Plane crash?

[steve-in-kville]

Maybe Katz should go work for the NTSB since he's so much better than they are at figuring out what happened. Somehow this article grinds my gears a bit.

Dare I ask why?

[ken_sylvania]

Maybe Katz should go work for the NTSB since he's so much better than they are at figuring out what happened. Somehow this article grinds my gears a bit.

Dare I ask why?

I dare you to!
Not sure if I can put it into words, but contributing factors include the tone of Katz's analysis (for instance, maybe Rod didn't have instrument skills, maybe he did - just because he didn't have the rating doesn't automatically mean no skill, I think he relies too heavily on the ADS-B data from Flightaware without knowing exactly what instruments were on the plane and how the data was being collected for ADS-B. There's a reason it takes NTSB longer than just a couple weeks to determine probable cause, and it's not because they're lazy.) combined with that little phrase toward the end of the article saying they tried calling Rod's widow and she didn't return their message. I know that's part of the news business and all, but I still think it's rude to call bereaved family like that just to pry for information.

[steve-in-kville]

I see your point. The headline does come off a bit harsh:

Report on crash that killed 3 from Lancaster County cites weather, lack of pilot's instrument certification

So its kinda like saying a farmer who operates a semi-truck to haul hay (but never got a CDL) is a lesser driver than some youngster that went through truck driving school to get his. Am I seeing this right?

[Grace]

Maybe Katz should go work for the NTSB since he's so much better than they are at figuring out what happened. Somehow this article grinds my gears a bit.

Dare I ask why?

I dare you to!
Not sure if I can put it into words, but contributing factors include the tone of Katz's analysis (for instance, maybe Rod didn't have instrument skills, maybe he did - just because he didn't have the rating doesn't automatically mean no skill, I think he relies too heavily on the ADS-B data from Flightaware without knowing exactly what instruments were on the plane and how the data was being collected for ADS-B. There's a reason it takes NTSB longer than just a couple weeks to determine probable cause, and it's not because they're lazy.) combined with that little phrase toward the end of the article saying they tried calling Rod's widow and she didn't return their message. I know that's part of the news business and all, but I still think it's rude to call bereaved family like that just to pry for information.

I agree with your synopsis. Unfortunately the Lancaster Intell/Lancaster Online is a very liberal leaning newspaper. They have a history of taking every opportunity to cast the plain community in a bad light. Would they have revealed the church membership of any other victims? Probably not. They usually don't mention church membership of victims of tragedies, except if they are from the plain community.

[ken_sylvania]

I see your point. The headline does come off a bit harsh:

Report on crash that killed 3 from Lancaster County cites weather, lack of pilot's instrument certification

So its kinda like saying a farmer who operates a semi-truck to haul hay (but never got a CDL) is a lesser driver than some youngster that went through truck driving school to get his. Am I seeing this right?

That's basically how I see it. And, in particular, I think that headline implies that the NTSB cited those things as causes of the crash. They didn't. NTSB has not made a ruling on the cause of the crash.
I'm not trying to say that Rod was experienced at instrument flying, or that he didn't get in over his head on this flight. I simply don't know.

[Sliceitup]

Katz’s tone does come off a little harsh. But I’m guessing it’s frustrating to see this kind of thing happen again and again. He wasn’t the first pilot without instrument rating to crash while flying in weather that was questionable. And he won’t be the last. This is what happened to JFK Jr 23 years ago.

It makes me think of someone who said it’s best not to ride a motorcycle in your daily schedule, like going to work, etc. because you get stressed about time and other things and then you take risks you wouldn’t take otherwise. If you just ride the motorcycle when you’re out on a Sunday drive you aren’t under the same pressure as you are if you’re at work and want to get home by a certain time.

[Sliceitup]

Dare I ask why?

I dare you to!
Not sure if I can put it into words, but contributing factors include the tone of Katz's analysis (for instance, maybe Rod didn't have instrument skills, maybe he did - just because he didn't have the rating doesn't automatically mean no skill, I think he relies too heavily on the ADS-B data from Flightaware without knowing exactly what instruments were on the plane and how the data was being collected for ADS-B. There's a reason it takes NTSB longer than just a couple weeks to determine probable cause, and it's not because they're lazy.) combined with that little phrase toward the end of the article saying they tried calling Rod's widow and she didn't return their message. I know that's part of the news business and all, but I still think it's rude to call bereaved family like that just to pry for information.

I agree with your synopsis. Unfortunately the Lancaster Intell/Lancaster Online is a very liberal leaning newspaper. They have a history of taking every opportunity to cast the plain community in a bad light. Would they have revealed the church membership of any other victims? Probably not. They usually don't mention church membership of victims of tragedies, except if they are from the plain community.

I think they mentioned this fact because it was mentioned in their obituaries. Newspaper articles will frequently use information that they obtain by the obituary that the family submits.

[Josh]

Katz’s tone does come off a little harsh. But I’m guessing it’s frustrating to see this kind of thing happen again and again. He wasn’t the first pilot without instrument rating to crash while flying in weather that was questionable. And he won’t be the last. This is what happened to JFK Jr 23 years ago.

It makes me think of someone who said it’s best not to ride a motorcycle in your daily schedule, like going to work, etc. because you get stressed about time and other things and then you take risks you wouldn’t take otherwise. If you just ride the motorcycle when you’re out on a Sunday drive you aren’t under the same pressure as you are if you’re at work and want to get home by a certain time.

It would be even better not to drive a car. Cars are much more dangerous than airplanes.

[Sliceitup]

Katz’s tone does come off a little harsh. But I’m guessing it’s frustrating to see this kind of thing happen again and again. He wasn’t the first pilot without instrument rating to crash while flying in weather that was questionable. And he won’t be the last. This is what happened to JFK Jr 23 years ago.

It makes me think of someone who said it’s best not to ride a motorcycle in your daily schedule, like going to work, etc. because you get stressed about time and other things and then you take risks you wouldn’t take otherwise. If you just ride the motorcycle when you’re out on a Sunday drive you aren’t under the same pressure as you are if you’re at work and want to get home by a certain time.

It would be even better not to drive a car. Cars are much more dangerous than airplanes.

I don’t think anyone is suggesting that people don’t fly planes anymore. The point is not to eliminate risk, but rather lower risk.

[Josh]

Katz’s tone does come off a little harsh. But I’m guessing it’s frustrating to see this kind of thing happen again and again. He wasn’t the first pilot without instrument rating to crash while flying in weather that was questionable. And he won’t be the last. This is what happened to JFK Jr 23 years ago.

It makes me think of someone who said it’s best not to ride a motorcycle in your daily schedule, like going to work, etc. because you get stressed about time and other things and then you take risks you wouldn’t take otherwise. If you just ride the motorcycle when you’re out on a Sunday drive you aren’t under the same pressure as you are if you’re at work and want to get home by a certain time.

It would be even better not to drive a car. Cars are much more dangerous than airplanes.

I don’t think anyone is suggesting that people don’t fly planes anymore. The point is not to eliminate risk, but rather lower risk.

Plane crashes are quite rare, not “again and again”.

Meanwhile on a 9 hour drive home from NC I saw multiple wrecks involving multiple automobiles. If you care abbot safety so much, get rid of your car.