Animal rescue flight Mooney down in Catskills

The Catskills and the other mountain ranges along the Hudson River aren't big mountains, but they've been claiming lives in bad weather for over a hundred years. Sunday was very windy with periods of rain, possibly freezing rain at altitude. RIP.
 
fiveoboy01 said:
Seuk was a member of a Facebook group I frequent and he was clearly a good dude.

He had just posted the day before about saving several dogs.

Sad loss.
Click to expand...
We are probably in the same groups. He did a lot of work flying rescues. Also helped organize the hurricane relief effort recently out of JYO/HEF. Never met him in person, but always appreciated the work he did flying dogs. And he just seemed like an overall good guy. Sorry I never got to meet him in person.
 
This is really sad.

I was out flying on Sunday just south of the atea and it was not a friendly day for GA airplanes. While manageable, it was very windy on the surface and the turbulence was reported moderate with airmet but it was definitely one of the bumpiest days I’ve flown in. The ceilings were also decieving. There was one period with broken clouds I was getting rain but with no rain in the forecast. Ceiling was for 5k and I had to be as low as 2.5 in certain instances.

Looking at the adsb, it looks like he was cruising at 8500 but had to change altitude quite a bit towards the end, likely to dodge changing ceilings. This flight was also at night. Altitude would suggest he was not flying ifr.

With the way turbulence and wind was over flat areas I can only imagine being considerably worse over hills of Catskills. I had multiple times needed to slow down to maneuvering speed because of how much I was being thrown around. We have no idea what happened but I suspect potential icing/vmc to imc

I hope his family finds peace. The guy found immense joy in flying and saving animals - the aviation community is grateful for people like him and I hope he rests in peace
 
I helped Seuk out on a cat rescue once & he was active on the Grumman Facebook groups (he just bought his Mooney). He seemed like a great guy who really loved animals and flying. A very sad loss.

What’s so frustrating is that he didn’t have to fly over the Catskills. Deviate 15 miles east and you can fly north along the Hudson and completely avoid terrain.
 
AlleyCat67 said:
What’s so frustrating is that he didn’t have to fly over the Catskills. Deviate 15 miles east and you can fly north along the Hudson and completely avoid terrain.
Click to expand...
I wondered that myself. I assume he was IFR? There was an airmet tango below 8000 for most of the northeast on Sunday. Staying over the river removes terrain as a factor, but you still need to stay high enough to avoid mechanical turbulence when there's a westerly breeze.
 
GeorgeC said:
I wondered that myself. I assume he was IFR? There was an airmet tango below 8000 for most of the northeast on Sunday. Staying over the river removes terrain as a factor, but you still need to stay high enough to avoid mechanical turbulence when there's a westerly breeze.
Click to expand...
he was at vfr altitudes during the flight so likely not ifr

The radar image would suggest there was some rain here and there in the area. Avoiding terrain may have helped survive it but this is seeming line inadvertent icing conditions.

When I was flying on Sunday in the area there was a period I was getting rain with broken clouds, and there was no precipitation in the weather outlook. I was flying at noon with OAT of 6 degrees at 2500. Even though I wasn’t close to icing temp I was a little worried. At high altitudes later in the time he was at the freezing level. I remember even in afternoon it was close to 4-5k. With how his altitude his jumping around towards the end suggests he was avoiding ceilings or rain
 
Code: 
KALB 232351Z 30006G16KT 10SM BKN035 07/01 A2962 RMK AO2 PK WND 28029/2304 SLP031 T00720006 10094 20072 52018 $
KALB 232251Z 29010G19KT 10SM OVC035 07/01 A2960 RMK AO2 SLP025 T00720011 $
KALB 232151Z 28016G21KT 10SM BKN041 07/01 A2958 RMK AO2 PK WND 32027/2059 SLP018 T00720006 $
KALB 232051Z 29013G25KT 10SM BKN041 08/01 A2956 RMK AO2 PK WND 31034/2033 SLP012 T00830006 53017 $
KALB 231951Z 31017G30KT 10SM SCT036 SCT075 BKN100 BKN130 09/01 A2954 RMK AO2 PK WND 29031/1920 SLP004 T00940011 $
KALB 231851Z 29019G31KT 10SM SCT028 BKN037 BKN100 BKN150 08/02 A2952 RMK AO2 PK WND 29033/1832 SLP999 T00830017
KALB 231751Z 28018G34KT 10SM FEW025 BKN038 BKN075 BKN150 08/02 A2951 RMK AO2 PK WND 28035/1740 SLP995 60002 T00780022 10083 20044 55002
 
GeorgeC said:
Code: 
KALB 232351Z 30006G16KT 10SM BKN035 07/01 A2962 RMK AO2 PK WND 28029/2304 SLP031 T00720006 10094 20072 52018 $
KALB 232251Z 29010G19KT 10SM OVC035 07/01 A2960 RMK AO2 SLP025 T00720011 $
KALB 232151Z 28016G21KT 10SM BKN041 07/01 A2958 RMK AO2 PK WND 32027/2059 SLP018 T00720006 $
KALB 232051Z 29013G25KT 10SM BKN041 08/01 A2956 RMK AO2 PK WND 31034/2033 SLP012 T00830006 53017 $
KALB 231951Z 31017G30KT 10SM SCT036 SCT075 BKN100 BKN130 09/01 A2954 RMK AO2 PK WND 29031/1920 SLP004 T00940011 $
KALB 231851Z 29019G31KT 10SM SCT028 BKN037 BKN100 BKN150 08/02 A2952 RMK AO2 PK WND 29033/1832 SLP999 T00830017
KALB 231751Z 28018G34KT 10SM FEW025 BKN038 BKN075 BKN150 08/02 A2951 RMK AO2 PK WND 28035/1740 SLP995 60002 T00780022 10083 20044 55002
Click to expand...
Phew, not good weather for night VFR.
 
While it’s not 100% conclusive, looks like icing or cfit is the likely reason. This is sad and unfortunate, and like many GA accidents didn’t need to happen. I hope he rests in peace. I hope the two surviving dogs recover.
 
1732656695192.jpeg

Those icing PIREPs:
POU UA /OV IGN340020/TM 2237/FL070/TP A319/TA 02/TB CONT LGT CHOP/IC MOD MX

ALB UA /OV ALB150020/TM 2244/FL080/TP B737/TA M03/IC LGT RIME/RM DURD

Nearby METARS:

KMPO 242253Z AUTO 27008KT 10SM -RA BKN012 OVC018 03/02 A2990 RMK AO2 SLP138 P0000 T00280017

KFWN 242253Z AUTO VRB03KT 10SM BKN050 08/00 A2992 RMK AO2 SLP135 T00830000 $

KMGJ 242254Z AUTO 25004KT 10SM SCT060 06/M02 A2990 RMK AO2 SLP127 T00561022

KPOU 242253Z AUTO 26009KT 10SM BKN065 07/M03 A2988 RMK AO2 SLP117 T00721033

TAFs:

KABE 241720Z 2418/2518 28012G21KT P6SM BKN045
FM242100 28009G17KT P6SM BKN050
FM250000 28006KT P6SM FEW050 SCT250
FM251600 25005KT P6SM FEW050

KPOU 241725Z 2418/2518 30016G25KT P6SM OVC050
FM250100 28009KT P6SM FEW045
FM250800 28004KT P6SM SKC
FM251600 27005G12KT P6SM SKC

KALB 242155Z 2422/2518 27012G22KT P6SM FEW025 BKN070
TEMPO 2422/2424 -SHRA BKN025
FM250200 30012G19KT P6SM FEW040
FM250300 28005KT P6SM SKC
FM251600 30008G15KT P6SM SKC

PIREPS:

1732657287795-jpeg.135614


The freezing level would have been between 2000-3000 feet but no active PIREP for icing issued in that area at the time of the crash. There had been one earlier, which expired at 2230z for moderate icing from the bases at 040/010 to tops at 090.

Here’s the graphical icing forecast at the time of the accident:

1732657972565.jpeg

1732657986591.jpeg

But if you go back one hour, the severity was not forecast to be as strong:

1732658109470.png
 

Attachments

  • 1732657287795.jpeg
    1732657287795.jpeg
    2.8 MB · Views: 224
  • 1732657932366.jpeg
    1732657932366.jpeg
    2.8 MB · Views: 16
Sounds like a lot of Smokehouse pilots group members here. I never met him personally, but read plenty of his posts and thought he seemed like a straight up guy.

What was oddly a premonition was a post he made right before the accident about looking up tail numbers of aircraft built adjacent to yours and seeing what's up with them. He noted that the aircraft build immediately before his was involved in a fatal accident...
 

Attachments

  • IMG_4050.png
    IMG_4050.png
    1.3 MB · Views: 56
AlleyCat67 said:
What’s so frustrating is that he didn’t have to fly over the Catskills. Deviate 15 miles east and you can fly north along the Hudson and completely avoid terrain.
Click to expand...
I do this all the time. No reason to fly over the Catskills when there’s flat land right next to them. I’ve been with people who will fly right over the corner of them up near Albany to save 5 minutes of flight time. Never understood it.
 
His track and altitudes say AP to me; I wonder if the tailplane iced up and the AP ran out of trim :confused:
 
MountainDude said:
If I understand the situation correctly, he was flying VFR at night with a significant cloudiness. To me, that flight should never take place. The risk of VFR into IMC is simply too great.
Click to expand...
And the entire flight from at least the NY border is mountainous and largely unlit. Very rural, mountainous terrain. Where he went down the mountain was about 3,100 feet.
 
Echo what most folks are saying, but will add that if you look at a typical shaded terrain map, including the above, you can be deceived a little. Yes, the altitudes are shown correctly of course, but from the shading it often looks like things flatten out and the valley starts sooner than it does. But to the SW of Albany, it doesn't really shallow out until you're pretty close to ALB. The Hudson valley and east of the river are low until about the Mass border, and north and northeast low until Glens Falls, but the SW direction not so much. It's also pretty rough country, more desolate than you might think if not familiar with the area. And as others have pointed out, winter flying around here isn't typically great, especially at night.

Very sad, sounds like a good guy on a noble trip.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top