Pilot's Reckless Mistakes End in Deadly Disaster!

A King Air 350 pilot made several reckless mistakes and crashed just 17 seconds after takeoff, very tragically killing himself, the co-pilot, and all 8 passengers onboard.
I cover a lot of tragic events on this channel and I do my best to be extremely sensitive to the fact that the friends and families of the victims might end up watching this video. The point of a pilot debrief isn’t to ridicule or shame anyone. We all make mistakes and just because a mistake can be reckless doesn’t mean a pilot is reckless. There’s a difference. The goal is to review those mistakes to identify as many lessons as possible in order to hopefully save lives by preventing another tragedy like this from happening.
Check out this other pilot reckless mistake caught on camera here: • Pilot's Reckless Mista...
#aviation #flying #pilotdebrief
Crash simulation footage courtesy of KZbin/‪@CuriousPilot90‬
See his full video here: • Just 17 Seconds in the...
NTSB final report: data.ntsb.gov/...
NSTB docket: data.ntsb.gov/...
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This channel is for entertainment purposes only and represents solely my opinion and not the opinion, views, or position of anyone else.

[@walter2990]

You reminding everyone that "Check Lists are written in blood", is the absolutely the BEST advice ever to remember for any pilot. Back in '73 when I started my flight training with a 75yo flight instructor (who had been in WW1), that was the first thing he told me. I never forgot that. Thank you to my first flight instuctor, Mark Brand! RIP my Brother.

[@loveistheanswer5924]

If you dont use a checklist because you think you are very experienced, you are, in fact, just haughty and dumb! Gods word the Bible says inter alia about this topic: The highway of the upright avoids what is bad. Whoever safeguards his way preserves his life. Pride is before a crash, And a haughty spirit before stumbling. 19 Better to be humble among the meek Than to share the spoil of the haughty. (Proverbs 16: 17) And: The way of the fool is right in his own eyes, But the wise one accepts advice. (Proverbs 12: 15) And: Have you seen a man who thinks he is wise? There is more hope for someone stupid than for him. (Proverbs 26: 12) And: A wise person listens and takes in more instruction; A man of understanding acquires skillful direction. (Proverbs 1: 5) And: The naive person believes every word, But the shrewd one ponders each step. The wise one is cautious and turns away from evil, But the stupid one is reckless and overconfident. (Proverbs 14: 15) There are of course many more similar verses in Gods wise word the Bible.

[@maryraburn5207]

@@loveistheanswer5924

[@differenttakethanmost]

Per the NTSB “this aircraft was controllable…” sadly the pilot wasn’t 🤦🏻‍♀️ Edit: so many crashes are due to control-freak, know-it-all pilots who don’t actually know it all.

[@RoamingAdhocrat]

it's kinda astonishing to be talking to someone who trained with someone who started flying at the dawn of powered aviation. This whole field of human endeavour is less than two human lifetimes long.

[@walter2990]

@RoamingAdhocrat I should clarify my statement. My first flight instructor was a "ground pounder" (infantry), and not a pilot in WW1. He watched the aerial dogfights from trenchworks. He began his flight training after being discharged from the Army. He flew most types of the surplus warplanes as a barnstormer, airmail pilot, and a crop duster before he became a flight instructor. Mark was a fantastic ground school instructor and he made learning flight theory very easy and enjoyable. We didn't have headsets to wear during our flights, and he could scare the heck out of me with how loud he could scream, when I'd put us into a full spin! (Just kidding, but he did yell above the noise of the engine.)

[@timmckeown1313]

Flying by the seat of one’s pants with passengers on board is nothing short of criminal negligence.

[@reneecarter6702]

Best comment ⬆️

[@BeauBeauRivage]

Did you hear, the pilot received the death penalty

[@halleffect1]

@@BeauBeauRivage along with 9 innocents

[@Quillons1]

It's amazing. Even in high performance planes that are certified for single pilot, it's usually the INSURANCE company that requires a second pilot in order to avoid things like this. What a waste and a shame. I've flown with and worked for people like this accident pilot. Few things will make you want to get out of an aircraft faster than flying with a person like this. My first flight instructor told me something I tell to EVERY ONE of my students. "At some point in your flying career you're going to be told to do something that's unsafe, illegal, or both. You will have to make a difficult decision. You can roll the dice and maybe beat the odds, or you can say 'no'. If you say 'no', you may go home that day without a job, but you'll go home and you'll kiss your kids good night that night." I said "no" to a vicious tyrant and lost my gig. Best decision I ever made. Be careful up there guys.

[@DrDeuteron]

old, bold, ... cold?

[@cloudstreets1396]

@AbductedbyAliens58sigh… the insurance company for the carrier likely required a butt in the right seat otherwise they won’t insure them especially if the guy that’s flying the plane is 71 years old. Has nothing to do with the single pilot certification of the airplane.

[@lorencharnley9262]

@@cloudstreets1396 - yup. This all day.

[@danaramasf]

Same here! 30 years ago I walked away from a Saratoga against "orders" after finding the alt was inop during runup, before a cargo hop at night over mountainous terrain. Best time I ever got fired! Wx wound up turning IMC too. I remember that night often, but whoever didn't get their box on time probably doesn't! 😅

[@Quillons1]

@AbductedbyAliens58 Actually, you're only half right. And when you're half right, you're all wrong. You should've paid closer attention to what I said. The FAA determines if an aircraft is certified for single pilot flight or not. That's the part you got right. What you CLEARLY don't understand, probably because you're either not a pilot, or you're a private pilot who THINKS he knows the entire industry, is that in MANY cases, even aircraft that are certified for single pilot operations can't or won't get insurance for their operation because the INSURANCE COMPANY wants to make sure there is a second pilot in order to protect the asset....specifically for the reason shown in this video. So you're right, the FAA says how many pilots are needed to fly it, but the insurance company determines how many pilots are needed for them to underwrite the company's operations. If you fly a certified single pilot aircraft by yourself, while operating in that commercial capacity you're seeking insurance for, in defiance of the insurance requirements, and you ball it in like this genius did, you will NOT be covered. But hey, you're right, the FAA said you could. So you've got that going for you. You have some studying to do about the industry, junior, before you pop off and try correcting people who know more than you. It might even surprise you to know that the second pilot that the insurance requires doesn't even always have to be type rated in the aircraft. Just needs the category and class certificates. But the insurance simply requires he be there. Sooooo you can either try to double down on what you said and try to salvage sounding like an "expert", or you can take this as a nickel's worth of free advice.

[@LoriM-ez3co]

my late husband was a naval aviator and told me that there are several things to always remember, First Fly the plane (aviate, second, navigate, third, communicate. Then keep your head on a swivel and your check list is your best co pilot . Treat your check list like its your first time in a plane each time. Thanks, Hoover your show and debrief is like listening to my late husband.

[@rotorheadv8]

As a former Marine Corps pilot, and with a brother with 34,000+ commercial in everything from the DC-3 to A330-200, it boggles my mind the pilot didn’t use his checklist.

[@SparkyWaxAll]

👍

[@markmcgoveran6811]

There is something altogether to human about not wanting to read and follow the directions. If you get interrupted start over. I can't say as I love the rules but I love it when there's a rule for big machinery and you follow it like a faithful monk.

[@mikestanmore2614]

Exactly.

[@tima.478]

OoooRaaahhh Devil Dog. I flew with some of the best as a Marine Corps crew chief in a CH-46 Sea Knight. HMM365 Mag-29 MCAS New River. Late 80's. SemperFi, sir. 💪

[@hislord1]

White male arrogance at play.

[@davidchristensen2970]

It is interesting how certain personality traits are relatively easy to identify as essentially dangerous yet peers simply accept that “that’s just how he is”.

[@markmcgoveran6811]

Yeah that's not the nature of your job as a peer the nature of your job as a peer is to mind your business and have the supervisor decide what everybody should be held to. It's the nature of structure in society there's no way around it. If you and I are peers and we walk in a restaurant then it's not my duty to keep you from punching me in the nose the person who owns a restaurant has to keep these two Peers within the boundaries of proper behavior. I think they need to enact some criminal laws and have somebody responsible for filling out paperwork showing how much weight the airplane was carrying when it left the ground. You could have a computer record too.

[@adambane1719]

Absolutely incorrect ... Your peers should correct and advise you so your "surperiors" don't have to !@@markmcgoveran6811

[@jeffclark5268]

The restaurant is responsible to keep one person from punching another in the nose? And just ignore dangerous behaviour by a “peer” and mind your business? You are a real piece of work for sure.

[@markmcgoveran6811]

Yeah well hindsight's 20/20 in Foresight tends to disqualify people that we don't like. If you just let people have their personality type of opinion and decide whether or not someone can have a license no black man no brown man and no China man would ever have the right personality to get a license it would be that white guy. There's no test for it there's no proven it it's just a big ugly doctor points his finger b******* thing and we're beginning to run on that to a great extent.

[@pneulancer]

Took the words right out of my mouth!

[@davidhorizon8401]

The sad thing is, a pilot like that would probably never watch a great channel like this. He was way too confident in his skills.

[@emanuellandeholm5657]

It's amazing, and frankly kind of terrifying for me to realize that the industry still fails to weed out bozos like this in 2023. Then again, this is probably true for ie. bus drivers too, and fatal bus crashes are so much more common than air crashes.

[@rextuller3498]

When i get in the plane with my cfi, i have no ego, its my life im dealing with. I cannot fathom this kind of attitude, its sad.

[@markmcgoveran6811]

Hoover's got a hero Hoover's got a plan, if you don't do your thinking for you Hoover is sure he can... There's an astonishing trend with these pilots that are experienced pros. We just had a big fat slob airline pilot and his big fat slob son get in an airplane and everybody told me they weren't fat they were solid muscle they were wonderful yeah and apparently the muscle went all the way to the top of their heads they bought an airplane that would not lift two of them safely. I don't know what the total capacity of this airplane was but if you're flying any overweight you have a severe impediment I won't go into the mathematics but you do. So this is to that I know about and spotted on Hoover's heavenly praise for white pilots channel. Two professionals that just ignored their weights and crashed an airplane and thankfully didn't kill anybody on the ground. I'm seeing a trend here if you turn into a professional pilot they need to have like the truck driver has the electronic log book you should have to do electronic checklist where you show a video or a picture of everything on the checklist every time. If you ever get these pilots to figure out they're not special and they need to follow the rules at the special people who know mathematics told them that would be me the engineer. Hoover sees light skin and he thinks that this guy takes off with light pounds. If you are a pilot and you take off without doing your weight and balance check it's not anything but an indication that you are too sloppy to fly an airplane for very far without piling into the ground and killing some subhuman on his farm or his house. Everybody is asking why anybody would hire this hot shot but I can tell you already. He makes more money than anybody else if he'd have weighed that airplane he would have probably had to kick off a passenger or kick off some luggage and that would cost the company money in the long run.

[@Riverrockphotos]

I know right and there's always opportunity to learn

[@sludge8506]

Lack of speed was the main problem. Another 10 or 15 before rotation would have taken care of the weight issue.

[@skateletsyo]

Man I watch your channel a lot, never thought I would hear you break this down. My brother in law was right seat on this flight. My source of inspiration to become a pilot. The thought of this flight is with me every time I fly.

[@sludge8506]

Sorry to hear this. I hope you continue to pursue aviation, and this video reinforces everything you have learned about safety.

[@nofurtherwest3474]

wow, he was the co-pilot?

[@craigwall9536]

Sobering. Your brother-in-law deserved better, but I'll add one more suggestion here: avoid "hero worship" when it comes to high time/ lots of certificates. Neither of those things are infallible guides to performance.

[@krautyvonlederhosen]

@@nofurtherwest3474 most aircraft, if you put your butt in the right seat, yeah. The co-pilot moniker is sort of implied

[@JackJohnson-wg1ye]

Sorry to hear that. Good on you for confronting that dragon and carrying on his memory.

[@gwiyomikim5988]

“Take good care of me” - a passenger’s final plea to the pilot. The pilot’s systemic failures related to pre-takeoff procedures was an accident waiting to happen. Very sad.

[@zen4men]

Karma ======================== is the One Law That matters. The passenger's statement sets up a debt for the next life - probably a series of tit-for-tat events over lifetimes that is waiting for one or the other to break the sequence. As ever, the Key is Face The Fear. /

[@papagen00]

@@zen4men there's no afterlife or reincarnation you watch too many TV shows.

[@IamCec]

As someone in flight training, this really hits 😢

[@zen4men]

@@papagen00 Your ignorance is forgiven

[@ImpendingJoker]

You must be a hoot at parties assuming you get invited to any.@@papagen00

[@TheNucMed]

I have been an aircraft mechanic for 23 years. I am not a pilot but have had some training. I specifically remember the CFI telling me to keep one hand on the throttle. Further more, I have seen many videos of multi-engine aircraft where both pilots have their hands on the throttle levers at max power during takeoff. I was wondering what your take is on that. Amazing job. You are absolutely correct. Safely is why we are here. When I was in A&P school, we had to watch some graphic videos of what not to do, and have an honest discussion as to where the mistakes were made. We do this so we can survive this career. Aviation is an amazing and rewarding career path, but only if you are willing to part entirely with your ego and learn from the mistakes of the those who came before you. That is why we debrief. To save lives. Full stop. Thanks for the great video.

[@davidbrayshaw3529]

I'm not a pilot, but I was an AME in a past life. I remember flying with a 777 captain in his own personal Yak trainer. I was sitting in the right seat. He had me follow the check list and confirm everything that he did or what the instruments were reading at every critical point of the flight. Honestly, I got off the plane feeling like I'd done a day's work. It was a lesson in life, that flight. Use everything at your disposal to ensure a positive out come.

[@Capecodham]

AME?

[@gingerhiser7312]

Aviation medical examiner. A doctor who did pilot medical checks.@@Capecodham

[@nbrowser]

@@Capecodham Aircraft Maintenance Engineer.

[@davidbrayshaw3529]

@@Capecodham Aircraft maintenance engineer (unqualified)

[@Capecodham]

@@davidbrayshaw3529 Do you realize not every viewer of this channel is not a Sully like you. I doubt if Sully were here, he would be so hip and cool as you. using aircraft acronyms. He would understand as smart as he is, he would not try to show up others using terms like CVR, AME, CRM, GA. EFB, TOGA, FO. But you are not him you need to prove what you know. That type of person is known as a know it all or smart ass.

[@johnfranborra]

Thanks, Hoover. Reminds me of a story I wrote years ago for FLYING magazine. I summed up the account (about a potential accident chain stopped in the nick of time) with a personal observation: The two greatest vices in aviation are haste and complacency. This video is a textbook example of what can happen if we let down our guard. EVERY pilot needs to cultivate patience and humility.

[@johnfranborra]

BTW, I'm in the habit of tightening friction locks so they're reasonably snug; I don't recall a throttle or power lever ever creeping on me. Also, I recall an instructor years ago admonishing me to keep my hand on the power during takeoff and initial climb in case it needed to be chopped, as in an abort, or had to be firewalled, as in an engine failure. Had this PIC done that, the lever could not have crept back at a mere 100' AGL.

[@sludge8506]

Patience and humility were not this pilot’s strong points. Many people knew of his habits. And his behavior was probably incurable.

[@RichA7CV41]

My mentor was someone who flew B-24's in WW2. He told me over and over about using the checklist, to verbally call out the items (even if you are by yourself) and physically touch each switch/control to ensure proper setting. I never deviated from this when flying. He also mentored me to be prepared during every phase of the flight for things that could happen, whether it's what do if X happened, or picking places to put the plane down in an emergency during the fight, to deer being on the runway while landing (especially at night, which by the way actually happened to me when landing at KLZU one evening, and thanks to him, I was ready for it). Hearing about incidents like this really saddens me, considering the loss of life as a result of someone else's reckless actions, especially when they are the ones responsible for the safe flight.

[@ticenits1926]

checklists are not meant to be memorized. You should completely tune out every step and make no attempt to remember what comes next and just follow the steps every time no matter how mundane. Even if your cessna can technically be started as easily as your Toyota with nothing more than a turn of the key and advance of the throttle, all it takes is one slip up with the trim on takeoff and you're toast.

[@RichA7CV41]

@@ticenits1926 Completely agree, I always used the checklist as you should, never did anything from memory (except going through procedures in my head when not flying, which, although committing things to memory, were there to use as a backup) . When in the aircraft, always use "the book". So during a checklist, I'd point to an item, verbally call it out, and physically touch the item to ensure proper setting. When I was in the Navy, "NATOPS" was the bible, and you never deviated from it.

[@rotorheadv8]

I believe it was the 1st B-17 that motivated the military to start maki g checklists. I think they forgot the control locks or something. The aircraft were getting too complex for pilots to remember everything.

[@PDXpackrat]

@@ticenits1926I can’t remember the full details of this, but Petter from MentourPilot often mentions “memory item lists” that airline pilots of various companies are expected to know for certain situations. I believe it came up in the Air France 447 disaster, if I recall. It always bothered me that there is an expectation that pilots, especially those heavily reliant on advanced automation , would be expected to go through a “memory checklist” in a critical moment.

[@PDXpackrat]

I realize that’s a different kind of thing though. We’re talking about pre-flight and landing checklists, normal operations. Should never be any memory items there.

[@locustvalleystring]

It is chilling how quickly that flight went south. In 50 years of flying SEL I had just one engine suddenly quit and it was on approach to Milwaulkee. I neglected to switch tanks on that last leg. My passenger said he never saw somebody's hands move so quickly as I hit the fuel pump and switched tanks. We had plenty of fuel, just not in the selected tank. Checklists work en route also.

[@jcheck6]

Guess I am lucky Locust, in over 50 years of flying I have never had an engine failure.

[@michaelengland7228]

SEL?

[@jcheck6]

@@michaelengland7228 Michael, SEL means Single Engine Land aircraft.

[@None-zc5vg]

An airliner crashed near me 50-odd years ago because fuel control levers had vibrated out of position. Someone in the cockpit must have been asleep at the switch. Many passengers were trapped after the plane pancaked and were burned alive when the tanks ruptured.

[@boossersgarage3239]

this is a disgusting story about arrogance and selfishness.

[@matthewbrereton2617]

Similar attitude to the KLM B747 pilot in Tenerife perhaps

[@herobo123456]

@@matthewbrereton2617 Jacob Louis Veldhuyzen van Zanten murdered 583 people

[@SparkyWaxAll]

👍

[@b27952]

Same thing happened to me in an E90. I took it in to have a radio replaced, waited for it and was ready to go. I assumed that since they only replaced the radio, no other settings had been changed. I took off, and at positive rate, I reached across (gear handle is on the co-pilots side down low) and my head was down reaching for it. When I looked up I was at about 120 degree bank, very low to the ground. When I put my hand back on the throttle quadrant, the left one was all the way back. So, fortunately, I was able to recover - realizing what had happened. For some reason, the radio shop loosened the friction lock and I missed it - assuming nothing was touched but the radio. Of course, no one would admit to it, but still, it's on me for not checking.

[@bigc208]

I’m flying a Cessna 408 that’s actually being build at the Beechcraft factory and has a similar quadrant as the KA300. When I fly it single pilot I always keep my hand on the power levers during take off. When I fly with a co pilot I set the power to about 80% torque and say, Check Power. They have their hand behind the power levers and then fine tune the power and say, Power Set. That way someone always has their hands on the power levers during take off, preventing a power lever from moving back. Friction controls for the prop and power levers are a checklist item and this accident made me extra aware of what they can prevent. Checklist discipline in these aircraft is paramount, especially flying alone. Nobody there to catch your mistakes. We all make mistakes. As long as we learn from them, become better pilots in the end.

[@b27952]

@@bigc208 I have 180000 hours flying corporately - last 15 years in a Citation X. Every 6 months in Simuflite we simulate every possible situation that could arise and of course, cockpit (or crew as they say now) resource management. Co-pilots hand behind the throttles on take off is sop. Single pilot in an E-90 has the pilot reaching over and down to grab the gear lever. On a KA300, the only way they could certify that as being able to have a single pilot type rating, which I do, is having the gear handle on the pilots side. My error was in the pre-flight and not going thru the items that cover the friction lock. Of course, I would never make that mistake again as in many other similar mistakes that I lived through. Accidents don't typically happen because of just one thing - it's a chain of events. This chain included someone, for some reason, loosening the friction lock when working on the radio, my mistake of assuming that since I just flew it, it should be the same as I left it, and not following the check list. Thanks for your comments.

[@SergeantExtreme]

@@b27952 Replacement radio eh? Did you get to squawk the coveted 7600 before the replacement?

[@1450JackCade]

The core of this tragedy is a man who was old but unwise.

[@lindaschad9734]

There's a saying: "There's no fool like an old fool", and this guy should have been grounded long ago.

[@steveo3831]

He lived too long

[@BlackCat-nv5sf]

I’m not a pilot but I have learnt through observation that wisdom most certainly does not always come with age. I have met 20yr olds with more wisdom than some people in their seventies.

[@Diesel0821]

I’m a King Air 350/360 Captain. Our before taxi checklist (From the AFM) “Engine Control Friction Locks”: “Set 4 ways from left to right” The Checklist “Book” is about 1.5 inches thick. Lots going on. Before taxi checklist, Autopilot/pitch trim/ yaw damp checks, Before Takeoff run-up checks with the checklist, icing system checks (If there will be icing). Final items checklist. This sounds like a classic case of power lever migration (Known issue with King Airs). Should have, just like you said, pushed the power lever forward. FYI, we always take off flaps up, unless we can’t make the TOFl (Shorter runways, etc). In that case, we use flaps approach with flaps approach v speeds. 400 feet AGL, flaps up, yaw damper engage call out. I’m curious to what the operator’s OPSPECs state they must use for weight and balance. For 135 legs, you can’t be just “Familiar” with W&B, you must calculate it either via APG, the chart with a plotter, ForeFlight, etc.

[@douglaswhitcomb9729]

I also flew the 350. (Fl-56). It’s been 20 plus years ago, however. All of your points are spot on. Thanks for sharing this important information on this discussion. The King Air remains my favorite corporate airplane to fly. Absolutely loved it.

[@MichaelLloyd]

I remember when this happened. Completely avoidable and his passengers deserved better.

[@janipt]

Absolutely. I would ask my money back after that!

[@bizjetfixr8352]

Did they? It was a Part 91, whose owners hired his company to "operate and maintain" their aircraft for them. Who then, instead of writing in the contract that training and check rides would be performed in a sim at an independent training facility like FSI or Simuflite, bought off on letting him do checkrides with (I'm betting) buddies of his in Ft Worth. Who have a vested interest in giving his performance the CYA treatment. Note the differences in their endorsement, vs people who he actually flew with. I've recently given up working in corporate aviation (40 plus years). I'm seeing to much stuff pencil-whipped, and when I've notified the new owner, all I hear is "That's impossible.......I've got a piece of paper saying it was inspected/fixed". Add to this the generally help view that "mechs are effing off when the airplanes flying". Given the mindsets of your typical owner operator and corporate pilot (Regs are universally bad, the fewer the better), followed closely by the desire by owners to believe total BS, if they think it will save them money, and this story will be repeated. Or until there are enough smoking holes.

[@paulis7319]

@@bizjetfixr8352 your observations are part of why I chose to stick with banner towing as a career instead of going on to charter, corporate, or airlines. Also the fact that I would be incredibly bored just sitting in the cockpit while the autopilot does most of the work. Every company's policy is "safety first...after profit."

[@raymondchapman5990]

@@janipt the passengers died too so I doubt they could get a refund.......

[@paulis7319]

@@v1rotation I'm well aware of it (stay in touch with some current and former coworkers). I chewed them out for changing their training procedures after I left. The original syllabus was written by me and there was never a single fatality while I was there.

[@mrbill6765]

Great story to remind us of the importance of checklists. I remember when I was learning to fly I missed an item on the checklist after landing and getting ready for another take-off. As my instructor and I lined up on the runway he stopped me and told me we'd never get off the ground. I had left the flaps in the full down position...

[@0101-s7v]

This guy explains things so well, both in what he says and how he says it. This is why I watch.

[@matshagstrom9839]

In surgery we have a simple checklist before we start any procedure. It was initially met with some resistance but is now standard and has save lives, wrong sided operations and other morbidity. It’s called a “time out”. Taking a time out before any dangerous situation is a good idea. Thank you for the reminder. I hope all pilots who find check lists annoying heard the message. I did.

[@highnrising]

I had hip replacement surgery recently. I must have been asked my name--even though it was written on my tag--by half a dozen people on the way to the operating room, from the person who wheeled the stretcher to the anesthesiolgist to the surgeon himself, and also which hip was being operated on. They also marked an X with a magic marker on the area for surgery. They definitely make super-sure that they have the right patient and the right body part for surgery.

[@dcxxxx]

There's an adage in motorcycling that says " There are old riders and there are bold riders, but there are no old bold riders." How this dude lasted this long is beyond me.

[@jamesordwayultralightpilot]

That same adage is in aviation. Just replace riders with pilots. I've been hearing it since day 1 and it helps keep you humble up there.

[@miragesmack007]

That theme is used in every part of life. My doctor once told me when he was trying to get me to lose weight. He flatly said to me “there are old people, there are fat people, but there are NO old fat people“. Point taken.

[@KitsuneAdorable]

To answer your question, either no one bothered to report him to the FAA or to the Chief Captain, (after being witness to inappropriate flying) or he wasn’t in any dangerous situations up until 2019 that would be come public knowledge.

[@user-pl5dq1kf6z]

I have been riding motorcycles for a long time. On a drive he asked me if he should consider getting a motorcycle. In only a few rides I heard probably angry horn honks at us that I knew ahead of time and his answer was it was their fault anyway. He got extremely angry at me saying "I'm a good driver" when I pointed out that he 's an accident waiting to happen, and to forget about riding a bike.

[@safa4786]

We use this in aviation. Does it originate with bike riders??? Cool.

[@mingulay29]

I had two favourite aviation experts but sadly I now have only one - Hoover. The tragic death of Richard McSpadden from the Air Safety Institute in an accident of the type he repeatedly warned us against was shocking and he will be greatly missed. Last summer, on a sailing trip, I realized how much I had learned from watching videos like this one. My brother, the captain who is exactly like the pilot in this video, told us crew that he had checked the weather forecast (he hadn't) and we were good to go. I looked out to a sea full of white horses and could see no other sailing vessel but I did spot a lifeboat! I checked the weather myself and saw a storm had been forecast but he had made up his mind. I told him about crew resource management and that as the most experienced crew on board it was my duty to speak up and he had to listen to me. A heated argument ensued after which he backed down. The storm duly arrived and even on our semi-sheltered mooring it was extremely uncomfortable.

[@raymondo162]

.......... talk to me about egotistical eejits what i have sailed with sheesh !!

[@sarahalbers5555]

Same here.​@@raymondo162

[@douglaswhitcomb9729]

Thank you very much for covering this accident. I have a 350 type-rating and about 2500 hours in the aircraft and over 5000 hours of King Air time. 90s, B200, and the 350. I haven’t flown them for 20 years, so some information may have changed. Unlike, 200 and 90, the 350 is certified under FAR 23 Commuter Category. Data such as BFL, V speeds (vs accel stop/go), second segment climb etc. are provided. Additionally, with the 350, the auto feather and rudder boost must be operable for dispatch. There is no MEL relief. This is because of the amount of engine power and the amount of drag of an unfeathered propeller. During recurrent training at FSI, Sim instructors would have us attempt to continue with OEI at V1 without auto feather and rudder boost. The airplane was uncontrollable. This was done just to prove the point. As for two hands on the power levers…our company SOP was for the PF to remove their hands at the V1 call. The PNF would back up the power levers during the setting of takeoff power and to the point of first power adjustment during initial climb. As I recall, this was encouraged procedure by FSI. I agree with you fully about conducting recurrent training in the aircraft v in a full motion simulator. You cannot duplicate things like an actual engine failure at V1. Who wants to risk a multi-million dollar airplane this way? Another unknown is what training the right seat pilot had been provided. IMO, if you intend to fly these aircraft as a crew, everyone should have some level of minimum training. Of course, the lack of checklists, briefings, SOP, training, setting clear and defined expectations all led to this very tragic outcome. Friction locks are on the checklist. If the power lever crept back it deactivates the auto feather. Another issue is that even experienced King Air pilots get confused at times with the rudder boost during V1 training and they fight it thus pushing the wrong rudder. Add W&B, perhaps an early rotation in and disaster occurred. Thank you again for covering this tragedy. Complacency is a dangerous thing to let creep in.

[@kennyscarborough9374]

Great addendum/summary to Hoover's analysis!!!

[@jfkastner]

On 3 Oct 2023 Stall/Spin training in a PA-44, N8360K, Crashed in OR with 2 Fatal, 1 Injured ... Better go in a Simulator first ...

[@douglaswhitcomb9729]

@@jfkastner I’m not sure if you’re attempting to add constructive dialogue to this or not. Unfortunately, no one offers full motion simulation for Piper Seminole aircraft. Probably based on cost. The Gulfstream and Falcon simulators that we trained in for initial and recurrent cost as much or sometimes more than the actual aircraft. If there was full motion simulation available for the Seminole, I would certainly recommend it over training in the actual aircraft. Very sad to hear about the training accident in Oregon.

[@jfkastner]

@@douglaswhitcomb9729 Agreeing with you on the need for training in a full motion Simulator. If not available though training should be done far away from inhabited Areas, in this Case the PA-44 fell onto a House (no injury there fortunately)

[@majorp7967]

Exactly!!

[@itsnotme07]

I remember hearing about this crash, as Addison's airport isn't that far from my home. When I saw the video...I was just shocked. Condolences to the families that lost loved ones here. Horrible tragedy! Thanks for going over this Hoover!

[@dieselboy610]

Same here I live right behind the airport off Beltline and remember the sound and smoke. Broke my heart.

[@WestAirAviation]

"Hey guys, take good care of me." "Ha! I'm not even doing a checklist for you."

[@airplanegeek893]

That’s one of the saddest parts about this accident unfortunately. That passenger put their trust in this pilot and got the short end of the stick

[@fivestarAZ]

That was the most impressive and sobering debrief of an accident I have ever heard. This hit hard with me as I have flown with a carbon copy pilot as in this tragedy. I consider myself extremely lucky to have lived though the many hours we flew together. The comment the passenger made to him about being backup if needed reinforces how he had 9 other souls to look out for. These people deserved better.

[@keithallen3119]

Interesting that you continued to fly with the carbon copy pilot. I was a young teen and a neighbor had a plane, a nice low wing. He invted me to go along and I was ready. We got to the airport, pushed the plane out fo the hanger, hopped in (no walkaround), fired it up (no oil check or any other basics done) and in about 5 min we were blasting down the runway. That was the ONLY time I went up with him, despite his invations over the years. I knew that he cut so many corners even though I had virtually no airplane knowledge. I was a motorcyclist (still am) and I did more safety and mechanical checks than he did before every ride. PS he crashed 2 planes, one running out of fuel because he didn't verify what they put into his second tank, and the other flying VFR into known bad weather. He survived both yet still was a dangerous person in a plane.

[@ibiro868]

Not his first time cutting corners. But it was his last.

[@McGyverPilot]

Yes, the Pilot probably instead had "16,000 hours of cutting corners experience."

[@JohnnyDanger36963]

He dont need no stinking checklist.

[@mariemccann5895]

@@McGyverPilot Yep, he had that reputation.

[@michaellange6303]

Many people who were asked about the pilot's previous behaviour indicated dangerous behaviour. Why did nobody confront the pilot with his unacceptable behaviour when they witnessed it?

[@shawnbyers6291]

It’s only a matter of time while being cocky and not using your checklist before you forget a critical step that could cost you your life. Even if you get a way with it for a while. It only takes once.

[@Fast351]

I am a low time PPL (just crossed 100 hours, working on instrument ticket). I use checklists religiously. As my CFI said "checklists save checkrides" but they will also save your ass if you forget to do something. Never get complacent. Never rush through something you've done 100 times. Remember that aviation isn't like driving a car where an accident is unlikely to do much besides hurt the car and bruise your ego. Once you're in the air things are life/death based on the decisions you make. Thanks for confirming that!

[@Will-fn7bz]

It was the fact that you said the last mistake is one that any pilot can make that earned my sub. This is the kind of unbiased, reasonable analysis that every pilot deserves that's been involved in an accident. Respect!

[@mattnnz]

Yeah usually you get into forum or other such thing containing commentary, all of the pilots in there go on about how it would NEVER or wouldn't have happened to them because of bla bla bla. The best anyone can really do is manage risk to make it less likely to happen to them. That said, there are situations where one can do everything right but still end up dead.

[@OCinneide]

You can tell he’s a military pilot instead of a commercial one.

[@Phantom096]

Co Pilots need to say No to these unsafe bullies flying. No check list!! I thought all pilots did this. Excellent work explaining everything. 👍

[@jackpast]

With all the people who knew about the pilot’s haphazard approach to flying, I wonder how the company hired him.

[@wiredforstereo]

Common attitude. See something, say nothing.

[@ryanpenrod1859]

Because they thought he would make them money. They don't care about safety unless it affects their bottom line. It's capitalism, baby!

[@charlesfaure1189]

It wasn't haphazard. It was a personality disorder in operation. A person who is willing to put others at risk to assert their personal power is a disordered individual who should never be allowed to make life-and-death decisions. This pilot knew perfectly well the reason for those safety procedures, but his power fix was more important to him.

[@matthewdavis6118]

@@charlesfaure1189clearly you must be a mental health expert, and a damn good one to be able to make your diagnosis based on a KZbin video. Thank you for sharing such a brilliant and well researched diagnosis with those that actually fly planes. Doctors and narcissism saving lives.

[@bigb3n011]

@@ryanpenrod1859not really capitalism as this type of thing actually happens more in less capitalist societies. Try again you commie dolt

[@crooked-halo]

I'm a low-time commercial pilot and an A&P. As a child I read the checklist for dad in our Cessna 182, rewarded with getting to fly the plane. Dad also flew the awesome Howard 500 & I got to go with him several times. I remember the co-pilot reading the long checklist to him. I asked once "why can't I read the checklist like in the 182 & fly the _big_ airplane?" He told me the Howard is more serious & it had to be an adult reading it and seeing everything is done right, "or we might crash and die!" I did get to "fly" the Howard a bit on a trip to Costa Rica once, but had to leave the right seat approaching San Jose, because "it's time for (the co-pilot) to read the checklist since were going to land." So, I've grown up with checklists being vital, and I use one every time I fly. With all due respect to the deceased, Dad's words "or we might crash & die" is counsel about checklists I won't ever forget.

[@markwilliamson2795]

The passengers included a family of four and two couples. Brian Ellard, 52, and his wife, Ornella Ellard, 45, were killed, along with her two children, 15-year-old Alice Maritato and 13-year-old Dylan Maritato. Also killed were: Stephen Thelan, 58, and Gina Thelen, 57; and John Titus, 61, and Mary Titus, 60...... The pilot, Howard Cassady, 71, and co-pilot, Matthew Palmer, 28, and all eight passengers were killed.....John Paul II High School in Plano sent a letter to families Monday identifying the Maritato children, as well as their mother and stepfather. The children are survived by their father, Michele Maritato. Alice would have been a sophomore in the new school year, and Dylan was entering the eighth grade at Dallas' All Saints Catholic School. Ornella Ellard, 45, was an interior designer and Brian Ellard, 52, owned an art gallery and Mille Lire, an upscale Italian restaurant in the Centrum building on Oak Lawn Avenue in Dallas. Mille Lire was a personal, family business: Chef Giuliano Matarese was Brian Ellard's brother-in-law, a native of Naples, who opened the restaurant with Brian Ellard in late 2017. Much of the menu is based on Matarese family recipes. "Mille Lire was built around the tradition of our family, and as you can imagine, this sudden loss has affected us all," a written statement from restaurant general manager Robert Bissell said. "... We are thankful for the support of our community. We continue to ask for thoughts and prayers for everyone involved." A woman at the home of Brian Ellard's mother, Jo Ellard, said Monday that she was not ready to talk about the crash. Jo Ellard, who also owns a home in St. Petersburg, lives next door to her son and his family in Dallas. Alice had been looking forward to a family vacation in St. Petersburg, according to 16-year-old Patrik Bachmann, who said he was her former boyfriend. They hadn't seen each other since a homecoming game in October but kept in touch on social media and had planned to meet during the summer. "She was super nice, super sweet, super outgoing," Bachmann said. The letter from John Paul II High encouraged mourners to attend Mass at 9 a.m. Wednesday at All Saints Catholic Church. Steve Thelen, 58, who worked at the JLL real estate company, and his wife, 57-year-old Gina, also died in the crash, the company said in an email to its employees. The Plano couple's adult son and daughter were not on the plane. "Steve was among the best of us - a leader, partner and friend," the email said. "Our thoughts are with his son, Kyle, and daughter, Christy, during this difficult time. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers." The Thelen family said it wasn't ready to speak publicly about their loved ones' deaths. Victoria Reynoso said she had worked as Steve Thelen's assistant at JLL from 2010 to 2014. She remembered him as devoted to his family. "I admired the love that he had for his wife," Reynoso said. "His children were everything to him." Reynoso said Thelen was always generous, regularly inviting JLL administrative staff to his home and grilling for them. He was also involved as a volunteer for The Family Place, she recalled. Mary Titus, 60, was the mixed league director for Tennis Competitors of Dallas, according to an email sent by the league's presiding director, Jinky Hicks. She sent an email to members informing them of the deaths of Mary and her husband John, 59. Five others who died in the crash were also members of the league. The email did not indicate who. "We are shattered by this loss as I know many of you who knew the involved families are as well," the email said. "Mary was a true champion for the Mixed League and she loved working with all of you. I cannot tell you how proud I am of all that she has done for TCD and how greatly she will be missed." The Dallas County medical examiner also identified the crew members: Matthew Palmer, 28, and Howard Cassady, 71. Public records show both lived in Fort Worth. Palmer has a pilot's license and was a flight instructor, but details about his role in Sunday's flight have not been released. He and his wife, Courtney, celebrated their first anniversary in May, according to her Facebook. Cassady is also a licensed pilot, and has managed several aviation-related businesses, public records show. The pilots had been cleared for takeoff and were communicating with air traffic control before departing for St. Petersburg, said Bruce Landsberg, vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. The plane was briefly airborne before it veered off the runway and began to roll to the left before crashing into the hangar, he said. No one was in the hangar at the time of the crash.

[@dean7045]

Father Michelle?

[@caffeineau]

@@dean7045Michele (with one L) is also a man's name, common in Italy.

[@flyingmonkeystunts9730]

I saved that letter from Jinky. It was a shock to receive.

[@restojon1]

Thank you for taking the time to share a little bit about the lives of those who passed. May they rest well and their families find strength and peace.

[@barrypenobscott9882]

Thanks. Your details about the individual victims makes their loss even more tragic.

[@bencompton799]

Hoover, thanks for all that you do. I'm a retired military and airline pilot and often cannot watch to the very end of your videos because the sloppiness of the PIC sickens me!! How some of these pilots ever got through training is beyond me, they behave like they don't have even three brain cells touching! To skip the very basics of flying, like W&B and ignoring checklists is tempting fate. The saddest part of all your videos is the innocent victims. Keep up your amazing work of educating pilots on how to really be.a professional pilot. I'm not gay but I love you man!!!

[@sjb3460]

The company the Pilot was employed by should be sued. They let him continue his bad and reckless behavior. Everybody "knew" he was a bad pilot, a careless pilot, an old-school seat-of-the-pants pilot, but what did management know? Where are his employee valuations? What records did the company maintain on him and other pilots? Since he was such a bad, careless pilot, what else (health, medication) did he conceal? If I was a relative of the passengers, I would definitely sue.

[@FLT247]

Fantastic analysis Hoover. I remember when this accident occurred. Excellent analysis! Outstanding break down and advice!!! Two key points: do your weight and balance… follow your checklists. Those two things are marks of professional pilots! We don’t need to be a commercial pilot or getting paid to fly to be professionals on every single flight.

[@pilotpawanc]

Overconfidence has caused many casualties and this is one classic example. My heart goes out to the friends and family of all involved in the crash.

[@moiraatkinson]

These debriefs are excellent. I’m not a pilot but I still enjoy watching them. If nothing else, I know when not to get in a plane if I’m booked on a flight where the pilot doesn’t do the preflight checks, weight and balance etc.

[@Karenanneseven]

What an awful 17 seconds. 🥺Thanks for the explanation Hoover 🙏

[@Bob31415]

Wow. You're gorgeous.

[@Karenanneseven]

@@Bob31415 thanks Bob! ☺️. Photo was a Hawaiian themed party for a cousin back in 2021 🌸🌺🌼

[@williamnethercott4364]

I never had that many hours but I don't recall ever taking off without one hand on the throttle and one hand on the yoke. A flight instructor told me very early on about vibration possibly causing the power setting to reduce and I always stuck with his advice. This is a very good example of the importance of having a method to ensure the checks are always done effectively.

[@sorenjensen42]

This. I’m amazed that this exact point wasn’t brought up in the video. The lack of “guarding the throttle(s)” is the reason why this happened. That and combined with an overall low level set of basic pilot skills. There is no airplane that needs to hands on the yoke to fly. One hand on the yoke/stick and the other on the throttle. Not following a checklist was not the reason for this accident - not flying the aircraft was.

[@stevenbeach748]

In turbine aircraft it’s standard procedure to let go of the thrust levers and rotate with both hands on the yoke. You’re going after V1 so there’s no need to abort so taking your hand off prevents unnecessary and unsafe high speed aborts.

[@kellik5453]

I remember when this occurred. There was a dash cam near the building they hit that captured the video and audio. Terrible situation for the co-pilot and the passengers. With the captain's attitude towards safety, he's been flying on borrowed time.

[@sludge8506]

Well put, Kelli! I didn’t keep count of the mistakes the *pilot* made. 😢😢😢

[@barbarachambers7974]

I marvel at how much work pilots have to do getting off the ground and landing the plane. RIP 🙏 😌

[@dereksmith1803]

How in the heck was this guy flying with passengers? And to hear of his reputation, it reminds me of the Fairchild B-52 incident.

[@bobwilson758]

Agreed !

[@PaulJakma]

This is what I was thinking. If this was a commercial operation, how did other people allow him to do this? Obviously a number of other pilots knew what he was like, and they said nothing.

[@stevenbeach748]

The most someone could do is call the FAA on him and they COULD give him another checkride. Likely he’d pass because he has checkrides twice a year anyway as a professional pilot. It would be extremely difficult to take someone’s license away because of their attitude unless something happens.

[@PaulJakma]

@@stevenbeach748 That is sad... and somewhat disturbing. Multiple pilots knew of the severe lack of professionalism of the accident pilot, and yet the system - from what you say - has 0 way to allow anything to be done about it. :(

[@stevenbeach748]

@@PaulJakma yeah it is sad. The worst thing that could happen to him is he would get fired. But the next company comes along and hires him again. Unfortunately at my business, I have to hire a pilot without ever flying with them before hand. I have later fired pilots on two different occasions because of the way they flew wasn't up to my standards and I thought they'd get someone killed.

[@dougg9448]

Thankyou for not accusing Matt of the PIC failures. The old man was single pilot rated and what I’ve been told he pretty much told anyone in the right to shut up. Matt flew single pilot air ambulance in king airs when I worked with him. He flew his own aircraft on his off days. Matt was a good stick but put in the hands of an idiot. I’ve seen a lot older pilots step on the wrong ball when an engine fails at recurrent. They need to be grounded. Throttle roll back is common in the king airs and the PIC should have had his hands on the throttles the whole time. It’s happened to me once in a 90 and it takes a few seconds to realize that. Even today I’m pissed about this. Matt was a good friend who knew how to fly. When shit hit the fan they didn’t have enough time to do anything. If the old man would have kept his hands on the throttles during take off and allowed Matt to participate they would all be alive. I know Matt could or should have spoke up but the old man was rated single pilot and had an attitude of not working with others. Like I said me and Matt flew single pilot ops for air evac for years in king airs. He was very competent. The 600lbs over weight who gives a shit the airplane will do it but yes they were overloaded. I’m not saying Matt could have done more but when you fly with some of the older guys who don’t work well with others it can be a little hostile to intervene. RIP Matt you were a good friend. If the PIC survived he wouldn’t by now. Today this still hurts because Palmer was a good friend.

[@robinj.9329]

In a big, EXSPENSIVE turbo-prop like this? I'd fire any pilot not using the check list! Period! It is also required by the insurance companies too!

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

Rules don't apply to people like him.

[@konewone361]

Yes that’s true, but unless someone from either FAA or insurance company is sitting beside the pilot, the pilot will do what he likes. Just because it’s a “rule “doesn’t mean everyone is going to fly by the rules. It’s sad I know but it’s what happens.

[@jazzman5598]

Guys, I’m an old dude. Just VFR, SINGLE ENGINE LAND. That and almost 400 hours 😑Lol, my question is this for you Hoover or any of you great pilots here: If I lose total power out in the left engine is the immediate action: HARD right rudder, nose down, feather prop? Must be more items is my guess. But you don’t know what you don’t know. …….Neverrr mind :-) at 11:55” in Hoover answered my question…immediate hard stomp on the rudder opposite the failed engine. Thanks Hoover for another terrific vid.

[@josephroberts6865]

Well done sir! What you do is precisely what is needed. Most accidents are the result of failing to follow established procedures and poor judgment. Highlighting it reminds every one of that fact and hopefully many learn from them.

[@benderandownz]

Thanks for the video! I think every pilot should watch videos like this. This is a great way to learn what happens when you get complacent. I have gotten complacent and it luckily didn't end badly where it could have. I like to think I'm lucky enough to have learned from those situations. I definitely think these videos make people better pilots.

[@user-gl9iz1bp1r]

Thank you - Not a pilot - but I'm someone who likes to learn. Appreciate your insight and understanding. We assume so much from so called professionals.

[@jmflyer55]

I feel like I HAVE to chime in on this discussion, having been in similar situations and being familiar with flying the King Air. I’ve been flying almost 40 years. Since the early 1980’s. Flying has always been my passion. And I find it somewhat disturbing when I meet new, young pilots, and they lack that passion, and are flying for other reasons. I’m not sure how they get to where they get, without a passion for it! Perhaps a rich Daddy? Who knows. All I know is when I was working my way to a career in flying back in the 80’s, I worked my butt off for years, trying to get started, and flying/time building is expensive! But today I see youngsters flying all kinds of high performance aircraft, and then find out they’re working on their PPL in that high performance aircraft! Hell, I was working 3 jobs and spending every dime I made to rent an old Cessna 150! Long story short, I eventually got where I wanted. As for this video, all pilots should take notice. There’s numerous aircraft I’ve flown a lot of time in. The Beechcraft being one of them. Also numerous single engine aircraft. Like I said, 40 years of flying. Still to this day, I use the checklist. Every single time. I could quote the check list verbatim in several aircraft because I’ve read them so many times! But, I still use the checklist. A hard copy! AND SO SHOULD YOU!! The world of flying attracts a certain kind of person. This used to be more so than now, but it’s still prevalent among flyers. And that’s EGO. Aviation is filled with big ego’s. Especially with new pilots, but also even with a few older guys who just can’t shake the dumb out. Pilots go through certain periods in their flying where carelessness starts to become a factor. Or, over confident new pilots, (especially low time pilots) just as they’re starting to get some hours in their logbook early on. Over confidence, like flying low passes to impress your friends, and carelessness, like not using a checklist, first tend to hit new pilots around the 100 hour mark. Then it happens again, even more so about the 400-500 hour mark. Over confidence tends to set it around this second time mark big time. This is why we see a lot of accidents with pilots having that amount of time. It also happens around the 3000 hour mark. And for some, even much later. But the bulk of them start happening from 100 to 4 or 500 hours. And when a pilot with that kind of time is no longer using check lists and taking unnecessary risks, it’s usually just a matter of time until they end of crashing the aircraft. And the way the big ego’s play into it? Let’s say you’re going to time build with someone in the right seat, swapping off. Another young pilot who’s got that attitude he’s the best pilot in the world. Makes statements like he’s sick of flying “fly-swatters’ and is ready for a jet. (At 4 or 5 hundred hours TT…🙄). And every time you get to the aircraft, he’s pressuring you to skip the preflight, since “you just flew in last night, it’s fine”…. And when you get in and get read to roll, he’s complaining “Do you actually read that paper checklist every time”? “Wow, I have it memorized and do it from memory”…. On the take off roll he’s calling out the V speeds, V1, Vr, rotate and V2 etc.. just because he wants to sound the part, but he doesn’t really even understand what those speeds are, and how they change due to loading/weight. Lastly, when you’re five feet off the ground, he’s telling you to “raise the gear, why are you waiting?” So there’s some classic examples of a Know it all newbie. As a licensed private pilot, or commercial pilot, even if you’re a young person, 18 or 19 years old. Your license as a pilot, and acting as pilot in command of an aircraft, brings with it a tremendous amount of responsibility. And it seems as though many new pilots forget that these days. As PIC, the day will come when you’ve got one of these ‘Know it All’s’ beside you, ridiculing you for flying by the book, and perhaps ridiculing you for not taking unnecessary risks, that he calls “fun” or “challenging” in the aircraft. Well, despite your age, and perhaps the know it all is much older. Never the less, YOU, as PIC, HAVE to correct him, and say NO. And not give in to the peer pressure that can be put upon you. Or maybe you bring a few buddies up flying, and they want you to “buzz” their house or neighborhood. YOU are the one that your Federal license says is the responsible one, with the final say AND authority onboard that aircraft. I know this has been really long winded to just emphasize one major point about pressure you’ll receive from others, to do things you shouldn’t. But I see so many young pilots these days with a total lack of responsibility when flying. All pilots need to realize that responsibility, and stick to it no matter what. It will not only save your license, it will likely also save your life. Flying is not dangerous. But it’s terribly unforgiving of carelessness.

[@boossersgarage3239]

Reckless, you're too nice, it was murder...

[@tonyatkinson2210]

By definition it wasn’t murder .

[@TheCanagoose]

No at the max it was accidental man- slaughter.

[@TheCanagoose]

No at the max it was accidental man- slaughter.

[@Jack-xy2pz]

Exactly. This pilot's employers should be charged for hiring a long in the tooth known hotdog pic .

[@prasad530]

@@Jack-xy2pz All of those interviews about the pilot behavior came out AFTER the crash. There is no way the employers would have known and it's a ridiculous statement to say they are at fault. The pilot was well certified with thousands of flight hours.

[@komrad1983]

We've modeled that in simulator before I remember. with left engine total failure instead. I was able to re-gain control only if I would raise the gear right away, do the engine out drill VERY quickly. With the speeds they erroniously chose (much lower) I couldn't do anything first 5 tries, the combo of factors would give me VMC roll. We did all the same data as in accident, up to weight, weather, speeds and their actions etc and it would end in the very same hangar belly up (thats how close the parameters in simulation were) only when I would basically stay in ground effect and build some more speed to overpass Vmc and fight the desire of pulling back seeing the buildings and obstacles on the opposite end getting close, only then I could save it. Overweight, wrong speeds, and below or at Vmc with one engine is recipe for disaster. I remember the PF also mixed up the pedals and actually gave left pedal, making things worse

[@billpennock8585]

A bit over 50 years ago my Mother, who was a very very safe pilot, always doing checklists, W&B etc, came to get me in Reno and fly home for the Summer from college. She was a full time flight instructor and became a designated examiner, one of the first women to get that. I piled more stuff in the luggage compartment than she had figured for but it should, and would, have been covered by the safety margin she would figure in. So we taxied out to the runway and the tower asked if she could take a clearance to a bit shorter entrance to the runway as they were doing some sort of Demo's of a DC3 using a part of the runway. She was a bit too nice and thought she could. We were in a Cherokee. To this day I can picture the numbers rushing up and the wheels still not clear. I kept silent and let her concentrate completely on feeling the airplane. She pulled it off the runway right at the end then held it flat a few feet over the ground just enough to clear fences and stuff while gaining speed. She gained a tiny bit of altitude but was focused harder on making sure she got the airspeed up. Well and that we were going to miss the top of the farmhouse that was straight ahead in the distance. She gingerly lowered the right wing not more than a couple of degrees for just enough time to clear that. By then we had gotten to a speed that she could gain some altitude, slowly. All her flying career after that she said it was the worst moment ever. But the point is, never be overly afraid of being close to terrain that you no longer fly the plane but react and trade a tiny bit of altitude for the only little airspeed you have. When I was watching this again there are a few moments where it looks like the King Air sinks before the rotation starts. If the pilot had, as @komrad1983 said, lowered the nose, used rudder to counter the left engine and gained some speed this could have been recoverable. So very sad

[@briangibbs3774]

Could ego possibly have played a major role in this tragedy?

[@oldwave6106]

I remember my grandmother always told me… “never turn into a dead engine” My grandfather was a test pilot for Douglas Airlines… lots of history there.

[@davidnelson8081]

The King Air 350 is a two pilot machine (KA 200 is single pilot) but the second pilot is of no use if the PIC will not act as a coordinated crew

[@douglaswhitcomb9729]

Single Pilot type rating is available for the 350. We always operated our King Airs as a crew, however.

[@robertorambelli9618]

The KA350 is certificated SP.

[@lebojay]

I thought that all airplanes over 12,500 pounds required at two-person crew, and that the 350 exceeds that weight. What do I misunderstand?

[@douglaswhitcomb9729]

@@lebojay Yes. Type ratings are required for aircraft that are turbo-jet powered or exceed 12,500 pounds gross weight. There are a few aircraft that have exceptions to that, however. . The King Air 300,350,1900 series, as well as some light jets like Cessna Citations do allow for single pilot operations and require a specific single pilot type rating. This is based on the type certification of the particular aircraft. Aircraft like Falcons, Gulfstreams and airliners etc. all require two pilots minimum. Again, based on their type certificate.

[@PaulJakma]

@@douglaswhitcomb9729 Citation I / II is single-pilot in Europe too - least it was in the 80s. I've flown in the cockpit with just 1 pilot (I am not a pilot) on a ferry flight. (Other Citation types may be too - I can't say - but II most definitely is, least, was, given my experience).

[@drbooo]

The more I watch your channel, the I become obsessed, keep the Debriefs coming. !

[@hogi99]

Scary that pilots with known reckless behaviors are never called out or reported until after people die.😢

[@Cre8tvMG]

My son just got his commercial and is weeks from getting his instructor rating. I forward him these videos because every pilot needs to know what led to accidents so they are smarter and safer. I learned this from my father who was a 747 captain, and studied accident reports since he was a young pilot in he 60s.

[@cgoodwin256]

It's sad that cutting corners affected more than the perpetrators.

[@geraldduncan5646]

Like several others who’ve commented, I too am not a pilot. And first off let me say Hoover, your thoroughness in explaining,in great detail,what most likely lead to the various crashes, is very commendable. You’ve never come out and accused anyone of being negligent, but instead just let the facts speak for themselves. Please continue with these detailed videos, in hopes that you’ll save someone from a similar tragedy.

[@clickster1883]

The unmitigated arrogance of so many pilots in these mishaps is enraging, particularly when others’ lives are also lost in the ensuing accident. 🤬🤬🤬

[@kimcwhite6509]

I'm a new subscriber & not a pilot. I've only flown in a private plane once. The man was a friend of my parents, and an American Airlines pilot. He was OCD clean & procedurally correct. He's the only person I'd feel comfortable with. This guy isn't one of them. I appreciate your narration & attention to safety. Lapses in judgment get people killed in the air or on the ground. Thx

[@gtr1952]

I remember when this one happened, there was a lot of discussion about it in the community. IMHO you did a good job covering it. Everything to do w/pre-flight is so vitally important! I feel the most sorry for the innocent people in the back. Very sad sich! 8( --gary

[@CarlStreet]

Excellent -- re: Checklists; there is an old adage "The weakest ink is stronger than the strongest memory"...

[@christhorney]

whats a 71 year old doing rushing, bro should be retired

[@scottekey1929]

Should NEVER rush, true. But your comment about pilot’s age is misguided. I am an examiner in top end corporate jets, and I evaluate several captains in their late 70’s who consistently fly circles around some 35-40 year olds

[@lorencharnley9262]

@@scottekey1929 - it's much more about someones emotional maturity, ego, and humility than age. Although, strickly speaking, a younger pilot might have faster reflexes (not guaranteed), fast reflexes do no good if one spends previous seconds figuring out something a seasoned pilot knows intuitively.

[@christhorney]

@@scottekey1929 im not saying he shouldnt be flying, im saying his at retirement age and has no reason to rush and put people in danger, and at his age he should know better

[@Porsche996driver]

Very informative. I was in the Army flight ops and we had about 4 C-12s. Even our most veteran pilot was strictly by the book on checks and flight planning. Clearly this guy was just a matter of time - being so reckless with so many lives - we had words for guys like him in the Army!

[@DrJohn493]

Unbelievable and inexcusable that the power levers weren't covered by either the pilot's right hand or the co-pilot's left hand regardless of the friction lock setting. I always covered the throttles in the Baron with the right hand since that was the way I was taught.

[@speedbird7976]

On jets they have detents so we do not cover them once we pass V1.

[@lindaschad9734]

The "copilot", and I use that term loosely since he wasn't even qualified to fly the King Air, wasn't allowed to touch any of the controls. He was just trying to build time.

[@stevenbeach748]

It’s pretty standard to remove your hands in a turbine aircraft once reaching V1. The non flying pilot should have done it though.

[@chimbupickanini1372]

⁠Standard my ass. I don’t care where the detents are I would always cover the throttle on any aircraft on takeoff. Flight 101 basic stuff!

[@speedbird7976]

@@chimbupickanini1372 son it shows you’ve never flown a transport category aircraft in a 121 environment. It is procedure to take your hands off at V1 to not change the power setting accidentally after V1.

[@mikeb6431]

New subscriber. I'm not a pilot, but I'm a huge aviation fanatic. I lived in Goldsboro, NC (Seymour Johnson AFB), or 10 years watching F-15E's and KC-10's fly over every day. Several of my neighbors were F-15 pilots. Loved and miss that wonderful sound of freedom! Thank you for your service!

[@navelriver]

Always clear and to the point! Easy to understand even by non-pilots like me.

[@scottnblue]

I love these videos Hoover, I've learned so much and now I'm hooked on watching! Great job!

[@hanschristianben505]

we have talked about the Addison accident during my first recurrent on the King Air 350 at FlightSafety’s Wichita East center… and this video is basically spot on. sharing this to my fellows here, much thanks for making this!!

[@nadenolam8368]

My hometown

[@jcheck6]

The King Air accident in Tucson was thought to be caused by retarding power lever as well.

[@cdg-hzg]

Arrogance kills. Failure to pre-plan kills. Failure to adhere to proven and effective checklists kills. -- As a former USAF aircrew member (non-rated) I have a deep interest in these after-action reports. What I respect and support from your analysis is that it is not done to point blame, but to add to the data base from which all aviators can (and should) learn from. Thanks again.

[@erictaylor5462]

After one of the partners on my dad's plane made a wheels up landing my dad modified they before landing checklist slightly, adding 3 more points where the pilot was to "Check gear down." This involved check for the three green lights *AND* (not or) looking out the window to see the landing gear was properly in place. Each of the four members of the partnership had a roll in the airplane. My dad, who was in charge of safety and training. He made sure that each of the pilots (including himself) were proficient. He checked the other 3 pilots using his own CFI rating and he hired another CFI to check him. Yea, though he was a CFI himself, he had someone else who was qualified to check him. Usually he and the other instructor would trade off. Fly a flight, then land, switch seats and fly again.

[@krautyvonlederhosen]

I remember when the tower’s last call to the aircraft was, “check gear down, cleared to land.”

[@michelle692day]

I’ve been a passenger on many helicopters and planes since joining the ARMY in ‘95. Only one hard landing in Maui, Hawaii when a crosswind gust hit us(B 747 I believe) and the pilot planted one main gear then the other followed by the nose wheels and got us to a stop safely! That’s the only incident I’ve experienced! These vids are REAL and shocking!

[@ohmygod1j]

Jeeeeez I remember this happening just a day before I started my PP training at thrust. I was in shock seeing the giant hole in the hangar where the aircraft crashed. I guess that image always stayed in my mind and set the expectation of the type of pilot I wanted to be (a very safe pilot). After completing my training I decided to make Addison my home field and every time I fly out of there and back I’m always reminding myself how can I be a safer pilot.

[@markkeohane9850]

My son is in fighter training. A few years ago, when all he had was a PPL, he took me up a couple of times. He read the checklists, out loud, to himself, at every stage. I'm a photographer; before a shoot I prepare a checklist. When I go to work, I use a checklist to make sure I have everything. When we go on holiday, I prepare and use a checklist. It's staggering that a pilot with so many hours could be so arrogant and cavalier with the safety of so many people. It's also very sad that the passengers' trust was betrayed so badly.

[@700tbm]

Actually, THE most important thing when you lose an engine in a plane like this is to immediately use the rudder to prevent the aircraft from changing its heading. That will keep it from rolling. In VMC, lowering the nose slightly to deacrease your AOA to assist in that, if possible. That keeps the aircraft under positive control long enough to give you enough time to raise the gear, identify, verify, and feather. From there it’s the blue line (Vyse/V2) and flaps up. Pilots need basic survival skills, none seen in this incident.

[@PaulJakma]

Hence the rudder auto-boost system in the King Air, as described in this video. Unknown if it was armed in this case.

[@stevenbeach748]

We used to leave the rudder boost switch on all the time when I flew the king air. Of course preflight has you check it on anyway.

[@PaulJakma]

@@stevenbeach748 Well, this pilot was too good for checklists.

[@Bill_Woo]

Yes. Absolutely. Put it on muscle memory even. But not even that. Your focus during the 2 MOST critical phases, the sterile cockpit phases ya know, must be to instantly perform the book reaction to an engine out. It's probably THE number one trained item on multi. Pilot Howard's incompetence in that regard is breathtaking.

[@Benny_Shoga]

This channel is my new KZbin addiction. Please keep it up!

[@leoashrae4199]

The root cause of the accident was a pilot who developed some bad habits which, unfortunately, is something that happens to all of us. I suppose being a military instructor pilot, I feel that addressing "bad habits" should be one of the most important responsibilities of all IPs and SPs. In this particular accident it seems to me that the pilot in command had developed the bad habit of treating every takeoff as a hot departure from Bien Hoa during the Tet offensive. The notion of employing a maximum climb takeoff in every case, in every aircraft, was a bad habit born of too much combat time, too much "show-boat", or just plain bad judgement. If this was something this particular pilot was known for, someone like an IP, SP, supervisor... anyone needed the gonads to step up and tell the guy that this is unnecessary, reckless, and in most cases wrong. None of us will ever acquire enough hours to reach the point where we shouldn't improve... but, too many of us will reach the point where we can't improve (without help).

[@rickr530]

Habits can be changed. Habits are things you do out of routine and because you're not thinking. Sounds like this guy was consciously making his decisions and took pride in executing objectively poor practices. On the one hand I agree with you that we need to be vigilant to not become complacent, and on the other hand I don't feel even slightly in danger of becoming this guy because it sounds like his hubris is a personality trait I don't believe I share.

[@eric.ross.art1]

Every time I watch one of these, I always say out loud, "Operational....Risk....Management." Flying planes is risky. If you think otherwise, you're wrong. We mitigate these risks by USING THE CHECKLIST. I've been also noticing a trend in weight balance "failures". Thanks, as always for the safety briefs.

[@eveningecho5334]

Excellent debrief.

[@SembuaHumpdediddle]

My instructor insisted upon using the class time to teach, to me, pre-flight checking, instead of to use the hour for flying. I was frustrated, but afterward grateful to him for setting the good example.

[@thomasmartin7425]

I couldnt begin to count the number of times patience and checklists have saved me from critical mistakes. Some may have been fatal. When you decide to depart terra firma, one must be vigilant of the dangers and conplexities of the task.

[@icedfluid]

The most incredible thing in this video is "How this captain survive till 71" with this kind of way to fly ... Poor passengers ...

[@Cajundaddydave]

I was right seat once with a hot dog airline pilot in his personal Twin Beech who exhibited many of these negative traits. He was far more interested in showing how awesome he was than having me call out checklists, airspeeds etc. It was an uncomfortable flight for me knowing that he was ignoring the fundamentals of safety but we arrived at our destination, picked up 2 passengers, and headed back, arriving without incident. I heard that 2 months later he lost an engine and put his bird in the dirt on takeoff. It was a total loss but he still managed to walk away. Eesh!

[@daszieher]

Did you get a chance to find out, if the mishap or the loss of hull was perhaps caused by his cavalier attitude? That would have been interesting to know

[@whaledriver1030]

After an Airline Furlough, I flew part 91 Corporate in the BE-300 and was typed on it. Being former Air Force and Part 121 Airline, I was shocked to see the utter lack of procedures and discipline. The Pilots would treat the Airplane like a Car, just start the engines and go! No checklists or run-ups! I put my foot down and it got messy with the Chief Pilot concerning safety and the necessity of having safety protocols in place and following them every flight. He said the Bosses and Passengers want to get where they’re going and don’t want to waist time with engine and prop checks etc. I threatened to call a meeting with the owners and tell them the true harm to their Families. Thank goodness, He relented and I was able to implement Checklist procedures, call outs, Briefings, and Pilot monitoring duties to include guarding the thrust levers after V-1! Too bad this Aircraft owner didn’t realize his Pilot was another dangerous part 91 Cowboy

[@douglaswhitcomb9729]

Sounds like some much needed SOP and safety programs were able to be implemented by you. Unfortunately, there are a a few FAR 91/135 operators out there that are completely lacking in aviation professionalism. I think this is an exception vs a rule, however. There are also many Part 91 corporate flight departments that maintain the highest levels of professionalism and standards. I was fortunate to be employed by such a company for 28 years prior to retiring.

[@whaledriver1030]

@@douglaswhitcomb9729 I’m sure that’s the case, it was a scenario that was new to me. Military and part 121 environments are as structured as you can get and have complete oversight of their operations. 91 departments can pretty much do whatever they want and with the exception of an FAA ramp check, zero oversight. Larger corporate flight departments are probably ran properly and I’m sure are very safe. As for me, wasn’t the right environment, so I went back to 121 Ops years ago and it’s a good fit!

[@douglaswhitcomb9729]

@@whaledriver1030 I think the vast majority of larger Fortune 500 corporate flight departments fit your description. Our department included. We did quite a bit of international flying and were ISBAO certified. We also participated in FOQA and the FAA’s ASAP programs. Smaller departments that operate King Airs etc. probably don’t have the resources to participate in programs like this, but I think for the most part are professionally run. Of course, there are the exceptions as you well know.

[@larryweitzman5163]

First thing i learned in single engine emergencies and backed up with a recurrency training for a week at Flight Safety is: Everything forward, throttle, props and mixture, that alone would have saved the airplane. Then its dead foot, dead engine, identify and verify and so on. But even before that, the pilot should never have both hands on the yoke as Hoover said. He should have had his right hand on the power levers (British), with the co-pilot following. That's one of the reasons we are taught to fly with our left hand. The pilot was a complete proctological delight, an accident waiting to happen. He effectively killed nine people and I'm being a bit euphemistic in my choice of words. I just read Doug Whitcomb below and learned a little more about 350s. I only have about 4 hours of King Air time in the left seat of an E90 and that was about 40 years ago. But I have 1,000 hours in the left seat of a B58TC. Hoover, Great Analysis.

[@stevenbeach748]

It’s quite routine to fly turbine aircraft with both hands. You’re taught that once you reach V1, you let go of the thrust ( power) levers and put your hand on the yoke. It prevents you from trying to abort above V1. The non flying pilot should have their hand at the base of the levers thought to prevent this.

[@larryweitzman5163]

@@stevenbeach748 That's why the co-pilot follows the captain with his left hand following the throttles at the base. But there are exceptions to every rule like if the runway is 12,000 feet long that's why a briefing is important for each individual takeoff and landing. But this accident could have been prevented just by using checklists and making sure the friction lock/resistance was set. It was interesting when the co-pilot said "we lost the left engine" and the pilot didn't go back and move everything forward, he would have regained control although I don't know how many seconds it takes a -60 to spool up. On that E90 with -21 engines it was a two or three second delay.

[@stevenbeach748]

Not having the power levers forward was an issue of course but the pilot made the event unrecoverable when he stepped on the wrong rudder. That power lever could have been left back all day and they still could have flown perfectly fine if he was familiar with single engine ops.

[@larryweitzman5163]

@@stevenbeach748 Yeah, stepping on the left rudder sealed their fate, stepping on the right rudder should have saved the airplane notwithstanding the throttles.

[@charliechristie2949]

Hi, Hoover. I am your newest KZbin student. I think we have two big egos here. Folks like this show off to each other. In a car it’s one thing, but in a plane you cannot pull over onto a cloud !! It is sad and they paid the top price !

[@Jmg831]

It’s crazy that he made it to 71 years old with that attitude

[@ChinoXL91]

I scrolled all the way through it to find her first person to mention his age, which I’m not sure he should be flying at that age regardless of his credentials

[@Jmg831]

I agreee, its hard for a person to drive after 70 much less fly an airplane @@ChinoXL91

[@jcengr5000]

Thank you for these videos! Even though I am no longer an active pilot, I find the lessons are excellent reinforcement of a safety mindset when operating my other “toys”, trailers, watercraft, even lawn equipment, that require proper use and maintenance for safe and rewarding experiences!

[@docholliday6635]

I was at the race trac convenience store at the north end of runway the day that happened..didnt see happen just saw it after it hit the building..😢

[@shable1436]

Those poor passengers, nothing worse than riding on, in, or something without having any control (even if it wouldn't matter) to your death. I like to think that God gives ppl better chances than that, maybe send back to earth to be born again, or then again it could all have been full of people that had it coming for living a bad life. Geeze that's some final destination conspiracies there, but it makes you think why them on any given day, I want to go out with the yoke in my hands or something in my control js

[@docholliday6635]

@@shable1436 Yep, really sad state of affairs.😢😢

[@samuraiwarriorsunite]

clear, concise, and informative. As always, thanks for the breakdown, Hoover.

[@good_builder1840]

Will you do a video about the v22 osprey crash in japan

[@schralping]

Love your videos. I wish my dad was still alive. He was a retired AF Lt Col. and pilot. He would have loved watching your vids. Thanks!

[@mikercflyer7383]

All the experience and hours the pilot had, he was lucky up to this flight. Tragic mistake.

[@Paul_Wetor]

"The type of pilot who was impressed with someone who could climb into the airplane and take off with minimal use of a checklist". You can get away with that in your car, but not in a plane, especially when other people's lives depend on you.

[@chrishauser5505]

What a tragic and avoidable loss.

[@nativecompanion1562]

An early rotation alone sounds like a recipe for disaster.