Routine Training Flight Turned Deadly!

So they tried to simulate a disaster and succeeded? WTF?

From the way I understand it this VMC manoeuvre is very dangerous if you do not have the correct numbers for that specific airplane..or know what you are doing.

I’m sure there is a similar saying in aviation as in RC flying.

Don’t try anything fancy until at least
2 F—ups high!😢

After all I only fly if there is no other way like visiting family family in Europe only once a year max. From Canada 🇨🇦

You'll never know how many lives you've saved

Man... what a shame. That must've been absolutely terrifying.

Still... poor decision-making in general. Even if they weren't in full icing conditions, even a tiny bit of icing can easily shift maneuvering characteristics near the edge of the flight envelope by quite a bit. Add in the low altitude, and the sheer amount of expertise on board (potentially leading to overconfidence and not having reserve maneuvering capacity via constraining the rudder pedals), plus the aft CoM, and... I just think this would've been a flight to skip.

First I want to say you are doing a public service with these videos. I don't understand most of what you cover, but my attention never wavers. I took a few lessons years ago and realized flying was not my thing.

Other than that little pilot and command issue.We had you do a great job hoover... Thanks for sorting these out for us.😢😅😊

If your aircraft is certified into known icing.And you slap up the boots with Armorol you got a good shot at punching through as long as you don't get more than a inch and a half at a time. When I say ancient a half I mean within one minute. If you're getting more than that turn the damn thing around now.😊

I am still saddened by this event. I live 3 miles from BAF. I flew with both Bill and Rika. Rika and I did our initial flight training together.
The "student" on board was apparently getting some hours in the Baron in order to meet insurance requirements to fly for a corporation. THANKS FOR YOUR CHANNEL. SUCH GREAT INFORMATION.

Thanks!

According to the NTSB preliminary report it appears now that icing was likely a factor in the loss of control. "Airframe icing was observed on the leading edge of both wings and horizontal stabilizers, both engine nacelles, and the leading edge of the rudder. Ice was also observed on the front face of one of the left engine’s propeller blades, and on the nav antenna located on the vertical stabilizer." From the flight data it may have looked to us like a VMC demo, but icing indicated on the aircraft would suggest otherwise. The NTSB and the FAA will eventually have a better idea of what most likely occurred.

If Rika Ballard was 53 years old in that photo, I want to know her secret. Must have been an old photo, looks like late twenties.

Cannot find the link for the software Flysto?

In these training planes, does the copilot seat have a steering wheel, brakes, etc., for the trainer?

Are my ears working ?
15 deaths attributed to practicing VMCA procedures in this aircraft😳
If they knew that , they were hardly unsuspecting .

Another great debrief! ... Love that you are using FlySto to analyze what "really" happened!

You've taught me that if I ever am flying in a small aircraft, I'm hella going to inquire as to the pilot's history, and specifications of the aircraft.

Also, she was 53? Someone eats properly and treats themselves right.

Sir you are way mor experieneced than I but that headline is just wrong. No such thing as just a "routine flight" because every flight u take could be ur last.

I usually love your videos, but this one was a bunch of layered assumptions with little fact. Stick with the ones where there is a body of factual knowledge. Was this a VMC Demo, we don't know. just because the virtual cockpit looks similar doesn't mean they were doing the same thing, this is not where near '100% certainty'.

How do you get the ADSB data if you’re just renting it from a flight school?

When they got into the dive they still had 3000 AGL. It's definitely not high enough for a maneuver but I feel it may have been possible to get out if they had moved quickly. I expect there was more to this incident: maybe the student when into a shocked/confused state and stared jamming on controls, or the opposite - freeze up and lock the plane in the spin. In either case, without corrective action within seconds, the result is death... they just didn't have the altitude to make mistakes or wait for a decision.

Your photo shows an intact, but somewhat crumpled, Baron. Based on the pic there’s a strong indication that the airplane was in a flat spin at ground collision.

I worked four such accidents. Look at the ground scars. Think disc drag related to power reduction on “good” engine to prevent the VMC yaw-roll.

I’m surprised that they were flying a 50 year old (1974) aircraft. It’s quite rate to see 50 year old cars on the road. Modern cars are also much easier to control, so I would imagine that the same applies to modern planes. Do people keep these 50 year old planes in the air because they’re more fun (more challenging) to fly?

what is the background on the nickname "Hoover"?

Hoover:
Downloaded Flysto from the App Store but, there isn’t a way to set up an account. Just thought I would share that with you. No worries I am not a pilot but, I a subscriber of yours and an avid viewer always smashing the Like button.
Thanks for all your content.

I can’t get enough of your videos. I’m not a pilot, but I find aviation fascinating and I enjoy how well you explain everything so that it’s easy to understand. Clear, concise and very informative and always damn interesting. Thanks for your hard work!

Cowboys eventually get bucked off. And they typically land too hard and is not survivable

Ty so much for your hard work..

Perhaps these risky training maneuvers should be practiced and logged on a simulator first, then perfomed and certied in the air.

Best damn aviation channel!

Edit: I'm not a pilot, just enthusiastic about aviation and possibly learning to fly. I'm trying to figure out what the elephant in the room is to avoid. There doesn't seem to be any 1 thing to watch out for except complacency or ego.

I don't understand how the pilots in your videos make these mistakes. You've had pilots flying through clouds with no VFR, not checking weight and balance with passengers and full tanks at high altitude, etc. We know better than to drive our cars into the ocean or try to take a curve at 70 mph on ice, and the weird thing? That's probably less dangerous.

Is your last name O?

Hoover....I really enjoy your content and watch it daily..Former AF NDI troop and my first airframe was F-15s @ RAF Lakenheath.....Miss every minute working on it....Keep going bro you got it......

The recovery is likely where people get most messed up as it is counter to recovering from any other kind of stall, where you lower the nose while adding power. Doing that with one engine is the exact opposite of what you need to do as you pointed out.

Accidents of this nature, seemingly self-induced, with very "qualified" pilots, at least on paper; a properly running machine, and decent weather, only serve to chasten the public that slipping the bonds of earth is inherently risky and you're putting your life in the hands of the gods. Commercial, and some general, aircraft design and performance today is literally operating on the edge made possible only by the powers inherent to computers. This creates a risky irony. The more pilots become mere system managers and monitors, the less they are as pilots. That translates into serious safety concern the few times systems or sub-systems fail and they are suddenly called upon to become pilots once again. Do they have the stick and rudder skills, the head space and timing cognition, to rise to the occasion or at least not make a bad situation worse?

Thanks!

This one really breaks my heart. Damn.

Airspeed kept dropping all the way to the ground, is that because they were still spinning unlike the view on the simulation?

A lot of plane crashes seem to have women pilots or copilots.. just seems to happen a lot nothing personal

I personally enjoy it when you discuss the more technical aspects of flight, like CG and moments of energy and so forth. These are the less obvious aspects of flight that go beyond merely how to move the throttle and the flight controls, and it's extremely interesting. I'm sure you were very thoroughly trained on such things in your military career.

As a new pilot, my biggest fear is entering a spin.

Thank you.