re: Plane crash in Lafayette

confident insecure human

What?

I was struggling understanding the flight trajectory since I was wrong about the takeoff heading

So they said he almost clipped a apartment complex

I assumed the complex they were talking about was the retreat apts which are SE of the post office. That is the view where most of the initial pics, vids and witness statements came from.

Apparently the apts they were talking about he almost hit are bayou oaks apartments NW of the Post Office

So he took off SW, went out over the city, turned S and crashed on a SE heading

I thought he took off NE turned SE, tried to line up and crashed across the USPO parking lot from SE to NW ending up in the field. Apparently he hit in the field (NW to SE) and part of the plane carried into the parking lot and struck the cars setting them on fire

For a small plane heading out to Atlanta taking off that direction seems odd to me. There was heavy fog, so minimal wind, why not send him out over the swamp towards Breaux Bridge? Every time I flew out of Lafayette we land over 90 and we take off over the swamp. They did it the opposite that morning. If they sent him out NE, and he had trouble he would have been flying straight out and had many open fields to choose from in that direction after clearing I10

Just seems weird to me if there are is no wind factor why send small planes out over the city?

BTW this pic shows the flight termination on the east side of Verot School, which is incorrect



Only time I can remember taking off and going out over the city was when I caught a HELO there going offshore and we followed US90 to the coast. I can only think of one time we took off going West in a plane and that was a private plane on a windy day.

Ok I understand now
Thanks

Yeah I was misreading it

The final desperate turn was probably too low to be picked up by radar

So sad

As a pilot myself, if I had to guess what happened:

1. Spatial disorientation with loss of control and uncontrolled flight into terrain.

2. Engine failure with loss of control and uncontrolled flight into terrain.

Your post reads as if the pilot didn’t try. It appears that he tried, but we may never know.

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How much do you think the power lines played into the final results of the crash?

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Probably a whole lot. Kinda like how much hitting a guard rail would play into your vehicle crash. Nothing airborne does well when it hits power lines. Especially aircraft.

To your point about the pilot. Some here are gonna be awfully upset when/if the NTSB blames pilot error for the crash. They do so in about 80% of their investigations. Doesn’t mean he did anything wrong. Maybe just didn’t do something right.

But that’s why they’re called accidents and not intentional.

So I’m just curious. Are pilots insured for this type thing (I’m assuming yes). The survivors will have tons of medical bills.

So sad — I know a niece of the pilot. My heart hurts for all involved.

quote:

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How much do you think the power lines played into the final results of the crash?

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Disclaimer: I know very little about aviation.

With that out of the way, it appears hitting the power lines was a result of the plane going down, not the cause of the plane going down. The power lines were standard power lines you see on any street about 20-25' high. The plane hit these lines and then hit trees on the other side of the street. If the planes missed these lines, it would have likely still hit the trees and/or power lines on the other side of the street b/c it was descending. I've also seen where witnesses said the plane had just leveled off from a turn when it hit the lines. Also, the NTSB said the flaps were up which they say indicates the pilot was not trying to land.