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Gunsite Plane Crash 4 Dead

Maybe its just perspective, but the spinner on the prop/engine in the first picture on the Prescott News website looks a fair bit larger than that of a Cessna 340.
 
Yikes...I hope my cousin Buzz wasn't on that flight...or flying the plane, rather.
 
Gunsite Plane Crash 4 Dead

Not good. My thoughts are with everyone there.
 
Thoughts out to those at Gunsite....

Seems we have been saying a lot of goodbyes lately...
 
I always hated flying in a light twin engine Piston powered aircraft. The theory is that you have a spare engine if one goes down, the reality is that if either engine fails the pilot really has his hands full. The rudder is barely able to counter the torque from the remaining engine at full power. Many planes are nearly unflyable in some regimes.

I believe the last year the Cessna 340 was made was 1975, it so then the plane was at least 38 years old.
 
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From a friend:

A Cessna 340 crashed at Gunsite at 1230 local. All 4 aboard were killed.

He buzzed the office once, and came around for a second run when he clipped a radio tower (which fell on a workshop and car, no injuries on ground).

It rolled and impacted adjacent to the school.

The occupants were coming in for an alumni match.
Click to expand...
 
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If the "buzz job" thing is true, and they really did hit an antenna, it's gonna be a LOT more than a "casual factor". And yet another case of a stupid pilot trick costing people their lives...
 
I knew all four of the victims, sad day indeed. The radio tower is not very high, if they indeed hit that during the flyby, they were under 50' AGL. I did not see them go in, just heard the impact and saw the smoke plume.
 
Gunsite Plane Crash 4 Dead

diverdon said:
I always hated flying in a light twin engine Piston powered aircraft. The theory is that you have a spare engine if one goes down, the reality is that if either engine fails the pilot really has his hands full. The rudder is barely able to counter the torque from the remaining engine at full power. Many planes are nearly unflyable in some regimes.

I believe the last year the Cessna 340 was made was 1975, it so then the plane was at least 38 years old.
Click to expand...
Twins under 12,500 lbs are not required to demonstrate climb on one engine. That said, I've flown that vintage of light Cessna twin and trimming it up isn't a problem. Neither is single engine flight once you've descended to an altitude that the aircraft can maintain. But In this case an engine failure does not appear to have been the issue.
 
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Graham said:
Twins under 12,500 lbs are not required to demonstrate climb on one engine. That said, I've flown that vintage of light Cessna twin and trimming it up isn't a problem. Neither is single engine flight once you've descended to an altitude that the aircraft can maintain. But In this case an engine failure does not appear to have been the issue.
Click to expand...

As a gravitationally challenged non-pilot, I'd have to say that clipping a radio tower 50 feet off the ground is probably going to make it pretty irrelevant whether you have one, two, or twenty-seven engines on the aircraft: you're just simply screwed.
 
Gunsite Plane Crash 4 Dead

Arbiter said:
As a gravitationally challenged non-pilot, I'd have to say that clipping a radio tower 50 feet off the ground is probably going to make it pretty irrelevant whether you have one, two, or twenty-seven engines on the aircraft: you're just simply screwed.
Click to expand...
Gunsite is high desert: 5,500 feet. On a hot day I wouldn't want to try to land on one engine with a full airplane.

I've known pilots who have hit towers and other obstructions. It's too early to speculate as to the cause, but if that is what happened I would feel terrible for the pilot and his family.
 
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My condolences to the friends and family of those involved in this terrible accident.
 
My deepest condolences to those lost and their family.

My brother was at Gunsite for the week doing the 250 course and as a sales rep doing account work with the proshop when he witnessed the event unfold. He was pretty shaken up by it.
 
My deepest condolences to those lost and their family.

My brother was at Gunsite for the week doing the 250 course and as a sales rep doing account work with the proshop when he witnessed the event unfold. He was pretty shaken up by it.
 
My condolences to all who have lost someone to this incident. Its never good loosing anyone to a plane crash no matter what happened. that being said I don't believe this is the time nor place to discuss aerodynamics, or the pilots decision making.
 
Mike worked the SH XLR Class we did at Gunsite, as well he always came by with other XLR Classes even when he was not working them.

He was an awesome guy, and he Wife Joy was super nice as well, having met her at dinner several times.
 
Sad to hear. Took a couple of classes with Gunsite intructors in the past. Top notch training and professionalism.
 
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