How to Kill Yourself on a Night Flight -- TSB Report

[RatherBeFlying]

http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-repor ... 9q0003.asp

Terrain clearance inclines me to use airways at night in remote areas. This pilot decided to fly at 3500', but the cold temperatures meant he was 500' lower than the altimeter said; then he got a hundred feet low and started clipping trees.

The VFR chart was folded up, but a road map, was found near the wreakage.

[Big Pistons Forever]

http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-repor ... 9q0003.asp

Terrain clearance inclines me to use airways at night in remote areas. This pilot decided to fly at 3500', but the cold temperatures meant he was 500' lower than the altimeter said; then he got a hundred feet low and started clipping trees.

The VFR chart was folded up, but a road map, was found near the wreakage.

So according to the TSB report the non instrument rated pilot was a regular cocaine user flying an aircraft that was over gross and at or past the rear G of G limit flying at night with unreliable gyro instruments into forecast snow showers with a 3 hour old weather briefing......

This is the dark side of private aviation.....people who are operate so far from accepted normal aviation practices that it seems almost inevitable that they will have an accident. Every airport has at least one "that guy", who almost invariably owns his own airplane, yet there seems to be no way to stop the train from hurtling over the abyss.....

[old_man]

I am sure the cocaine that was found in his blood probably didn't help either.

[DanWEC]

The guy would have probably met his demise in some way or another. As far as drug use goes, to each their own- but I find it disturbing that he was in a plane, in the same sky I fly in, and essentially out of control.
If anyone has lost someone close to them due to a drunk driver, it's no different. You could say he killed his passenger, but we don't know how the dynamic was with the drugs. For all we know the passenger could have been the instigator.
Awful regardless.

[Brewguy]

This is the dark side of private aviation.....people who are operate so far from accepted normal aviation practices that it seems almost inevitable that they will have an accident. Every airport has at least one "that guy", who almost invariably owns his own airplane, yet there seems to be no way to stop the train from hurtling over the abyss.....

Yep, and ever notice how your airport's local "that guy" is often the first one to offer to take someone up for a ride?

My sister-in-law once worked with "that guy"; he had his own plane, and was always offering to take co-workers, clients, etc up.

He kept bugging her to 'come on out' one weekend, so he could take her, my brother and my nephew up. I put a stop to that pretty damn quick, and mixed no words when I told my brother who this clown was; and that sooner or later he was certain to kill himself and whoever was unfortunate enough to be with him at the time.

Scary, scary stuff!

[CpnCrunch]

If you read the report you'll see that he did the exact same thing in the past - he took off at night in crappy weather, and he had to land at another airport. That time he got lucky.

This brings up another point. In the UK when flying VFR at night you have to maintain 1000 feet above the highest obstacle within 5nm when en-route. In Canada this apparently only applies to commercial operators, but it would seem to be a good idea. I mean - is there ANY situation where you would consider it safe flying less than 1000 feet above the ground at night en-route?

[fish4life]

I'm not familiar with the area he was flying in but IMO unless you are in a populated area VFR at night in general should be illegal. Anyone that has flown anywhere "up north" will tell you it's impossible to tell the difference between 7000' AGL and 1000' AGL without looking at your instruments, hell a lot of times you can't even tell where the horizon is especially if it is a new moon or there is a layer of cloud blocking the moon. All night VFR flights in unpopulated area's should have to follow IFR flight rules and and minimums for enroute.

[RenegadeAV8R]

cocaine that was found in his blood

Drug users willingly accept to absorb chemical substance of unknown origin; drug users lack judgment.

Drug users should never be allowed anywhere near a cockpit.

If you are a drug user you will probably disagree with me, but nobody care about what you think; you are a drug user which lack judgment.


Note: In the current context, "drug" means "non prescribed drug".*

* Note added for clarity

[SunWuKong]

I don't beleive ONE guy among all the avcanada/pilot group will say it is fine to use drug like cocaine.

[North Shore]

I drink tea or coffee every morning, and am known to have a Gin & Tonic after a particularly hard day; co-workers of mine smoke - should we also be banned from the cockpit?
WRT Cocaine: the drug isn't the problem, impairment of judgement from failure to let it be fully cleared from the system is.

also:
viewtopic.php?f=118&t=71106

[Hedley]

you are a drug user which lack judgment

Ok, I happen to agree with you. But what's the definition of drug?
Something that the government outlaws? Well, what about tobacco
and alcohol? In my books, both of those are drugs and both of them
reduce your performance, but I don't see pilots quitting smoking and
drinking any time soon.

Where do you draw the "drug" line? One could argue that both caffeine
and sugar are "drugs". Are you an irresponsible pilot if you have sugar
with your coffee? Or even if you drink it black?

PS I've never done nose candy, not planning to start any time soon.
But the santimonious hypocrisy here is amusing.

Who here doesn't drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or use caffeine or sugar?

[SunWuKong]

I drink tea or coffee every morning

You should be fine. Green tea is healthy I have heard...

During the euphoric period after cocaine use, which can last up until 30 minutes, user will experience hyperstimulation, reduced fatigue, and mental alertness. However, some users also experience restlessness, irritability, and anxiety.
During a cocaine binge, when the drug is taken repeatedly, users may experience increasing restlessness, irritability and paranoia. For some users this can lead to a period of paranoid psychosis, with auditory hallucinations and a disconnection with reality.

Hedley, you mention alcohol, I beleive this is already forbidden to drink before flight...

[Hedley]

alcohol, I beleive this is already forbidden to drink before flight

Sure it is. But who here hasn't flown hungover? Tired and de-hydrated by staying up all night partying? Boy, that's sure going to improve your performance in the cockpit. Even if you aren't hungover, the long-term cumultative effect of alcohol use is bad news.

Similarly, smoking. Kills your night vision. Great, that's just what you need before a night circling approach. And smoking also creates long-term health problems. Heart disease, lung problems, cancer.

I think you would find great difficulty finding a Canadian aviation medical examiner that would endorse the regular use of alcohol and tobacco for pilots, even if it might happen to be legal right now.

Refined sugar is bad news in your diet, too. Ever heard of diabetes? Ever wonder why you have to piddle in a bottle every medical? Guess what they're looking for. But sugar is perfectly legal. As a pilot, it's legal to consume 10 pounds of refined sugar every morning before you go flying.

[Big Pistons Forever]

Tired and de-hydrated by staying up all night partying?

That is why god invented 100% Oxygen

[SunWuKong]

Hedley, you are 100% right concerning suggar, smoking, alcohol. And as long as you don't use those true facts to advocate taking cocaine before flight, their is no real issue here.

[Hedley]

Of course. But pilots that drink and smoke make me nervous, too. They just don't give a sh1t ... on the subject of judgement.

[Expat]

Impaired judgment or plain lack of common sense, flying such a route at night, with some clouds, and only a road map is plain naive. I have flown that leg a few times, and it is really dull during daylight. So at night, I think it requires instrument flying, like in the north.

[4074]

[hazatude]

I've known a few full blown coke heads in my time and I'd say that their judgment is ALWAYS impaired. Not just when they're high.

[all4u]

What about showing up for work hung over. Seen many pilots come to work stinking like booze from the night prior, bragging about how they drank, then hopping in the plane and flying away. Sad thing is it's generally accepted amond peers. Or maybe that was just the culture of those flying for the airline.

Anyone else see this?