Reason pilots wear seatbelts.

[kenvlach]

Pilot snarls aircraft in power lines, knocking out power in neighborhood

A single-engine 1979 Piper did a nosedive in Milwaukee on Saturday night (Nov. 12, 2005). Luckily for the pilot, the plane brushed a tree and snagged a lot of power lines, stopping with the nose of the plane 3 feet from the ground. Also, the wings cracked but didn't come off. The pilot was unhurt. Two great photos with the news story at

http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/nov05/370162.asp

Photos:

http://www.jsonline.com/multimedia/....com/graphics/news/img/nov05/plane1111205.jpg

http://www.jsonline.com/multimedia/....com/graphics/news/img/nov05/plane2111205.jpg

 

[wes616]

Just think - if only he'd bought a lottery ticket, instead of starting up his airplane...

....I'd say that he's used a lifetime of luck right there! Keep that man out of Vegas.

Wes C.
------------------------------
In this house, we OBEY the laws of thermodynamics! - Homer Simpson

 

[kenvlach]

A follow-up, from

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=401665&date=2/14/2006

Agency revokes license of man who crashed plane
"An Elkhorn man whose small plane crashed into utility lines in the Riverwest neighborhood in November has had his pilot's license revoked for committing eight federal aviation violations.

An emergency order of revocation sent Jan. 30 to David J. Betts by the Federal Aviation Administration highlights the infractions, which included flying drunk and flying too low over a city.
...
According to the order, Betts had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.286 at the time of the crash, more than seven times the legal limit to fly."

-- Guess it's true that you're less likely to break something in a crash if completely relaxed.

 

[kontiki99]

You have to love General Aviation. It reminds me of my first job as a new A&P for a small FBO.

I came in one morning and my boss told me that one of the clients had landed one of the planes in the nearby river.

Apparently our customer had been drinking and was with his secretary and his dog. The dog died.

And Oh yeah, our IA did the 100 hour on the plane last month, but forgot to sign the log book and wasn't here now. Would I sign off the 100 hour check before the FAA got there?

Of course I didn't.