The 80-year-old pilot usually flew with his son and not by himself.
On the day of the accident, he intended to fly solo around a lake in his Pietenpol Aircamper and then return to the private landing strip to pick up his son for an additional flight together.
He took off from the landing strip in Dundee, Mississippi, and flew over some property he used to own.
The pilot told investigators he blacked out and did not recall the accident.
The last thing he remembered was turning back to the lake.
He then heard voices and people were helping him into a boat.
According to a witness, she observed the plane flying south over the lake behind her house and then strike a power line that extended from the lake bank near the rear of her house, across the water to the island.
After hitting the power line, the airplane “nosedived” into the lake.
Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a power line.
NTSB Identification: ERA16CA214
This June 2016 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Yes I agree, age is not the issue!! It is the health issue, I was a Helicopter Ag pilot for 24 yrs, The retired and helped do MPLS, MN mosquito control 5 yrs, THEN it happened. Got into power lines, survived but injured . As for the guy with the lake power lines,They were hidden, typical of crop dusting. They put the poles in the Grove.and from th e main line. AND YOU WILL no see them. biggest problem in the AG flying field. When not a person that has had experience with low level Crop spraying time. When you go over a river or lake with a Island, You are setup,for bad results flying low over the water. And I will ride with a older guy any time before riding with a young Buck. Generally experience tells us don’t do that. YOU don’t get many Scares!!! Because you know better for experience. Crap still gets you. One of those last min, when you say OH CRAP, just before you hit something. NO MATTER HOW !OLD! you are !!! YOU are learning something new in every flight. NO one is perfect, just lucky if you have not bent a plane.
Age discrimination, not based on facts as far as I’ve seen, happens everywhere. I learned yesterday, which was news to me, that after turning age 71 a person can no longer drive the church bus at the Methodist church I attend. No one seems to know the reason? It’s apparently just another of those arbitrary decisions made by “someone.”
“No one seems to know the reason” ?????
Come on guys, it’s called common sense. And before you get all in an uproar, I’m a senior citizen and a GA pilot myself. Everyone seems to be saying a line should never be drawn based on age alone. Consider this, while we take this matter to the extreme. You have two candidates for church bus driver, or GA pilot. One is 65, the other 95. Everything else being the same, which would you rather your 5 yr old granddaughter ride behind on the church bus, or fly with up in the wild blue yonder. Hhhmmmm…Is it fair? Maybe not; but guess what – life ain’t fair. But for goodness sakes let’s not act like it’s a travesty and we don’t know how we got here. We got here because it’s common sense, and someone somewhere, with a little bit of it, drew a line. They looked around and said bus drivers and pilots seem to be more capable at 65 than 95. And this affects me too fellows. I have a 5 yr old granddaughter, and I for one may continue to fly at 85, or some other arbitrary age, but I don’t think I’ll be carrying her along when it’s just the two of us. Just “common sense” says I. Am I wrong? Splain it to me. Just my two cents
In that case, you probably shouldn’t take your Granddaughter flying if you are concerned about an issue with your health. There are 45-year-olds behind the wheel or yoke that occasionally put their passengers in dangerous situations, the 95-year old that knows his limitations might just be a better choice. There are cases of younger pilots having health issues while flying, so by your premise, no one should be flying because there is a possibility one might encounter a medical problem while airborne.
If one passes the FAA required physical then they should be treated the same as any other certificate holder regardless of age!
Absolutely Reb, you are right on. These arbitrary ages for different activities are just that, arbitrary. I know a 91 year old who still flies for the Civil Air Patrol and they say he’s one of the best pilots they have. For years the airlines arbitrarily selected an age pilots could no longer fly, I think 60, then a number of years ago raised it to I believe 65. At any rate, whatever the difference was, did all the airline pilots suddenly become more healthy? I’ve seen 30 year olds I wouldn’t want myself or a 5 year old granddaughter riding behind on the church bus. The church bus driver who is no longer allowed to drive the bus has been driving since he was 12 years old and has never had an accident. So most of these decisions are made by either a bureaucrat or bureaucrat like individual—–arbitrarily.
I think it was the FAA, not the airlines, but the FAA may have done what the airlines told them to do??
Exactly right James, Najeeb Halaby was FAA administer, in 1959 he decided arbitrarily to set the mandatory age for airline pilots to retire at 60 without any congressional or judicial authority. It may have been in conjunction with Juan Tripp’s (PAA president)desire to force his pilots out for financial reasons. Until that time there were no restrictions except airline pilots must hold First Class Medical certificates.
There is a theory in the medical community picked up by the FAA and Aviation insurers that once any one reaches 80years if age you are no longer able to continue life as you’ve once known it. Once I passed that benchmark insurers required annual physicals and flight reviews and rates increased significantly. I am in great shape physically (for my age?) and mentality and as one response put it I believe a much safer Aviator nowadays as I’ve tightened the boundaries I require to aviate! It is clearly an issue of age discrimination to try and force older pilots from the air.
SAD commentary.
Long since known as the ‘National Transportation Swag Board’.
The 80 year old mention in the headline is ageism….no question. If a pilot is current according the FAA regs then the age is a non factor by definition.
Good post….My thoughts exactly. Obviously the writer had some anst to grind…or an agenda. Shame on him!!
The author of the article was listed as ‘Staff Writer’. I just couldn’t resist noticing your agreement to the ageist comment was sexist.
A single power line run probably did not have any sort of warning marker. It may not have been required, even if seaplane operations are allowed on that lake.
Not remembering is not unusual after an accident. Not seeing an unmarked powerline that is smaller than the visual acuity of the human is expected.
Not flying below a tree line is a smart idea. Seaplane pilots should be aware that power and guy lines are very hard to see, particularly at certain angles. The human eye that is “perfect” can see 1 inch at 100 yards IF it is contrasting.
If you see a line it is likely to close to avoid. That is why markers are required on lines around airports and heliports. At lakes tenants might decide to string a powerline without any professional help.
If the pilot had been 30 would the headline be “30-year-old pilot hits power line”. The theme here seems to be an 80 year old shouldn’t be flying. I know a number of pilots older than that who still fly very well.
At 85, I think that I am a safer pilot than at 35, example, I no longer fly down, or up, rivers below tree top level.
James, I’m sorry to say, I’ve done that as well. Not very smart and I shan’t do it again.
I think you are exactly right. I looked at the last ten GAN accident reports I have on bookmarks and none started with ‘the xx year-old pilot’. GAN didn’t put it there – it was on the NTSB report.