bad Karma in my neighborhood

[sleepingsquirrel]

So with 5 aviation related deaths in my neck of the woods this week end, two at Moontown, one in a seaplane on the Tennessee river, and two in a Mooney in Cullman county. I decided not to fly this last week end. I guess my instincts are still good. If I ain't in the air I can't fall out of it! I would just say that next week end will be better for anyone flying through the Tennessee Valley. Maybe Bad Karma will be gone!

[jetdriven]

There is a reason that a GA airplane has 50 times the fatal accident rate of an airliner, and it ain't the aluminum.

[sleepingsquirrel]

Yea, Bad Karma

[BigTex]

I flew today and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't in the back of my mind. Need to under stand what caused the rash of accidents and learn from them.

[jetdriven]

one constant, there are no new accidents. Well, now we have the "XM effect".

[Parker_Woodruff]

It's been a rough few months, that's for sure.

[Jeff_S]

Dang, another crash at Moontown. I love that little airport but it seems to have greater than its fair share of tragedy.

[flyboy0681]

Looking at the Flightaware image, he was definitely flying near some stuff (but not in it), and it doesn't appear to have been that heavy. The flightpath is very erratic and airspeed went from 143 down to 55 in no time flat .

http://flightaware.c...e/flight/N1085A

[bnicolette]

Can't really tell from a Flightaware image what was really happening with the weather at one specific time. For instance if you look at my map from the other day it doesn't look to bad on Flightaware, but in reality, we were getting slammed really good for the first 15 minutes of that flight.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N986SA/history/20120918/0900Z/KAFJ/KCRW

and compare it to:

http://vortex.plymouth.edu/gen_nids.cgi?ident=rlx&pl=n0r&yy=2012&mm=09&dd=18&hh=09&nn=20&size=912x684&loop=no&zoom=&center=

Here is the radar picture for N1085A

http://vortex.plymouth.edu/gen_nids.cgi?ident=gwx&pl=n0r&yy=2012&mm=09&dd=17&hh=19&nn=00&size=912x684&loop=no&zoom=&center=

Doesn't look like something I would want to try and circumnavigate without onboard radar and a more capable airplane.

[Hank]

Don't be superstitious, Squirrel--be cautious instead.

"Fly as if your life depends on it, because it does."

Luck, hope and wishes have no place in flight planning. It's certainly OK to check something out, but not without Plan B and Plan C mapped out and prepared for also. Don't mess with Mother Nature, like the old butter commercials used to say. "Not Flying Today" must always be an option, at least until you are flying a 737 for hire [but even they cancel for weather sometimes!].

[fantom]

....If I ain't in the air I can't fall out of it!.....Maybe Bad Karma will be gone!

Just keep your eyes looking up, so something doesn't fall on you.

[flyboy0681]

A rela

Don't be superstitious, Squirrel--be cautious instead.

"Fly as if your life depends on it, because it does."

A relative was in town over the weekend and I showed her the plane. She asked if it's second nature flying it to which I said yes, but I also said that as opposed to driving a car, I think about safety every second of every minute that I'm in the the air and that every decision I make takes safety into account.

[sleepingsquirrel]

I'm not superstitious, but I'm sure I've got to go to the graveyard tonight and swing a dead cat around before I fly tomorrow. I'm putting new back glass in the old Mooney this evening.