Bystanders SHOCKED Seeing Pilot's Fatal Mistake!

[@benparadude2028]

I was the passenger on this flight, not exactly sure why the report says I received minor injuries…..I sustained a major head concussion and whiplash, 2 broken ribs, nerve damage to my foot from a puncture wound. I lost my First class medical for one year. Mike and I did take a few minutes discussing which would be the better direction to take off. The wind socks and flags where changing directions, indicated more of a thermic condition. Mike had commented on how rough the field was on the east end of the runway when we touched down and didn’t want to put that kind of stress on the landing gear. The plane was involved in an off field landing with the gear retracted just a few months prior and this was a big concern for him. I was concerned be fore we landed there at how much distance it took to take off out of the first airport as well,as the water takeoff. We both were under the impression that the propeller was not pitched properly for the float configuration. This conversation took place during our initial run up of the day. This was my first flight in a float plane, so I was very reluctant to go along before we left our home airport. The sad thing is, his family is blaming me for this tragedy not to mention the insurance company failing to cover my hospital and ongoing medical treatments. If there is one thing I learned from this, make sure you know the capabilities and history of the pilot and plane before you go flying. I,am deeply saddened for their loss and it could have been prevented.

[@doraexplora9046]

Wow! That's a huge bit of the story that was missing. Now I can see that taking off from the ground in a plane designed for floats is quite risky, if you don't know whether the centre of gravity is correct and your prop is pitched correctly. It's hard enough to get right on a normal plane without the floats. My sympathies for you with all those injuries you sustained. I don't like the idea of taking off over such tall trees and a whole forest of them!

[@MarkWabiszewski]

The whole thing is very sad, but how can anyone blame you for what happened? The PIC is always responsible for the final decisions and safety of the flight.

[@Coops777]

@benparadude2028 Thank you so very much for your response and providing insight. This is something we can all learn from. Im so sorry you have had to endure such hardship since.

[@emergencylowmaneuvering7350]

Who was flying it? You cannot do tailwind turns when too slow. You will descend and if you pull up elevator to not to, you can stall. LOOKS LIKE THIS WAS A TAILWIND TURN STALL. When not climbing well, you turn HEADWIND TO LIVE. TAILWIND TO DIE.. retired Bush PIlots CFI in South America.

[@gep2771]

Everything can easily be second guessed, terrible situation, that plane looked sluggish from the get go. Looked like he thought for a second of aborting and not doing so was the beginning of the end unfortunately.

[@T18skyguy]

" The sad thing is, his family is blaming me for this " I've been a pilot and I.A. for 32 years and I've seen the family's do this many times. They never can believe that their loved one made a mistake or may of been a bad pilot. It's always he's the greatest pilot that ever lived sort of thing. And when they can't blame another person they blame the aircraft. I'm really glad you survived it Ben.

[@SoloRenegade]

when struggling to climb, NEVER climb any more than absolutely necessary, he could have leveled off at slightly lower altitude and skimmed the trees to let it accelerate more. let it accelerate as much as possible before attempting to climb any more than absolutely necessary, even if that means missing trees by inches.

[@josh3771]

Never attempt a turn also unless absolutely required

[@ChrisWhite-fm8tg]

My thoughts exactly

[@popsfereal]

Bingo. It looked like he had plenty of time to push the nose over.

[@davidwheatcroft2797]

Yes. Seemed heavy and slow. I would have kept her in ground effect to pick up more speed, then climbed at the last minute. AND was he using a cruise prop? I had a similar experience in my Renegade - hot day; heavy passenger; new cruise prop that sucked at climbing; and 1 dragging brake......staggered over the power line/trees, thne dived into next field; ground effect; over next trees; more ground effect, then finally being able to climb away. Never turn. CAVU skies, all!

[@jimmydulin928]

@@davidwheatcroft2797 Yes, we should teach accelerate level in low ground effect until obstructions requires pitch up and then pitch up to just over, not well over, the obstruction. Until high enough to recover from inadvertent, not planned practice, stall, airspeed and not altitude is life. The turn seemed unnecessary, but hard to see.

[@gregwilson4741]

I think what should be mention is the the plane is on floats this changes all flight characteristics. This makes the plane much heaver with a way way more parasitic drag. you should also use the whole runway just to give yourself the best shot, especially on a float equipped plane.

[@eclipser2004]

Amphibious floats. Even heavier

[@pilot-debrief]

Yes, it was a short takeoff roll and they would have been much safer taking off the other direction.

[@fhuber7507]

Studies say... get the wheels off the ground. Level in ground effect and you gain speed faster than with wheels on pavement. Then at best climb airspeed, take a climb angle where you can maintain airspeed. That's fastest to clear an obstruction... if you get it right. The most important part is... don't give up your minimum airspeed for contrilled flight trying to climb. That just fails.

[@JoshuaPlays99]

@@fhuber7507 Exactly get off the ground and use ground effect. Airspeed=life, you cant climb if you don't have the speed.

[@boneseyyl1060]

@@pilot-debrief I'm confused when you talk about things like the weight being within the limits of the aircraft. Is this based on the original tail wheel configuration or the "experimental" pontoon modification? Also there is never any mention by yourself or the investigators how much additional weight the pontoons added. And drag. I don't know the specs on this aircraft, but it looked grossly underpowered based on that take off run. Even the air temperature was not that high, nor was the elevation they were flying at. In my opinion, this aircraft was not suitable for a float conversion and aside from the pilot not performing an aborted takeoff, this was the root cause of crash. Underpowered and overweight.

[@blancolirio]

Thanks for covering this and revealing the important points of the airfield owner...."local knowledge" is key at unfamiliar strips.

[@Paladin1873]

My old flight instructor always drilled into me how you can't use the runway behind you. He also insisted we takeoff into the wind from as far back as we could get the plane. Seeing this video reminded me of his sage advice.

[@rhensontollhouse]

Mine too, which was applied many times flying a modified Grumman AA5, especially at high altitude density situations. Though I once waited a few hours to leave N Las Vegas for the temperature to drop below 100F. Even then had to circle before it was safe to clear the mountains to the SW. My instructors were excellent, taught me to consider ALL variables, and trust that if any factors are marginal just don’t fly. Old pilot vs bold pilot… now 67 and loving it.

[@Paladin1873]

@@rhensontollhouse I was learning to fly in Florida which was hot and very humid, but the elevation was only a few hundred feet. Yet anytime I saw water coming off the prop wash of the local crop duster, I knew the air was supersaturated and my plane might need a little extra takeoff run.

[@edadan]

I had a very similar incident about 30 years ago...shortly after receiving my PPL. I was flying with two friends to an airport in the North Georgia mountains on a very hot day. I made a full stop landing and decided to take off based on what the windsock was telling me. My direction of takeoff sent me into uphill terrain with trees beginning at the end of the runway. The stall horn was going off almost immediately, but I couldn't abort without crashing into the trees. The stall horn continued for several minutes while I was trying to gain airspeed and climb at the same time. Obviously, we made it, but it was the scariest flight of my life. Looking back, I should have taken off in the other direction. I would have had a slight tail wind but there were no trees or obstacles in my path. I never went back to the airport...didn't want to tempt fate!

[@tomseim]

Right, runway slope and obstructions are as much of a factor as wind direction, sometimes more.

[@jcburleigh]

Blairesville, perhaps? I've flown in and out of there several times. Can be kinda scary. Even shook up my CFII when for whatever reason I wanted more speed, after the touch and go, than climb rate. Pretty trees though; a shame I trimmed a few, haha. (j/k) When I gave it more thought afterwards, it spooked the heck outta me. I guess I lived through it, or maybe this is all a coma dream or something.

[@jamesroets800]

Density altitude is one of the old bugaboos of mountain flying. I'm surprised that during any kind of briefing, that the density altitude wasn't mentioned. That may have made all the difference. Inexcusable, in my opinion, for these two highly experienced pilots to have blown that off.

[@leroycharles9751]

Not to mention a tail wind and a lot of runway not used. I bet the pilot riding with him will remember this every time he takes off.

[@adotintheshark4848]

I watched a video of a pilot flying a Bonanza and dealing, incorrectly, with density altitude. He circled repeatedly to gain altitude, but left the pattern too soon and couldn't clear the peaks nearby.

[@Skank_and_Gutterboy]

This is why high-altitude airports in Colorado can be so dangerous to those that don't respect it. When you're starting out at 8000 feet elevation, you better be looking at things real carefully. There's also a bad tendency for people to crash while sightseeing when already-high ground starts getting higher faster than they can get away from it (high-altitude canyons can be very insidious).

[@MrSteve2714740]

I’ve watched your videos now Hoover for months and I think I’ve learnt more from you than I ever did at flight school, I think it’s true what they say in respect of once you have passed your PPL the learning then begins. And you have given me a massive boost in that direction in which I thank you . Respect Steve.

[@Jumpingoffthecliff]

I did a short field take off in my Mooney and was mushing and barely climbing after leaving ground effect. There were trees at the end of the runway and I'm pretty sure I wasn't going to clear them until I lowered the nose and headed straight for the trees. It allowed me to build air speed and climb over the trees. It's a bit counter intuitive when you're not climbing to lower the nose, but you have to get decent airspeed first, THEN climb. When I watched this video I immediately wanted him to lower the nose. I'm pretty sure every pilot watching this thought the exact same thing.

[@MarkShinnick]

In a light Mooney....I still would have gotten big eebie jeebies.

[@TheJustinJ]

Yes! I'm with you on this. Pulling on the improperly named "Elevator" does not elevate anything except, angle of attack and induced drag.

[@user-pf5xq3lq8i]

And when that additional drag meets a tailwind above the treeline..a very bad set of variables.

[@user-kb8gh5jv9t]

Stay in Ground effect in the first place to accelerate and then climb is the right and safe choice, having to lower your nose to “descend” just reiterates your poor Takeoff technique. Of course, once you made that mistake (not staying in Ground Effect long enough) your only choice is to lower the nose to save your behind but you shouldn’t find yourself in that position in the first place!

[@gagewarner6502]

​@@user-kb8gh5jv9tI assumed they meant lower the nose and level off, not to descend or lose altitude

[@QFWP]

Love your final comments about the benefits and detractions of taking off from both runways. A great debrief for pilots to consider.

[@pilot-debrief]

Thank you! I appreciate it!

[@bertg.6056]

The addition of floats to a taildragger changed . . . Everything.

[@joevignolor4u949]

Flying a taildragger, especially with floats, at low speeds and at high angles of attack can restrict the airflow over the tail surfaces resulting in a loss of rudder and elevator authority. The wings might still be producing enough lift to stay airborne but what good is that if you can't lower the nose and control the yaw of the airplane.

[@PostcardsfromAlaska]

@@joevignolor4u949 So you’re saying nosewheel planes make better floatplanes than taildraggers? I just learned something new. I’m gonna trade in my 180 for a cirrus.

[@TheGeorgiaRover]

Sadly, this appears to be the result of very poor decision making. With 10,000 hours under his belt, it seems that the PIC may have become the victim of complacency.

[@pilot-debrief]

The more hours you get, the greater the risk of complacency.

[@Cairannx]

@@pilot-debrief Sadly, insurance doesn't generally seem to agree with that true statement.

[@julianbrelsford]

​@@Cairannxor the overall statistics don't differentiate complacency vs "doing the wrong thing due to lack of knowledge/preparation". The pilot flying at time of this accident must have thought he knew what he was doing, had reason to believe this flight was within his abilities, but with all those flight hours there may have been nearly zero operating a 100hp airplane on floats. Confidence and lack of *relevant* experience meet?

[@matthewbarry7026]

Doesn't it look like this plane was under performing?

[@stilllearning1160]

I'm not a pilot, just a mechanic. It seems there may be a need for periodic master pilot reviewing of currently licensed pilots, and perhaps even without warning. This should be done by senior instructor type personnel, completely abreast of all the theory and so on. Once a bad habit creeps into a pilot's calculations etc., it may henceforth go largely undetected until it is too late.

[@jamesf4405]

Just want to thank you for creating these videos. You may not realize it, but you're helping a lot of pilots, myself included. I would even say that you're saving lives. By the way, has anyone ever told you that you could be Steve-O's twin brother or stunt double? ... The resemblance is amazing.

[@johnrogers9481]

I can’t see why he wouldn’t KNOW that he is helping pilots and therefore saving lives?? ps…who is Steve O?

[@jamesf4405]

@@johnrogers9481 Ever heard of Google?

[@Pete-tq6in]

I'm not sure Steve-O needs a stunt double, if there's a stunt that Steve-O wouldn't dare do, I sure as heck wouldn't step in to do it for him!

[@markmcgoveran6811]

I have to file on the praise too and I would like to extend the kindness and life-saving aspects of this to everybody everywhere because there's a lot of lessons to be learned here in the abstraction. These guys expected an engineered airplane and they didn't expect a modified air plane. When they had that high-pitched propeller it could pull them through the "cavitation zone." As long as they didn't have those giant floats increasing the load. The problem that we all face is we think the machine is right, and we are wrong.

[@jacobhendrickson8935]

I always see Steve-o in him too.

[@williamkillingsworth2619]

I think your point at the end of the video is valid always give yourself an out. That extra 2500 feet would’ve saved his life

[@mikedonohue5488]

As an aviation college professor and former Research Pilot for NASA I really appreciate your clips. You do good work!

[@daviddelaney4106]

Lots of things going on here. Poor choice of runway, amphibs, density altitude, and a underpowered engine. I very rarely need all 280hp I have on tap but I am always glad it's there. I can't imagine thinking flying a plane with floats with that little engine and that high a DA into rising terrain was a good idea. Sad to lose another aviator. 😢

[@darkracer1252]

from the looks of thing. you didn't loose another aviator. you just lost a total hack.

[@jonconger3527]

Exactly what I said. Tiny engines suck unless you stay very light and watch the dens alt.

[@your_royal_highness]

I was an idiot when I flew (for about four years; gave up because I did not trust my skills with 130 hours). I took off from a short grass runway in a 172. Had four passengers and I was somewhat overweight in hindsight. There was a slight crosswind and as soon as Iifted off the wind pushed me over the short fence and above a cornfield. The wheels were clackety clacking on the corn stalks. I KNEW I had no choice but to say fairly level to gain airspeed and yes there were trees off the end of field and runway. Turned out once I was going fast enough it was easy enough to clear the trees but it sure seemed it took forever to hold the plane level that low off the ground.

[@scottw5315]

The 172 is barely a four place airplane in my opinion. I owned and flew one out of South Texas for awhile. By myself with full fuel I'd only get about 600 fpm climb at 80mph, best climb speed. Yes, it was pretty warm there between 80-90 degrees F. That is really anemic climb for any airplane. My partner flew it to Albaquerkee, spelling I know, and barely got off the ground on a 9000 foot runway.

[@submechanophobia768]

@@scottw5315 Everyone who doesn't know that, who flies a 172 or a Cherokee 140 has no business being in it.

[@flagmichael]

@@scottw5315 Albuquerque is a _really_ bad combo. At 5000 feet you have a head start on density altitude, and the summer temperatures are demonic. Density altitude around 9000 feet is common.

[@smartysmarty1714]

I'm very curious as to what your passengers had to say about that event, and what you said to appease them?

[@scottw5315]

@@flagmichael I know. My buddy was a several thousand hour military pilot. His problem was going from turbines to a 172. Another buddy, military pilot, flew out there in a Vari-eze. He barely got off the ground too.

[@RustyClam]

I used to take off into the wind in Florida every time. But one time I took off downwind just as an experiment on a long runway. I was amazed at how long my take off roll was. I never did that again. As soon as you started talking about this I thought density altitude had something to do with this. And then was amazed to hear that he was taking off downwind also?

[@Skinflaps_Meatslapper]

Density altitude wasn't really all that bad to be honest, all other things being equal it probably could've handled twice that altitude...but all those factors certainly came into play.

[@davidwhite8633]

That tailwind component seemed fairly low, mostly a crosswind component, at least from the flags’ indication. Of course this was below the trees. His real problem was above the trees as the crosswind had drifted him to the left after his wheels left the ground and he was stuck with partial flap out hindering further climb performance there.

[@jimharrod8295]

Your call sign, should be "Brilliant". I appreciate how you can explain everything as you do, to even us who are not pilots. Thanks!

[@Yodie208]

Accidents usually are not caused by just one mistake, It takes a daisy chain of many things going wrong at the same time to create the "perfect storm".

[@lanthanumlanthanium6373]

Yeah, but this guy had 10,000 hours of flight time and it was a new plane. Just shows that accidents can happen to anyone with new equipment.

[@charlesfaure1189]

Usually starting with a pilot making a foolish decision, as in this case. Flying an unfamiliar airplane--and one with known issues--into and out of this field was downright stupid.

[@RSF-DiscoveryTime]

"Experimental" aircraft, Lack of power, Float drag, foolish pilot's downwind takeoff....there's a few elements. Ignorant, trashy family is blaming the passenger. Survivor's comment is pinned to top of this thread.

[@jimmysalt8825]

I like to use the term 'incident'. Accidents are what 2 year olds do in their pants. Dont worry I mention this a lot!

[@precisionc3656]

As a pilot it amazes me that at an airport that is surrounded by trees there wouldn’t have been a good discussion between the pilots of the safest way to takeoff and how to account for worst case scenarios (eg engine failure on take off). Maybe given their combined bush experience these types of airports were so common that they had got into that danger zone of over confidence as the takeoff was almost in their opinion routine. Really sad day

[@modelcitizen1977]

They’ve done it a thousand times and didn’t think it would be an issue. Complacency kills.

[@zackriden79]

doesnt matter trees if ou dont have the fucking performance to take off

[@Coops777]

Great comment. At this early stage, flying a new and unknown aircraft, every safety measure should have been put in place.

[@zackriden79]

@@Coops777 mo it wasnt not a god comment as soon as he left ground compression the pilot knew it was bad TREES ARE NOT A FACTOR HE SHOULD PUT RIGHT BACK DOWN HE HAD THE DISTANCE AND HE HAD NO ENGRY AT ALL

[@scottmckinney4291]

It’s an airstrip in the middle of a forest.

[@pokerbosscycler]

good one.. situational awareness will save your life.

[@todaylets2583]

Small mistakes can kill you.

[@mudd4284]

When flying for sure …

[@jonkoski2683]

Yes, but it seems to be accumulated small mistakes

[@raptornest1346]

Excellent review / accessment of this tragedy. I recently stumbled onto your channel and watched other crash reviews you covered. You have a very unique style that I personally enjoy. Keep up the great effort to educate and possibly save someone life.

[@pilot-debrief]

Thank you! I appreciate the feedback and glad you enjoy the videos!

[@lauralei6963]

Yes,, I’m very much enjoying this channel✈️💝

[@pawelwolski1316]

I fly amphib seaplanes for living, Carravans and now Twin Otter. The nose gear of all amphibs are not very robust designs and have to be "protected" during takeoffs and landings. That's the reason you see the nose gear being lifted off the runway early on. The other "issue" is the location of the main gear, it is located further aft vs on the wheel configuration for the same airplane. The float is in the way for center of buoyancy when on the water. This aft location of the main gear makes the take off rotation more difficult. Basically you have to use a lot back pressure to lift the nose gear (need to do that early on to protect the nose gear) but once the rotation starts, you need to release most of that back pressure. Initially you are trying to "lift" the airplane onto the main gear, once that starts, if no aggressive reduction of this back pressure is applied the airplane will have a tendency to over rotate.

[@davidwhite8633]

Sounds very plausible, and a more extreme case of any lift-off in a GA trike when the downward pitching moment of the main wheels rolling friction suddenly goes to zero, and the a/c pitches up of its own accord without further back stick from the pilot, I never thought about why this was until doing ITOs in instrument training.

[@8AD858D8]

Nothing is a bigger waste on a takeoff than the runway you leave behind you.

[@pilot-debrief]

Additional info: Per the NTSB: The experimental light-sport, single-engine, high-wing amphibious airplane was a Rans S7 Courier. The engine was a 100-horsepower Rotax 912-S and the propeller was a 3-bladed composite manufactured by Warp Drive. The basic empty weight was recorded as 732 lbs with a maximum gross weight of 1320 lbs. - Given 200lbs per pilot plus 11 gallons of fuel, they should have been under the max gross weight. The previous owner of the aircraft said it had a 536lb useful load. - The surviving pilot said the roll to the left was due to the stall and not due to the pilot trying to turn left. He also stated that the engine sounded and performed normal as expected but the airplane felt heavy during takeoff - A full detailed analysis of the video and engine sounds provided by the NTSB can be read here: data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13644439&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Spirit_Lake_Video_Study_final-Rel.pdf

[@randyrudy5546]

As a hang glider pilot one of the most significant things emphasis was put on is where will I land if something goes wrong

[@brianwilson8983]

That is Lake Pend Oreille. Sounds like lake ponderay when you say it’s but it’s spelled Pend Orieille

[@650gringo]

I heard there was likely water inside the floats.

[@randyrudy5546]

@650gringo if there was then I would give pilot credit for bad pretrip

[@jango156]

Correction Rotax 912ULS

[@flagmichael]

When I worked in General Aviation as an avionics tech, we had a customer who was new to flying. He had a pottery business, and shortly after meeting him we got word he had stalled 75 feet above the runway on landing, a victim of density altitude combined with aft CG. That was when I lived in Phoenix; now I live in Flagstaff (7000 feet). Density altitude problems in summer are a tragic legacy at this altitude - we had two within a month last summer - but many a private pilot has learned about density altitude by flying in on a beautiful summer morning, then trying to get into the air in the afternoon. It is a lesson best learned by an aborted takeoff.

[@tommaxwell429]

Got to get there itis! Private pilots should pay attention when they shut down KPHX due to high temperatures. If the big boys can't fly because it's too hot then neither should the rest of us.

[@flagmichael]

@@tommaxwell429 My one brush with the NTSB was about a Piper Comanche I was the last one to touch (repaired the #1 VOR converter/indicator.) The pilot left, picked up three passengers, and flew into a snow storm over the mountains east of us. I don't know if the wreckage was ever found. That was about 40 years ago and I still think about it from time to time. So sad.

[@pilot-debrief]

Thanks for sharing. I appreciate your input!

[@tomseim]

I wonder if either of these pilots had taken a mountain flying course. I once was a member of a club that owned a Grumman Cheetah. The plane was totaled when one of the members flew it into a mountain strip, with a very heavy passenger, and she botched the landing, crashing into a building at the end of the strip. Neither were injured. After studying the accident, including all relevant aircraft and meteorological data, I concluded that that crash probably saved both of their lives as they likely would have crashed into the 75 to100-foot tall trees on departing. She had not considered density altitude or climb performance before making the flight except to say that it might be a factor. Plus, this was a gravel/grass/dirt strip and the POH doesn't have data for that, so you have to add significant safety margins. That runway was a one-way in, one-way out situation because of the surrounding terrain, meaning you will likely have tailwinds on one phase of the flight. This is a recurring theme of accidents at mountain strips and high altitude airports.

[@JUSTME-mb6lg]

The first thing I thought to myself as the clip started and before knowing anything of what was about to happen was that the Engine was under powered. Not having reserve power is playing with danger.

[@doctorfiber1]

I really enjoy your channel! Thank you so very much for bringing it to KZbin. As a CFII many years ago, I found occasionally that the high time pilots made many mistakes similar to low time pilots. They felt they were immune to danger because they had so much experience which, of course, lead to silly and sometimes fatal decisions. So sad as this crash could have been very easily avoided.

[@FLHTdriver]

I found occasionally that the high time pilots made many mistakes similar to low time pilots. Very true, we can get complacent on our abilities and our planes abilities.

[@Coops777]

Wow! This is an awesome and very thorough summary thankyou. I watched this on two other channels and it was very hard to pick why the aircraft (which seemed to be operating perfectly normally and with correct weight and balance) was so sluggish. I'm surprised with all the experience between the two men, their pre take-off planning was so flawed. (Uphill take-off with unknown airplane into tall trees with a quartering tail wind and high density altitude.) With an aircraft as light as the RANS, lift-off can still happen fairly short even if it won't climb. This could easily create a false sense of security that the performance will be sufficient for the climb out.

[@pilot-debrief]

Thanks for your comment and I’m glad I was able to provide more context to this incident that was helpful.

[@TheOsfania]

I don't know the first thing about flying a plane, but I still learn a lot from these videos.

[@GMD64]

In a world of click-bait journalism it's refreshing to listen to concise fact-based information, articulated in a coherent and efficient manner.

[@pilot-debrief]

Thank you!

[@outwiththem]

LOL.

[@paulpiacentini]

Well researched, super inciteful, and explained with pin sharp clarity by a man who clearly knows and cares. Excellent Sir. Well done.

[@pilot-debrief]

Thanks!

[@SonsOfDeForest]

incite: to cause a thing to happen insight: the capacity to gain and explain information that is both useful and obscure

[@jamesordwayultralightpilot]

Blanco just said in a video I watched this morning I believe pertains to this scenario as well: "You can stall at any speed" BUT YOU WILL ALWAYS STALL AT THE SAME AOA. He needed to trade what little altitude he had for airspeed so he could get fast enough to climb. Then immediately turned around and landed to readjust his prop

[@jimmysalt8825]

Wow that statement/quote needs to be more widespread. I think a lot of people either forget that, or just don't really know.

[@joevignolor4u949]

I'm not sure he could have lowered the nose and gained airspeed even if he wanted to. Flying a taildragger, especially with floats, at low speeds and at high angles of attack can restrict the airflow over the tail surfaces resulting in a loss of rudder and elevator authority. The wings might still be producing enough lift to stay airborne but what good is that if you can't lower the nose and control the yaw of the airplane. With a taildragger it's important to hold the nose down on take off and keep accelerating to be sure you have enough airflow over the tail surfaces so as to maintain control of the airplane.

[@davidwhite8633]

True, but useless if you don’t have an AoA indicator, and even more useless if you do but don’t use it.

[@meerav7634]

Wow! Nice to get to know about so many people flying here!

[@glassesstapler]

Does the density altitude thingy mean there are less air molecules in the air (more spread out) thus giving less lift performance? I'm not a pilot, so bear with me.

[@larryfinke6133]

Yes and lower engine performance potentially.

[@RobertMacCready]

It will tell you at WHAT altitude your car or plane is performing at. If your d/a is 4,000, it means your engine will perform like it's at 4,000 feet. Very important to drag racers too!!!

[@peterthoshinsky6468]

yup...less O2 molecules in the combustion chambers less bang& less HP. 100 HP engine quickly a 80 HP engine.

[@scottw5315]

About 3% power loss for every thousand feet of altitude in a non turbocharged piston engine. So, he had about 12% less power than he would have at sea level. As well, there are less bernoullis over the wing because of less air molecules hence the wing is developing less lift.

[@C56-d8h]

And less air for the propeller to ‘bite’ into. Hot days, high altitude make a huge difference. Add a tailwind and having to clear obstacles you are up against it from the get go. RIP for another loss.

[@Sommers234]

I'm not a pilot but a lifelong sailor and there are similarities, though the risks to life and limb worlds apart. Your videos with careful analysis are powerful and certainly help aviators with their skills.

[@InMyBrz]

YOU would be surprised how many PILOTS are also SAILORS I am one and quit flying 20 years ago for big boat sailing and racing. A LOT MORE FUN and 100% safer plus you can take a group of your friends along for the fun too SAME aerodynamics apply to both, nothing like sailing by the seat of your pants in the groove at max speed ! Mostly did PHRF racing, my 40ft Chuck Burns design rated 80, very fast and light boat

[@SuburbanDon]

Great videos. Concise and informative. Thanks.

[@pilot-debrief]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@kennethdavis2383]

Very nice job explaining everything. Thorough yet concise. Subscribed.

[@pilot-debrief]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it and I appreciate the feedback!

[@badlandskid]

My initial thought was density altitude.

[@tomcoryell]

Same here. Being a mountain state dweller, I would only take off in the early hours during a hot summer. He probably flew from near sea level in AK. That said, it’s easy for me to second guess sitting here on my couch. I feel for his family.

[@olgreywolf9688]

I'm a retired ag driver who frequently operated working aircraft at maximum rated loads, and with reduced or minimum maneuvering capability .... this is painful to watch. A pilot MUST be extremely conscious of the airframe and controls 'feel' and MUST be extremely sensitive to the attitude and sense of power available. Said it before, and now saying it again. Am convinced that slow-flight practice is a probable "solution" or fix to help with situations like this!! As a retired CFI and AG-driver, I would suggest ... NO pilot can get enough time in slow-flying airplanes!!! Hours of it. Hours of practice at slow flight at safe atlitudes would appear to me to really help reduce this type of tragedy. As evidenced by nearly all these accident videos, it appears few even know how to slow the machine down these days or fly at mimimum apeeds in critical situations.

[@amamdawhatever]

High, hot, heavy with trees on departure... I'm not sure this was an example of stellar aeronautical decision making.

[@RWBHere]

Let's hope that this analysis saves other pilots' lives. Thanks.

[@pilot-debrief]

I hope so too!

[@JohnComley]

Great report, thank you. Just one thing to add. They would have been largely protected from the tailwind component whilst below treetop level. Then, as they transitioned to above the treeline, the tailwind component would have robbed them of critical airspeed! Due to the momentum of the aircraft, it doesn't simply leap forward when encountering a 'sudden' tailwind component, as was the case here, as the aircraft climbed above the treeline. Instead, at that transition point, the tailwind component can be subtracted directly from the airspeed, which continues to be the case, although continually deminishing, until the aircraft has 'transitioned' into the air that is now moving at the speed of the predominant wind above the treeline, which comprises the tailwind component. Such an immediate reduction in airspeed due to a 'instant tailwind' may well have put them below the stall speed of the aircraft. This phenomenon is not often considered, but can be critical. I can recall a similar stall with fatal consequences of an aircraft flying through a neck to cross a ridgeline. The tailwind on the day, undergoing the Venturi effect through the neck (higher speed), induced a higher tailwind component, robbing the aircraft of critical airspeed at a point where it was climbing to cross a ridgeline.

[@cr10001]

Not a pilot, but that venturi effect is weird. You'd think the air, being essentially weightless, would just go over the top of the ridge. But I know of one beach with cliffs one side and a high island just offshore, and the wind goes over a low ridge on the tail of the island (that should shelter the gap) and drops down to howl through the gap, even when the rest of the beach just gets a light breeze.

[@bp2352]

Mike seemed like the type of pilot who had more close calls than most

[@helidude3502]

Basically this airplane wasn’t going to fly due to configuration, pilot inputs, and conditions. The aircraft “told” him it wasn’t going to fly, but he didn’t listen. Fortunately, his passenger wasn’t a fatality also and can aid in this lesson for the rest of us. Your ego, complacency, or experience will not trump the laws of physics and make the airplane fly. Ntsb reports are full of pilots that put perfectly good aircraft in the dirt.

[@laurenurban3942]

I hope the survivor is okay and is able to move forward with his life. This is very sad. I feel for him.

[@afrog2666]

"@benparadude2028 Festet av Pilot Debrief @benparadude2028 for 8 døgn siden I was the passenger on this flight, not exactly sure why the report says I received minor injuries…..I sustained a major head concussion and whiplash, 2 broken ribs, nerve damage to my foot from a puncture wound. I lost my First class medical for one year. Mike and I did take a few minutes discussing which would be the better direction to take off. The wind socks and flags where changing directions, indicated more of a thermic condition. Mike had commented on how rough the field was on the east end of the runway when we touched down and didn’t want to put that kind of stress on the landing gear. The plane was involved in an off field landing with the gear retracted just a few months prior and this was a big concern for him. I was concerned be fore we landed there at how much distance it took to take off out of the first airport as well,as the water takeoff. We both were under the impression that the propeller was not pitched properly for the float configuration. This conversation took place during our initial run up of the day. This was my first flight in a float plane, so I was very reluctant to go along before we left our home airport. The sad thing is, his family is blaming me for this tragedy not to mention the insurance company failing to cover my hospital and ongoing medical treatments. If there is one thing I learned from this, make sure you know the capabilities and history of the pilot and plane before you go flying. I,am deeply saddened for their loss and it could have been prevented. "

[@patriot20000]

He has a comment above

[@MrTtmich]

I used to join weekend flights with a group of Bonanza pilots for lunch; I would fly as a passenger in an airplane that had empty seats. Once, in Jimmy's aircraft, he flew at an alarmingly low altitude over treetops during the approach. This incident made me realize that many seasoned pilots in the group seldom practiced flight maneuvers and they mostly flew somewhere for fun. It became apparent that Jimmy and several older pilots might not prioritize safe flying practices. This experience taught me to avoid flying with pilots whose skills were unfamiliar to me. Tragically, some years later, Jimmy passed away in a plane crash as his Bonanza struck power lines during runway approach.

[@emergencylowmaneuvering7350]

Right. Avoid flying with bad pilots. They will give you a ride to the ER or to hell.

[@donmoore7785]

After watching many Juan Brown videos, my first thought was density altitude. When the plane dipped a bit I thought he would put it back on the ground. Darned shame. RIP

[@SergeantExtreme]

Wait, are you an experienced pilot?

[@johnsmitht11]

Not an aviation guy here but it surprises me how many general aviation fatalities there are. In auto racing, or on track day, everyone is geared up, helmets, safety precautions, etc. But with a plane going 150 mph, hey, a t-shirt and jeans is good. I have to wonder how many small plane pilots would have survived if they were wearing a helmet and the cockpit had some provisions for high speed impact survivability. I understand some impacts and fires give you no chance, but some car wrecks also appear to be unsurvivable until you see the driver walk away from it. It's like general aviation is still stuck in the 1950's, while the auto industry has forced itself to deal with safety and is up to date. They have carbon fiber now, it's strong and light; it seems like carbon fiber should be utilized in general aviation cockpits more often to increase safety. In the case of this fatal crash, it doesn't look like the plane inverted or was even going faster than 100mph before impact. To me, that seems like it should have been survivable. Sorry for the layman's uninformed opinion but I just don't really understand the mindset.

[@pilot-debrief]

The plane crashed inverted due to the pilot keeping it stalled too long and it rolled over.

[@russellmarkham7033]

Yes an interesting point that also surprises me too, crumple zones air bags collapsible parts very little in the way of cockpits being a safety zone although ballistic parachutes on some planes is a safety crash feature. Very bad injurys from light crashes compared to cars ..agreed

[@javiermcdowell4569]

Yep, I get a similar impression from all these: light aircraft seem to have a slim margin of safety in all directions. It's like it's hard to get up in the air and fly and they do it as soon as they possibly can... rather than wait until it can be done with a big margin of safety.... It's like that all over, isn't it? 'ultralights' ? all them flying contraptions a bit like parachutes and god knows what.... I think - it seems obvious - that flight can be managed with wide margins of safety and is done so by for instance the ubiquitous big international passenger jets and maybe airplanes like that famous 'dakota' was it? So it's not like it can't be done it's just that people are keen to 'take a chance', 'live dangerously', 'get a thrill'. And to my surprise it seems many of these very small two and four seaters are over there at the 'thrilling ' end of the spectrum.

[@InMyBrz]

agree with you totally part of the problem is these ULTRALIGHTS and EXPERIMENTALS, compared to a certified airplane, NOT as safe, like flying a lawn chair to 5,000 feet

[@smaze1782]

How long did it take for the NTSB to finalize this report? You just did a better, more thorough analysis in 9 minutes than they did. Well done 👍

[@pilot-debrief]

@smaze1782 & @rattlesnake-ef6so My goal is to present the NTSB findings in a concise and easy-to-understand fashion, but also more importantly, to dig a little deeper into some of the human aspect of these incidents to help determine the root cause beyond just saying "the aircraft crashed because it stalled".

[@emergencylowmaneuvering7350]

BULLSHIT. He ddnt mention the too slow downwind turn the dummy did.

[@banjo2019]

Good video. This illustrates the fundamentals of doing those takeoff calculations ahead of time, that factor in wind, runway length, density altitude, and plane characteristics. I guess these guys just didn’t do so?

[@hondaxl250k0]

Don’t forget temperature.. hot air is less dense meaning less lift

[@banjo2019]

@@hondaxl250k0 You need to know the temp in order to calculate density altitude, so you're right in one sense but it's baked into the equation already.

[@pilot-debrief]

Thanks! And, absolutely important to do the fundamentals and not get complacent

[@gordonteats298]

RIDERS IN THE SKY by DAVID AND THE GIANTS a great song to play and sing before every take off

[@kakman1958]

@pilot-debrief I'm not a pilot (actually I am a licensed drone pilot) but I find these videos absolutely fascinating. Thanks for providing them!

[@svenf1]

Very good analysis, thank you!

[@RobertMacCready]

D/A I would think, would be extremely important. I know that on land, D/A can play with the performance of your car. His takeoff looked like his plane was performing poorly. What a shame this had to happen.

[@anthonyrowland9072]

a 350hp car was down about 100hp at denver with a DA of like 7000 at a 5800 elevation, like a 30% drop in power. that's a lot of hp on a relatively low power plane.

[@Allnightexplor]

Hoover,just subscribed. Love your sharing of facts. As a newbie we need a good story now and then. My dad was a private pilot and owned a Cesna 182 high wing with two friends. One was a B17 pilot during the war. He was an amazing pilot! I do remember how meticulous dad was with the walk around, flight plan, weight calculation etc. I did the checklist sometimes. Great memories!

[@billydeewilliams9104]

Thou shall maintain airspeed lest the ground come up and smite thee...

[@trevorgwelch7412]

Very professional explanation to a preventable accident .

[@hobo1452]

With the increased drag caused by those floats, why add more problems by not using all the strip available and taking off with the wind on your tail? That just doesn't make any sense.

[@InMyBrz]

VERY POOR AIRMANSHIP got him killed

[@i-likemy-space7729]

On first view of the flags, they are lightly waving to the left of the flag pole. On second view of the flags, they are waving more aggressively to the left of the flag pole. While near stall speed the pilot turned left into a growing or gusting tail wind. A growing or gusting tail wind opposes and reduces the air flow that produces lift. Manufacturer specs cannot justly be applied to modified airframes. Even if there was no water in the pontoons, they still added weight and aerodynamic drag that the manufacturer never designed, measured, or tested.

[@philalcoceli6328]

Basics, basics, basics, we must remind ourselves daily about basics and how the conditions of the air, aerodynamics and the weather have absolute rule, even when the aircraft is in perfect order. We can only fly safely with the permission of those three and under their restrictions. Fanatical intellectual and emotional humility and self-discipline should be taught as our first requirements as pilots. Too many deaths too soon. R.I.P.

[@j.d.thompson3505]

I do enjoy these videos. Even though I have no passion for flying, I find your analysis fascinating.

[@jonyjoe8464]

once the wheels were off the ground he was committed (V1 speed) plus he no longer had room in front to try and stop. You could see it dip a little as he was making a decision to put it back on the ground or continue, he was committed to ride it out. Unfortunately the pontoons and air density was too much for him that day and the plane stalled. I think what sealed his fate was when he raised the nose to clear the trees, trees that were already well below him. He tried to climb too fast with not enough airspeed. Thats always a recipe for disaster. At least the occupant in the backseat survived to tell the tale.

[@smartysmarty1714]

You nailed it. He had established positive climb and there was no "immediate" threat so he should have waited it out. Pulling back guarantees a bad outcome, whereas doing what is working allows for better odds. I went through this once, and posted about it a few comments above in a reply.

[@pilot-debrief]

He might have been able to land and still stop before hitting the trees in front of him if he made the decision soon enough...or perhaps they at least would have been slow enough when hitting the trees that they would have survived and maybe just ripped the wings off.

[@ebikecnx7239]

There is no V1 with single engine aircraft. You can reject the takeoff anytime, airborne or not. V1 is decision speed on multiengine aircraft only.

[@chuckg2016]

Good analysis clearly delivered.

[@pilot-debrief]

Thanks! Glad you liked it!

[@leroycharles9751]

A tail wind, runway behind you not used, high D/A, and a new to him airplane. He stacked the deck against himself.

[@skylinedroneuk]

excellent objective analyses - thanks!

[@MarkShinnick]

Damm..these guys had much more runway available to them.

[@zappatx]

Wasting money on a plane like that shows they weren't dealing with a full deck of cards in the first place.

[@weiSane]

Doesn't modifying the parts of the plane affect the handling characteristics?

[@Hawk_Sparrow]

Yes, thats the reason why it was considered experimental

[@av8tor261]

Adding the anphib floats is a big game changer. I have many hours in S-7's. Flight limits greatly change.

[@pilot-debrief]

Thanks for sharing @av8tor!

[@sylekin]

@@djquick a professionally built first time design is still experimental. no matter how many millions went into it.

[@DaveGIS123]

@@djquick At 4:40, it says the aircraft was considered experimental because there wasn't a pilot operating handbook for this type of aircraft with floats.

[@mrelmoresmusiclab]

I don't fly and I will never be a pilot, but I love learning new things. Teaching music is my main jam. ha. Great channel Hoover. Nice to see you are spreading your knowledge to help others. I also understand how hard it is to run a YT channel. Keep on crushing it bud.

[@rossilake218]

I'm a 66 hr non- ticketed half assed pilot, 10,000 hangar hrs. Flown many of those flying beer cans. I can tell you this, on a Hott day they run like your lawn mower. Folks! This isn't an F16, where you can pull back on the yoke and fly to Heaven. No so-riree! Never turn after rotating unless the Empire State Building is front and center. Having reviewed accidents for the last 20 years: about 80% of GA pilots are good . The old bold ones, (a Couple low hr ones) are the ones we read about often? Hummm! Only takes one bad Day.

[@itsmePassport]

Just underpowered.

[@indridcold8433]

Rest in peace pilot. There is no better way to die than doing what you love. May you find the calm winds and fair skies all pilots deserve.

[@adotintheshark4848]

yes, but you don't need to die flying. A few precautions will keep you in the air.

[@Xxxxxx19-p1c]

I doubt he loved plummeting to the earth and slamming into the ground. “He died doing what he loved” is the dumbest statement. He didn’t love this. He didn’t.

[@RANGER73CPT]

I am sure he didn't die doing what he loved. He loved flying, not crash landing. If he loved crash landings, then he would have died doing what he loved... it is a sad event that could have been prevented for sure.

[@Skinflaps_Meatslapper]

Oh, finally...people are starting to understand the absurdity of that statement. I love flying and I've made it my career, but there is nothing enjoyable about knowing you're about to auger in. Nobody should ever have to experience that. I know the statement is used to convey some level of comforting thoughts to loved ones, and the thought is appreciated, but the reality of it is the exact opposite. There's almost always a short period of time where the pilot knows it's all over, a few moments absolutely terrified knowing they were going to die, and there's nothing fun about that. What I do know is there's also a very short amount of time to reflect on one other thing, and that's their family and loved ones. One could take comfort knowing you were in their hearts those last few seconds.

[@mikevickers1391]

He won't find any calm winds and he certainly isn't flying in fair skys...he is DEAD. I'm tired of reading really stupid comments when someone dies like this. 'He died doing what he loved', how totally ridiculous that statement is...he actually enjoyed living, so this is a tragedy not a happy ending.

[@AdamsHangar]

Yep, my first thought was density altitude and temp. He should have put it back down after the initial V1. It did not leap off the ground at all. :(

[@tanguyadriaenssen9755]

1-What would the stall speed be with the amphib set up? Obviously heavier place that the original so I can only imagine a higher stall speed? 2-taking off from grass with that extra wheel (4 for an amphib) wouldn’t that prolong the roll due to extra friction-losses in the grass / uneven surface? 3- a few knots of wind on the strip in between the trees might will have been 10+ knots once you pop out above the trees, also could have been a very different direction than surface winds. So many variables in this scenario… But you got to give it to the guy who named the airstrip… treetops?!

[@flagmichael]

At 1:15 he notes the actual name is Treeport, but he called it "treetops throughout. Still, Treeport....

[@waynemiller6070]

Thank you for the attention to detail.

[@its4michael]

It is unfortunate but these two knew what would happen before they took off- they ignored it! A 912ULS in that airframe is struggling with fuel and pilot! Put on some draggy floats and another 180-200 lb person and it becomes exactly what you see here. My heart goes out to the families left struggling with that reality.

[@jacopofbargellini4005]

Thank you, i didnt know this accident but the eplanation you provided is very clear

[@ChrisHarmon1]

Prop on the plane looked like it wasnt holding consistent rpm (matched shutter speed momentarily) as it was still over the runway around time that he seemed to level off then began climbing again. Definitely looks super under powered and coming from bush planes he might have overestimated its climbout.

[@user-gl9iz1bp1r]

A tragic event. I'm not a pilot - but I enjoy these videos for many reasons. “Nothing is as inevitable as a mistake whose time have come.” ~ Tussman’s Law. Be safe.

[@warrenkral6562]

I fly out of a small grass airport and I see very experienced pilots make dumb decisions all the time. No radio calls for fast flybys/landings, downwind takeoffs when gusting 8 to 10mph and with pax and 100 degress and humid. Ppl get complacent and stupid. Cant believe as few aviation accidents happen as they do.

[@pilot-debrief]

Unfortunately, luck runs out for some.

[@TOM2RN]

I'm no pilot, but that explanation makes sense to me. Clearly helps me avoid errors if I ever take up flying.

[@daszieher]

I'm amazed by the fact that nobody mentioned the fact that maybe the plane was just underpowered.

[@Mrbfgray]

Ultimately massive pilot F-up, but yeah, performance is safety.

[@RealSerie26]

You have got to wonder what goes through people’s minds sometimes. I am not a pilot and as soon as they started to take off I went, “no way.”

[@mfcobb1]

😢 he had muscle memory from a bigger engine.

[@davidwhite8633]

That sounds more than plausible to me.

[@concorde2003]

Density altitude is a killer. I had a very scary takeoff in my Grumman Lynx in Riverton, WY. After takeoff, I drifted BELOW field elevation and spent about an hour clawing my way back up to pattern altitude to land. I'm glad I survived. I never cut it close with density altitude ever again.

[@flymachine]

You have amazing aviator credentials why must you be so clicky with your titles and intro’s?? Did you really quote “it’s not what you think” ?

[@blinard1]

Brilliant comment. Couldnt agree more

[@man_vs_life]

Exactly what I thought too. It clearly works for his views, do "that's life" I guess.

[@cwatson42785]

I just rewatched the beginning, what exactly is the problem Karen?

[@HoustonRoad]

Don’t watch then. No one cares about your opinion.

[@Kwauhn.]

I just commented something very similar on another channel. Even though it was 5 months old, they responded to me, apologizing. I have never seen hoover acknowledge his shitty practices.

[@BA-lt2tx]

You never, ever take off uphill in a low performance airplane as the slope not only lengthens your roll but also requires you to climb faster than the terrain - and yes, two guys in a low powered plane with two drag inducing anchors bolted to it and operating in a high density altitude environment is as low performance as it gets. You can clearly see all that beautiful downhill terrain (which they could have cleared by just flying level) they are leaving behind as they start taking off in the opposite direction. And if the wind is ever strong enough to make you reconsider taking off downhill then it is your clue not to go at all because any decrease in the wind speed or sheer (which is common as you clear the treetops) as you are climbing against rising terrain will get you killed.

[@johnschneider4160]

You are so much more unbiased and fact-based than that celebrity Dan Gryder. Thank you. Does anybody know where Dan is hiding these days? Practicing touch-and-goes in cornfields???😂

[@HighOctane-wo6cm]

Ouch 3rd degree burns… Gryder still has weekly videos, but he spends alot of his time playing banjo on them , lol He is quick to criticize accidents, but he’s usually correct about them

[@johnschneider4160]

Dan Gryder is a babbling fool, sometimes showing up at crash sites years later to "imagine" the sequence of event. It's all about Dan.

[@HighOctane-wo6cm]

@@johnschneider4160 Oh yeah , he is full of himself . As a pilot myself i don’t know if i would fly with him !! 😀

[@pilot-debrief]

Glad you appreciate my analysis. I have no problem being humble because I know I make mistakes. I've lost more than a few friends to aviation mishaps and that's why I try my best to be as respectful as possible when covering these incidents.

[@colinburrows4859]

Love your debriefs Hoover… every days a school day in aviation! Only additional point I’d make about that tailwind effect is that when you have shadowing from trees/ buildings etc the wind speed will increase (sometimes significantly) as you climb out of the shadow effect. Look at the tree branch movement at 3:00” in the video- hard to tell, but possibly indicates a little more wind than the flags suggest. So it’s quite possible they lost at least 5kts as they climbed out of the tree line due to the increasing tailwind. Deepest sympathies to those involved.

[@jhomer145]

Yes the video is informative and well done. HOWEVER, it always bothers me when video producers like this, at the end, use the term, "if you enjoyed this video" WTF is to ENJOY abut a fatal incident ???? Even if there was only injuries, someone is still hurt and property damaged. I hope there will never be any enjoyment by anyone if you ever have an aircraft incident.

[@pilot-debrief]

No fatality is enjoyable. I try to create videos that respect those involved while sharing lessons with viewers that they enjoy in the sense that they learned something and benefited from the content.

[@jhomer145]

@@pilot-debrief In the English language, we use words that have meaning. The word enjoy means enjoy. I'll look it up again....maybe I'm wrong.

[@Organicme1]

I feel like it's more about if the way he laid out the story (the factual telling of), told the story (tone of voice), visual presentation, information given in an educational format to prevent it being repeated, while still being respectful of the event and the feelings of family & friends so that it causes little to no discomfort. To watch, learn, and pay respects to an event that took and changed lives but also might save some in comfort is to enjoy it. It's also a set closing so not referring to that exact event, but his coverage of it. I understand how it can be taken, but I don't believe that is the way it was meant.

[@ItsAllAboutGuitar]

He meant if you learned something and thought it was well put together. I think we can all agree that no one is going to enjoy watching someone perish.

[@rcnfo1197]

I found the word, "enjoy," a bit jarring as well, but also understand it to be shorthand for "helpful" or "useful" in understanding more about the crash. It accomplished that, so I give him the benefit of the doubt. Still, more precise language around sensitive issues such as this - a fatal accident - seems warranted.

[@WRA838]

Great analysis my New favourite channel. Even though you look like stevo i can now take you seriously haha. Thanks for all the great content and valuable info.

[@pilot-debrief]

😂 thanks!

[@roop298]

I suspect DG's going to be all over this like a rash.

[@johnschneider4160]

😂 Ain't that the truth!

[@sludge8506]

And why shouldn’t he? A very experienced pilot making rookie mistakes.

[@paxwallace8324]

Scary with a bush hardened pilot too. Wow

[@SixStringflyboy]

For reference only, Cessna drops the max gross of a Cessna 170 with EDO 2000 floats equipped by about 70 lbs. If we do that with this aircraft, they were flying at or over max gross all day, which lines up with the passenger-pilot's comments elsewhere on this video that the aircraft was taking a long time to get off the ground/water during every previous takeoff that day. And if the PIC wasn't leaning for density altitude, that could also result in less than ideal engine performance for the conditions and weight of the aircraft. Not an expert by any means, just my observations.

[@tomstulc9143]

Just enough horsepower to get him to the scene of the crash. A lapse in judgment or just to changing conditions can get it all of us no matter what we're doing.