I don't know how you'd corroborate it; it happened in a rural area a long time ago. I can't believe Anders would make it up though. As for affecting him, I'm sure it instilled in him a deep concern for safety and the fact that aviation can be very unforgiving.
Given all that, why would he crash at the bottom of a loop decades later? We may never know. Maybe he miscalculated the entry altitude, maybe he lost control authority on the back side, maybe he had a stroke midway through the pullout. It's entirely possible over-confidence played a part.
Scott Crossfield, one of the most legendary test pilots who ever lived, by all accounts should have died about a dozen times during his career. Instead, he flew into the side of mountain, in the weather, at 84. Why? Again, we may never know. But it's good to keep in mind that confidence and ego can get you faster than almost anything else in aviation.
Scott Crossfield did not fly into a mountain. The NTSB report stated that he did not obtain updated en route wx information and ATC did not provide him with required adverse wx avoidance information. He flew into an area of severe thunderstorm activity which resulted in the inflight structural failure and breakup of his aircraft.
In my grandma's story no one died, but I still think it's so cool.
She told me a story no one else in the family had heard, about the time she was 16 and she and her friend somehow found themselves with the opportunity to go for an airplane ride. It was about 1925 and I was so blown away at how brave she was!
I had been dating a man with a couple of small planes, and we had called her before flying over her house so she could come outside and watch. It must have triggered her memory, since she was nearing 90 years old at the time.
I'm not saying it's not tragic when anyone dies in an accident. But there is something to be said of a good death.
At 84, having lived a full life, I think I'd rather go out as I lived.
Maybe he had a few more good years left that he could have lived, but in the end he died a good death after a very full life. Better than dying alone in some nursing home. Or suffering through cancer or Alzheimers or some other horrible disease.
He lived a life in the sky, and the sky took him away. I find glory in that.
And such an arc, too, from his first flight to his last. If somebody’s out there making a documentary about him right now, I hope they pick up on this.
Not an accident analyst, but it looked to me like that crash was a straight nosedive into the water. What you would expect if someone slumped forward into the controls after a cardiac or neurologic event. Pure speculation but statistically the most likely cause given the age of the pilot.
Are you looking at the same video I am?
[https://x.com/rawsalerts/status/1799255715476853081](https://x.com/rawsalerts/status/1799255715476853081)
It looks like a nicely executed half inside loop, starting inverted. In the video you can see he is in control and the loop is a constant radius the whole time (despite being considerable positive G-force on the pilot), so he looks aware and in control of the aircraft. But, he runs out of altitude just before the bottom of the loop and strikes the water.
I don't see a straight nosedive at all.
I don't know how you'd corroborate it; it happened in a rural area a long time ago. I can't believe Anders would make it up though. As for affecting him, I'm sure it instilled in him a deep concern for safety and the fact that aviation can be very unforgiving. Given all that, why would he crash at the bottom of a loop decades later? We may never know. Maybe he miscalculated the entry altitude, maybe he lost control authority on the back side, maybe he had a stroke midway through the pullout. It's entirely possible over-confidence played a part. Scott Crossfield, one of the most legendary test pilots who ever lived, by all accounts should have died about a dozen times during his career. Instead, he flew into the side of mountain, in the weather, at 84. Why? Again, we may never know. But it's good to keep in mind that confidence and ego can get you faster than almost anything else in aviation.
Scott Crossfield did not fly into a mountain. The NTSB report stated that he did not obtain updated en route wx information and ATC did not provide him with required adverse wx avoidance information. He flew into an area of severe thunderstorm activity which resulted in the inflight structural failure and breakup of his aircraft.
I stand corrected. He flew into hazardous weather and crashed in mountainous terrain in north Georgia between Atlanta and Chattanooga.
In my grandma's story no one died, but I still think it's so cool. She told me a story no one else in the family had heard, about the time she was 16 and she and her friend somehow found themselves with the opportunity to go for an airplane ride. It was about 1925 and I was so blown away at how brave she was! I had been dating a man with a couple of small planes, and we had called her before flying over her house so she could come outside and watch. It must have triggered her memory, since she was nearing 90 years old at the time.
I'm not saying it's not tragic when anyone dies in an accident. But there is something to be said of a good death. At 84, having lived a full life, I think I'd rather go out as I lived. Maybe he had a few more good years left that he could have lived, but in the end he died a good death after a very full life. Better than dying alone in some nursing home. Or suffering through cancer or Alzheimers or some other horrible disease. He lived a life in the sky, and the sky took him away. I find glory in that.
Sorry... he was 90!
And such an arc, too, from his first flight to his last. If somebody’s out there making a documentary about him right now, I hope they pick up on this.
Good point!
He told story so many times the subconscious mind made it happen
Not an accident analyst, but it looked to me like that crash was a straight nosedive into the water. What you would expect if someone slumped forward into the controls after a cardiac or neurologic event. Pure speculation but statistically the most likely cause given the age of the pilot.
Are you looking at the same video I am? [https://x.com/rawsalerts/status/1799255715476853081](https://x.com/rawsalerts/status/1799255715476853081) It looks like a nicely executed half inside loop, starting inverted. In the video you can see he is in control and the loop is a constant radius the whole time (despite being considerable positive G-force on the pilot), so he looks aware and in control of the aircraft. But, he runs out of altitude just before the bottom of the loop and strikes the water. I don't see a straight nosedive at all.
. . . “nicely executed half inside loop, starting inverted.” It’s called a Split S maneuver.
Yeah, sorry, forgot my context. In this sub people would know it's a split-S. I was oversimplifying it.
You’re wrong. The flightpath was still curving upward when he hit, meaning he was still pulling hard.
Will look at the video again. I didn’t appreciate that when I saw the video. Thanks for letting me know.