Local ditching fatal

Someone has not been found yet. The airplane is submerged. I suppose you are right, cause of death 'undetermined'.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Someone has not been found yet. The airplane is submerged. I suppose you are right, cause of death 'undetermined'.
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I guess that I didn't see that in the article. I think that you have more information than I do. Dead is dead, so the particulars are not that important anyway.
 
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kgruber said:
That was not a "ditching."

It was a crash into the water. A COMPLETELY different thing. It is rare that someone dies in a proper ditching. Exceedingly rare.
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What specifically is the difference between an unsuccessful ditching and a "crash into the water"?
 
gismo said:
What specifically is the difference between an unsuccessful ditching and a "crash into the water"?
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although an unsuccessful ditching is a crash a crash into the water is not always an unsuccessful ditching. although the final result may be the same
 
Are we talking about the "lake" in the state park? If so, you have to be pretty talented to hit that and pass up some pretty good spots in the process.
 
Yeah Balmorhea lake isn't exactly a large target.
 
I flew over the area yesterday on our way to Pecos... just a fun flight not to look at the lake necessarily... didn't see anyone/activity at all. There are lots of good places to make an ER landing out there. I'm wondering if he had a heart attack or something that left him unconscious and the plane just crashed there - He was 77yrs old. No one in a conscious state would have done that - even w/ mechanical failures there seemed enough room to miss the water. Time will tell I spose if we hear what the autopsy says etc etc
 
I sure hope it wasn't like this one - that's what some of the details reminded me of. San Angelo 15 yrs ago, bored freight dog. Not a good way to go.


PS ditching
- 4 dictionary results
ditch
   /dɪtʃ/ Show Spelled[dich] Show IPA
5.
to crash-land on water and abandon (an airplane).

Your dictionary could well have another definition!
 
This probably qualifies as no better than gossip, but word around town is that there was a request for help via atc to have the DPS block part of I-10 for a landing, before they went to the water.
Also that it was a Dr.(body recovered) and his wife (no word yet).
 
gismo said:
What specifically is the difference between an unsuccessful ditching and a "crash into the water"?
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This is a distinction lost on many pilots it seems. The difference is landing in the water, under control, using any procedures specified in your POH is a ditching. It's like the difference in a landing in a field and making a smoking hole. In my case, the ditching wasn't even classified as an accident by the NTSB - like a belly slide on the runway would be.
 
Doggtyred said:
Whether the aircraft was in a controlled flight posture as it contacted the water.
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I agree but I hadn't seen any credible reports on the accident in this thread to indicate whether the airplane descended into the water in "controlled flight". Perhaps my question should have been "How can you tell that this was a crash into the water rather than an unsuccessful ditching?".
 
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