When we think of plane crashes, our minds immediately jump to well-known instances like the 1999 John F. Kennedy Jr. fatality or the “Miracle on the Hudson.” These events receive an enormous media response, gluing families across the nation to their living room televisions.
The rarity of such widespread coverage creates the illusion that plane crashes, in general, are rare. The tragic reality is that people die in plane crashes nearly every day. In fact, 2020 saw a small spike in fatal passenger aircraft crashes worldwide despite fewer planes being used, with 299 incidents reported as opposed to 257 in 2019.
What Do Planes Crash?
According to Boeing, only 20% of plane crashes involve mechanical failure; roughly 80% of today’s plane crashes are human-caused. People naturally make mistakes, but in the aviation industry, one error can quickly turn deadly.
In June of 2019, King Air flight 350 ended in devastation when the propeller airplane lost thrust in one of its two engines upon takeoff from Addison Airport in Texas and crashed into a nearby hangar, killing both pilots and all eight passengers on board. However, despite the mechanical failure, the National Transportation Safety Board recently reported the crash was due to pilot error.
“After the left engine lost almost all thrust several seconds after takeoff, the pilot responded to the emergency with left rudder input, the opposite action of what the emergency called for,” NTSB said. The report also said that the pilots eventually did apply the right rudder as protocol commands, but by the time they corrected their mistake, it was too late. Investigators claimed that the accident could have been prevented if the pilots would have instead applied the right rudder from the beginning.
It Happens Close to Home
Oregon has seen its fair share of tragedy when it comes to airplanes. In 2018, Oregon saw 24 fatal plane crashes. Last November, father and son pilots Jared and Gavin Sabin died after crashing a Cessna 150 in Mt. Hood National Forest.
While the NTSB is still investigating the incident, there were several factors that may have contributed, including bad weather, according to a report published on November 17, 2020.
Not long after taking off from McNary Field Airport in Salem, Sabin communicated with ATC that “worsening weather conditions” were forcing him to divert to Eastern Oregon Regional Airport in Pendleton from his original destination of Portland-Troutdale Airport. Shortly after, Sabin requested a flight plan to divert to Baker City Municipal instead, and started flying south of Mt. Hood along the Columbia River Gorge due to ATC’s warning of “mild to moderate precipitation” northwest.
A few minutes later, the pilot declared an emergency after claiming his instruments were frozen — likely due to the freezing temperatures. After losing a grasp on his surroundings due to the loss of navigation, ATC claimed the aircraft “entered a left-hand spiral type descent” and lost all contact with the control center.
A Portland-area cargo pilot who asked to remain anonymous said he was flying the morning of November 16 along a similar route. “There were lots of pilot reports that day of ice in the area and multiple aircraft were diverting left and right of the course,” the pilot said. He added that Cessnas are not designed to fly well in icy conditions, which may have contributed to the instruments failing.
A Close Call
In March of 2019, Corvallis Airport made local news when a Cessna 140 flipped just after landing due to the pilot losing control. Miraculously, both pilots were unharmed. According to a report of the crash, the pilot in command (PIC), Larry Lowenkron, 77, let the co-pilot, Betty Weidenhaft, 55, attempt the final piece of a three-point landing.
“When the main tires touched the runway, we had a slight bounce,” Weidenhaft said in the report. “I added a touch of power, had a much smaller bounce, landed. The plane veered right, I applied left rudder to correct to centerline. I overcorrected, applied right rudder, the plane veered back to the right, then got squirrely.”
Weidenhaft added that the prop then hit the runway and the plane flipped all the way over. The NTSB deemed the cause of the crash to be “the pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in a propeller strike and subsequent nose-over.”
The aircraft suffered significant damage in the event.
Hazardous Attitudes
In addition to weather, aircraft malfunction, and other negative flying contributions, the Federal Aviation Administration lists five “hazardous attitudes” of pilots that can contribute to accidents while flying. These attitudes are:
- Anti-authority. In other words, the pilot does not like being corrected or told he has made a mistake.
- Impulsivity. This happens when the pilot makes a quick decision based on emotion rather than thinking before he acts. This attitude is also known as “get there-itis,” where a pilot rushes through checklists and procedures in order to get to the destination more quickly.
- Invulnerability. This depicts a pilot who thinks nothing bad can happen to them. Therefore, steps may be skipped and checklists not completed.
- Macho. Due to pride and the need to impress, pilots with this attitude are more likely to take unsafe risks while flying.
- Resignation. With this attitude, the pilot lacks confidence and is more likely to give up in the face of an emergency situation.
“The truth is, anyone can be guilty of one or more of these hazardous attitudes, which are a normal part of human nature,” a 2018 article stated. “Understanding these attitudes and recognizing when they occur will help pilots make better decisions and avoid unnecessary danger.”
When We Don’t Know Why
Sometimes, planes crash and we never find out why.
In January of this year, a pilot and passenger were killed when a Cessna Citation 560 crashed into the Mutton Mountains near Warm Springs, roughly 120 miles East of Portland. According to news reports, the aircraft was en route from Portland-Troutdale Airport to Boise when the pilot veered away from the assigned altitude. When ATC attempted to make contact, the pilot did not respond, and soon after, the plane began a “long spiraled descent from about 30,000 feet, eventually crashing about eight minutes later.”
Despite continuous attempts to reach the pilot during this time, ATC was unsuccessful. Because of the extended loss of contact, hypoxia or other pilot incapacitation are suspected, but such events are difficult to prove. A February article claimed the pilot was inexperienced and not yet certified to fly that particular aircraft, but the investigation is still ongoing. Will we ever discover the truth behind the horrific collision? Maybe, maybe not.
By: Rebekah Harcrow
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