scary superstitions
entrails on the mountain wall

They're not dead...or are they?

Speaking of mountains, there's a range of eight peaks in the Province of New Brunswick (Canada) named after Snow White and (Disney's) Seven Dwarves.

That's just a Fark headline waiting to happen.

It's the ghost of Jacob Walz, reaching up to grab those who come anywhere near his gold.

Superstition is bad luck.

Thats an 827: The minimum enroute altitude is four thousand four hun--------

Obscure? Real life story.

Minimum Safe Altitude in that quadrant is 6,600'. The Phoenix Class B airspace overlays Falcon Field with a floor of 5000' and ends just west of the crash site. The mountains in at specific location have a max elevation of just over 5,000'.

Here's my guess, one of two things, or a combination of both:

1) The pilot was trying to stay VFR under the class B floor and forgot to climb above 5,000 when he was out of the area. There are 6,500-8,000 foot mountains all over that route as you get closer to Safford, so there's no chance at the altitude he crashed at was his final planned altitude (unless he was extremely incompetent).

2) He made a gross navigational error and thought he was clear to the west of the mountains.

A direct flight from Falcon to Safford would normally take you just a few miles west of the mountains. But winds at Falcon were light and variable, tending to be out of the north last night. So, with an assumed northeasterly departure, who knows how long he had to extend his upwind before turning on-course to the southeast - it could have easily been long enough to take his direct course into the side of a mountain.

...or he didn't apply enough wind correction angle once he was established on his course.

Sad sad sad.

Larry Mahnken: Webcam of the crash (new window)

Every time I think I've been blown away by the internet, something comes along that blows me away even more. Some plane crashed 500 miles away from me, and in a matter of hours I know how many people were on it, their ages, where they were going, and the fact that the mother has been notified and is a pilot herself.

Crazy enough by itself, if you think about it.

Then someone posts a link where I can watch the crash as it happens. From some guy's backyard. At night. In the mountains.

Holy farking shiat, the internet is crazy.

Also, I had sex with a waitress in the managers office of the Italian restaurant (Anzio Landing, I think?) at Falcon Field.

/someone make me a cake

pudding7: Larry Mahnken: Webcam of the crash (new window)

Every time I think I've been blown away by the internet, something comes along that blows me away even more. Some plane crashed 500 miles away from me, and in a matter of hours I know how many people were on it, their ages, where they were going, and the fact that the mother has been notified and is a pilot herself.

Crazy enough by itself, if you think about it.

Then someone posts a link where I can watch the crash as it happens. From some guy's backyard. At night. In the mountains.

Holy farking shiat, the internet is crazy.

If you'd been following the submission queue last night, you'd have seen that video before any of the other details had been established.

GBB: NTSB: Fark division

Heh, if only.

fanbladesaresharp: Charlie Freak: Thats an 827: The minimum enroute altitude is four thousand four hun--------

Obscure? Real life story.

Minimum Safe Altitude in that quadrant is 6,600'. The Phoenix Class B airspace overlays Falcon Field with a floor of 5000' and ends just west of the crash site. The mountains in at specific location have a max elevation of just over 5,000'.

Here's my guess, one of two things, or a combination of both:

I had read an early report that an aviation mechanic in Fountain Hills heard it fly over his house, and noted it sounded like the plane was having serious engine trouble. Hard to tell from that long b&w video by it looks like the plane didn't make any attempt to turn around and land somewhere, just went straight into the mountain.

With two engines and all that flat land to the west, it doesn't seem likely. Occam's razor and all - he crashed on nearly a straight line course between the airports.

AbbeySomeone: Optical Aleutian: [farm8.staticflickr.com image 219x230]

The pilot.

7 years of bad luck?



The co-pilot.

/SRV's cover of superstition rocks hard
//Rock musicians and planes do not mix.