Fate is a Fickle Thing (2024)

ttyymmnnlast edited by ttyymmnn

While searching for photos to use for my Good Morning, Oppo posts, I came across this one. It shows a Lockheed Vega, one of my favorite planes from the Golden Age, and a big car (I'll let y'all figure out the make and model of that one).

To be precise, the airplane is a Lockheed Vega 5C (NC959Y) that was owned by Blue Bird Air Service and flew for Prest-O-Lite Battery Sales. On September 29, 1936, the plane crashed near Naperville, IL while doing aerial photography of a Streamliner train, possibly the Pioneer Zephyr. The crash killed the pilot, two cameramen, and a young woman who was invited along "for the fun of it." To make room for her, another photographer and his gear was left behind. Fate is a fickle thing indeed.

ranwhenparked @ttyymmnnlast edited by

22 Ioniq
08 Crown Victoria
64 Corvair Monza
82 Champion A2621

drVanTraveler @ttyymmnnlast edited by

ttyymmnn @drVanTravelerlast edited by ttyymmnn

@drvantraveler said in Fate is a Fickle Thing:

I'd say more likely snapped as it stalled, trying to maneuver close to the ground.

That was my thought. I was reading recently about a Learjet crash where the pilot requested an overhead visual approach.

The tower controller instructed him to cross over the airport to the south and enter a left downwind, and then cleared the Learjet to land. About 75 seconds later, however, the pilot can be heard shouting expletives just before the steep impact, which occurred in the area of the turn from base leg to final. The two pilots and two passengers were killed in the crash.

I'm no expert, but it sounds to me (and the commenters) that he turned too sharply and stalled.

benn454 @ranwhenparkedlast edited by

@ranwhenparked And only 50 MPH slower than the Lockheed.

drVanTraveler @ttyymmnnlast edited by

@ttyymmnn said in Fate is a Fickle Thing:

@drvantraveler said in Fate is a Fickle Thing:

I'd say more likely snapped as it stalled, trying to maneuver close to the ground.

That was my thought. I was reading recently about a Learjet crash where the pilot requested an overhead visual approach.

I'm no expert, but it sounds to me (and the commenters) that he turned too sharply and stalled.

The Lear got into a bad situation from what I read. Sounds like he got the IFR approach to a runway that was too short to land on (due to rain), and inadequately planned his landing on the other (longer) runway. Sounded like he was having difficulty keeping the runway in sight (from the request for brighter runway lights). This could have kept him too close to the runway, flying at 1/2 the normal pattern altitude. The illusion becomes that you've got room for the final turn, but halfway around he realizes that it's not working. So he banks up trying to save the approach, therefore he ends up in a smoking hole.
Night circling in jets is bad news. Everything has to go just right, and if the weather is worse than expected, you've got to bail and get out of there.

ttyymmnn @drVanTravelerlast edited by

@drvantraveler said in Fate is a Fickle Thing:

So he banks up trying to save the approach

So I'm guessing that the better move here is to bail on the approach and live to try again?

Thanks for the reply.

drVanTraveler @ttyymmnnlast edited by

@ttyymmnn said in Fate is a Fickle Thing:

@drvantraveler said in Fate is a Fickle Thing:

So he banks up trying to save the approach

So I'm guessing that the better move here is to bail on the approach and live to try again?

You bet! Ego is difficult to overcome to save your ass.

ttyymmnn @drVanTravelerlast edited by

@drvantraveler said in Fate is a Fickle Thing:

Ego is difficult to overcome to save your ass.

Obligatory: