilot, he would not have crashed. NTSB found nothing wrong with the flight instruments. He couldn’t even articulate to ATC specifically what his problems were. If you’re going to fly a jet as a single seat pilot into IMC, you better have some serious instrument flying skills, to include flying on standby instruments. This pilot obviously did not. He may have had instrument problems, but to lose total control of the aircraft shows he was way in over his head. Unfortunately he took his innocent wife with him. Lastly, in my opinion, glass cockpits make flying a lot safer and easier. I’ve got about 30,000 hours of flight time, and most of the pilots I fly with would never want to go back to analog. Situational awareness is greatly enhanced.
@@dickbeale9731 I have a few hours myself right thru jets and in my opinion glass is not the way to go, give me analog gages and stick and rudder guys that have come up freight dogging and general aviating with no auto pilot, then you will see less accidents like this one.
Thank you for taking up for Don. I didn't know him personally but have read lots of testimonials about what a great pilot and great guy / great friend he was. Everyone wants to blame him for the crash. I am not a pilot and have only been in a plane a few times, but it just seems to me that this was a horrible accident where everything that could have possibly went wrong, went wrong. Rest in peace Don and Dawn.
Single pilot operations are fine when everything is going great. The minute things start to go wrong, especially in challenging conditions, the workload can easily exceed the capabilities of a single pilot. Especially if that single pilot is not a professional pilot, but rather some guy with just enough money to fly on the side.
@@aarongorton1984 - Explain. You don't think it is possible for inexperienced pilots to become overwhelmed and disoriented during single pilot operations in IMC? I'd really love to hear your reasoning.
Two observations from these videos: 1. When autopilot fails, nobody seems to know what to do. And 2. "Flight hours" seems like an inflated number since most of the time, under normal circumstances, the pilot is using auto pilot. Unless the number refers to how many hours the pilot is actually flying the plane. I welcome any feedback on this as I have no experience in this area.
Modern airplanes with these systems are complex.. and pilots have to be systems-managers. Checklists, backsups, data entry, all while flying. This accident is a human factors display of workload overload and ultimately the brain's ability to deal in a stressful environment when things aren't going right. This pilot got behind the power curve for any number of reasons, but once there, was in a desperate race to catch up. sadly, only breaking out into VMC conditions would have bought him the time he needed to settle down , assess his situation. Auto pilot failure/anomalies in IMC and climbout is about as stressful as it can get. Even with 2 pilots, this would have been challenging, but they would have been better able to cross check backup systems, verify what had failed and focus on remedies.
This. I think it's called "All the gear and no idea." I'm not a pilot but I know a panicked voice when I hear it. I wonder how many other types of plane he flew before he bought his shinny jet.
I can see the efforts put in making the video, the background music syncs properly, the quality is mind-blowing...You make me feel I am right there witnessing the whole event.. Good job man, Good job.
As much as I truly admire the overall quality and presentation of these videos by themselves, when there is actual audio blended in, it takes the emotional impact to a whole other level. It just feels so much more intense and personal to be hearing the final moments (in some of these cases) of someone's life. Truly sobering.
He was clearly panicked and ATC knew it early on. The AC had 3 redundant IFR backups and a whiskey compass. Cause was spatial disorientation or vertigo.
@AD Electronic Teardowns As soon as the pilot knew he was in over his head he should have declared an emergency and requested to fly above the clouds and weather. At least that way he might have avoided spatial disorientation or vertigo.
@@NETBotic Anything is possible I suppose could the air pressurization been failing? Maybe so. Still seems to me like he was simply having navigation issues and didn't have the skill or confidence to fly IFR under pressure. Seems to be barring that possibility you mention that declaring an emergency and getting immediate clearance above the weather might have saved them.
@@watershed44 What you describe is what actually happened: the pilot called "mayday" (at 7:05), so he was cleared to fly as high as he wanted, first FL230 then more...
@@marcodeodorico7618 It did happen but not fast enough, seems like he lost critical time in getting above the weather that might have saved them. It was almost like the pilot was trying to hide the serious nature of his failing skills for many minutes before he did the pan pan. If that would have been me I would have immediately told ATC I was in over my head with IFR and requested emergency clearance above the weather. You may feel humiliated but it probably would have kept them alive.
EXACTLY!! Maybe these "real estate brokers, celebrities, athletes, movie stars, doctors, businessmen, .........and whatnot" should stick to doing what they are qualified to do (ROLLSEYES) ...and leave the flying to the professionals! You don't find an airline pilot try to do cardiac surgery part time, now do you?? (rollseyes). So why would any of these idiots think they can fly a complex machine, that professional pilots train for eons (with eons of experience to boot)?? It's one thing to fly a Cessna 172 on the weekend for a hobby. But flying a complex twinjet?? Really?? SMH.
Perhaps the "instrument anomalies" was due to the pilots spatial disorientation and his mistrust in what properly functioning instruments were telling him.
@@42dunbar Well he had to be current to legally file that IFR flight plan but clearly he was not proficient in hand flying while in IMC, probably spent all his time on autopilot.
@@yamkaw346 Legally yes, but if you do the bare minimum that won’t make you a safe pilot. Just a legal one. Also, simulated IFR with a safety pilot isn’t the same thing as single pilot IFR in actual IMC.
I hope all the other owner/pilots with complex aircraft out there that see this will learn from it. A pile of money does not make you a pilot. If you can't fly the machine without relying completely on the autopilot, you probably should go with the airlines.
Yep...or stick to a standard GA aircraft in VMC only. This guy wasn’t really an IFR pilot...he just had the money to buy a jet which could do it fit him.
@@rockkitty100 No way to know for sure but it’s very rare for a glass cockpit like that to fail. Not to mention all three independent systems to fail. It’s far more likely that the pilot was not current in flying in actual IMC conditions without an autopilot.
Sad. But this is a definite case of somebody's eyes telling them something different than their instruments were telling them. Always trust your instruments when ATC is confirming what you are seeing. There was panic there. He wanted to get above the clouds so he had reference of what is up and down. In his mind he felt all of his instruments were lying to him. They were not.
You may be wrong there. As others have been saying, the pitot tube may have been jammed because of icing, giving him all sorts of conflicting information on the instrumentation. That's why he wanted to climb, because he wanted to get a visual reference.
@@ingvarhallstrom2306 True, and it is hard to second guess his state of mind at the time,, but it was his responsibility to inspect the aircraft prior to takeoff. And with an aircraft like that the 3 pito tubes are low enough to see if they were blocked or not. Also pito tube heat should have been statred while on the ground in those conditions. A shame all around.
@@ingvarhallstrom2306 Always, always, always, always trust your instruments over your gut. There are instruments that don't rely on pitot tubes for providing information for this very reason. Human error causes most crashes. Usually people "going with their gut".
@@ingvarhallstrom2306 yes but he over climbed. He went to the maximum and still didnt get a visual....whats the point? fly straight and stick to the instruments.
The official report / crash log states that instrument failure combined with spatial disorientation likely caused the crash. He is heard on the recorder stating that he was losing instruments. Don Baker reportedly had IFR rating according to people who knew him. I am no pilot but this seems like a situation where every single thing went wrong that could have went wrong. No instruments, and not being able to see / no spatial awareness, it sounds like he had no chance.
That is because he isn't a REAL pilot. Another one of those idiotic businessmen, celebrities, doctors, lawyers, movie stars, .......and the list goes on, whose demise due to an aircraft crash they were "piloting", you regularly hear on the news. These top-gun wannabe idiots should stick to what they're qualified to do, and leave the flying to the professionals. The bare minimum button pushing these people do, like trained seals, is simply no match for the training and experience of a professional career pilot (rollseyes)!
I think it also has to do with his New York accent, I don’t even know if he’s from NY but it sure sounds like it, heck for a minute I thought it was Jordan Belfort
This was a sad one to watch. The ATC did well as did the pilot. Spatial disorientation is one of those things you hear and think ''I wouldn't get in that situation'' but the thousands of people it has happened to also thought that.
Been watching now for over a year, love this channel, thank you for bringing us these, so that we may honor and remember those that lost lives, and for your depth of coverage. Well done!
the quality of each video you make keeps increasing and becomes yet more cinematic and captivating. Fantastic work - as a lifetime aviation junkie your channel keeps me totally hooked!
I know it takes a lot of effort and time to make these videos and I applaud you for doing it! I have seen almost all your videos and I spend about everyday watching them cause I find them so interesting! Keep up the amazing work!
My wife knew the pilot and his wife. All the jets flight instruments were recently upgraded shortly before this flight. I don’t know how much experience he had with the system, but certainly possible he was trying to troubleshoot the new computerized instruments with divided attention. Sad loss.
Thank you for that info. That makes more sense as to why the instrument failures may have started. And the spatial disorientation is likely what occurred.
He should have waited to he had reached FL 23, with no speed restrictions, as per ATC instructions.. then he’d half been in the clear in no time, and *then* he could have engaged the AP. But he couldn’t even get that first read back correct.. which ATC picked up on, which is why the controller altered his instructions and then the whole sh*t show went downhill from there. If you want a plane that will fly itself to your destination with minimal fuss.. buy a ticket or hire a commercial ferry pilot.
@@josephkowalczyk7459Exactly! He should have waited a day or two for weather to improve. I am no pilot, with my experiences being a passenger on commercial airlines and hiring a local pilot with a 172 a few times for hour-long flights. That being said, if I ever chose to get a pilot's license, as many hours experience I obtained, there would be numerous situations I wouldn't attempt if I was a hobbyist who worked full-time job outside of aviation.
Your videos (correction: recreations) are so well done, invoking such emotions, that at times I've actually caught myself holding my breath anticipating the next scene....wow...simply fantastic!!
New subscriber and spending a Sunday afternoon catching up with older videos of yours. Great production and info to take us along on these crazy rides.
There are many lessons here, but one in particular stands out. Wether or not on this day he had the performance to out-climb the weather, he knew his skills were not sharp enough and had a plan. If ever you feel uneasy in the pit of your stomach, tell ATC you are declaring an emergency and maneuver like your life depends on it. A violation won’t kill you. Be safe up there.
You really should create movies because your videos are the only "movies" worth watching! Thank you for all of your hard work in capturing these stories and making them feel so real and create heart-pumping emotion!
When the plane starts making unannounced turns and changes in altitude, you know the pilot is in trouble. Though the Citation can be flown with one pilot, a second one could have come in handy.
@@aparna5868 Duh. The point is that something likely has gone wrong with the plane if ATC has to learn about the pilot's manuevers from their radar screen.
@@aparna5868 ATC is mostly focused on the runways, they don’t have time to follow every movement of every flight. However in this case they knew he was in trouble early, so kept asking him if he needed help.
its so heartbreaking that successful people try what they call General Aviation (in lay terms joyriding) and find out its so complicated for them to understand but they are so egotistic they don't capitulate to flight schools or stay out of difficult problems after they are licensed.
Such a sad story. A man who makes a success of his life and therefore has all the trappings that go with it. Just a shame one decision in his life cost him everything. At least some consolation in as much as he died TOGETHER with his wife. Stunning presentation. Thank you.
The quality of your videos is always astounding!!! One accident you should definitely cover is the 2008 Interstate Helicopters bird strike crash in Oklahoma City.
This video is a piece of art. Truly magnificient. I am blown away by the snow, the sun fog, the christmas tree. The sun reflecting off the engines on the plane. Masterful!
I absolutely love your videos the quality is outstanding the music and the way you mention every little part in the video is why I think you are underrated
This could’ve been avoided if the pilot had flipped 2 switches. When doing a GPU start, which he did, you turn both GEN switches to off and you have to turn them back on afterwards so the generators can power the electrical system. If you don’t turn the GEN SWs back on, the ELEC system will run for approx 20 mins (his troubles started about 20 mins after engine start). After those 20 mins, you lose main electrical power which feeds your PFD/NDs and then you’re are on standby power. This accident happened around the same time I got my C525S type so every time I do a GPU start, I put a sticky note or something to get my attention to turn the generators back online. IMO, it’s a very deadly gotcha with that type. Also, it’s a great airplane that was designed to fly single pilot. Something I do on a daily basis.
@@gregjohnson2073 I believe the position of the GEN switches were found in the OFF position but I can’t say for 100% where that info came from. It might’ve been from the initial NTSB but I’m not positive. Regardless, I think the issue has been rectified on the CJ4.
Sometimes its just fun or at least perhaps he could have business that he needed to deal with as soon as possible after the event. I live in Reno and its just about an hour and a half delay to SLC by air.
Thank you TheFlightChannel.✔✈ These presentations are so real-looking and I really like when we see the details of the landscapes in the recreations, very excellent! ⭐
The final problem occurred when the ATC asked the pilot if he wanted to continue to Tucson(at 7:46). This required the pilot, who was in great difficulty, to make a turn in the IMC conditions. The pilot should never have agreed to make the turn, just fly straight ahead and increase altitude until he reaches VFR conditions. Keep everything as simple as possible until the plane is in VFR conditions, then make your turns.
EXACTLY. Level-straight-up and out. all the chatty cathy distractions by these ATC folks. the guy was clearly nervous by his 2nd communication. HELLO? should not be discussing vectors when a single pilot is HAND FLYING in whiteout conditions.
Love this channel. In my opinion, it demonstrates to me, flying cars will never come to be. Can you imagine the chaos in the skies? Some people can't even drive cars safely and some so preoccupied with their phones, not to mention being drunk or fatigued. Stay safe out there flying or driving.
This idiot's ego caused this tragedy. The ATC asked him more than once "Do you need assistance? ", but his inflated ego wouldn't allow it. What would happen if he just said "Yes please, I have no idea what I'm doing, help me to arrive safely" Rest in peace to the poor lady :(
His responsibility was to get his wife safely on the ground. So why did he want to continue to Tucson when he knew he had a problem almost as soon as he took off? I don't understand that.
I mean if he couldn't even keep his plane in the air at altitude without autopilot, what makes you think he'd be able to turn around and land safely with instrument failure. Not saying the pilot did nothing wrong but I think it's clear what his thinking was.
It sounded like other instruments and his FMS started to fail later. Trying to setup for landing with failing instruments, IFR weather, and landing without the help of an autopilot.... his best bet was to get VFR. I would agree. But it’s very easy to lose your spacial orientation if u get distracted. Lots going on in a fast jet.
My guess is he assumed he would be blind the whole way down and, without his instruments, couldn't land. Instead he opted for somewhere he hoped would be clearer.
I am ATC retired , Really Awesome very good quality video and sound looks like a real film congratulation for your channel i am excited to watched your real stories based on official reports, thanks to much
I’m from Utah and I gotta say, your animations are amazing! Not only is the airport accurate, but the mountains, weather, the sun through the fog and the surrounding areas are all accurate! I could almost see my house that’s how accurate it was! Amazing!
I love your effort into these videos. Would like to see more smaller plane accidents. Getting disoriented is a horrible feeling but most times your instruments are right
So many private pilots think of themselves as better than they actually are. Having 3,300 hours is good, but there's always room for improvement. The poor guy probably got disoriented, overloaded with regard to sensory input from having to fly alone, and lost control. Co-pilots work! Nice video, TFC...
I used to work at Cessna back in the early 2000’s. I have lots of experience with this airframe. Excellent aircraft and extremely easy to fly. Just goes to show how easy bad weather can be not only challenging, but also deadly.
A bizarre and terrifying accident. We know what happened but we don’t know why. A small portion of history has escaped our grasp, existing but never to be determined or discovered. Imagine the pilot’s fear: starting out seeing a couple of instruments fail, pressing on, then suddenly many more start failing. You don’t know why, you can’t do anything about it, and you don’t know what is about to fail. You’re racing against time to get out of the clouds before your attitude indicators go too. If you don’t make it, death is almost inevitable. Great work making this. Even though I knew the outcome I kept willing the pilot to get out of the clouds. That’s how you know it’s good.
Generally, the backup attitude indicator will run for about an hour. His main problem was being used to pressing buttons and not hand flying the aircraft. That airplane flies like a dream, and with trim and a little cross check, he could have checked his abnormal checklist and perhaps corrected his problem. Basic airmanship is lacking in these crash scenarios.
Spatial orientation management is THE most important aspect of flying. Trust your instruments when you do not have an actual horizon reference or you will die. I feel bad for the pilots that go through this because the panic levels go off the charts and any chance of getting out of the predicament is almost zero.
Lack of experience and training in IFR with failures. This could overload someone who hasn't done it recently. Sounds like he had multiple failures on his panel.
choosing to risk your life is one thing - I never cease to be amazed by the people that fly with others and take this approach. Get the hell down to safety.
Not to speak ill of the dead but the pilot sounded like he didn’t know what he was doing. Probably had very little instrument training and was used to flying visually. That’s what it sounded like to me.
I don't know why this pilot lost control and crashed. I don't have any answers. But I do know this: After having spent more than 52 years in flying and having logged more than 10,000 hours of actual IMC time, I can tell that, just like an actor preparing to shoot a scene in a motion picture, a pilot MUST get into character before he goes spearheading into the clouds and darkness. He has got to know and understand his machine and its operations specifications, and he absolutely must get his mind focused on the task at hand before he ever leaves the ground. I've known way too many people who didn't get themselves ready for what lay ahead of them before being faced with dangerous weather and technical and mechanical problems. Many of them did not survive. If you disrespect nature and physics they will swallow you whole.
"No.2 available" as well as backup instruments. He lost the autopilot and was obviously not proficient in hand-flying in IMC. A case of having more money than common sense.
Sadly I even have doubts about the loss of autopilot. I think he was disoriented in zero visibility and was countering the autopilot with his own flight inputs then totally lost reference.
I have a friend who has made close to a billion in software investments and is planning to buy a sophisticated airplane. He's taking flying lessons. I tell him he needs to have a professional, high time pilot fly his plane for him. He'll sit in the back with some gorgeous woman half his age and enjoy the flight. But he's always been successful so he thinks he'll make a great pilot. How many times have we seen this?
You nailed it, my friend!! Sadly, these types of "celebrity and other people with more money than brains, type" fatal accidents are getting more and more common!! The problem is, it appears deceptively easy to fly these complex machines, by acting like a trained seal, pushing buttons. But when the sh** hits the fan, you've got to have REAL piloting skills!
@@kixigvak They'll never learn, until one day they become a statistic. Sadly, it's increasing the rate of GA aviation accidents, making it look unsafe, when it really is PILOT ERROR 99% of the time. These people with money who think they can learn to push a bunch of buttons, and instantly become a "pilot" of a multi-million dollar jet (rollseyes).
I'm not ever flying with someone who isn't a pro. As in, that's all he or she does for a living. Won't ever trust some rich dork who treats flying like a hobby.
It looks to me that his pitot tubes were getting blocked with ice, forgetting to turn on the heaters is a common mistake,and he kept losing one instrument after another. (Altitude and airspeed) He couldnt figure out which were working and which were bad so he just ignored everything and tried to climb above the clouds....he didnt make it.
@@thewatcher5271 Arizona pilot Even if he went through the checklist he would have probably left the heaters off out of habit and this was the first time he experienced the problem so he couldnt figure out what was wrong. All he knew was his airspeed and altitude indicators stopped working on take off so he started using the other set on the co-pilots side...then those failed. He mentioned his "number 2 (copilot side) was still working" , but if the heaters were off they wouldn' work much longer. I suspect that in his attempts to "fix" the instrument problem he cycled the breakers...which disabled his gyros for the artificial horizon for several minutes Leaving him with just a magnetic compass. Thats when he said "mayday" and he started rolling to his right. While its possible to keep your wings level by using the magnetic compass (if you have to use rudder to maintain your heading you arent level) I think he was so fixated on climbing above the clouds that he was just staring out the window trying to find a visual reference.
This appears to be a classic case of an ATP not being able to hand-fly his plane in an emergency. In his previous 3,000+ hours of flying, he dialed the altitude and heading into the A/P and sat back to watch the plane fly itself to his destination. Today that didn't happen....he was insistent about needing to get to VMC above the cloud deck. I can't think of any other reason he would wish to climb so urgently.
As i keep saying a 3 thousand hour pilot should at least be comfortable just throwing the plane into emergency mode and just watch IMC even though he would be in VFR safely. I don't like this.
@@martintheiss4038 You'd be surprised what some instrument-rated pilots and ATPs can and cannot do when they fly. I was in a flying club once where an instrument-rated pilot and his girlfriend (who was also instrument-rated) would never go up in the plane if the A/P was inop. He couldn't hand-fly the plane in heavy IMC. I've hand flown a Saratoga from coast-to-coast several times without an operative A/P. And I'm a low time GA pilot with just under 3,000 hrs in 12 yrs.
I agree with your assessment. His inability to hand-fly the aircraft in heavy IMC is apparent from his conversation with ATC. I had a friend once with IFR rating who would never fly anywhere if the A/P was inop. b/c he could not hand-fly his plane in heavy IMC. He should NEVER have flown that plane in anything but VMC....but at least he never got caught without his A/P working as this pilot did.
THANK YOU! Outstanding work today, my friend. Absolutely gobsmacked.....and as I post this, I see I am not the only one feeling this way! Enjoy the kudos, much deserved! When I get a chance to *sit* down & watch a program, I tend to binge on your Channel. Problem is, I find it difficult to sit still! I wish there was a way to have "speech" captioning lol. #NoFlyZoneSpinalInjury #SimulatorQueen #ERAU #SJSU #FlyThatHeavyMetal #BionicWoman ✈✈✈✈✈💙💙💙💙💙
I’ll never forget when my flight instructor told me I could someday inadvertently get into an IFR situation and had me put on a hood that blocked my outside view. Now turn left, turn right etc. Now fly straight and level. I felt I was level, even though I saw the instruments say otherwise. When I took the hood off I was shocked to realize we were left wing high and diving at the ground! Trust the instruments, not your inner ear.
Facts
I even notice on takeoff, as a passenger, when takeoff power is switched to climb power and the flaps go up it feels like the airplane moves "down" rather than just less up if I have my eyes closed.
Wow ....hats off to you and all the new pilots..I certainly appreciate all of you people..I used to hang and party at a drop zone here in NJ and I love the culture and all the great people..
so do pilots actually know how to fly the plane or not?
If auto pilot fails why can't they just fly the plane themselves?
If this guy was a fighter pilot would be have been able to fly it?
If so why are commercial pilots and people with their licenses more like systems baby sitters and less like pilots?
Are they really just trained to check and recheck things why can they not just take the controls, control the rudders/aileros/etc, and give the proper power to the engines to do what they want?
I don't get it am I missing something? Surely there is somebody out there who can actually "fly" this plane and not just sit in the cockpit with it on auto pilot, didn't he have some type of higher level pilots clearance, how did he get that, by paying or bribing someone?
@@chinbosschinboss2484 you're conflating "autopilot" with all other instrumentation on an aircraft
This one in particular made me feel awful for the air traffic controller who seemed to know very early on that this pilot was in over his head, and still couldn't do anything to help him and his wife out of it.
He knew :/ Even worse to hear his voice trying to raise the ac when he knew it was wasn’t going to respond
So this crash was cause by pilot fault or ATC fault?
@@luuduonghy659 The pilot is responsible
The pilot was in a state of "which is up or down"..."Which is left or right"...and "Which is when the time to start kissing your arse goodbye."
What can a controller do? He gave the guy as much help as he could giving him new altitudes and then vectors. This was all pilot error.
Oof this one got me in the feels today. You can hear the stress in the pilot’s voice 😞
Same
Yeah, heaven knows whats it like to be in that postion, maybe (hopefully) they were unaware of how dire their situation had become.
Uh where is the ground. Oh
It’s the same for ships tho
@George Westinghouse safer than driving a car they told him.
Eastwood: A man's got to know his limitations.
Oh...Yeah!!
Indeed. This dude was overconfident in life and it finally caught up with him.
💯
"Dirty" Harry Callahan in 'Magnum Force.'- 1973.
🕵️♂️🚨💥
53 years old I've been living by the quote from magnum force my whole life
Your videos, editing, quality, and soundtrack never fail to stun me. What a masterpiece.
I actually grew so incredibly tired of and annoyed by the music in the end that I've unsuscribed and watch the video on mute.
Right after the crash when it's just the ATC trying and failing to make contact with the pilot was the part that really gave me chills.
that music is repetitive and overkill. the detailed descriptions of how these passengers are systematically killed is the best thing going on this channel.
@@rstidman I would disagree, a little variety would be nice but I doubt it's overkill. It contributes to the quality of the video.
PLEASE DO JENNI RIVERA PLEASE
I may not be a pilot, but from my medical experience I know a panic attack when I hear one. I'm guessing he lost his auto pilot and he was not confident in flying the plane himself. He got it in his head that he needed to get to higher altitude for visual and that was his only focus. That's what happens during panic attacks, people pick one thing that they need right now in order to fix everything, and nothing else matters. That's why he wasn't paying attention to his instruments or the the controllers instructions. Add the fact that his wife was probably panicking also so he was distracted. Just my guess from the little bit of info thats available.
That’s most likely what happened
Exactly
Definitely possible that's what happened, the situation is very similar to what happened on Air France 447
@@nerdyandnatural AF 447 flew into a thunderstorm. Can you please elaborate on what you see as the similarities?
Sounds plausible. Spatial disorientation is an overwhelming sensation when visuals are lost.
I do like your observation about the wife. It has always been my firm belief that if you take the wife flying, the wife must be able to fly the aircraft. You never know what happens. Or, don't feel embarrassed over bringing a co-pilot on your journey.
As someone completely outside on this, my impression is that the pilot was way over his head in terms of capability in flying that jet. Status symbol, and the status of being able to fly your own private jet. ATC was trying to help all the way, and must have known what he was dealing with.
jets fly on their own... when manual is your only salvation its a bad time to begin learning it.
I think he liked the jet cause it was fast and convenient. “Status” had nothing to do with it. Just one of thousands of GA pilots who killed himself by getting in over his head
You could sense the fear and desperation in the pilots voice. Clearly the controller did and offered whatever help he could. Very sad way to end your life in a 21,000’ drop from the sky with the aircraft coming apart around you.
Sad that he didn't get the opportunity to have a second chance to wait out the weather.
I like your profile photo!
And his wife was probably not too happy about it either..
@@BrilliantDesignOnline she survived
@@jquest43 She survived a fall from 21,000 feet that triggered an in-flight breakup due to extreme aerodynamic loads the airplane wasn't designed to handle? I don't think so.
Sounds pretty clearly like the pilot became disorientated when we was forced to hand fly. If there is one rule that all instrument rated pilots should live by, it is trust your instruments.
But the instruments had problems? Maybe he couldn't see his altitude and heading at all?
@@OriginalHesabim then he should at least see the AOA
I’m only 15, I’ve never flown before, so I don’t have a right/don’t want to criticize, but this was the first thing that came to my mind, he got very disoriented, very fast. Fly the plane first, then worry about everything else going on
Aviate, navigate, communicate. The priority order. I suspect this pilot was out of practice/rusty at flying IFR with no autopilot. In addition, when last had he trained on insteument failure situations? Simulators are excellent at teahcing use if backup instruments (and things like AoA and airspeed). Compasses can show inaccurate readings of actual heading, but they ALWAYS show direction of turn, and rate of turn. The rudder is your friend. I used to train flying only on rudder and elevator - extremely good practice. Didn't early aircraft only have these things anyway?
Now if he had vacuum pump failure, plus icing, and failure of altimeter, he could be in big trouble in IFR. Doesn't seem any indication of that, though.
Finally, spatial disorientation is serious, and hits even the best pilots in IFR. It can literally turn an excellent pilot into a half-blind, fully reactive, gibbering idiot. This is why good co-pilots are vital in IFR.
What can you do to prevent being disoriented? Or what causes that? I don’t know shit about flying, so please no one come for me 😳
I knew this gentleman and had flown with him a couple times and he was an outstanding pilot...I only have a vfr rating and don't fly that often it's just to expensive so when he offered to take me up one time I jumped at the chance. I was amazed at the all glass cockpit of his cessna and I was a little overwhelmed by all the tech and asked him if it made flying easier, I'll never forget his response...he told me that as he was training to get his ATP he went from analog to glass through the years and sometimes the tech just confuses you more and sometimes takes the instinct and fun out of being a pilot. I've heard alot of other pilots say the same thing...I'm perfectly happy in a piper warrior with dials and buttons. He was a good guy and a great pilot I was sad when this happened.
May he and his wife Rest In Peace!
good chance if he had of had analogue instruments he would still be here, I flew glass, but that don't mean I liked it or put 100% trust in it, but I loved to hand fly and did it to and from altitude on my legs, anybody that can not hand fly smooth as or smoother than an autopilot has chosen the wrong profession!
Sorry about your friend, but if he was an outstanding pilot, he would not have crashed. NTSB found nothing wrong with the flight instruments. He couldn’t even articulate to ATC specifically what his problems were. If you’re going to fly a jet as a single seat pilot into IMC, you better have some serious instrument flying skills, to include flying on standby instruments. This pilot obviously did not. He may have had instrument problems, but to lose total control of the aircraft shows he was way in over his head. Unfortunately he took his innocent wife with him. Lastly, in my opinion, glass cockpits make flying a lot safer and easier. I’ve got about 30,000 hours of flight time, and most of the pilots I fly with would never want to go back to analog. Situational awareness is greatly enhanced.
@@dickbeale9731 I have a few hours myself right thru jets and in my opinion glass is not the way to go, give me analog gages and stick and rudder guys that have come up freight dogging and general aviating with no auto pilot, then you will see less accidents like this one.
Thank you for taking up for Don. I didn't know him personally but have read lots of testimonials about what a great pilot and great guy / great friend he was. Everyone wants to blame him for the crash. I am not a pilot and have only been in a plane a few times, but it just seems to me that this was a horrible accident where everything that could have possibly went wrong, went wrong. Rest in peace Don and Dawn.
Single pilot operations are fine when everything is going great. The minute things start to go wrong, especially in challenging conditions, the workload can easily exceed the capabilities of a single pilot. Especially if that single pilot is not a professional pilot, but rather some guy with just enough money to fly on the side.
bull
@@aarongorton1984 - Not bull.
@@jsmith1746 clearly is bull
@@aarongorton1984 - Explain. You don't think it is possible for inexperienced pilots to become overwhelmed and disoriented during single pilot operations in IMC? I'd really love to hear your reasoning.
@@jsmith1746 don't even bother.. its dumbshittery... that commenter is the next headstone.
Two observations from these videos: 1. When autopilot fails, nobody seems to know what to do. And 2. "Flight hours" seems like an inflated number since most of the time, under normal circumstances, the pilot is using auto pilot. Unless the number refers to how many hours the pilot is actually flying the plane. I welcome any feedback on this as I have no experience in this area.
Seriously, the pilot had "3000" hours and can't read an altimeter.
Dam a lot of these pilots are fucked if that auto pilot goes off lol
Modern airplanes with these systems are complex.. and pilots have to be systems-managers. Checklists, backsups, data entry, all while flying. This accident is a human factors display of workload overload and ultimately the brain's ability to deal in a stressful environment when things aren't going right. This pilot got behind the power curve for any number of reasons, but once there, was in a desperate race to catch up. sadly, only breaking out into VMC conditions would have bought him the time he needed to settle down , assess his situation. Auto pilot failure/anomalies in IMC and climbout is about as stressful as it can get. Even with 2 pilots, this would have been challenging, but they would have been better able to cross check backup systems, verify what had failed and focus on remedies.
Yea its a joke....autopilot is great but u still gotta learn how to fly....if u have a self driving telsa...u still gotta know how to drive
This. I think it's called "All the gear and no idea." I'm not a pilot but I know a panicked voice when I hear it. I wonder how many other types of plane he flew before he bought his shinny jet.
I can see the efforts put in making the video, the background music syncs properly, the quality is mind-blowing...You make me feel I am right there witnessing the whole event..
Good job man, Good job.
Yeah
Yup. Every plane crash has a soaring, sappy string section to add to the proceedings.
I don't like to read your presentation 😕
@@tednarcotic8437 idiots, WTF told you to read😂😂
STOP WEARING MASKS OR VACCINATING THEY DO NOTHING HURT YOU ACTUALLY
As much as I truly admire the overall quality and presentation of these videos by themselves, when there is actual audio blended in, it takes the emotional impact to a whole other level. It just feels so much more intense and personal to be hearing the final moments (in some of these cases) of someone's life. Truly sobering.
It made me cry
@@miriamsamaniego3335 Its so intense to think about what these poor people endured. We just never know when our time is up :(
@@ajzepp8976 exactly, my friend.
He was clearly panicked and ATC knew it early on. The AC had 3 redundant IFR backups and a whiskey compass. Cause was spatial disorientation or vertigo.
@AD Electronic Teardowns
As soon as the pilot knew he was in over his head he should have declared an emergency and requested to fly above the clouds and weather. At least that way he might have avoided spatial disorientation or vertigo.
hypoxia?
@@NETBotic Anything is possible I suppose could the air pressurization been failing?
Maybe so. Still seems to me like he was simply having navigation issues and didn't have the skill or confidence to fly IFR under pressure. Seems to be barring that possibility you mention that declaring an emergency and getting immediate clearance above the weather might have saved them.
@@watershed44 What you describe is what actually happened: the pilot called "mayday" (at 7:05), so he was cleared to fly as high as he wanted, first FL230 then more...
@@marcodeodorico7618 It did happen but not fast enough, seems like he lost critical time in getting above the weather that might have saved them. It was almost like the pilot was trying to hide the serious nature of his failing skills for many minutes before he did the pan pan. If that would have been me I would have immediately told ATC I was in over my head with IFR and requested emergency clearance above the weather. You may feel humiliated but it probably would have kept them alive.
This guy was very experienced in flying in IMC and by that I mean he was very good at watching the aircraft fly itself in IMC.
I think this is closer to the actual cause than anything else.
Spot on, man.
EXACTLY!! Maybe these "real estate brokers, celebrities, athletes, movie stars, doctors, businessmen, .........and whatnot" should stick to doing what they are qualified to do (ROLLSEYES) ...and leave the flying to the professionals!
You don't find an airline pilot try to do cardiac surgery part time, now do you?? (rollseyes). So why would any of these idiots think they can fly a complex machine, that professional pilots train for eons (with eons of experience to boot)??
It's one thing to fly a Cessna 172 on the weekend for a hobby. But flying a complex twinjet?? Really?? SMH.
cgirl111 I can agree, especially by the sound of his voice when he said that he'd lost Autopilot!
Exactly!
Perhaps the "instrument anomalies" was due to the pilots spatial disorientation and his mistrust in what properly functioning instruments were telling him.
Surprising to see from a higher time pilot, guessing many of those hours were spent on autopilot.
Yup . You must absolutely trust your instruments , not the "seat of your pants".
@@yamkaw346 Higher time pilot doesn’t necessarily mean he was current in actual IMC.
@@42dunbar Well he had to be current to legally file that IFR flight plan but clearly he was not proficient in hand flying while in IMC, probably spent all his time on autopilot.
@@yamkaw346 Legally yes, but if you do the bare minimum that won’t make you a safe pilot. Just a legal one. Also, simulated IFR with a safety pilot isn’t the same thing as single pilot IFR in actual IMC.
I hope all the other owner/pilots with complex aircraft out there that see this will learn from it. A pile of money does not make you a pilot. If you can't fly the machine without relying completely on the autopilot, you probably should go with the airlines.
That's exactly how I see this one also.
We need more pilots and less Airbus drivers.
Yep...or stick to a standard GA aircraft in VMC only. This guy wasn’t really an IFR pilot...he just had the money to buy a jet which could do it fit him.
@@33moneyball is it possible he was suffering from hypoxia?
@@WALTERBROADDUS unlikely
He wasn't "losing different instruments." He wasn't believing them.
He relied on his autopilot to much and when it didn't work he couldn't fly.
*losing
And you know this how?
@@lisas8244 Drives me nuts too. Same for the wife. She loosed her mind after seeing this error almost daily.
@@MikeNaples I'm so glad I don't have OCD where I shit myself over typos.
@@rockkitty100 No way to know for sure but it’s very rare for a glass cockpit like that to fail. Not to mention all three independent systems to fail. It’s far more likely that the pilot was not current in flying in actual IMC conditions without an autopilot.
So basically he really didn't know how to fly IFR which is why he kept trying to climb above the clouds for visual😥
Sad. But this is a definite case of somebody's eyes telling them something different than their instruments were telling them.
Always trust your instruments when ATC is confirming what you are seeing. There was panic there. He wanted to get above the clouds so he had reference of what is up and down. In his mind he felt all of his instruments were lying to him.
They were not.
You may be wrong there. As others have been saying, the pitot tube may have been jammed because of icing, giving him all sorts of conflicting information on the instrumentation. That's why he wanted to climb, because he wanted to get a visual reference.
@@ingvarhallstrom2306 True, and it is hard to second guess his state of mind at the time,, but it was his responsibility to inspect the aircraft prior to takeoff. And with an aircraft like that the 3 pito tubes are low enough to see if they were blocked or not. Also pito tube heat should have been statred while on the ground in those conditions. A shame all around.
@@ingvarhallstrom2306 Always, always, always, always trust your instruments over your gut. There are instruments that don't rely on pitot tubes for providing information for this very reason.
Human error causes most crashes. Usually people "going with their gut".
@@ingvarhallstrom2306 yes but he over climbed. He went to the maximum and still didnt get a visual....whats the point? fly straight and stick to the instruments.
The official report / crash log states that instrument failure combined with spatial disorientation likely caused the crash. He is heard on the recorder stating that he was losing instruments. Don Baker reportedly had IFR rating according to people who knew him. I am no pilot but this seems like a situation where every single thing went wrong that could have went wrong. No instruments, and not being able to see / no spatial awareness, it sounds like he had no chance.
Normally pilots are so calm even in high stress situations but this guy was clearly in fear. So sad, RIP.
That is because he isn't a REAL pilot. Another one of those idiotic businessmen, celebrities, doctors, lawyers, movie stars, .......and the list goes on, whose demise due to an aircraft crash they were "piloting", you regularly hear on the news.
These top-gun wannabe idiots should stick to what they're qualified to do, and leave the flying to the professionals. The bare minimum button pushing these people do, like trained seals, is simply no match for the training and experience of a professional career pilot (rollseyes)!
Agree completely. ATC knew it when the pilot freaked-out from losing autopilot.
I think it also has to do with his New York accent, I don’t even know if he’s from NY but it sure sounds like it, heck for a minute I thought it was Jordan Belfort
It was heartbreaking at the end when the controller tried to contact the plane. Rip to all.
Didn’t break my heart… rich boys and their toys, same story over and over.
@@steviesevieria1868 well, when I got to heaven, if I was his wife, I'd ask for a separate mansion.... the guy was a dumshit.
@@steviesevieria1868 geez man that’s still a human
@@steviesevieria1868"I gotta hate cause I'm not rich"
This was a sad one to watch. The ATC did well as did the pilot. Spatial disorientation is one of those things you hear and think ''I wouldn't get in that situation'' but the thousands of people it has happened to also thought that.
True that . People have limits
Been watching now for over a year, love this channel, thank you for bringing us these, so that we may honor and remember those that lost lives, and for your depth of coverage. Well done!
the quality of each video you make keeps increasing and becomes yet more cinematic and captivating. Fantastic work - as a lifetime aviation junkie your channel keeps me totally hooked!
I know it takes a lot of effort and time to make these videos and I applaud you for doing it! I have seen almost all your videos and I spend about everyday watching them cause I find them so interesting!
Keep up the amazing work!
not that it makes any difference, but I think that the "incomprehensible" part at 3:29 is "certain amount of speed"
Another outstanding flight re-creation of events done with the utmost time, detail and quality.
My wife knew the pilot and his wife. All the jets flight instruments were recently upgraded shortly before this flight. I don’t know how much experience he had with the system, but certainly possible he was trying to troubleshoot the new computerized instruments with divided attention. Sad loss.
Thank you for that info. That makes more sense as to why the instrument failures may have started. And the spatial disorientation is likely what occurred.
He should have waited to he had reached FL 23, with no speed restrictions, as per ATC instructions.. then he’d half been in the clear in no time, and *then* he could have engaged the AP. But he couldn’t even get that first read back correct.. which ATC picked up on, which is why the controller altered his instructions and then the whole sh*t show went downhill from there. If you want a plane that will fly itself to your destination with minimal fuss.. buy a ticket or hire a commercial ferry pilot.
This guy could afford more plane than he could handle.
A few people mentioned he could also afford to pay a pilot. But didn't...
@@culcune I guess he thought the autopilot would never go on strike lol.
@@josephkowalczyk7459Exactly! He should have waited a day or two for weather to improve. I am no pilot, with my experiences being a passenger on commercial airlines and hiring a local pilot with a 172 a few times for hour-long flights. That being said, if I ever chose to get a pilot's license, as many hours experience I obtained, there would be numerous situations I wouldn't attempt if I was a hobbyist who worked full-time job outside of aviation.
Expensive planes should be harder to crash with the various tech.
@@TheDaverobinson settle down Lindbergh lol
Your videos (correction: recreations) are so well done, invoking such emotions, that at times I've actually caught myself holding my breath anticipating the next scene....wow...simply fantastic!!
Fantastic job TFC!! Your talents get better every time you strive to be the best at what you do!!!
ATC: Do you need assistance?
Pilot: Negative.
👀
His No.2 was working all right - when he shit his pants.
New subscriber and spending a Sunday afternoon catching up with older videos of yours. Great production and info to take us along on these crazy rides.
There are many lessons here, but one in particular stands out. Wether or not on this day he had the performance to out-climb the weather, he knew his skills were not sharp enough and had a plan. If ever you feel uneasy in the pit of your stomach, tell ATC you are declaring an emergency and maneuver like your life depends on it. A violation won’t kill you. Be safe up there.
Seriously, this is quality content even though most of the events and circumstances are horrific.
This new video in Season 6 and those other videos are awesome! Keep up the good work and upload more videos for us, TheFlightChannel!
Seen every single video you posted from the beggining till now. Awesome work! Congratulations my friend.
Wow. This channel is so good. It gives you the point of view of the crash and teaches you something. And wow that hit me really heard
Also I was wondering if you could do a crash of Jenni Rivera
Thank you for uploading another awesome video.
Keep up the good work bro, I really appriciate u doing this for us. You are amazing!
You really should create movies because your videos are the only "movies" worth watching! Thank you for all of your hard work in capturing these stories and making them feel so real and create heart-pumping emotion!
When the plane starts making unannounced turns and changes in altitude, you know the pilot is in trouble. Though the Citation can be flown with one pilot, a second one could have come in handy.
Won't the controller know when the planes turn unannounced?? I mean won't they be tracking it's route/ course?
@@aparna5868 I totally agree. Cant ATC see that the pilot is flying erratically and basically out-of-controll?
@@aparna5868 Duh. The point is that something likely has gone wrong with the plane if ATC has to learn about the pilot's manuevers from their radar screen.
@@aparna5868 ATC is mostly focused on the runways, they don’t have time to follow every movement of every flight. However in this case they knew he was in trouble early, so kept asking him if he needed help.
@@aparna5868 Matters not one whit. ATC is in charge of aircraft separation. Not teaching guys how to fly.
I've never been interested in these type of videos until I found your channe, and now I cant stop. Excellent job
its so heartbreaking that successful people try what they call General Aviation (in lay terms joyriding) and find out its so complicated for them to understand but they are so egotistic they don't capitulate to flight schools or stay out of difficult problems after they are licensed.
Another reason I only like to fly in clear weather. Thanks for the vids, they are compulsive viewing and appreciate the effort.
Such a sad story. A man who makes a success of his life and therefore has all the trappings that go with it. Just a shame one decision in his life cost him everything. At least some consolation in as much as he died TOGETHER with his wife.
Stunning presentation. Thank you.
You think the fact that he killed his wife at the same time is some sort of "consolation"??
I love to watch your all the videos you take so much efforts for each and every video Bless you bro ♥️
The quality of your videos is always astounding!!! One accident you should definitely cover is the 2008 Interstate Helicopters bird strike crash in Oklahoma City.
This video is a piece of art. Truly magnificient. I am blown away by the snow, the sun fog, the christmas tree. The sun reflecting off the engines on the plane. Masterful!
Microsoft Flight Simulator thanks you.
I absolutely love your videos the quality is outstanding the music and the way you mention every little part in the video is why I think you are underrated
I leave on a plane in 3 days but I will never stop scaring myself before hand!
Yes but you may be able take the controls by what you have learned and land safely. You never know, happened before. Hope you have a safe trip.
Have a safe trip! ❤️
Death awaits..take train..im psychic
@@teresawelborn1360 Uh.. no.
How was your flight :D
This could’ve been avoided if the pilot had flipped 2 switches. When doing a GPU start, which he did, you turn both GEN switches to off and you have to turn them back on afterwards so the generators can power the electrical system. If you don’t turn the GEN SWs back on, the ELEC system will run for approx 20 mins (his troubles started about 20 mins after engine start). After those 20 mins, you lose main electrical power which feeds your PFD/NDs and then you’re are on standby power. This accident happened around the same time I got my C525S type so every time I do a GPU start, I put a sticky note or something to get my attention to turn the generators back online. IMO, it’s a very deadly gotcha with that type.
Also, it’s a great airplane that was designed to fly single pilot. Something I do on a daily basis.
Whoever designs such arcane and intricate procedures on a FLYING MACHINE is a FARKING idiot.
Wouldn't NTSB found the switches in the off position?
@@gregjohnson2073 I believe the position of the GEN switches were found in the OFF position but I can’t say for 100% where that info came from. It might’ve been from the initial NTSB but I’m not positive.
Regardless, I think the issue has been rectified on the CJ4.
@Brandon: excellent information to remember; I'll be sure to note it when I go to LOFT next month for my initial CJ2/3 type
I'm not sure what I'm reading but it sounds like too much for someone flying
This is one of the very best channels on ALL of youtube.
Your videos are small gems. Twelve minutes of complete immersion into techno-tragedies.
No Denial that this guy’s videos are insane
I know right?
Yeah so true
I could never be a pilot because I would never be able to make out everything ATC is saying :D
LOTS of training required !
Just say ‘Rodger that!’ and you’ll be fine.
You get better over time.
I read somewhere else that often the audio quality is much better in real life but suffers in recordings like this. Might be wrong though.
I have no experience but It’s just learning the lingo just like anything else
Just an 11 hour drive by carr through some of the best parts of both states in winter. How sad.
Sometimes its just fun or at least perhaps he could have business that he needed to deal with as soon as possible after the event. I live in Reno and its just about an hour and a half delay to SLC by air.
Thank you TheFlightChannel.✔✈ These presentations are so real-looking and I really like when we see the details of the landscapes in the recreations, very excellent! ⭐
The editing of this channel is unreal and on another level.. it goes from beautiful to tragically beautiful to outright heartbreak.. what a talent
The final problem occurred when the ATC asked the pilot if he wanted to continue to Tucson(at 7:46). This required the pilot, who was in great difficulty, to make a turn in the IMC conditions. The pilot should never have agreed to make the turn, just fly straight ahead and increase altitude until he reaches VFR conditions.
Keep everything as simple as possible until the plane is in VFR conditions, then make your turns.
was just thinking the same.
EXACTLY. Level-straight-up and out. all the chatty cathy distractions by these ATC folks. the guy was clearly nervous by his 2nd communication. HELLO? should not be discussing vectors when a single pilot is HAND FLYING in whiteout conditions.
Was thinking about this before he was advised to make the turn that it might be better to climb to VfR first
@@tobiaspascher9884 EXACTLY
Another masterpeice delievered by TheFlightChannel ! Good job !
Love this channel. In my opinion, it demonstrates to me, flying cars will never come to be. Can you imagine the chaos in the skies? Some people can't even drive cars safely and some so preoccupied with their phones, not to mention being drunk or fatigued. Stay safe out there flying or driving.
This idiot's ego caused this tragedy. The ATC asked him more than once "Do you need assistance? ", but his inflated ego wouldn't allow it. What would happen if he just said "Yes please, I have no idea what I'm doing, help me to arrive safely" Rest in peace to the poor lady :(
His responsibility was to get his wife safely on the ground. So why did he want to continue to Tucson when he knew he had a problem almost as soon as he took off? I don't understand that.
They call it the mission mindset.
Or the weather was thoughto be clearer
I mean if he couldn't even keep his plane in the air at altitude without autopilot, what makes you think he'd be able to turn around and land safely with instrument failure.
Not saying the pilot did nothing wrong but I think it's clear what his thinking was.
It sounded like other instruments and his FMS started to fail later. Trying to setup for landing with failing instruments, IFR weather, and landing without the help of an autopilot.... his best bet was to get VFR. I would agree. But it’s very easy to lose your spacial orientation if u get distracted. Lots going on in a fast jet.
My guess is he assumed he would be blind the whole way down and, without his instruments, couldn't land. Instead he opted for somewhere he hoped would be clearer.
I'm getting into this channel, so different and detailed.
Thanks, I'm shocked and fascinated.
I am ATC retired , Really Awesome very good quality video and sound looks like a real film congratulation for your channel i am excited to watched your real stories based on official reports, thanks to much
I’m from Utah and I gotta say, your animations are amazing! Not only is the airport accurate, but the mountains, weather, the sun through the fog and the surrounding areas are all accurate! I could almost see my house that’s how accurate it was! Amazing!
Same here. Being winter, he even got the inversion right
he uses flight simulator, he doesn't animate this.
Good Job, TFC ❤
I love your effort into these videos. Would like to see more smaller plane accidents. Getting disoriented is a horrible feeling but most times your instruments are right
So many private pilots think of themselves as better than they actually are. Having 3,300 hours is good, but there's always room for improvement. The poor guy probably got disoriented, overloaded with regard to sensory input from having to fly alone, and lost control. Co-pilots work! Nice video, TFC...
Your videos are amazing👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻💯💯
I used to work at Cessna back in the early 2000’s. I have lots of experience with this airframe. Excellent aircraft and extremely easy to fly. Just goes to show how easy bad weather can be not only challenging, but also deadly.
A bizarre and terrifying accident. We know what happened but we don’t know why. A small portion of history has escaped our grasp, existing but never to be determined or discovered.
Imagine the pilot’s fear: starting out seeing a couple of instruments fail, pressing on, then suddenly many more start failing. You don’t know why, you can’t do anything about it, and you don’t know what is about to fail. You’re racing against time to get out of the clouds before your attitude indicators go too. If you don’t make it, death is almost inevitable.
Great work making this. Even though I knew the outcome I kept willing the pilot to get out of the clouds. That’s how you know it’s good.
Generally, the backup attitude indicator will run for about an hour. His main problem was being used to pressing buttons and not hand flying the aircraft. That airplane flies like a dream, and with trim and a little cross check, he could have checked his abnormal checklist and perhaps corrected his problem. Basic airmanship is lacking in these crash scenarios.
I just love your videos, you take such care making them!!!!!🇬🇧🤗
Spatial orientation management is THE most important aspect of flying. Trust your instruments when you do not have an actual horizon reference or you will die. I feel bad for the pilots that go through this because the panic levels go off the charts and any chance of getting out of the predicament is almost zero.
Pilot overload? Lack of experience or training with instrument failures in IFR? Get-there-itis?
Dan=Plus he was offered a chance to abort the flight and refused. So, maybe you're correct with "Get-there-itis".
Lack of experience and training in IFR with failures. This could overload someone who hasn't done it recently. Sounds like he had multiple failures on his panel.
@@cotton-Dave Yeah, that's what I thought when the said he was proceeding to Tucson.
Never heard of the term Get-there-itis before but I love it.
Get-there-itis with spatial disorientation which has struck in far more capable pilots. He was doomed when he left the ground.
Great video…really well done! Definitely subscribing.
Love your videos sir. Lots and lots of info reg air crashes in detail.
I can feel the cold from the video...
I can feel that winter...
a little winter weather would be nice right now though
@@MarcDufresneosorusrex I feel with you
@@MarcDufresneosorusrex You know what time is? It is the ruclips.net/video/E8gmARGvPlI/видео.html&ab_channel=WhamVEVO
Amazing this guy had amassed so many hours, he seemed to barely understand what he was doing.
there should be 2 numbers following a pilot's name - manual hours & autopilot hours
@@johneyon5257 AUTOPILOT ON! - "all in order Captain"
i look forward to the flight channel as much as i look forward to my weekly american dad episodes. love the lessons learned here!!
Sad! Great job TFC! Great work!
choosing to risk your life is one thing - I never cease to be amazed by the people that fly with others and take this approach. Get the hell down to safety.
The entire time he sounded so out of his depth.
Not to speak ill of the dead but the pilot sounded like he didn’t know what he was doing. Probably had very little instrument training and was used to flying visually. That’s what it sounded like to me.
Excellent recreation as always.
Great work on this video. Bravo.
I don't know why this pilot lost control and crashed. I don't have any answers. But I do know this: After having spent more than 52 years in flying and having logged more than 10,000 hours of actual IMC time, I can tell that, just like an actor preparing to shoot a scene in a motion picture, a pilot MUST get into character before he goes spearheading into the clouds and darkness. He has got to know and understand his machine and its operations specifications, and he absolutely must get his mind focused on the task at hand before he ever leaves the ground. I've known way too many people who didn't get themselves ready for what lay ahead of them before being faced with dangerous weather and technical and mechanical problems. Many of them did not survive. If you disrespect nature and physics they will swallow you whole.
This reminds me of a similar pilot who flew with his trim so out of wack that when the autopilot failed he lost control too.
You can tell this guy is panicing on the radio, he freaked out simple as.
Beautiful job capturing the oppressive January fog but also the beauty of the SLC area in winter :)
"No.2 available" as well as backup instruments. He lost the autopilot and was obviously not proficient in hand-flying in IMC. A case of having more money than common sense.
Sadly I even have doubts about the loss of autopilot. I think he was disoriented in zero visibility and was countering the autopilot with his own flight inputs then totally lost reference.
I have a friend who has made close to a billion in software investments and is planning to buy a sophisticated airplane. He's taking flying lessons. I tell him he needs to have a professional, high time pilot fly his plane for him. He'll sit in the back with some gorgeous woman half his age and enjoy the flight. But he's always been successful so he thinks he'll make a great pilot. How many times have we seen this?
You nailed it, my friend!! Sadly, these types of "celebrity and other people with more money than brains, type" fatal accidents are getting more and more common!! The problem is, it appears deceptively easy to fly these complex machines, by acting like a trained seal, pushing buttons. But when the sh** hits the fan, you've got to have REAL piloting skills!
@@kixigvak They'll never learn, until one day they become a statistic. Sadly, it's increasing the rate of GA aviation accidents, making it look unsafe, when it really is PILOT ERROR 99% of the time. These people with money who think they can learn to push a bunch of buttons, and instantly become a "pilot" of a multi-million dollar jet (rollseyes).
I'm not ever flying with someone who isn't a pro. As in, that's all he or she does for a living. Won't ever trust some rich dork who treats flying like a hobby.
It looks to me that his pitot tubes were getting blocked with ice, forgetting to turn on the heaters is a common mistake,and he kept losing one instrument after another.
(Altitude and airspeed)
He couldnt figure out which were working and which were bad so he just ignored everything and tried to climb above the clouds....he didnt make it.
@@einwyoming7497 no.
No, honestly I'm pretty sure it wasn't a sensor problem, just the pilot not being comfortable with the procedure
Sounds Plausible To Me. Bet He Skipped The Checklist, Too.
@@thewatcher5271 Arizona pilot
Even if he went through the checklist he would have probably left the heaters off out of habit and this was the first time he experienced the problem so he couldnt figure out what was wrong.
All he knew was his airspeed and altitude indicators stopped working on take off so he started using the other set on the co-pilots side...then those failed.
He mentioned his "number 2 (copilot side) was still working" , but if the heaters were off they wouldn' work much longer.
I suspect that in his attempts to "fix" the instrument problem he cycled the breakers...which disabled his gyros for the artificial horizon for several minutes
Leaving him with just a magnetic compass.
Thats when he said "mayday" and he started rolling to his right.
While its possible to keep your wings level by using the magnetic compass (if you have to use rudder to maintain your heading you arent level) I think he was so fixated on climbing above the clouds that he was just staring out the window trying to find a visual reference.
Attitude indicator and altimeter are not affected by pitot blockage.
"My altitude has failed, but my 'number 2' is working."
Yes, I bet your number 2 worked very well.
I love your channel!! Thank you!!
This appears to be a classic case of an ATP not being able to hand-fly his plane in an emergency. In his previous 3,000+ hours of flying, he dialed the altitude and heading into the A/P and sat back to watch the plane fly itself to his destination. Today that didn't happen....he was insistent about needing to get to VMC above the cloud deck. I can't think of any other reason he would wish to climb so urgently.
As i keep saying a 3 thousand hour pilot should at least be comfortable just throwing the plane into emergency mode and just watch IMC even though he would be in VFR safely. I don't like this.
@@martintheiss4038 You'd be surprised what some instrument-rated pilots and ATPs can and cannot do when they fly. I was in a flying club once where an instrument-rated pilot and his girlfriend (who was also instrument-rated) would never go up in the plane if the A/P was inop. He couldn't hand-fly the plane in heavy IMC. I've hand flown a Saratoga from coast-to-coast several times without an operative A/P. And I'm a low time GA pilot with just under 3,000 hrs in 12 yrs.
I agree with your assessment. His inability to hand-fly the aircraft in heavy IMC is apparent from his conversation with ATC. I had a friend once with IFR rating who would never fly anywhere if the A/P was inop. b/c he could not hand-fly his plane in heavy IMC. He should NEVER have flown that plane in anything but VMC....but at least he never got caught without his A/P working as this pilot did.
Video Quality 👌👌👌 is Crazy!!
Great editing and info…thanks
THANK YOU! Outstanding work today, my friend. Absolutely gobsmacked.....and as I post this, I see I am not the only one feeling this way! Enjoy the kudos, much deserved! When I get a chance to *sit* down & watch a program, I tend to binge on your Channel. Problem is, I find it difficult to sit still! I wish there was a way to have "speech" captioning lol. #NoFlyZoneSpinalInjury #SimulatorQueen #ERAU #SJSU #FlyThatHeavyMetal #BionicWoman
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