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The REAL Pilot Mistake That Got Dana Killed!
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- Published on Jul 18, 2025
- Dana Gray was a pilot that made a heartbreaking mistake and crashed when she was moments away from landing in Houston. This was especially tragic because she was travelling with her husband, Tony, and his brother, Jerry and they were all going to visit their father who was undergoing cancer treatment.
Find out what the real pilot mistake was that killed Brittney: • The REAL Pilot Mistake...
#aviation #flying #pilotdebrief
The NTSB said the probable cause was the pilot's improper go-around procedure that did not ensure that the airplane was at a safe airspeed before raising the flaps, which resulted in an accelerated stall and spin into terrain.
Contributing to the accident were the initial local controller's decision to keep the pilot in the traffic pattern, the second local controller's issuance of an unnecessarily complex clearance during a critical phase of flight. Also contributing was the pilot's lack of assertiveness.
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AVIATE. NAVIGATE. COMMUNICATE.
Dana made a tragic mistake but the controllers were a big contributing factor to this tragedy. Dana probably felt confident about her plan to land in Houston because she had recently landed in Dallas. Unfortunately, when things didn't go as planned she didn't have the experience to adjust and she most likely never expected she'd have to go around or land on Runway 35.
Be sure to check out The REAL Pilot Mistake That Got Brittney Killed and the controversy about the airport she was trying to land at: ruclips.net/video/0uSUp_G3gjo/video.html
A prime example most can relate to is when driving a car on the highway. If you are missing your exit, and you immediate jerk your steering over to cross 2 lanes of traffic to get off the highway, that is you navigating without first "aviating".
@pilot-debrief What kind of planes are behind you? And when did this happen? I live in Oklahoma and this is the first I have heard of her.
@pilot-debrief I love the video, but must strongly disagree with your conclusion about the Controllers. The Controllers job is to safely direct traffic, not assist in aviating, especially when the pilot doesn't request it. The commands that she was given were very routine, except for the one mistake the controller made by adding "heading" to his instructions. One of the first lessons taught is to fly within your capabilities and that of the aircraft. Her key mistake, is that she shouldn't have accepted a runway 35, because of the challenging scenario (downwind, with strong crosswind) that she wasn't comfortable with. If the Controller couldn't work her in, they would have directed her to divert to another airport.
Dana didn't crash her plane because of the Controller's instructions, she crashed it because she didn't follow the correct procedures for operating the aircraft. While I totally agree being in Class B is challenging for some, this can't be in controllers minds. She planned to fly into Class B, so that added workload, should have been part of her preparations. This would require her to know the traffic patterns, density of traffic and how controllers give commands (more abbreviated instructions). It is very common in most busy airports that small aircraft are directed to smaller runways if there is difficulty mixing the traffic.
All accidents are tragic, but the controllers were not a "big contributing factor" here, even with the increased workload, she should have still been able to operate the aircraft as instructed. Radio instructions shouldn't cause someone to forget how to operate an aircraft safely, or they shouldn't be flying. Maybe flying in Class B airspace should be a flight training requirement and/or flight test.
If I pass PPL for at least 1 year I'll be having an instructor with me every time I'm freaking out ..with all these mishaps ..
Controller should not have that job...
Jeez, I can't imagine what the poor father-in-law must have gone through having to go through his cancer treatment and finding out not only is his family not coming to see him, but they also all died on the way to see him. What an absolute nightmare for everyone involved...
💔
Easy to get lost in the details and forget this part of the story.
Womeen can't even DRIVE let alone FLI A PLANE@@@@!!!!!!!!!!
The ATC morons got her, her husband and brother-in-law killed. What a schmuck! He should've been fired.
@@user-tw5tm6it2m Agreed. Prick doesn't need to be "working around people".
I’m a retired air traffic controller and I feel the controllers did not recognize the difficulty the pilot was experiencing..multiple runway changes was overloading an inexperienced pilot and this should have alerted the controllers to give her the best runway for her and essentially treat her as an emergency
Yes and no, Dana's voice did not indicate anything but confidence and she was actually a bit comical on the "third times the charm" with a bit of a giggle. Nothing out of her to indicate she was having an issue or was working beyond her experience level or comfort level. It ultimately falls on the pilots shoulders if they are uncomfortable and need to take a 'time out' to get their bearings and to take a moment or 10 to collect themselves so they can make proper judgement calls. She was trying to be the 'big girl pilot' in the plane with her male occupants and unfortunately outflew her skill set getting herself killed with her passengers.
@@robheb1355 I think you are confusing her with another lady flyer Jenny Blalock.
@@spencerallen2513what a foolish mistake
@@robheb1355facts
At the very least he should have re sequenced her
Hoover, you're such a kind soul. I cannot thank you enough for your diligence in educating the people, while at the same time, having empathy for those lost. ❤
*sympathy
We appreciate you Hoover and your great channel. I am non-aviation and find it very interesting.
He does it to make money. Why is everyone so naive?
@Gameboy-Unboxings He is providing a public service for pilots and want-to-be pilots. There will never be a record of lives saved thanks to his meticulous research and breakdowns, but l suspect more than a few people are better aviators courtesy of this channel. Do you think he should do this for free?
He may make money from the channel, but he’s performing a very valuable service for the aviation community. He may be saving lives. He does it with excellence, being accurate and truthful with difficult facts in a respectful manner that doesn’t insult or offend anyone.
She sounded so positive and full of life... Rest in peace
So sad.
Sounding positive does not negate incompetence.
Lifelong sailor, non aviator here and I find your technical analysis riveting and fascinating.
His analysis is always the best part. He could probably analyze the phone book compellingly. ( I know next to nothing about flying or pilots, or landing etc.)
@chromolitho me, too, chromo. Not knowing aviation-speak, I couldn't figure out my fascination with this guy's channel. I think with me...I have a fascination with geography and weather, and I am intrigued by these young pilots' diverse histories. Hoover seems very compassionate about these people who bravely choose to fly in the air, in a machine. And he never judges their decisions. He just brings it all, into the methodology of what went wrong.
One of the very few channels that will point out pilot mistakes in a real way. Thats the only way to learn. Thank you.
Agreed. I'd rather learn from human behavior than watch an engine explode. At 67 I still have my night vision and enjoy driving fast but learned my limits 45 years ago after I cracked my third motorcycle helmet.
Damn straight!
@@dicksonfranssen I spun out a car with the windows down at age 17. I took a corner way too fast. Luckily there was nothing but desert on the outside of that corner so it was simply a scary skid. Being nothing but dirt and the windows down... made sure that I didn't forget that lesson when I had to clean out me and the car from the nice layer of sand covering everything.
Thats because Hoover here is as real a pilot as it gets.
To All Ladies- we are programmed to be AGREEABLE and not self protective. She kept saying yes instead of demanding he be more clear…. And she let him RUSH her instead of saying “I need more time to think all the details through, I’ll go around and let them go ahead of me” 🔥💀🔥
I am a heli pilot and just listening to what she was going through gets my heart going. 100% I have chosen alternate landing sites/situations to limit the risk I put myself, my aircraft and my passengers in. But unfortunately that only came about with years of experience. In the early years I would get caught up in tyring so hard to follow plan A not knowing that plan A was an option not a rule.
@@TRMF5595 well I'm glad it took you years of experience to finally grow a set of nuts but in a lot of industries there isn't time for all that like this little girl here. I'm an asshole. If I ever get a pilot's license and come in and miss my landing or something I'm going to fly up out of there climb right out like I always do all the time and go around in a great big circle real fast and come back in and land . I'm in engineering in these pilots seems so stupid. What is the worst thing you could possibly do as a pilot? Make slow tight turns close to the ground. Every pilot wouldn't do that except mom or dad or an authority figure of some sort told them to make sure tight turns close to the ground. Safety starts when you can say no and mean it. Pilots can't count very well let alone do any other math. We had one of the short takeoff and landing rodeo disasters. 3 gigantic egos, decided which pilot should fly in front. Didn't matter which pilot went first which airplane should go first the one with the highest stall speed. Instead the big ego went first and slow down too slow for the other two guys and stacked up all three planes. It was obvious to me when they made the decision based on pilot and not on airplane they made the decision on the wrong data. Now that they're dead and I pointed out it's obvious to everybody and everybody in the world hates me for it."I'm climbing out and come around in a big circle outside of the airspace if you don't mind". I've seen a dozen dead pilots on here. Pilots go down easy. Assholes go down hard.
@@markmcgoveran6811ok tough guy. Let us know when you get your license.
Welp,by your own admission,youll go down hard.
There’s a certain level of assertiveness and humility that only comes with maturity and experience. Unfortunately, you have to get enough reps in the game to gain those, unless bringing those character traits from other pursuits.
@@markmcgoveran6811 Well for someone who isn't a pilot, you sure know how to speak out of your a$$. You're used to handling "stress" at your desk, behind a computer screen. It's something else when you're in a tiny machine surrounded by big jets that move a lot faster than you, and having to fly the airplane, listen to ATC, keep looking for traffic, and try to handle a situation that was a lot more challenging than you were prepared for. You're not an expert just because you've watched a few of these flight debrief videos. Go back to navigating reddit while drinking coffee and eating donuts at the same time. I'm sure you're very experienced at that.
Complete appreciation for this commentary to avoid it happening to someone else. I don't fly but play in outdoor places and similar things happen that have preventable course of action. Long ago I learned that "an average of 7 errors happen before a plane crashes" and use this mindset in the outdoors whether I'm on my feet, on wheels, in the air or on water.
As an airline pilot,I very much appreciate the kindness and the humanity of your reports,explaining and forgiving what is forgivable and explainable.Thanks for your hard work.Best regards from Spain.
Forgivable?? She killed her family because she didnt know what she was doing.
@@RadioRich100 She killed her family because ATC kept giving her contradicting instructions and the stress overwhelmed her
@@NicksStuff Oh stop , what is she your sister? She fu..ced up because she was a bad pilot, end of story.
@@RadioRich100 I'm assuming you're not a pilot
@@NicksStuff I was and know a bad pilot when I see one. She was a fair weather pilot at best.
Hoover, I'm a restaurant server with a love for Aviation(though I hate flying) I was talking to one of my customers the other day about his shirt which was an Aviation and medic company. I asked him about it and we got on the topic of the Swiss Cheese model, density altitude and you! It's a small world! We both love your channel. He left me a good tip, too. Thanks for what you do. 😊
The Swiss cheese model can be applied to everything from job performance to relationships
For real @@behindthespotlight7983
@@behindthespotlight7983 What is the Swiss cheese model?
@@blaster-zy7xxIt's the image of a slice of swiss chees, square thin slice of cheese with random holes on it. Better to search it on the internet, Pilot Debrief usually shows it on his vids.
Tragedies or accidents happen when every condition for it to happen aligns. In the swiss cheese, these are the holes that the conditions have to pass through in every slice. There shouldn't be a single line of hole for the unfortunate circumstances to pass through to actually occur.
Basically, every slice is supposedly a barrier/checklist to prevent those bad conditions from passing through and making the problem/tragedy a reality event.
@@behindthespotlight7983I’m interested to hear your perspective regarding the Swiss cheese model and relationships. (Genuine curiosity)
This debrief was a hard one to listen to. I almost never comment on anything either, but this one is different. I learned to fly at that airport in the early 80’s (really busy then) and was a controller in Houston for several years over two different time periods. One thing that stands out from my experience there is that it seems like the tower didn’t consider reaching out to approach and explaining what was going on, and asking them for a “big hole” between two arrivals for this pilot. From there, literally spoon feed her specific instructions (headings and suggested altitudes), as it was obvious she was having trouble with ground/runway orientation. And by all means, take runway 35 out of the equation! Based on the type of aircraft, the wind, and how she’s performing, I can’t understand why they even thought of that runway! I was a big advocate of controllers at least getting the PPL during my years in the FAA, as accidents like this don’t have to happen. This debrief made me super sad, as I could see all the moving parts from both sides, and there were so many places the “stop this and restart” button could have been pressed. Many pilots already know this, but I feel compelled to say it; most controllers are NOT pilots and have no clue of what goes on in the cockpit. As you’re responsible for your aircraft, please be bold enough to speak up in the name of safety…your life may depend on it!
Good comment!
Yep, I’ve lost a lot of empathy but this one is sad. 😔
And to your point, speak up in the name of safety especially if you have passengers. 😔
35 was more into the wind, 4 had a 15kt crosswind, pretty sure that was why they were putting her on it and she was on 35 originially and seemed to want it, the chopping and changing of runways was a big factor in her confusion and loss of SA.
@tomriley5790, actually runway 4 was more into the wind. Runway 35 gave her a direct crosswind with gusts (90 degrees + or - off her right side). Runway 4 gave her a less severe crosswind component.
Wow 😢
I’ve seen quite a few flight issue reviews and yours is the gold standard. Short, concise, to the point, and informative. Kudos for jobs well done. 👍🏻👍🏻
So sad, but another excellent debrief thank you. Great advice for using "standby" and "unable" when needed.
35yr ATC here: I do think the controller contributed even though he thought he was trying to help. At some point he needed to stop trying to shoot the gap with the Cirrus and just give her a long easy final approach to a runway without 737's breathing down her neck. After 2 go arounds a low tight turn was not the best call.
U nailed it
I was getting dizy.
controller all the way plans just kept diverting and he was talking and not communicating well at all trying to juggle her and change her runway right turn ? that was the one that started it and it went down hill from there air force 10 aus fighter pilot 13 years
Don’t blame her mistake on the controller. If she was that uncomfortable she should have went to ksgr or said unable. Hobby isnt even that busy.
@@crutcher2244 its a team out there.... and there are real lives involved. Stop getting defensive.
Excellent report Hoover, which I found most instructive and I totally agree with all your assessments of this tragic accident.
So confusing, I don't even know which runway I'm supposed to land on now, and I'm not in a plane.
My thoughts exactly!
Exactly!
Runway 435
A pilot who is confused should ask ATC, as stated in the video.
Agree. I think sometimes controllers assume everyone knows these airports like the back of their hands, like they themselves do. If you're not from one of these big airports with a stack of crossing runways, this could get super confusing. Ack that its the pilots responsibility to be familiar with these things, but I think the controllers perhaps could have seen that she was struggling a bit and just slowed things down and really created a simple approach with long vectors to final for her.
When I was starting out as a low time pilot I went on a literal cross country flight from NJ to southern CA in my 1946 North American Navion. I had a planned fuel stop at Yuma Marine Corps Air Station/Yuma International Airport in Yuma, AZ. The milirary controller gave me a vector and landing clearance that had me too high for a normalized approach. I tried to slide slip and S turn as best I could to lose altitude and wound up getting the contoller flustered a bit with my path on their radar. I managed to land but was quite shaken by the experience. When I arrived at my destination in Imperial Valley CA and met with a few friends, one of which was a retired United Airlines captain, I told them about my landing in Yuma. The United captain told me there is a simple way to handle situations like this and he said "repeat after me - Unable". What? Yes, if a controller tells you to do something that from your perspective is either unsafe or impossible simply respond "Unable". I guess as a relatively low time pilot I didn't realize I could say that, considering whatever ATC said was irrefutable. I've since learned and have come to realize that not many controllers are pilots themselves and aren't used to small aircraft capabilities. This accident was tragic because the young lady didn't know what she didn't know and tried to be compliant when she should have exercised command authority and pushed back on the tower controllers unrealistic orders.
Women are trained all their lives that giving a straight-forward "no" as an answer only gets them into trouble.
Tldr
Literal
The good thing is, the infamous Hudson landing, Sully did reply to the controller with the same phrase "Unable"
I've had similar experiences with controllers when landing my Navion. The controller sees me approaching the airport at 140-150 mph and sequences me in, but the Navion's max for gear and flap extension is 100 mph, and final approach speed is 70 mph. So I slow down and ruin the controller's tight sequencing, with planes that land much faster bearing down on me.
I’ve only been watching your channel for about a year but I’ve learned so much from you.
Learned things such as: GA is too dangerous and unforgiving to be worthwhile and enjoyable!
@@someotherdudeunless rural flying / away from congested bullshet ! The point here is just to
Have fun ! Inter city flying is no fun - Forget about it ! Let the ifr gang have at it - their game !
You can tell with her voice that she was becoming overloaded… She should have climbed and cleared at that point. You have to know your limitations and stay with them. RIP
As a Houstonian, I remember this all too well, and remember thinking at the time that she was overwhelmed with all the challenges of landing at Hobby. HOU is the closest airport to the medical center, but any of the other nearby airports would have made the trip much less stressful.
When I first moved here, I drove and I came to Sugarland and learned that there is a little airport. Not busy like Hobby. That's the big boy airport. It's not that much further for any medical center from SL.
@@jglee6721 Yeah. And how much time did all the aborted attempts take up.
She should have landed at Ellington. It would be only about another 15 minutes by car to the medical center.
2:50 @@jglee6721
This episode should be added to the curriculum of controller's schools. Exactly how NOT to vector a private plane.
I know what you mean, but Im not sure if that's right. This is class B, it was her job to "fit in". I wish she'd just went to a different airport after they kept reshuffling her the first few times.
@@DemolitionManDemolishesPersonally IMO she should have just thrown in the towel and headed for another airport and some airspace.
Hoov has said navigate. There were too many moving parts, Midway through the landing sequences.
Had this as a case study in my APS MCC couple of months ago
@@DemolitionManDemolishesIt’s not her job to “fit in”. It’s the ATC’s job to sequence aircraft safety and it’s her job as a pilot to listen to the instructions and determine whether she can safely execute the given instructions.
She probably needed more experience at busy airports before trying to tackle a busier airport like this on her own. However, ATC gave very confusing instructions and Hoover was completely correct by saying that those last directions given were far too lengthy and complex for a pilot in a critical phase of flight, having just started her go around. I’m sure that controller was doing his best to help her and sequence her in. But by using lengthy phrases and choosing words like tight and low, it put pressure on the inexperienced and more importantly non-confident pilot, to comply with keeping the aircraft low and making steep turns.
Personally I fly pipeline just about every day. I have over 1000 hours of experience flying low and tight to the ground. It doesn’t bother me in the least and I’ve never had a close call because I was in a tight turn a hundred feet off the deck. But that kind of flying is done by an extremely small portion of pilots. In other words it’s rare for a pilot to have that niche type of experience. So when you instruct a pilot to keep it low and tight, they need to realize they are asking a vast majority of pilots to fly outside their experience level. Then add in that she was struggling to do normal things like, land, on top of that, and it’s a recipe for disaster.
@@bertg.6056 I think all pilots should watch everything from Hoover, Petter's Mentor Pilot, and Kellsey's 74Gear. It's all invaluable.
Thanks Hoover there is so much to take away from this sad story. As ever you explain things clearly without undue emotion and with great sensitivity.
We appreciate you here so much, your erudite understanding of aviation is priceless.
Hoover, I am a pilot mom. I have my son watch your videos. Thank you for the work you do.
Even if God gave me wings I'm so afraid of heights id still be just walking around .nightmare fuel for me just to watch these , have no clue why I do really . be careful is all I got !
@@danielhall-wl4ql I met a woman who used to have an intense fear of flying. Full-on aviophobia. It distressed her because she wanted to travel the country to visit her friends. So she decided to do something about her phobia.
She came up with an ingenious plan. She booked a flight, took some special classes, boarded the aircraft, and was NOT onboard when the plane landed.
You read that correctly. The first flight she ever took in her life was to go skydiving. She had to get another flight after that to experience what it was like to land. Phobia cured and that woman is a BADASS.
Based upon what you wrote, I don't think I'd call you a pilot mom. I'd call you a GREAT mom.
After only watching 2 videos, I'd be terrified if anyone I know was a pilot. I know the stats, but binging this content completely destroys your ability to depend on the availability heuristic to judge the odds of something bad happening. And two of my best friends are looking to buy motorcyles ... 😖
Pilot has final discretion. Stand your ground.
I used to fly lots of oblique aerial photography jobs back in the '80s. My favorite pilot was Francine. She was great, but still didn't have a lot of commercial time under her belt. We came back from a job and approach vectored her to a runway that would have crosswinds 18-20 and we were in a 172. She did a great job of crabbing and we did a textbook crosswind landing even though Francine verbalized to me she did not have a lot of crosswind landings experience. When we checked in with the FBO, a father-son operation and the son was a high school buddy, the son reminded Francine she has the final decision and could have refused to land on that runway, especially when another was available.
Francine went on to get a gig as a corporate pilot and had a successful career.
Easy to say but takes time to internalize. That comes with experience, something Dana did not have.
@@percyfaith11 So she shouldn't have been flying? Is that how you get experience?
No. Clearly it's the towers fault.
@@HalkerVeil she should have been flying with someone with more experience until she got comfortable in that environment. Clearly she was at least partially at fault for the accident.
@@percyfaith11 It's interesting how people point out someone is not experienced and that is the problem, when the very nature of not being experienced means they don't know the experience to know this.
The sophism in this industry is getting out of control.
Dana had such a sweet and soothing voice. So sad for all of them. 😢😢
until she screams at you.
How do you think she got her license? She just charmed the examiner. This is what happens with tampon pilots.
@@RadioRich100 Man, that’s kinda harsh.😞
@@RadioRich100Not where Iive.
Incompetent and she murdered two innocent people! Destroyed an innocent person's car and broke her father's heart with his girl power fantasy world bleep.
This is so sad. I am a Southwest captain, based at HOU. I’m also a former Cirrus owner (SR-22 for 12 years). Things can get intense at HOU, but this should not have happened. They spooked that lady. I still feel terrible about it, even though I wasn’t involved.
Said from a less experienced pilot then you, I completely agree and the controller should have recognized this and amended his communication to remove her from the envirionment, allow her to calm down, and gotten her back in to an easier approach without any confusion.
Agree. This was terrible.
Well said RobbieCole, I agree 100%. And yes they did spook that lady and it is extremely sad.
Hello neighbor and thank you for your service 🙏🏻
Also, isn’t there a small private airport a few miles south of hobby, off I-45? Drove by it a few times I think
Yeah. I know the airport (and most of the Houston area). Had it been me, I'd have opted for KEFD in the first place, but certainly after they kept moving me around the patch.
It truly was very tragic. I patrolled that area & secured the accident scene. Aircraft crashed in a Ace Hardware parking lot.
😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱
I don't think that Ace Hardware is there anymore right?
@leob4403 surprisingly, it's still there
@@navid2478 I couldn't find on google but now I did, it's gateway hardware on 6860 telephone road
@@navid2478……why wouldn’t it be there though? Ace Hardware didn’t do anything wrong.
Everything I know I’ve learned from this channel, and I don’t fly planes I am just addicted to these Pilot Debriefs and how they are broken down so that even I can understand what went wrong. This was so heartbreaking and a great lesson you can apply to everything in life.
Same. Goes to show how well Hoover debriefs these events. Very fascinating. Just found this channel and I'm hooked.
I found this channel because I had a bucket list dream of getting my PPL. This channel talked me out of it lol. When you see pilots on this channel with tens of thousands of hours succumb to a mistake, it makes you realize you can't have an off day up in the skies. It's an unforgiving hobby/career.
Amazing how much there is to learn and know 😳😱
And a shit-ton of math 😝 🤯😶🌫️ holy cats
There is something general to learn from these debriefs which applies to a lot of other situations as well. Communication, situational awareness and problem solving skills are universally applicable.
I like these as well for some reason (have been watching air disasters as well) and am not a pilot either.
Something that struck me immediately was Dana’s calm and controlled communication style. I agree that the controllers could have lightened her load, but they may have had a false sense of her capabilities due to her calm demeanor. I’m by no means faulting her for this; it’s quite impressive. Just that the controllers don’t know her experience level and given her decision to enter a high density airspace, coupled with the apparent way she was handling all the changes, they likely thought she was okay with the situation. Missing the downwind heading and not having the situational awareness to compensate for crosswind might have clued them in, especially after three attempts, but hindsight is always easier.
She could have diverted, or if you get really scared, don’t be afraid to declare an emergency.
Moral of the story; never let pride cost you your life.
So sorry for this tragic loss.
I agree-her voice gives a false sense of TOTAL confidence. Every time the ATC gives her a directive, she sounds as if it is NO PROBLEM to follow through.
It only stands to reason that if the ATC ultimately didn’t “know where she was”--neither did she.
I know nothing about flying, but as a woman, there were several times, as a friend, I would have said: “Hey, Girl, you sure you, GOT THIS?!
Obviously, she didn’t….
Very sad.
@@cherylbusch6236it sounds to me like she's trying to be the very agreeable Texas southern Belle charming lady, in that communication, that would work in most other arenas of life but probably not trying to land a plane in challenging circumstances, it was also probably put on to try to remain calm and not panic, the problem is than in this case it would have actually been preferable to panic
I think that's true for the first attempt. After she goes around 1st time, then goes around a 2nd time it was clear she was not "handling" it. She was not panicking, her voice was calm but it was clear she could not do it on her own
@@cherylbusch6236 She spent a LOT of time in that airplane at KOUN, learning how to handle it, talking to ATC. I wasn't surprised she sounded confident, as that's what I was used to hearing when she was flying. And yes, I flew out of KOUN.
This in a way is a hard-wired skill in many women. To hide venerability. It can be deadly in this type of situation where no ego should be involved.
The more of these I watch, the more I realize exactly how complicated flying is. I will stick to my car and center console boat. Great job debriefing these !
Me too!
I will just stick to my car and walking I think!
Me too
I found her very collected in her comms….. very sad …. She was just overwhelmed by the situation
I would argue she was overwhelmed by some of the most pathetic controlling I have ever witnessed.
@@jetdriverp so much information…. So many changes in runway landing clearances …. And calling 30 degrees left heading 30 is a big mistake
I agree -- that 'sound of confidence' may have led the controllers to believe she was a better pilot than she really was"
A situation she put herself in.
@@jimkirkendall2483 and her loved ones. 😞
It is heartbreaking how she tried her best and was even excusing herself, the controllers are changing the plan all the way. Sad situation. Thank you for your high quality debrief's !
This so much! While Dana definitely wasn't prepared for this, the controllers should not have been constantly trying to squeeze her in. The fact she stayed calm and polite and tried her best just sucks so much. I do feel for the controllers too though. Flat out tragic accident all around for everyone.
@@madezra64 Yes exactly, everyone tries his best, I don't blame controllers either.
Dana caused this. She entered the downwind for runway 04 instead of 35 so the controller rightfully though she was in a right pattern for 04.
She also failed to extend downwind to actually loose altitude.
While the controller was doing too much talking, the first priority is to fly the plane.
@@crissd8283 That wasn't the point of his comment. He didn't say anything about anyone's fault. Just that she was trying. What a prick......
This is ALL on her. She was in over her head and never should have selected Hobby as her destination.
People don’t realize how confusing those giant airports are, seen from 1500ft In a single engine piston and single pilot operation.
yup, especially with weird angles between runways. I messed up at Moses Lake once, landed on a taxiway prior to the threshold. It's super hard to even figure out which runway is which by just looking at them.
@@alk672 More training is required
It looks scary how much traffic was there and the misguided directions of the controller.
How she was so patient? I would've freak out and go to another airport, it's crazy
Sometimes is good to freak out. Specially if the instructions are not clear
Which is why, if you aren't ready to keep up with the action at a busy major airport among the commercial jets, you fly to smaller general aviation airports and take an Uber the rest of the way.
No way could I ever be a Pilot! The "fast-paced" communication between a pilot and air traffic control would be overwhelming for my brain!
Yeah I feel you. I think they grant licenses too easily, frankly.
@@beestingza They do indeed communicaton and simualtion training should be ramped up bare minimum at this point
Man this is sad - as much as the pilot was way out of her skill space, the controller did her no favours. All my sympathies to family and friends. Loss hurts.
How is it the Tower's fault? she had no experience in that environment smh.....
@@Bruce_LeRoyy Ref: @johnbell374
As a former controller, this clown makes us all look bad. I’ve never heard such nonsense from a qualified controller.
@@Bruce_LeRoyydid you not listen to this?
SMH
@@Bruce_LeRoyy The third time you change the runway on a private pilot, and you can hear the increasing agitation in her voice is not the time to tell her to make a tight left at low altitude, and then keep jabbering at her about your future plans. That's not in the manual.
@@stephen1137
Hearing her voice and knowing the tragedy that is about to unfold … truly heartbreaking 💔
😢 🦫
She's an idiot that should have known her limitations. Instead she killed people - it could have been much worse. "Emotions" don't hold in a logical field. She was overconfident and stuff up - to quote an officer and a gentleman "My grandmother wants to fly jets"
boo hoo
I am not a Pilot but since I started watching channels like this the thoughts of flying in a small GA aircraft scares the hell out of me. Landing a small plane like this at a busy commercial airport seems like trying to cross a busy 6 lane highway on a bicycle while blind folded with someone else giving you directions. It’s absolutely nuts.
It is horrible that these 3 people lost their lives in a totally avoidable mishap.
I didn't even expect that you can land on any airport given how busy they are. If I were to land at a busy airport I'd be hyper alert. The ones I'm thinking about would either struggle to accomodate you or larger planes would have to wait up which costs a lot of money. So I think the main takeaways are preparation and priorities. It causes a lot of issues if you hold up traffic at a large airport but you need to be able to ignore all that, even ignore ATC communication, focus on flying first.
I think a better comparison is someone is telling you that you missed the exit, you look at the signs and the exit you missed and when you look back onto the road there might be obstacles right in front of you because you've spent to much time focusing on other things.
I feel like I'd never lose focus when I'm piloting a vehicle in a sketchy situation, but when there's to much to watch out for and 10mph flying speed mean the difference between life and death that seems scary as hell for sure. Forgetting which button de-ices your plane or barely going below the stalling speed seems dangerous.
Peter, the fundamental fairness of the aviation system is that there is no favoritism. An aircraft is an aircraft, and should be granted equal treatment. Put another way ........ just because a bunch of people throw money in a hat and use it to buy a big plane, paint a face on the tail and say "Here we are!" should that plane be given priority over other aircraft? No. First come first served.
In this case, she was bounced between two different controllers, having her clearance changed, and that would tire any pilot. But letting the plane get so slow is just unforgivable. The controllers had asked for best speed, not to go slow. One controller tells her there is no traffic this time, then immediately another tells he that there is a 737 4 miles out. That was ridiculous.
I'm a high time pilot and I have no problem flying into Bravo airspace. I like the vectors and positive control -- unfortunately she had little experience, would have been exasperated by this point, let herself get slow and the result was awful.
I was flying from Vancouver to Calgary in a light twin and the enroute controller gave me a heading change off my flight path that would have taken me into a storm cloud over terrain due to jet traffic behind me, and I declined his clearance. That put him in a tizzy. I advised the controller that he was vectoring me into heavy weather and that I'm an airplane too. A supervisor came on and repeated the diversion and I repeated by decline due to heavy weather over terrain (the aircraft had no deice system) and the footnote that I'm an airplane too. He did what he should have done in the first place - had the jet climb over the top of me. Air traffic control is supposed to provide two things -- separation from other aircraft and separation from terrain. But many controllers neglect their training. They aren't God, and the pilot must make a decision to accept or decline a clearance.
wow great analogy this is nuts!
@@pb3616 Really. Try landing a 150 at say LAX, Heathrow, or Schipol..
Another great debrief thanks.
A huge part of this is how poor the controllers were, one was adding pressure, confusing information, often arrogant and frequently unhelpful. This is happening more and more often, they seem to moreinterested in defending their jobs with CADORS than providing a service!
Most people don't realize a landing and take off procedure is very mentally challenging and a go around, drains you. After a long flight you're tired, on top of it all, having a controller talking with you as you're trying to fly is the icing on the cake for a disaster. At least the 737's have a pilot and a co-pilot that can have long conversations with the tower.
It's literally her job ... what're you talking about...?? He was trying to keep her calm and was doing his job perfectly
@@Logicalsane It might help to read the comment a second time- very slowly.
@@Logicalsane Perfectly ... not by a long shot. He was doing ok, but he could have done better. But the accident was not his fault, simple pilot error, too slow air speed and flaps up at such a low altitude.
I guess it's better not to talk to let her focus... And put every other plane on risk of a collision
We so appreciate your thorough, professional debriefs, Hoover.
We always learn from your expertise - thank you for sharing it!
Very well produced and presented presentation. Thank you. Tragic loss.
Retired Navy flight surgeon (38 years). I’ve been the flight surgeon participating on numerous class A mishaps, all but one with fatalities. The one without fatalities was the ONLY one that did not involve human factors and was strictly mechanical. Love your concise reports.
Having lived in Houston, and surrounding close proximity to Houston for most of my life, I'm quite sure she picked Hobby due to its close location to the medical center. Sugarland, as you noted, and LaPorte is another not that far away from the medical center. You called it right on both accts: her lack of experience and the controller not recognizing when a pilot is in trouble. All he had to do was tell her climb back to 1600', fly the runway heading and hand her off to approach again, like you said. So tragic. And so needless.
I'm sure Houston traffic factored into her decision, too,. She just didn't have any business going in there.
@@jimkirkendall2483 I was employed by Cruise Aviation at Hobby in 1969 in aircraft sales (Cessna dealership). Traffic then was practically nothing compared to now. So few regs. Talked to the tower, then ground after landing. That was it. It was great !!
I see LaPorte has a runway 12, which would have reduced the crosswind component and eliminated the tailwind.
She could have landed at Ellington Field, its very close to Hobby. KEFD.
@@benjigault9043 all good choices. Just didn't have the experience to fly into that situation. Gethereitis strikes again. Very sad.
Very sorry to hear what happened to such a young lady. Hope someone will learn from her mistakes.
I remember my instructor taking me VFR into SAT for a couple of touch and goes. It was a good lesson and helped me decide to avoid (or at least think twice) about VFR operations with IFR mixed aircraft types in the future.
This story is so tragic on so many levels but I can't stop thinking about Tony and Jerry's dad who's fighting for his life and just lost both his sons and daughter in law...I cant imagine his devastation as well as the entire family trying to focus on keeping him strong and motivated during his illness and treatments and now this...I honestly don't think as a parent I could go on and any will I had to keep fighting for my family would be gone....I pray for all the victims and their families ....God Bless them all and hope at all costs they find the strength through faith, love, family, friends and encouragement from wherever they can find it...🙏🙏🙏
I've been flying for 30 years but there is no way I'm landing here. So may other airports nearby without the complications of this complex airspace.
I have only been in the bravo one time in a 172 and it was pretty nerve racking.
To hear seasoned pilots saying this makes me wonder why someone with so little experience would try.
@@Everything817 well that's why they are inexperienced, she never knew that it was going to be this hard. If she was experienced she would have gone to a different airport. But that sad part is to know about you gotta be experienced, it's an endless loop. People learn from mistakes but sometimes you don't get a second chance
If your any kind of pilot it shouldnt have been a problem. How about she was a bad pilot? All women pilots are bad.
@@Everything817As the narrator said, she didn't know that she didn't know
As a former controller, this clown makes us all look bad. I’ve never heard such nonsense from a qualified controller.
@@wilson4328 how did you come to that conclusion?
@@johnbell374 seems like he was so used to pumping jets through the pattern he didn’t know what to do with a little puddle jumper. I’m guessing that’s a hole in the training, but you’d know more about that. Your point is well taken.
@@wilson4328 You can just say you're racist, its easier that way. This was almost 10 years ago before DEI was even a thing
I was thinking the same thing.
@@raider61x Feel like a nice, comfortable room temperature IQ behind that conclusion.
I'm not even a pilot but I take the 'aviate navigate communicate' to mean 'get myself under control, think about my next actions, then communicate'. It's a life lesson for me now.
Going through my training, something everyone told me continues to stand out.
“Above all else, fly the damn plane.”
I think everyone needs that advice in their life
Not just a list, each is a prerequisite for the next.
@Joselyn_497 if I ever get a ppl, I'm gonna make sure that quote is written and visible in my field of vision in any aircraft I fly, like on the dash
This broke my heart. I really appreciate the review and many of the comments. I was struck by her calmness and confidence as well, and as a student pilot, I have some current idea of the ease in which inexperience leads to a sense of being overwhelmed in a landing scenario. I have 12 hours and have completed ground school, but each time I attempt to restart flight training, it seems Google shows me a new story of a recent GA crash. There have been 2 in my So Cal area in recent weeks (fortunately, in one instance, the pilot and passenger walked away after a crash into someone’s backyard; the other incident was tragic.) It makes one pause to consider whether a PPL is in the cards for oneself. I have such respect for good pilots and all professionals in aviation. Thank you for your channel..
I’m just a PPL that flys both in the US and U.K. All of my instructors on both sides of the “pond” always remind me that a response of unable or negative are perfectly acceptable any time.
Likewise, a response of standby does not mean that a controller will abandon me, it just means they will keep vectoring me until I accept or decline their request - remembering it just a request as I have the final say in any command decision during that flight.
My personal crosswind limits can often be far less than what the POH says; my personal currency and familiarity with a particular aircraft will impact that decision.
I hope that I remember all of this if ever I find myself under (self imposed) pressure at a busy airport.
My problem with this, is that she may have not felt that, "unable, or negative," was in her sights at the time. She put too much trust in the controller, she was overconfident, and stressed to do the landing, hoping for the proper guidance, and she got distracted. But, all we can do is speculate. It was her flaps.
@concettaworkman5895 I agree with you. She sounded very young and trying to please the controller rather than admit defeat. Sadly she was in over her head and that's why the controller went on longer than normal. He sincerely was trying to help her.
@@BlackWidow00741 She was 46 and has 300 hours on type..
@@Butter-789-g7v I also get the feeling she didn't want to appear "incompetent" to her passengers by giving up and asking for another close-by not-so-busy airport.
Thank you Hoover. Sad but good to educate all.
Wow, I never thought about the fact that the controller was talking her ear off when she was executing the go-around. As a pilot, that would have been extremely nerve wracking. Especially considering the stress she was already under. Great take, Hoover.
With that many hours a pilot should have the basics down in muscle memory. Stalls and flying the pattern are the main exercises done by students.
EXCELLENT, respectful debrief, as always - great video!
I have no doubt that this channel is saving lives. These events are horrible and tragic , but using them to prevent others and educate / remind people helps assure these deaths weren’t in vain. Every pilot and everyone of those amazing ATC ‘s should be subscribed to this channel and taking notes.
Thank you for doing these !
She proved to be fully competent in understanding such a mess of ATC instructions. Unfortunately, in the process, she quit flying the airplane.
Very simply put.
She was so busy Navigating and Communicating that she forgot about the first bit... Aviate. Yes the tower was a bit of a jumble, but they ain't the ones flying. She was too submissive because she knew she was in over her head, was lacking confidence and focussed too much on trying to accept their instructions. Brain overload. Then she didn't have enough brain space left to realise she was losing it. Stalling was a complete surprise to her.
Very sad. We can all learn from this. Know your limit and learn to recognise when you're getting close to it, and practice those go arounds so you can perform as soon as that happens. Better arrive late than never.
If she was fully competent she wouldn't have tried to land at Hobby. She had no business going to that airport.
@@morganghetti What I wonder is, when you get your PPL, how severely will you be warned about class B by your instructor and/or the person giving you your final exam?
@@ferocious_rmy instructor never uttered a word on the subject but it was pretty obvious to me (as my aviation knowledge progressed) that landing at class B makes zero sense, financially and everything else.
she shouldnt have been a pilot..succumbed under pressure.
This entire sequence was nerve racking. Poor thing was simply over her head. RIP
I’m sorry but I disagree with your assessment.
The fly in the ointment was that the controller was trying to ‘squeeze her in’ between commercial aircraft operating at higher speeds than her aircraft could. Listening to her communications she seemed calm and rational. The trouble was that other aircraft were causing her to become task saturated by the ever changing controller instructions.
She was overwhelmed, but not of her own doing, and failed to pay attention to the speed and attitude of her aircraft.
You're both right though. The majority of GA pilots would likely be just as overwhelmed by this sequence of events. She was in over her head because the controller put her there, and while a more experienced pilot would've questioned the controller or said they couldn't comply or aviate first, it's not a situation that a pilot should be put into regardless of experience. She was getting further and further behind the plane as a result of trying to comply with the unclear and changing instructions. It happens to everyone, and when you're pressured into doing something or you're getting confused/distracted, it's easy to forget simple things.
“Fly in the ointment” - love it. Reminds me of my pops. Thx 🙏
@@mtkoslowski So what exactly are you disagreeing with here ?
@@pibervision
I’m old, what can I say? If I reminded you of your dad then I’m happy! 👍
This a great Debrief, I subscribed to your channel. This will help me as a future flight instructor and my consistent drive to keep learning
This one is just so sad. I get flustered with ATC, so I know exactly how she felt. I have a Cherokee140, and the controller was saying Warrior with my callsign, so I wasn't answering back. He was talking so fast I didn't hear my tail number with the Warrior prefix. He got super pissed at me and finally said loudly and slowly Warrior 571, can you hear me? The crazy thing is that there was a Piper Warrior in the area he was also talking to, so I thought he was calling them. I then said Yes, Cherokee 571 can hear you. That was my last time in class B.
It's also terrible flying in Charlie also. I avoid at all costs. Will fly to a different airport or change plans. Imagine trying to find a place to park your aircraft at a Bravo. At a Charlie just plan on taking 30 minutes to taxi. Nope, not for me.
My primary was in a Warrior, and controllers always called me a Cherokee. Regional expectations?
Why do they talk so fast? Is it a contest to see who can talk fastest? And I personally wouldn't be able to handle that.
@@goneflying140
Yah. In fact, you should consider finding another hobby. In today’s crowded airspace, being able to effectively communicate with controllers is no longer a luxury or something only for airline pilots. It’s part of safe flying today.
I recommend that you take a refresher course with a CFII at a busy controlled airport. Force yourself. Learn the rules. Learn to talk. Learn to listen. Learn to always maintain YOUR responsibility to FLY THE PLANE no matter what. These skills can save your life. Perhaps more importantly it can save someone else’s life.
Why is everybody so afraid of ATC??You should’ve replied back and said my call sign is not “warrior“… why didn’t you correct him? Your life is in his hands, make sure he’s doing his job right or correct him. Then report him to the FAA for mis identifying you. He could’ve killed you.
Just heart breaking...just goes to show how quickly things can change and unravel...really feel for the pilot and the passengers.
Gosh, so tragic and she sounded so sweet and respectful, unfortunate sequence of events.
Thanks for telling this story in detail. It was never really clear in the local news media what really happened. It was very sad.
This happened on June 9, 2016. for anyone curious.
Heartbreaking. Absolutely heartbreaking. No winners here.
We're the winners because it provided us with 20 minutes of entertainment.
@@PatrickPierceBateman cringe
@@PatrickPierceBatemanbased
@@PatrickPierceBateman psycho much? Yuck.
Thank you for this video. You are adding safety to (general) aviation. Well done.
My heart brakes for these people, staying vigilant, and focused on training and specifics, is imperative, when flying a small aircraft or a commercial aircraft
Hoover: well done! Retired military controller here: when I was mixing slow movers with fast moving aircraft, I always tried to keep the slow mover close to the field and at a lower altitude to the ground. Then I’d vector the fast movers a bit farther out or above the slow mover. Never did I want a fast mover barreling down final closing rapidly on the slow mover. And even if that did happen the fast mover can go around because they weren’t number 1 for landing.
Good comment!
I'm a FAA and formally an Air Force controller. Respectfully, you have no idea what it's like working at a busy FAA facility working air carriers. You can't always just extend the downwind in busy complex airspace. There is no comparison in the complexity and volume of traffic a higher level FAA works and the absolute busiest military base. The controller didn't go a good job here but she had no business trying to fly into this airport.
@@dwaynemcallister7231 it's not. It's an uninformed comment.
@@morganghetti Based on the outcome here I can't disagree, seems to me if she could have used a forward slip and just made the runway it could have worked out. Piloting skill needed to be higher but decision making should have put her at a smaller airport like Sugarland or similar.
So many good people have loss their lives in these small plane crashes. Why I quit even trying to be a pilot. And many were experienced pilots. It’s just too unforgiving if you make a mistake. May they all rest in peace.
most of the risk in flying in under the pilot's control. The pilot can make it as safe or as dangerous as they want.
Wow! That really is a heartbreak. That was fast paced for her.
This is why I thoroughly enjoy Hoover's accident analyses. I saw another video analysis of this accident on a different channel, but it didn't bring out Dana's flap retraction speeds, which may have been a key factor. I made this identical mistake as a student pilot, practicing go-arounds, and, up to that point, no one had educated me on complete go-around procedure. I retracted the flaps too rapidly and at too low of speed but fortunately had enough altitude to lower the nose and keep the plane flying. The stall and the instructor's admonishment are indelibly etched in my consciousness.
A childhood friend of mine used to run away often. Where'd he go? To the airport. Like you Sir, he enlisted in the USAF and became a pilot. Later he flew many years for UPS, from South America to Florida. He eventually purchased a small plane and began assisting his Son in learning to fly. They took off from Florida and I believe ran into weather. Both perished. Rest Easy Capt. Duane Moorer and Duane Moorer Jr.
I recall this accident. AOPA Air Safety Institute did a crash study of this incident some years ago. Oh, I was so frustrated while watching the sequence of events play out on that video. This was so avoidable. Had it been me, I would never have flown into a Class B when there was a smaller airport right nearby. Not to play critic too much here, but so often my heart is torn open by seeing these often avoidable accidents.
Sugar Land isn't the only airport she could have landed at. Ellington is much closer, isn't busy and has space for private aircraft.
I was thinking the same it’s like a few miles south of hobby. Unfortunately she didn’t do any research, apparently
we have hindsight to see it was a real bad idea. she wasnt going into that landing thinking. this is my death. she was just thinking about landing.
I remember when this happened. I lived on Broadway at the time, and Broadway runs directly into Hobby Airport. The crash happened on Telephone Road. I remember wondering how in the hell did that happen and the fact that I was just at the Ace store where it happened the day before. Thank you for covering this story. RIP to the parties that lost their lives that day. 😢
Her continued acceptance of their direction, without fully knowing what they were asking of her and the aircraft is a huge indication of her lack of experience.
Besides declaring an emergency, most powerful word a pilot can say over the radio is, “UNABLE”
Hey Hoover,
Very good analysis, this is a typical case of how critical it is to be aware of the deadly "Low & Slow" situations that you will incur on a base to final or in this case cross wind to down wind, where she should of just flew a typical pattern practice go around. Just as she did in her initial pilot training. Always remember, the pilot in command has the right to refuse tower instructions, and ask for modification. I would of asked for runway 4 vice 35, and demanded to be coordinated as such due to wind direction!!!
Keep up the good work Hoover, N552AT out....
I got my private pilots licence flying the Grumman AA5A at Wellington International Airport, New Zealand. Beautiful, instantly responsive & stable aircraft. At the time light aircraft could use the runway as well as the turboprops and jets. Much less traffic than Houston I would say, and there was only one runway, but it could get busy on occasion. Wellington was a very windy place and sometimes there would be alarming windshear and/or strong gusty crosswinds. Listening to this sad accident, I remember how important it was to know the geography around the airport - you need landmarks to maintain your downwind and base legs regardless of crosswinds. Dana got everything thrown at her at once and after each failure to land her tension ratcheted up higher. She was telling herself "I have to do it this time" and that narrow focus blinded her to the danger of raising the flaps at far too low an airspeed. I don't blame anyone including the controllers. Dana's radio work suggested that she was apologetic but still in control. The primary lesson is to be bodily aware of your airspeed (and angle of attack) and not to retract flap outside the envelope. I was not a natural aviator but I had great teachers. They said you should feel in your body when the plane changes from fingertip control to a bit of sponginess to full on mushiness. I was drilled remorselessly on stall onset and recovery until even my dull a** could finally feel the wobbliness coming on and fix it unconsciously (including stalls in high speed, high bank angle turns). Maybe that remorseless stall training should be standard, particularly when stalls are still happening and causing accidents.
The secondary lesson is how to safely correct a high altitude on approach, particularly with a slick aircraft like the Cirrus. They said the power throttle is the most reliable way to control descent. Pull the throttle back gradually and raise the nose safely & gently in synch to keep the descent stable & increase drag - remembering that they have drilled you on controls becoming squishy into the stall. Rest in peace the people who died. Are we training them enough?
I have seen grown men bawling their eyes out while landing at Wellington!!
I'm ultralight licensed usually flying FK9 as a hobby. I followed the communications and I can tell that she was confused and somewhat embarrassed. If I were her I would've unapologetically asked for clear, and repeated instructions as if I was a trainee, even if I had to be a pain in the a** until I land. Particularly I would've challenged them with "why heading 30°? It's too far." when the control wrongly requested it. And directly after that, I would've even asked for precise direction when I was cleared to land after the 737 on runway 4 at 8:50. She seemed too nice to overcome her confusion, sadly.
I was "Trained up" nearly 50 years ago. And, due to rising cost, haven't been an active Pilot for 20 years.
BUT .......
Even I know that you do not want to be "Sandwiched" between two giant Airliners at a HUGE and very active Airport like this!
😢😢😢
very true, especially if you are being chased by one and tailgating another. Not to mention wingtip vortices in a high crosswind almost never has a good ending.
This debrief was so tragic. As a student pilot, I actually learned in Class C airspace from day 1 so I know how important it is to be situationally aware and got a lot of practice being sent away to do holding patterns until things calmed down enough to be sequenced back in. That was honestly too much wind for a Cirrus. Almost a quartering tail wind and would have made landing very difficult. Control should have just given clear vectors to guide her exactly where he wanted her. There were times I got confused and asked for vectors and spoke up to say straight up that I was confused, request vectors for the approach. Tower was happy to do so and that allowed me to concentrate on aviating.
This was the most painful review I have ever watched
I have flown 41 years..airlines, bushflying almost all kind of airplanes...Hoover, you do a great job with these debriefs, thank you. This story was heartbreaking to watch and listen..RIP lovely Dana + boys...:(
Why did she have to land there? I wish she would've diverted to an easier airspace, etc. After that many attempts - if you have enough gas, go somewhere else. If you're running out of gas, declare the emergency and get on the ground safely. This was hard to watch. Great analysis as usual Sir.
there's a sort of tunnel vision we get, and it is very easy to develop for some ungodly reason
The winds are to strong for me and the pattern is to confusing. I would go to an easier airport. I tried landing on a runway one time with a Cross-wind of 18 knots. I was on approach and could not keep on the approach on the straight path to the runway. I said nope this it to much for me and a did a go around. Went around to the other runway took a breath and landed on the other runway. I found my limits of how much Cross-wind I can handle.
Took the words right out of my mouth
@@ourlifeinwyoming4654 May be she was trying to please the guys inside the plane, like she did trying to please the controllers changing orders. Like many women do all there life from chilhood.
Standing your ground can be seen as "being a Karen". No win.
@@ghislainegautreau1427 Excellent points. Thank you.
Yes, the controller added confusion, yes, the pilot wasn't qualified for such busy traffic, but the biggest and most obvious issue was her lack of adherence to go-around procedure.
I remember driving to work seeing this. Crashed at a hardware store probably less than 50 ft from a propane tank. Sad story for sure! Especially due to circumstances why they were flying in. Condolences to the family
How heartbreaking. I live close to Hobby and I remember this. Thanks Hoover for your compassion in explaining how and why this happened.
I think learning to fly in and around a class B was the best part of my training. From day-1 the uniqueness / complexities / risks involved were made very real.
She was so behind her plane… she was unable to manage clear decision… in this case you go far and level your aircraft and your mind
Agreed. Completely behind, not understanding.
I wonder what her fuel situation was, if she had an option to change airports.
I don't want to badmouth her, but she was probably too cool for that, especially with audience involved...
I'll just keep driving my car everywhere.
😂😂😂😂😂
(Motorbike!)
@12:43 are your graphics correct? I would put my right wing down boot the rudder left hard pull back on the stick to drop the extra height onto the runway. Right wing low and into the wind, using rudder and stick to keep the track onto the runway. One of the graphics seems backwards... no? Maybe its just me.
I remember back in 1975 when my British uncle came to visit US for the first time, and he was aghast that we allowed recreational and commercial aircraft to share the same airspace. He mentioned visibility, performance differences, and communication among other things. A couple of years later we saw PSA 182 go down into San Diego after midair with a Cessna, which burned his comments into my memory.
I was there for this accident. It's forever burned in my memory, too. Very sad day and days that followed.
PSA 182 was PSA pilot error. There was a jump seat rider chatting with the captain, the co-pilot flying. So there were only two eyes looking where there should have been six. There is now a rule that there be no irrelevant conversation below 10,000 feet. It's called "Sterile cockpit".
The Cessna had an instructor and a pilot flying doing instrument training, and they had been vectored by ATC --- they were doing exactly the right thing. The PSA practice was to do "expedited approaches" which would be to cancel IFR and be VFR and do a downwind, short base and short final, and this mixed them potentially with slower traffic. But PSA acknowledged having seen the traffic but were wrong, turned base and flew into the Cessna. Ugh!
The video of this crash is on the internet and it’s brutal. Very difficult to watch as all the passengers were ejected on impact. So sad for those families.
I recommend avoiding those super graphic videos as well as youtube channels who post the radio chatter right up to impact (the screams and cursing) It may only bother you a bit when watching or listening but they can create some serious nightmares down the road. That’s why I stick with Hoover, Blancolirio and Gryder.
It was shot with a potato so it’s all a blur.
The damage is tough but next to nothing visible. Nothing graphic at all.
It is bad enough trying to land at a class B in a small aircraft, but then you have to taxi and find the FBO. Who in their right mind thinks this is a good idea to begin with?
just letting you know i love your content as a person who fears flying but does it anyways to travel - keep posting content man youre the best
She should never have been given that runway to land in that little plane between such big aircraft in such a busy time slot.
As a police officer, I was dispatched to a disturbance at an airport. It involved a "chief pilot" being fired. This is uncommon because pilots are sharp people and don't get into disputes needing police response. Management said he was terminated for reckless and dangerous behavior over what he taught his students. The pilot told me aircraft rudders were unnecessary equipment. They're in aircraft because of conspiracies between the FAA and aircraft manufacturers. He taught his students not to use them. As he was leaving, I noticed he had flyers taped on his car offering inexpensive-flying instruction. His car also appeared to be owned by a homeless person. It was beat-up and cluttered with junk. Three weeks later he banked, crashed, and killed himself in NJ. It was the type of crash which would've been prevented by rudder usage. I can only imagine some student taking flying lessons from that buffoon to save a few dollars instead of using a more-expensive, flight school.
Sad. Pilots need to know when to get out of area and re-group.
Thats what was thinking, I would have told the controller I am leaving houston airspace for now winds too high on 35 anyways try alternate airport or a later approach she had plenty of fuel
sad that you think it is in any way helpful to anyone to state the blatantly obvious as though you are some sort of expert on the matter.
@@slowery43 What did your comment contribute?
Your channel is great because the only way I can think of the best way to prevent a tragedy from happening in the future is to understand how it happened in the past which I believe your channel does a great job as a topic.