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  Scott Crossfield (1921-2006) (WAS: Crossfield missing) (Page 3)

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Author Topic:   Scott Crossfield (1921-2006) (WAS: Crossfield missing)
FutureAstronaut
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posted 04-22-2006 12:31 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for FutureAstronaut     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have Mr. Crossfields picture hanging up on a special wall in my room now. Just like in Panchos.

------------------
Mike

FairfaxSpace
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posted 04-22-2006 02:59 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for FairfaxSpace   Click Here to Email FairfaxSpace     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Here is one of my favorite signed Scott Crossfield items. Its a pretty rare Aviation magazine from 1961 w/ Crossfield on the cover w/ Armstrong.

He wrote: "Handing Neil the keys to the X-15 ~ Good Luck!" Scott Crossfield

ApolloAlex
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posted 04-22-2006 03:21 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ApolloAlex   Click Here to Email ApolloAlex     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
A very sad loss,but always remembered.

Alex.

------------------
"Why dont you fix your little problem and light this Candle?"

Frederic Janik
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posted 04-23-2006 12:20 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Frederic Janik   Click Here to Email Frederic Janik     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks to Al and everyone for the stories that were told.

I too was shocked when I learned the news. I had the privilege of meeting Scott Crossfield in Dayton in 2003 and he was very gracious with me in answering questions and signing my copy of his book.

My thoughts go to his family.

Frederic

albatron
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posted 04-23-2006 07:47 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for albatron   Click Here to Email albatron     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Ahh Fred - that was when we met in person the 1st time also. What a fantastic weekend that was.

Thanks for the kind words, Scott was a true legend.

James Brown
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posted 04-24-2006 10:48 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for James Brown   Click Here to Email James Brown     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
April 24, 2006

Witness: Crossfield's Plane "Hit By Lightning"
By Russ Niles
Newswriter, Editor

quote:
It should not be taken as fact -- eyewitness reports are rarely as accurate as the term suggests -- but one man who lives a few hundred yards from where the main wreckage of test pilot Scott Crossfield's 1960 Cessna 210 crashed last Wednesday said he saw the plane get hit by lightning just before it went down in mountains. "The plane just lit up, and then it went up a couple thousand feet and wheeled around," Gene Stone, 66, who lives near the border of Gordon and Pickens counties, about 70 miles north of Atlanta, told Cox News Services. "I thought it was heading back to the Gordon County airport, but then it sounded like the engine just cut off, and it went over the top of the pines as fast as it could."

A vicious thunderstorm, with reports of hail as large as golf balls, was reported in the area. Weather at Dalton, GA (DNN) near the route of flight was: wind 120 at 12, gusts to 24; visibility 3/4 statute miles in thundershowers; clouds broken at 400, overcast at 1500 feet. Crossfield had filed IFR out of Prattville, AL (1A9) for Manassas, VA (HEF). The flight plan was for 11,000 feet at 148 kts. Crossfield left Pratville, Ala., about 9 a.m. and dropped off radar screens about 11:14 a.m. Crossfield's last radio transmission was a request to divert south of his intended flight path to avoid weather. According to FlightAware's depiction of his track (free subscription required), he went down just after making the southward turn. FlightAware's data tracking function reports that the aircraft's speed dropped to 96 mph before radar contact was lost. The FAA's preliminary report on the crash notes thunderstorms were in the area with wind gusts up to 24 knots. Crossfield's body was found in the wreckage about 12:30 p.m. on Thursday in a wooded ravine about six miles east of Ranger, Ga. Scott Crossfield was 84.


OOTWCook
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posted 04-24-2006 11:24 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for OOTWCook   Click Here to Email OOTWCook     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The true meaning of the word Hero can be best understood in the classic description, here taken from The Greek Myths, by Kingsley Ames:

"I am Pallas Athene; and I know the thoughts of all men's hearts, and discern their manhood or their baseness. And from the souls of clay I turn away, and they are blest, but not by me. They fatten at ease, like sheep in a pasture, and eat what they did not sow, like oxen in the stall. They grow and spread, like the gourd along the ground; but like the gourd they give no shade to the traveler, and when they are ripe death gathers them, and they go unloved into hell, and their name vanishes out of the land.

"But to the souls of fire I give more fire, and to those who are manful I give a might more than man's. These are the heroes, the sons of the immortals."

Here's to Scott Crossfield-our Hero: As long as we remember them, they are immortal.
I would like to thank the Red Star Aviation Museum homepage for this.

James Brown
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posted 04-28-2006 04:29 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for James Brown   Click Here to Email James Brown     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Associated Press: Test pilot's plane broke up in storm
quote:
The wreckage of famed test pilot Scott Crossfield's single-engine plane indicates it broke apart over North Georgia during a severe thunderstorm, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report.

Crossfield, who in the early 1950s was the first person to fly at twice the speed of sound, died April 19 while en route from Prattville, Ala., to his home in Manassas, Va., in his Cessna 210A.

The 84-year-old pilot was the only person aboard when the plane crashed into mountainous terrain in Gordon County.

The NTSB report, released Thursday, said Crossfield checked in with Atlanta air traffic controllers and shortly after 11 a.m. asked to turn to the south because of bad storms in the region.

Radar contact was lost at 11:10 a.m. when the plane was at 5,500 feet, just after the plane entered a Level 6 thunderstorm, the severest type, the report said.

The Federal Aviation Administration says a Level 6 storm is characterized by high wind and severe turbulence.

The report said debris from the aircraft was found in two areas about a mile apart, with the main wreckage in a crater 4 feet deep.

"The wreckage distribution was consistent with a low-altitude in-flight breakup," the report said.

Limited damage to the tree canopy also showed the plane plunged nearly straight down, the report said.

Parts of the airframe, engine and propeller blades were taken to a local Department of Transportation accident reconstruction yard.

The report said investigators uncovered no mechanical or other problems with the plane that would have caused the crash.


James Brown
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posted 04-28-2006 06:31 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for James Brown   Click Here to Email James Brown     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
From the NTSB:
quote:
Ludville, Georgia, April 19, 2006

On April 19, at approximately 11:10 am EDT, a Cessna 210A, N6579X, rapidly descended into remote mountainous terrain near Ludville, Georgia, after entering an area of thunderstorms. The pilot, well-known test pilot A. Scott Crossfield, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed at the time of the accident. The accident flight departed Prattville - Grouby Field Airport, Prattville, Alabama, at 10:05, and was en route to Manassas Regional/Harry P. Davis Field Airport, Manassas, Virginia.

At 10:18 am, the pilot checked-in with Atlanta Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) and was subsequently handled by four sectors. The accident airplane was cleared to 11,000 feet. The pilot was not issued weather advisories or related SIGMETS, according to Atlanta ARTCC voice communications. At 11:09:28 am, the pilot asked to deviate to the south due to weather. Atlanta ARTCC approved the turn to the south, but radar contact was lost at 11:10:02 am at 5,500 feet. Recorded radar data indicate that the accident airplane entered a level 6 thunderstorm prior to the loss of radar contact.

The airplane impacted about 3.3 nautical miles northwest of Ludville, Georgia, in rugged wooded terrain. The associated debris was located in two general areas, situated about 1 mile apart from each other. The wreckage distribution was consistent with a low altitude in-flight breakup.

The main wreckage was situated in a four-foot deep crater. There was limited damage to the overhead tree canopy, consistent with a near vertical descent path. The main wreckage consisted of the cockpit, engine, propeller, left and right main wing spars, nose and main landing gear, left and right flap, and portions of the empennage. The second area of wreckage consisted of portions of the left and right wing leading edges, the upper portion of the vertical stabilizer leading edge and tip rib, a small section of aileron and the left cabin door. The two ailerons and the outboard portion of the right elevator were not recovered during the on-scene investigation. Two of the three propeller blades have been recovered, both of which exhibit chordwise scratches and blade twist. All four corners of the airplane have been located; cockpit/engine, left wing, empennage, right wing, and fuselage. The major airframe components, engine, and recovered propeller blades were transported to a local Department of Transportation accident reconstruction yard.

A two-dimensional wreckage layout confirmed flight control cable circuit continuity for ailerons, elevators, and rudder. The flaps and landing gear were fully retracted. Functional testing and disassembly of the wet vacuum pump showed no evidence of pre-impact failure. No gyros instruments were found intact. No liberated gyros were found at the accident site. The on-scene investigation did not reveal any pre-impact anomalies that would have prevented the normal operation of the airplane or its related systems.

The investigator-in-charge for this accident is Todd Fox of the North Central Regional Office in West Chicago, Illinois. Assisting him in the investigation are the FAA, Cessna Aircraft Company, and Continental Engines. The NTSB identification number for this investigation is CHI06MA115.


ejectr
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posted 04-28-2006 07:30 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ejectr   Click Here to Email ejectr     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Why didn't ATC vector him around the storm and why did they not give him the SIGMET (Significant Meteorology) data?

Jeese...when you call ATC for a turn to the south away from the storm and then lose contact a couple minutes later, you are REALLY into the storm WAY too deep already.

767FO
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posted 04-28-2006 08:04 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for 767FO   Click Here to Email 767FO     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Obviously without knowing any of the details, most of the time ATC will not vector you around thunderstorms (for a variety of reasons: they're not painting it, busy, etc.) It is usually the pilot's responsibility to call them and ask for a deviation. And if they don't call back in time you deviate anyway and tell them your deviating. Many times thunderstorms kind of "creep up" on you. Often a storm doesn't look bad on radar and turns out to be worse than expected. But then I fly an airplane that has a great weather radar, where I'm sure his did not. The bottom line is that it's always the pilot's responsibility to fly the plane...never count on ATC for that.

albatron
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posted 04-28-2006 09:14 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for albatron   Click Here to Email albatron     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
As probably one of the most weather experienced pilots here John - it was good to hear from you. Well said.

I'd like to add, that while his responsibility it doesn't mean he failed. I know that was you're intention, but there's lotsa folks lining up to "oh how could he fly into a t storm". As you have pointed out - it's very easy to unknowingly.

767FO
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posted 04-28-2006 02:12 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for 767FO   Click Here to Email 767FO     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Yes, Al, you are correct in that I wasn't implying that he "failed". The main point of my post was to point out that ATC does very little when it comes to the situation he may have been faced with. They are usually very sharp and aware of thunderstorms that may be nearby, but they usually don't turn you away from a storm unless you request it (which appears to be what Crossfield was in the process of doing).

Having said that, they will often vector you away from a storm if previous air traffic has been deviating. They may say something to the effect of "most of the traffic ahead is deviating south of the weather ahead, which way would you like to go?" Obviously there is more to it that that, but I'm trying to point out that when it comes to thunderstorms there are no hard and fast rules. The situation Crossfield probably found himself in could have happened to any pilot at any skill level. I certainly would never second guess what happened or how he reacted to it. He simply found himself in a bad situation probably very quickly.

As far as SIGMET's go, ATC does usually issue those. But again, we don't know how quickly the storms developed, etc. (for those of us that live in the south during summer months...enough said).

I hope this clears things up a bit and Al I appreciate your post.

ejectr
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posted 04-28-2006 06:37 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ejectr   Click Here to Email ejectr     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Being a pilot myself, I guess I should have worded my post a bit better.

I'm aware that it isn't ATC's job to vector an aircraft around a storm, and it is up to the pilot in command's discretion. When I said why didn't ATC vector him around the storm, I meant it in the premise if doing it by suggesting he do so. I guess I'm too used to talking to other pilots and left out what is usually obvious to us.

I just happened to see the radar that morning before the accident happened and these storms didn't just pop up.

I guess what I should have and meant to say is with the issuance of the Sigmet, why didn't they bother to mention at least the Sigmet and suggest or advise to deviate from his planned course. The NTSB report suggests that the Sigmet was issued prior to the accident and at least the comm with Atlanta ATC didn't mention it to him. If it was issued, why wasn't it mentioned? He was handled by 4 different sectors of ATC and flying IFR, they knew his route of travel from his flight plan that he filed.

I guess at this point of the investigation, we ALL just have speculation.

fabfivefreddy
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posted 04-28-2006 09:23 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for fabfivefreddy   Click Here to Email fabfivefreddy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
What is a level 6 thunderstorm?

-Tahir

ejectr
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posted 04-29-2006 06:27 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ejectr   Click Here to Email ejectr     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It's the highest and worst level there is. Serious downdrafts and up drafts reaching thousands of feet per minute, severe wind, wind shear, cloud to cloud lightning, anvil cloud tops to 50,000 feet.

Effects from these storms can sometimes go out to a radius of 50 miles or more from the storm center. The downdrafts can be so bad that you don't have enough power to overcome them. The turbulence caused by these up and downdrafts will throw an aircraft around like a leaf on the wind and can and will literally rip an aircraft apart.

There's not much one can do if you inadvertantly get caught in one of these but slow down to maneuvering speed, and don't over control. Kind of let go,keep control if you can, pull your seat belt back to your backbone and pray a lot.

Robert Pearlman
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posted 04-29-2006 07:40 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Per the National Aeronautic Association:
quote:
Funeral services for legendary aviator Scott Crossfield will be held at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. The services are scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on August 15.

Rick Boos
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posted 04-29-2006 09:00 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rick Boos   Click Here to Email Rick Boos     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
August 15th? Why so long away Robert?

capoetc
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posted 04-29-2006 09:50 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for capoetc   Click Here to Email capoetc     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
In my experience, you usually have to contact Flight Service to receive SIGMET details -- particularly in extremely busy airspace like the Atlanta area. Typically, ATC says something like, "Attention all aircraft -- the National Weather Service has issued convective SIGMET 92W, valid until 1400. Contact Flight Service for further information."

For those who might not know, "Flight Service" refers to Flight Service Station (FSS), a nationwide system of air traffic facilities that provide a number of services for pilots including filing flight plans, providing notices to airmen (NOTAMs), and providing weather updates on request.

This reminds me of a story ...

I remember once in pilot training at Williams AFB, my primary flight instructor and I were preparing for a T-38 cross country. We were about to get the weather brief, and the IP pointed to the color weather radar screen and gave me some of the best advice I have ever received: "Don't fly into the colored s**t."

I want to make it clear here that I am not suggesting anything about Scott Crossfield's performance -- I try to make it a point not to criticize another pilot's decisions. You just never know for sure what the exact circumstances were unless you were there.

------------------
John Capobianco
Camden DE

ilbasso
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posted 04-29-2006 01:33 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ilbasso   Click Here to Email ilbasso     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Rick Boos:
August 15th? Why so long away Robert?

I have several relatives who are buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Because they do so many burials there every day, it usually takes a month or more to get into the schedule. When my father-in-law died last year, it took almost 2 months to schedule his burial at Arlington. Sitting in the Ft. Myer Chapel at the edge of the cemetery before his funeral, I was interested to note that the hymnals contained several hymns referencing astronauts.

Paul
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posted 04-29-2006 04:41 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Paul   Click Here to Email Paul     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Got my first test pilot autograph from Scott Crossfield way back in 1960...a truly classy gentleman! Godspeed Mr. Crossfield.

Paul

albatron
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posted 04-29-2006 10:08 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for albatron   Click Here to Email albatron     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks John - I appreciate your message greatly as well. You articulated it the best so far.

Bottom line is Crossfield was too good to fly into a mess like that - knowingly - and we should all not lose sight of that.

Been too many people and "experts" (at least expert by assertion) lining up to sniff and say something about "I can't believe he flew into a storm".

As was wisely put by John - speculation has no place in this.

capoetc
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posted 04-30-2006 11:14 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for capoetc   Click Here to Email capoetc     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Weather avoidance is never ATC's responsibility. The pilot in command is responsible for understanding the enroute weather, obtaining weather updates as needed, and requesting avoidance vectors as desired.

Sometimes even great pilots get into difficult situations that the performance of their airplanes cannot get them out of -- I have seen fast moving, fast growing thunderstorms in the SE USA that would severely challenge the performance of many general aviation aircraft.

Godspeed and good tailwinds, Mr. Crossfield.

------------------
John Capobianco
Camden DE

ejectr
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posted 05-01-2006 05:59 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ejectr   Click Here to Email ejectr     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I already said I know it's not ATC's responsibility for weather reporting, but if you're going down the runway taking off with a tire going flat, don't you think the tower might mention it if they saw it? That's not their responsibility either. Their responsibility is the orderly flow and to keep safe distance between aircraft. You can't be black and white when people's lives are on the line.

They knew these storms were there. Don't you think that 1 of the 4 sectors he worked with could have at least mentioned the Sigmet that said the conditions existed? Even the NTSB report brought up the fact that Atlanta ATC didn't mention the Sigmet. It was probably the only comm tape they had from his flight following with an ATC center. Don't you think the NTSB might have had the same thing in mind of why not? I think so or why would they have even brought that up in the report. If Atlanta or the other had mention the Sigmet, they certainly would have put it in the report, also. My view is that they had a question as to why they didn't mention it and view it as one of the failures along the way. Their whole report is a summation of what failed....that's what the NTSB does. Find out what failed to cause the accident and report it.

As I said before, I am also a pilot and know all the black and white and cut and dried rules that we work by. We don't have to give PIREPS (pilot reports) either, but the system is a whole lot better if we do. It doesn't cost any of us pilots or controllers to do a little extra and make the system work better. In this case somewhere it didn't and it failed one of our greatest icons and fabulous human beings besides. That's my thought and I'm sticking to it.

Those storms and conditions didn't just pop up like storms often do in the Southeast. They were there for quite some time causing the Sigmet to be issued and ATC knew it. Even if the storm wasn't painting their radar, they knew there was a Sigmet issued. The NTSB pointed it out that they didn't mention it. The NTSB must have thought they could or should have or they wouldn't have mentioned the fact that Atlanta didn't mention it.

I don't really care whose job it was or wasn't. Somewhere along his route of flight somebody should and could have mentioned it. Nobody did and he's gone....maybe if somebody had, we wouldn't be discussing this at all and THAT's the sad thing about it all.

767FO
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posted 05-01-2006 07:35 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for 767FO   Click Here to Email 767FO     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I think John summed it up well when he said "Sometimes even great pilots get into difficult situations that the pertformance of their airplanes cannot get them out of".

ejectr
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posted 05-01-2006 07:56 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ejectr   Click Here to Email ejectr     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Roger that.....

FutureAstronaut
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posted 05-03-2006 09:02 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for FutureAstronaut     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I wrote a letter to Mr. Crossfield on April 1, and it was a little too late. I got a typed letter along with my letter today.

The letter said: "Thank you for your interest in Scott Crossfield's long and accomplished career in aviation, and for requesting a photograph. We regret that your request could not be honored, as Mr. Crossfield passed away April 19th."

"He greatly appreciated receiving such requests and was always eager to acknowledge his admirere"

"Regards, the Crossfield Family."

God speed Scott!

------------------
Mike

User997
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posted 05-06-2006 11:47 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for User997     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The preliminary NTSB accident report was released a couple days ago. Sadly, it seems to confirm much that has already been reported.

John Youskauskas
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posted 05-07-2006 10:56 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for John Youskauskas     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I might offer one scenario in which the issuance of a Sigmet might be missed...some years ago I was a pax on an airline flight into Charlotte. We had a glass smooth ride down the ILS and broke out at 1000' or so.

By the time we got to the gate it was raining heavily and as we stepped off the plane we heard the horrifying sound of another aircraft (a DC-9) crashing through the trees. A sudden thunderstorm had developed over the field and they were pushed into the ground by one of the most powerful microbursts on record.

The NTSB found among many faults the fact that warnings of the severe weather were not passed along in a timely manner. Specifically one was issued on a frequency the crew had just left, and the new one they checked in on assumed they had the warning from the previous controller.

We may find in the end that these Sigmets were indeed there, but by pure chance, they followed just a few seconds behind where Scott was along the chain of controllers he spoke to along his route through the Atlanta area.

mjanovec
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posted 05-07-2006 11:25 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for mjanovec   Click Here to Email mjanovec     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by John Youskauskas:
By the time we got to the gate it was raining heavily and as we stepped off the plane we heard the horrifying sound of another aircraft (a DC-9) crashing through the trees. A sudden thunderstorm had developed over the field and they were pushed into the ground by one of the most powerful microbursts on record.

Do you have a location and approxmate date for this crash? I'd like to read the NTSB report for it.

John Youskauskas
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posted 05-08-2006 09:17 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for John Youskauskas     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It was July 2, 1994 in Charlotte, NC. The probable cause findings are pretty hard on the crew, but some emphasis is put on the ATC procedures in place at the time.

It mentions the lack of Doppler wx radar at the field, which is true, but they just had a new windshear detection system activated earlier that year that worked perfectly. The information was there...it just never got presented to the crew.

MarylandSpace
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posted 08-15-2006 05:54 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for MarylandSpace   Click Here to Email MarylandSpace     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I attended Scott Crossfield's funeral at Arlington National Cemetary today. It was my first visit to Arlington.

There were many of Scott's friends there. . . among them, test pilots, military, and astronauts.

There was an hour of "visitation" at the administration building followed by the cassion procession to the Columbarium (place where ashes are interred). A four jet flyover caught me off guard. One jet peeled off.

I had been so fortunate to hear Scott lecturing about test piloting three times.

His name always projected positive memories.

However, while driving home, I still felt sad about the loss of one of the nicest persons I have ever met. He was a really nice guy. I admire him too as a scientist and engineer.

collocation
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posted 07-22-2007 02:06 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for collocation   Click Here to Email collocation     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Washington Post:
Famed Pilot Wasn't Warned of Storm
quote:
Air traffic controllers did not alert legendary test pilot Scott Crossfield that he was heading into a severe thunderstorm that is believed to have caused his plane to crash last year, killing the 84-year-old Herndon resident, according to an investigative report released yesterday.

tegwilym
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posted 07-23-2007 01:17 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for tegwilym   Click Here to Email tegwilym     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
That's really sad.

I think the FSS weather briefings were a lot better back then. Recently, the FSS (Flight Service Stations) have been going through some changes and our local Seattle station has moved to California. When we call for a briefing now, we get the most worthless bunch of information possible. It's easy to see that the briefer you talk to now has no clue about the local weather patterns and don't know the airports either. They just read information off the screen. I'm better off just doing my own briefing off Duats and not talking to anyone!

I did see complaints in an article on AOPA's weekly emails, so I know this isn't just a local problem.

collocation
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posted 09-16-2007 01:40 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for collocation   Click Here to Email collocation     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
From today's Washington Post:
Clues Surface in Death of Expert Pilot
quote:
A. Scott Crossfield was flying through thick clouds 10,000 feet above rugged Georgia wilderness when turbulence began to batter his single-engine plane.

The legendary test pilot, who, for a moment in history, was the fastest man alive, had cheated death many times. But not this time. An hour into a flight home from Alabama to Manassas Regional Airport, the Herndon resident plowed straight into an intense thunderstorm. He banked and tried to turn around. But it was too late.

"Atlanta," Crossfield calmly radioed to controllers, "this is Seven Nine X-ray. I'd like to deviate south. Weather." Those were his last known words.


stsmithva
Member

Posts: 1933
From: Fairfax, VA, USA
Registered: Feb 2007

posted 09-16-2007 01:48 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for stsmithva   Click Here to Email stsmithva     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
That was a very good article, full of details about his career, retirement, and of course the day of the crash. The print edition had a sad photo of his son standing in the Crossfields' backyard, surrounded by pieces of the wreckage- a door propped against the wall, etc.- across the street from the elementary school named after him here in northern Virginia.

Steve

collocation
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Posts: 383
From: McLean, VA, USA
Registered: Feb 2004

posted 09-28-2007 10:06 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for collocation   Click Here to Email collocation     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The Washington Post:
NTSB REPORT - Controller, Flier Both At Fault, Panel Finds
A. Scott Crossfield Flew Into Storm
quote:
Famed test pilot A. Scott Crossfield crashed and died last year in a small plane because he didn't request weather updates during his flight and an air traffic controller didn't warn him about severe thunderstorms in his path, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded yesterday.

The 84-year-old Herndon resident was returning from a speech in Alabama when he flew his single-engine Cessna into an intense storm over rugged Georgia terrain April 19, 2006, and crashed. No one else was aboard the plane.

The five-member safety board determined that the probable cause of the crash was "the pilot's failure to obtain updated en route weather information, which resulted in his continued instrument flight into a widespread area of severe convective activity, and the air traffic controller's failure to provide adverse weather avoidance assistance, as required by Federal Aviation Administration directives."

The board's decision was not a surprise. It released investigative reports late in July that detailed the controller's error and Crossfield's decision to fly in the face of looming poor weather.

The controller, Olin T. Hill, has declined to comment.


FFrench
Member

Posts: 3161
From: San Diego
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 05-20-2008 01:03 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for FFrench     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by MarylandSpace:
I attended Scott Crossfield's funeral at Arlington National Cemetary today.
This weekend was my first opportunity to visit Arlington since Crossfield passed away, and I wanted to stop there and pay my respects... always a lovely guy in person, and I was so sad to hear of his passing.


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