Bonanza crash this evening at Mesquite TX

[kortopates]

Carbon monoxide?

 

 

No to stir too much thread drift- but a 2 dollar CO detector, hypoxia training and carrying an O2 bottle w/ mask sure are great insurance... Even if you don't fly above 12,500'....

 

 

Is that the right solution for CO gasses at below 12500?  (I'm asking).  I do in fact have a back up O2 for a backup when flying high but I had not thought of it for CO use.  I have this as my backup since I like how it is very fast grab-twist-and good.

http://www.mhoxygen.com/index.php/portable-constant-flow/emergency-systems

 

I had always figured with CO in the cockpit then open vents, possibly open side window.

 I use the same O2 backup for flying in the flight levels when getting down is going to take some time. I have never needed to use it, but it provides peace of mind.

 

I whole heatedly agree with the comment by M016576  to equip yourselves with a CO Monitor, but the $2 version is a joke. I started with a Home Depot unit that got great reviews from one of aviation/survival type of websites for more like $40. But I found that with a portable unit it just wasn't getting used reliably like it needed to be in order to provide realistic protection; especially after the novelty of acquiring it wore off. Maybe I lacked the discipline to make it a regular part of my flying but our plane and avionics is already more complicated than we'd like so I bit the bullet and installed guaranteed protection in the panel by replacing the clock with a TSO'd Guardian CO Monitor. That's a serious commitment of $ since the unit's ICA requires the sensor to replaced every 5 years. But our Mooney is serious travelling x-country machine and therefore we take the threat seriously. Understandably those that use their Mooney for short scenic hops are not going to be as concerned about the threat.

 

CO poisoning is very insidious. At lower concentrations its not going to kill you till after many hours but will cause headache, VERTIGO or dizziness, a general flu like sense of malaise and it does impair judgement.  So its possible the pilot did became handicapped from CO poisoning.  You'd think though if the pilot was feeling sick and therefore wanting to get on the ground asap, he'd opt to go the 20+ miles away to MVFR airport. But maybe his judgement was that affected. As Bonal said, we'll have to wait for the report.

 

Don Muncy is also right on about the 02, but its even more than that as its considered the anti-dote to CO poisoning. Pure clean air isn't adequate to get rid of it fast enough since as Don explained due to the bloods greater affinity to CO over O2. So saturated O2 is needed and typically administered in a hyperbaric tent. His other good suggestion is opening the storm window. Opening the storm window will evacuate smoke in seconds, unlike the vents, therefore its got to significantly dilute the CO levels as well and provide the next best protection in addition to O2 in mask.

 

I'd like to think some medical issue, like Fantom suggested, such as CO poisoning was the result of this tragic loss. But it seems the majority of these accidents are from the more obvious simple issues - like the extreme example provided by AirFrance. We'll have to wait for the report though to see - probably sometime in early 2016 unfortunately. And I'll be very curious to read if they learn anything about the status of autopilot prior to the flight i.e. working or not. You'd think a pilot having a hard time would use it, even more so if not feeling well if that was the case.

[Bennett]

Not to say that this tragic crash was due to CO poisoning, but I carry two ridiculously expensive German smoke hoods with CO filtering canisters. A bit bulky, but after two friends of mine were hospitalized with CO poisoning - the CFII managed to get the airplane back to the runway before passing out (the student was already unconscious) I am way more than wary. The smoke hoods stay in the pilot and co- pilot seat back pockets. Not for oxygen altitudes.

[aviatoreb]

Not to say that this tragic crash was due to CO poisoning, but I carry two ridiculously expensive German smoke hoods with CO filtering canisters. A bit bulky, but after two friends of mine were hospitalized with CO poisoning - the CFII managed to get the airplane back to the runway before passing out (the student was already unconscious) I am way more than wary. The smoke hoods stay in the pilot and co- pilot seat back pockets. Not for oxygen altitudes.

 

Smoke hoods are for CO too?  I also carry smoke hoods - I forget which model - what is ridiculously expensive?  Mine were something like $99 each from aircraft spruce I think - but I had smoke in mind when I got them.  I will check if they are good for CO.

[Bennett]

As I recall they were about $400 each, and the CO canister filter is about 3.5" in diameter, and about 2.5" deep. The case is about 8"x 5"x 3". These are industrial quality units. Overkill, except I keep recalling my two friends, the CFII and the student (who quit flying lessons) in the hospital. They were both pulled out of the C150 by the KSQL crash truck EMT crew, and rushed off to a hospital that was less than two miles away. They were no more than 15 miles away from the airport, practicing maneuvers when the student reported feeling sick, and then passed out.

[Hank]

Yep, that's what I use. But the sticky on the back is pretty poor.