Extraction from NTSB report “Records from the pilot's usual source of care, the Veterans Administration, for the period between January 2015 and the accident date were obtained and reviewed. The records documented that the pilot had hypertension, high cholesterol, obstructive sleep apnea, neurogenic bladder, cataracts, peripheral neuropathy, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). At the time of his last annual exam (March 2017), he was prescribed atenolol and lisinopril to treat his blood pressure, simvastatin for his cholesterol, use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine for his sleep apnea, and citalopram and trazodone for his psychiatric disease. Records indicated that the pilot complained of worsening symptoms from PTSD, including nightmares and intrusive thoughts, during the end of 2016 and early 2017. This was apparently brought on by legal issues. The underlying issue was that the pilot had been discovered misrepresenting his military service, which had been revealed on the internet by a group he considered "terrorists." The pilot was facing charges for repeatedly breaking the conditions of a restraining order regarding threatening the wife of the individual who revealed his misrepresentation. The pilot's wife told investigators that she was unaware that her husband was being treated for mental health issues”
Even the final report presented no evidence that any of these were a direct cause of the crash. You thumbnail title is very misleading. "Sick" sounds like he had nausea or a sudden-onset flu or something. No need to be clickbaity. First time here for me. Bad first impression. In these cases, I generally return to the thumbnail, select the dropdown menu, and click "Do not recommend videos from this channel." You don't gain by being clickbaity.
It's sad. I bet this man was a great pilot at one point who, like many of us, would never imagine he'd destroy an airplane in straight and level flight on a clear day. The reality is that you often don't know when you're mentally impaired because your ability to self assess diminishes along with all other cognitive function. Airlines remedy this with 2 guys up front (for now). I do the same whenever I fly GA.
We always fly two crew. Even with significantly differing qualifications, we fly by the book two crew. Either one of us can take command if and when necessary, any questions will be held until the ramp.
Sad but true. I have various pilot licenses/ratings. But at age 81 I would not even consider going up without another currently qualified pilot in the other seat.
If the mental state of the pilot at the time of accident could not be determined (using the words you typed on screen), then it's inappropriate to have "Mentally unstable" in the subject heading.
@@whatilearnttoday5295 exactly - in fact, if he was on medication then it's likely to be controlled; notwithstanding that he may not pass a medical in order to continue flying as medication may degrade his ability to fly.
@@QFWP I'd say this maybe a mistake of the English language....maybe he thinks mentally unstable means he's not all there in the head maybe old age, medication or even just having a off day mentally....but the caption makes it seems he's suicidal.
As quoted from the video: "The pilots mental state at the time of the accident could not be established" and yet the title of this video seems to have established that.
All this chatter about him being mentally unstable, I think the fucker manning the tower and ATC drove him nuts. That guy was a huge dick. The first words the pilot called in with were "with Alpha", then several minutes later, after the tower berates him about "2500, 3500, 4500, 5500, 6500" if he had Alpha. Then he gets in the air and KFMY berates him for trying to fly while struggling to give readbacks and call sign.....if this guy wasn't mentally unstable before talking to these jag-offs, he certainly was after. I'll bet the FAA heard these recordings and decided to go with "pilot had mental issues" to sweep it under the rug.
All this chatter about him being mentally unstable, I think the fucker manning the tower and ATC drove him nuts. That guy was a huge dick. The first words the pilot called in with were "with Alpha", then several minutes later, after the tower berates him about "2500, 3500, 4500, 5500, 6500" if he had Alpha. Then he gets in the air and KFMY berates him for trying to fly while struggling to give readbacks and call sign.....if this guy wasn't mentally unstable before talking to these jag-offs, he certainly was after. I'll bet the FAA heard these recordings and decided to go with "pilot had mental issues" to sweep it under the rug.
@@curtbressler3127 You can be as stupid as you fucking want but you're wrong and you should be locked up for life for deciding to support endangering others.
@@shreddder999 Tower, although the responsibility ultimately lies with the pilot, it wouldn't hurt to alert him that something about his behavior seemed unusual.
@@RealWoutLies I’ve heard a few IRL. I was taxiing to the run up area and it was a student first solo, he was so nervous to go by him self he kept fumbling on the radio and ground said “Cessna xxx, taxi request denied, let me know when you’re ready to copy a number” I went out and did my flight and came back, and I walked into the club to check the plane back in and asked around what was up with someone from the club getting a number. Turns out ground wasn’t sure if he was allowed to be soloing, or if he was okay, and they just wanted to make sure he was going to be able to land the plane fine. It cost the kid a half hour delay but he got his first solo!
@@lasagnapotato3853what about a controller who was mentally ill yes I know everyone has to be kept safe but their unions would becup in arms if soneone rang a numv3r and expressed concerns about their mrntwl health
I know a lot of retired military aviators that are out there flying without a current medical because they can't pass the exam. There's no way this guy had a current medical.
@@bobmillerick300 That 3rd class should go away. It's a joke. 100 million cars on the road in close formation with zero medial exams. Why do you need one to fly a light civil? The Basic Medical has provided some relief from the stupidity out there with the FAA medical establishment. How do you feel about there going along with mandating an experimental gene therapy? Medical issues aside why do you make a snide comment about retired military pilots? You don't know what the F you are talking about is the real problem here.
It's Florida. Full of old people with too much money and attitude. This pilot was 68 and in very poor health such that he was extremely unlikely to pass any aviation medical. Hence, he was flying under 'sports pilot' regulations which do not require a medical. He was an accident waiting to happen.
@fjbtube6278 how much atc experience do you have lol this sounds like daily traffic to us. If actually none, it would be when pilots slur words or say completely irrelevant things. But it's always situationally dependent
Unfortunately ATC doesn’t have the authority to do that in most cases. There are a lot of stupid drivers out there with licenses that are just as entitled to drive as the rest of us.
He had 540 hours of flight experience but was flying under the 'sports pilot' category. This does not require a current aviation medical (which he could not possibly have passed). Possession of a valid driving license is considered sufficient proof of acceptable good health, however you are not supposed to be granted a license if you have hypertension, heart disease or mental illness. If you have previous applied for, and failed, an FAA aviation medical, you are also excluded. So this 68 year old individual was in extremely poor health with both hypertension and a serious heart condition. He was also taking medication with a psychoactive component. I think it's fair to say he should not have been in the air and was truly an accident waiting to happen. Personally I would like to see the Sports Pilot category eliminated (there is an alternate called a Recreational License which requires a medical exam). We should be grateful his aircraft was not involved in a mid-air incident or hurt someone on the ground. You can read a more complete description of the accident here: asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/204888
Air Traffic Control and Ground Control are not supposed to be gatekeepers to validate pilots or their aircraft. They are not really there to be the air police. They are there to do the best to ensure that everything runs efficiently and correctly, and provide assistance when needed. The FAA is really the authority and enforcement arm and they operate mainly on a post-event analysis with a 'see something say something' system. That means there is little proactive enforcement. That does leave quite a bit of room for someone who knows enough to navigate the system well enough to cause danger and havoc with that setup.
@@LogicalNiko You are correct but there is the issue of medicals. Those issues he had did not occur suddenly but over a period of time. He also was taking medications which need to be disclosed for a medical renewal. Blood pressure and heart rate are also taken during a medical. Somewhere the systems let him and the rest of us down.
He sounded slightly mentally impared but agreeable and cooperative. I was thinking maybe his communication gear was not the best. He didn't sound briefed on communication anywhere in the flight. But he was trying and dealing with flight or navigation issues it sounded like. Was his mike keyed at the end? RIP
Is it possible for tower to deny runway takeoff acknowledging that guy had such a difficult time following simple instructions on the ground? For safety reasons?
@Flight_Follower please change the title. As I understand it, there is nothing that says he was mentally unstable at the time of the incident. Many, many people (even pilots) successfully treat depression and PTSD with medication and they are more likely to be stable than those who have yet to seek help. Unless you can prove it, the characterization could be considered libelous.
Exactly abd very triggering yo us secerly jentally I'll OK we font have to read it but as a channel unless uou can prove it you shouldn't be saying it just my opinion
I’m sad for his family and friends. This was hard to listen to. He sounded like someone who taught himself how to fly but never studied airport or radio procedures, types of navigation, or much else beyond actually flying the “experimental” he had. Anyone who has gone through training knows those basic things. I believe that there is more to this story.
I just got sad watching this. It is obvious that the pilot had health problems. I wish all the best to his family. I am sure he was a good pilot...but this time he took off with a serious health issue.
@@ahmadsamadzai8255 Your assumption does not lead to anything. " He was a bad pilot"....quite too convenient. He wasn´t a student pilot and he did not have a death wish either. Something must have been wrong with him. His behaviour was out of the ordinary. He made a ton of mistakes and it gave me goosebumps listening to this recordings.
@matthendricks9666 Why would it be health issues? There's nothing in the audio suggesting he was having health issues. What is clear, however, is that he couldn't follow taxi instructions. He couldn't follow a heading or keep an altitude. His comms sounded like a guy flying on his 1st few flights. He lost control of the plane. That's what I hear from this whole audio.
I know nothing about psychoactive medications, but I have known people who take meds to be normal, as opposed to misusing to get some effect. They all have one thing in common, they don’t make sense.
I'm on ssris antipsychotics p4escribed by my psychatrist I live in sheltered housing but look after my glat am polite bever harm noone can have a intelligent conversation intrested in art music my computer I mske more thsn sense my brains just wired wrong neurons not giving right doseng mean uou don't make sense
Presumably he drove himself to the airport as well. And the shops, and his relatives houses every week or so. Sadly, this is the luckiest end to an old mans' life.
Im guessing with his health issues one of his meds was a blood pressure medication. Though idk for sure that definitely could have been a issue. They had me on one to help with anxiety. One night I blew through a redlight and I said no more because it would mess me up. Some of these medicines they throw at you have crazy side effects.
Legend has it ATC was still pointlessly yelling at him to read back his call sign all the way to the pearly gates. I know of quite a few controllers who need to remember that they are there to helpfully ASSIST us, not just use us as their own personal verbal punching bags and lash out whenever they are too stressed in their own lives and jobs. This pilot was a mess but ATC had two paths - calmly and helpfully work with the obviously challenged pilot to assist him in a positive way, or hostilely yell at him and nitpick over relatively insignificant minutiae just to make himself feel superior while exponentially increasing the stress level and distracting the focus of a pilot who was already experiencing challenges. ATC chose the latter and the pilot died.
@@MrBugleboybI just can’t help but compare this ATC to the amazing Pittsburg controller who helped out the Maule pilot a few days ago (video on VasAv). Such different outcomes. We need to clone that Pittsburg guy - he’s exceptional.
OK, two things- this video almost certainly does not contain all of the other radio traffic on the frequency. So we cannot accurately judge whether the controller's behavior was warranted or not. If you have an extremely crowded frequency and one guy that can't understand or follow instructions that can severely degrade ATC's ability to "assist us". Second- calling the controllers hostile is laughable. These guys are kittens compared to what Phoenix or SoCal would do to you (on a good day) pulling something like this.
@@pjstewAnd your Phoenix/SoCal controllers are sleepy kittens compared to N90 on a clear calm day, much less when NE weather shows up. You’re missing the point - we should have never gotten to the point where we can compare aggressive, hostile, and completely unhelpful ATC zones. Being busy is no excuse because it’s not a time commitment problem as much as it’s an attitude and snarky control culture problem. This ATC increased his own workload by repeatedly demanding that the pilot respond exactly how he wanted, regardless of whether it was helpful, informative or necessary. His need to assert his authority and control overrode everything else to the point where he was neither helping this pilot nor working any other traffic. Go listen to the Pittsburgh ATC with the Maule pilot. Instead of wasting time churlishly demanding he respond with his call sign after every communication he asked “do you need help”. That changed everything and that pilot is alive today because that ATC understood his mission (and is an excellent controller).
@@kathrynslye471 Oh I get your point 100%, and I don't completely disagree with it. But I am of the opinion that there is not enough information/context given in this video to determine whether your observation is applicable and even if it is, whether it was a contributor to the mishap.
Sounds like the pilot was so intent on looking for traffic that he didn't hold straight & level flight. The nose tilted up causing a stall & spin. Instead of recovering the pilot got on his radio and called "Mayday!"
The psychoactive medications could have caused him to be "mentally unstable," as in "the lights are on but nobody's home." That is not the same as being mentally ill, deranged, or suicidal. He was aware of enough to call "Mayday."
Psychoactive meds are to help uour sympyons that's how you would feel BEFORE you were on yhe meds people even with mild psychosis these meds are really life saving
Fort Myers approach is famously, how shall I say, not warm and fuzzy but this is everyday stuff as a GA pilot (I am one and I fly through there a few times a year). The ATC instructions given are completely standard and simple and, particularly a Florida pilot (due to the diverse traffic) should be able to handle in their sleep. Getting balled out by ATC is also a badge of honor to most pilots. Let me also say that his destination airport of X01 is one short runway with water on three sides and this was in 2018 before they lengthened it last year or two. He would probably be in trouble making that approach.
Yes jot a great attitude again hiving green light that it's all right yo have an attitude cto somrone who may or may not have a mental illness tact is the order of the day, yodic prople see these videos snd arnt mature enough not to copy behaviour and attitude and say that ATC controller was demeaning so I Joe public can copy behaviour
I’m a 61 year old student, learning and forming ideas based on what I see. Pilot was obviously incompetent. If you can’t ground him, you’re definitely gonna have to hold his hand while in your airspace. Maybe this situation requires some in service training on ATC’s part. This seems a failed opportunity on atc part.
You dound good font form opinions on what you see and hear form your own jot bring funny but I guess you're young were living in a cruel eorld where people dsn ve rude unkind uncaring don't join thrm you seem nice
My instructors always told me that radio etiquette is important, not just for safety of flight, but it also shows competency in the airplane to the controller. If you sound like a 'student' on the radio, you'll get treated as such.
Controllers didnt need to be unprofessional. Intimidation, stress, anxiety probably led to this crash. All the controllers had to do was calmly tell him to do what they wanted, maybe even ask him if he didnt have a lot of experience in busy airspace, not browbeat him.
I understand that he has a job to do, but the atc could have been less aggressive. Obviously nothing he said or did directly contribute to the crash, but I feel like he added unecessary stress.
So very true. Those who say they feel safe here are very nieve. Ive been here 35 years have have experienced a lot whenever ive let my guard down ive been targeted
Sorry, but inappropriate video. Your title is clickbait. Shame on you. There is nothing to suggest this pilot was mentally unstable. And there are lots of people running around with 50-75% stenotic cardiac arteries, but that does not mean this was the cause of the accident. Will not be watching this channel again.
Probable Cause: The pilot's unsafe maneuvering and exceedance of the airplane's operating limitations, which resulted in an in-flight failure of the left wing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's underlying physiologic or psychiatric disease. We respect your opinion Thank you
“Records from the pilot's usual source of care, the Veterans Administration, for the period between January 2015 and the accident date were obtained and reviewed. The records documented that the pilot had hypertension, high cholesterol, obstructive sleep apnea, neurogenic bladder, cataracts, peripheral neuropathy, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). At the time of his last annual exam (March 2017), he was prescribed atenolol and lisinopril to treat his blood pressure, simvastatin for his cholesterol, use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine for his sleep apnea, and citalopram and trazodone for his psychiatric disease. Records indicated that the pilot complained of worsening symptoms from PTSD, including nightmares and intrusive thoughts, during the end of 2016 and early 2017. This was apparently brought on by legal issues. The underlying issue was that the pilot had been discovered misrepresenting his military service, which had been revealed on the internet by a group he considered "terrorists." The pilot was facing charges for repeatedly breaking the conditions of a restraining order regarding threatening the wife of the individual who revealed his misrepresentation. The pilot's wife told investigators that she was unaware that her husband was being treated for mental health issues”
@@Flight_Follower you don't know mental illness was involved fid his focyor tell uou his family his medical team no your surmising your welcome to your belief but when your channel could influence people's attitudes maybe causing harm to mentwlly ill uou have a responsibility yo uour viewers. I am dealing with bpd most stigmatised nental geslth condition there is most mentally painful condition there is biggest cause of ducides in uk and usa a illness that xan knock up to 20 years off uour life
Damn.. This was painful to watch, maybe traffic should've asked the pilot to cancel operations, though call not blaming controllers at all. But seems this person clearly had his mind elsewhere, my condolences to his family if any of them reads this message.
@RetreadPhoto I agree, we've all had bad days, but seems whoever released this person to this solo flight also has some degree of responsibility. Are you also a pilot?
Coronvirus or the experimental gene therapy. I'd never heard of that disease until Bruce Willis. Also, I heard of a former squadron mate and excellent pilot who has early dementia at about 62.
You are 100% correct. Communication only successfully occurs when the message is received and comprehended. The speed at which the controller was speaking was a contributing factor as to why the controller had to repeat transmissions. I realize that the controllers are busy at times and become conditioned to talk in this manner even when they are not busy., Regardless, their job is to communicate instructions. He did a poor job of communicating.
@biffhenderson1144 i honestly didn't think atc was talking fast at all. the reason why it sounds fast is because the pilot is not proficient in comms. every atc guy had to repeat things multiple times to him. the guy couldn't do anything right and paid for it.
I don’t see anything wrong with controller. We get a little rusty and need some refresh. Sometime we go flying just to relax and think. The idea is to make everything right with minimum mistakes. Good for the soul to stay sharp
The guy didn’t even know what a proper VFR altitude is. Didn’t understand “advise when ready to taxi”. All over the map even on the ground. Couldn’t follow any instructions in the air. ATC if anything was patient and reasonable.
This guy was a mess from when he started his homebuilt death machine. Glad nobody else was harmed by this pilots actions. Like I have said many times before, they will give anyone a pilot's license now days.
He could have crashed his plane, causing damage to something else, like another plane or somebody's house. Why was he allowed in the air piloting a plane?
They didn't mention the collaterals, though. So I assumed he just damaged a tree or some ground. I was just saying that he could have endangered somebody's life other than his own.
Hmm okay. Then the question should have been why did he manage to obtain a license despite his conditions. He didn't need to submit his medical certificate after all, since it's not mandatory. And about those incompetent pilots you mentioned, it really seems like whoever was responsible for their licenses didn't do a fine job, or just the evaluation process as a whole.
All this chatter about him being mentally unstable, I think the fucker manning the tower and ATC drove him nuts. That guy was a huge dick. The first words the pilot called in with were "with Alpha", then several minutes later, after the tower berates him about "2500, 3500, 4500, 5500, 6500" if he had Alpha. Then he gets in the air and KFMY berates him for trying to fly while struggling to give readbacks and call sign.....if this guy wasn't mentally unstable before talking to these jag-offs, he certainly was after. I'll bet the FAA heard these recordings and decided to go with "pilot had mental issues" to sweep it under the rug.
The American diet strikes again, high levels of carbs sugarand processed foods are killing us. yet we just let the gov do what they do best and lie. Poor man I hate hearing final words of a fellow pilot.
This ATC tower, and maybe surrounding ones, need a serious audit. Sounds like everything is broken, and everyone are auction callers. It gets too easy to ignore, when it is routine. "Normal" pilots would need a lot of experience to fly safely in this area. But that's america for ya ☕️🤡🌐
This is normal speech…….if you want fast you go to NYC approach. Also when he repeated at 0.50 and 0.25 speed he still got it wrong so……? But its safe to say that he’s medically unfit to fly by himself and the FAA needs to explain who approved his tragic medical record
Extraction from NTSB report
“Records from the pilot's usual source of care, the Veterans Administration, for the period between January 2015 and the accident date were obtained and reviewed. The records documented that the pilot had hypertension, high cholesterol, obstructive sleep apnea, neurogenic bladder, cataracts, peripheral neuropathy, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). At the time of his last annual exam (March 2017), he was prescribed atenolol and lisinopril to treat his blood pressure, simvastatin for his cholesterol, use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine for his sleep apnea, and citalopram and trazodone for his psychiatric disease.
Records indicated that the pilot complained of worsening symptoms from PTSD, including nightmares and intrusive thoughts, during the end of 2016 and early 2017. This was apparently brought on by legal issues. The underlying issue was that the pilot had been discovered misrepresenting his military service, which had been revealed on the internet by a group he considered "terrorists." The pilot was facing charges for repeatedly breaking the conditions of a restraining order regarding threatening the wife of the individual who revealed his misrepresentation. The pilot's wife told investigators that she was unaware that her husband was being treated for mental health issues”
@@Flight_Follower ooof, safe to say this guy was a concern. How was he subverting his medical? Surely, AME would pause at his condition.
He had a sports pilot license
Apparently medical is not not mandatory for sports pilots
@@Flight_Follower Under part 61.23 c there are a whole bunch of qualifiers to this. Too many to list here.
@@Flight_Follower oh lord, surprised he was allowed on the ramp with that scroll.
Even the final report presented no evidence that any of these were a direct cause of the crash. You thumbnail title is very misleading. "Sick" sounds like he had nausea or a sudden-onset flu or something. No need to be clickbaity. First time here for me. Bad first impression. In these cases, I generally return to the thumbnail, select the dropdown menu, and click "Do not recommend videos from this channel." You don't gain by being clickbaity.
He didn't sound mentally unstable. Just sounded like a bush pilot not used to busy airports.
It's sad. I bet this man was a great pilot at one point who, like many of us, would never imagine he'd destroy an airplane in straight and level flight on a clear day. The reality is that you often don't know when you're mentally impaired because your ability to self assess diminishes along with all other cognitive function. Airlines remedy this with 2 guys up front (for now). I do the same whenever I fly GA.
We always fly two crew. Even with significantly differing qualifications, we fly by the book two crew. Either one of us can take command if and when necessary, any questions will be held until the ramp.
Sad but true. I have various pilot licenses/ratings. But at age 81 I would not even consider going up without another currently qualified pilot in the other seat.
I hate to laugh at this but "let's make it 5,000" killed me
If the mental state of the pilot at the time of accident could not be determined (using the words you typed on screen), then it's inappropriate to have "Mentally unstable" in the subject heading.
Absolutely. Nothing about the audio here indicated "mentally unstable" in any way.
@@whatilearnttoday5295 exactly - in fact, if he was on medication then it's likely to be controlled; notwithstanding that he may not pass a medical in order to continue flying as medication may degrade his ability to fly.
Ok. Mentally deficient.
@@QFWP I'd say this maybe a mistake of the English language....maybe he thinks mentally unstable means he's not all there in the head maybe old age, medication or even just having a off day mentally....but the caption makes it seems he's suicidal.
Enabler
St. Peter, at the pearly gates: "262 WS, care to enter?"
Pilot: "Yes"
St. Peter: "Denied, didn't give me your call sign."
Yes..
As quoted from the video: "The pilots mental state at the time of the accident could not be established" and yet the title of this video seems to have established that.
I was thinking exactly the same. It's a big conclusion to be jumping to.
Defaming dead people for clicks is all the rage apparently.
"Sick" is likely referring to his enlarged heart...
All this chatter about him being mentally unstable, I think the fucker manning the tower and ATC drove him nuts.
That guy was a huge dick. The first words the pilot called in with were "with Alpha", then several minutes later, after the tower berates him about "2500, 3500, 4500, 5500, 6500" if he had Alpha. Then he gets in the air and KFMY berates him for trying to fly while struggling to give readbacks and call sign.....if this guy wasn't mentally unstable before talking to these jag-offs, he certainly was after. I'll bet the FAA heard these recordings and decided to go with "pilot had mental issues" to sweep it under the rug.
Darnit all. Every pilot knows you cant go up impaired or not feeling right. Ego killed this guy
This guy sounds like me on day 2 of pilot school
100% this
In my opinion, he should have been advised to return, or even not take off, as he was clearly unwell.
All this chatter about him being mentally unstable, I think the fucker manning the tower and ATC drove him nuts.
That guy was a huge dick. The first words the pilot called in with were "with Alpha", then several minutes later, after the tower berates him about "2500, 3500, 4500, 5500, 6500" if he had Alpha. Then he gets in the air and KFMY berates him for trying to fly while struggling to give readbacks and call sign.....if this guy wasn't mentally unstable before talking to these jag-offs, he certainly was after. I'll bet the FAA heard these recordings and decided to go with "pilot had mental issues" to sweep it under the rug.
@@curtbressler3127 You can be as stupid as you fucking want but you're wrong and you should be locked up for life for deciding to support endangering others.
by whom?
@@shreddder999 Tower, although the responsibility ultimately lies with the pilot, it wouldn't hurt to alert him that something about his behavior seemed unusual.
@@AlexandreFusco_br except I'm not sure traffic control is allowed to do that
Terrible in every way. Should not have been flying at all
Thank you for your after the crash information about the pilots condition and possible cause of the accident.
This didn't sound good from the get go :(
man this is sad, I wish the controllers couldve denied Taxi, and gave the pilot a number to call to figure out what was going on.
@@flyingfox8360 believe it or not, most tower controllers have this type of conversation on a daily basis
I’ve heard this done. I feel it takes an awareness….. a skill to recognize when the mental radar just went off.
@@RealWoutLies I’ve heard a few IRL. I was taxiing to the run up area and it was a student first solo, he was so nervous to go by him self he kept fumbling on the radio and ground said “Cessna xxx, taxi request denied, let me know when you’re ready to copy a number” I went out and did my flight and came back, and I walked into the club to check the plane back in and asked around what was up with someone from the club getting a number. Turns out ground wasn’t sure if he was allowed to be soloing, or if he was okay, and they just wanted to make sure he was going to be able to land the plane fine. It cost the kid a half hour delay but he got his first solo!
@@lasagnapotato3853what about a controller who was mentally ill yes I know everyone has to be kept safe but their unions would becup in arms if soneone rang a numv3r and expressed concerns about their mrntwl health
very sad. at least no one else was hurt. wish he could have gotten or responded to the help he needed...
I know a lot of retired military aviators that are out there flying without a current medical because they can't pass the exam. There's no way this guy had a current medical.
Don't need a medical to fly light sport which he was
@@Warrior36K Very true. And look how well that worked out for him.
Comparing retired military aviators to this guy who doesn't even sound like he had a license is really a disgusting thing to say.
@@scottw5315 If you cant pass a simple third class medical exam, do you really think you should be piloting an aircraft? Cmon, don't be stupid.
@@bobmillerick300 That 3rd class should go away. It's a joke. 100 million cars on the road in close formation with zero medial exams. Why do you need one to fly a light civil? The Basic Medical has provided some relief from the stupidity out there with the FAA medical establishment. How do you feel about there going along with mandating an experimental gene therapy? Medical issues aside why do you make a snide comment about retired military pilots? You don't know what the F you are talking about is the real problem here.
Yeah you can really tell when someone is unwell rather than just unqualified.
sounds like the pilot exceeded his personal MTBO
This was awful. Probably the worst I've ever heard. Hiw on earth was this guy flying solo in FL?
It's Florida. Full of old people with too much money and attitude. This pilot was 68 and in very poor health such that he was extremely unlikely to pass any aviation medical. Hence, he was flying under 'sports pilot' regulations which do not require a medical. He was an accident waiting to happen.
@davidgapp1457 This was bad even at the sports pilot license. Tragic loss of life.
This guy's decision to fly that day was like walking into a gun powder factory with a lit blow torch. Very sad indeed.
I googled his name. He was a disbarred lawyer, Previously had an aircraft accident where he ran out of fuel.
they say if you have 1 accident you are likely to have another. forget the #'s
So basically he was a cluster fuck.
At what point does ATC notice that this pilot is in trouble and attempt to assist him?
@fjbtube6278 how much atc experience do you have lol this sounds like daily traffic to us. If actually none, it would be when pilots slur words or say completely irrelevant things. But it's always situationally dependent
Nope. They're too busy making him repeat things they've understood.
ATC talking to him way u would a child which means they had grave doubts, which means he should never have been allowed to TO.
Unfortunately ATC doesn’t have the authority to do that in most cases. There are a lot of stupid drivers out there with licenses that are just as entitled to drive as the rest of us.
correct, not an ATC problem.
Exactly they dhould speak to noone like that that's not behaviour that should come from ATC
My question is why did they even let this guy kick off you obviously have no clue what he was doing.
I'm pretty sure he "kicked off" all by himself.
He had 540 hours of flight experience but was flying under the 'sports pilot' category. This does not require a current aviation medical (which he could not possibly have passed). Possession of a valid driving license is considered sufficient proof of acceptable good health, however you are not supposed to be granted a license if you have hypertension, heart disease or mental illness. If you have previous applied for, and failed, an FAA aviation medical, you are also excluded.
So this 68 year old individual was in extremely poor health with both hypertension and a serious heart condition. He was also taking medication with a psychoactive component. I think it's fair to say he should not have been in the air and was truly an accident waiting to happen.
Personally I would like to see the Sports Pilot category eliminated (there is an alternate called a Recreational License which requires a medical exam).
We should be grateful his aircraft was not involved in a mid-air incident or hurt someone on the ground. You can read a more complete description of the accident here:
asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/204888
Air Traffic Control and Ground Control are not supposed to be gatekeepers to validate pilots or their aircraft. They are not really there to be the air police. They are there to do the best to ensure that everything runs efficiently and correctly, and provide assistance when needed. The FAA is really the authority and enforcement arm and they operate mainly on a post-event analysis with a 'see something say something' system. That means there is little proactive enforcement. That does leave quite a bit of room for someone who knows enough to navigate the system well enough to cause danger and havoc with that setup.
As a controller if we stopped flights for idiots there would be a lot of flights shut down daily lol
@@LogicalNiko You are correct but there is the issue of medicals. Those issues he had did not occur suddenly but over a period of time. He also was taking medications which need to be disclosed for a medical renewal. Blood pressure and heart rate are also taken during a medical. Somewhere the systems let him and the rest of us down.
Who certified this guy? Many of these types out there drilling around up there !!
Probably the same people turning out the low quality Part 141 pilots rushed to the airlines, I'm speculating
Rest in peace aviator 🫡🙏
He sounded slightly mentally impared but agreeable and cooperative. I was thinking maybe his communication gear was not the best. He didn't sound briefed on communication anywhere in the flight. But he was trying and dealing with flight or navigation issues it sounded like. Was his mike keyed at the end? RIP
Is it possible for tower to deny runway takeoff acknowledging that guy had such a difficult time following simple instructions on the ground? For safety reasons?
You cannot legally take off without a clearance, so yeah, they could have denied him clearance.
I don't think they had a valid reason to do so.
@Flight_Follower please change the title. As I understand it, there is nothing that says he was mentally unstable at the time of the incident. Many, many people (even pilots) successfully treat depression and PTSD with medication and they are more likely to be stable than those who have yet to seek help. Unless you can prove it, the characterization could be considered libelous.
Exactly abd very triggering yo us secerly jentally I'll OK we font have to read it but as a channel unless uou can prove it you shouldn't be saying it just my opinion
I’m sad for his family and friends. This was hard to listen to. He sounded like someone who taught himself how to fly but never studied airport or radio procedures, types of navigation, or much else beyond actually flying the “experimental” he had. Anyone who has gone through training knows those basic things. I believe that there is more to this story.
I just got sad watching this. It is obvious that the pilot had health problems. I wish all the best to his family. I am sure he was a good pilot...but this time he took off with a serious health issue.
@@matthendricks9666 I don't think it was health issues. The guy didn't know his stuff. He stalled the plane.
@@ahmadsamadzai8255 Your assumption does not lead to anything. " He was a bad pilot"....quite too convenient. He wasn´t a student pilot and he did not have a death wish either. Something must have been wrong with him. His behaviour was out of the ordinary. He made a ton of mistakes and it gave me goosebumps listening to this recordings.
@matthendricks9666 Why would it be health issues? There's nothing in the audio suggesting he was having health issues. What is clear, however, is that he couldn't follow taxi instructions. He couldn't follow a heading or keep an altitude. His comms sounded like a guy flying on his 1st few flights. He lost control of the plane. That's what I hear from this whole audio.
@matthendricks9666 guess the NTSB report is out. It basically paints him as a lunatic. So maybe he had mental issues?!?
@@ahmadsamadzai8255he may have been having a type of stoke.
Absolutely terrible. How do people like this find their way into an airplane.
Part 141
Was he even a licensed pilot? Was this his airplane?
Good questions -- 😢
Yes, he was a Sport Pilot.
I know nothing about psychoactive medications, but I have known people who take meds to be normal, as opposed to misusing to get some effect. They all have one thing in common, they don’t make sense.
I'm on ssris antipsychotics p4escribed by my psychatrist I live in sheltered housing but look after my glat am polite bever harm noone can have a intelligent conversation intrested in art music my computer I mske more thsn sense my brains just wired wrong neurons not giving right doseng mean uou don't make sense
OMG how could this guy be in the system...
This guy definetly had health problems. He was not unprofessional before. Maybe he suffered a stroke. Investigations will show.
Presumably he drove himself to the airport as well. And the shops, and his relatives houses every week or so. Sadly, this is the luckiest end to an old mans' life.
Im guessing with his health issues one of his meds was a blood pressure medication. Though idk for sure that definitely could have been a issue. They had me on one to help with anxiety. One night I blew through a redlight and I said no more because it would mess me up. Some of these medicines they throw at you have crazy side effects.
Legend has it ATC was still pointlessly yelling at him to read back his call sign all the way to the pearly gates. I know of quite a few controllers who need to remember that they are there to helpfully ASSIST us, not just use us as their own personal verbal punching bags and lash out whenever they are too stressed in their own lives and jobs. This pilot was a mess but ATC had two paths - calmly and helpfully work with the obviously challenged pilot to assist him in a positive way, or hostilely yell at him and nitpick over relatively insignificant minutiae just to make himself feel superior while exponentially increasing the stress level and distracting the focus of a pilot who was already experiencing challenges. ATC chose the latter and the pilot died.
As an ex ATC I have to agree with you. Rude abrupt and unhelpful orders may have stressed the pilot out.
@@MrBugleboybI just can’t help but compare this ATC to the amazing Pittsburg controller who helped out the Maule pilot a few days ago (video on VasAv). Such different outcomes. We need to clone that Pittsburg guy - he’s exceptional.
OK, two things- this video almost certainly does not contain all of the other radio traffic on the frequency. So we cannot accurately judge whether the controller's behavior was warranted or not. If you have an extremely crowded frequency and one guy that can't understand or follow instructions that can severely degrade ATC's ability to "assist us". Second- calling the controllers hostile is laughable. These guys are kittens compared to what Phoenix or SoCal would do to you (on a good day) pulling something like this.
@@pjstewAnd your Phoenix/SoCal controllers are sleepy kittens compared to N90 on a clear calm day, much less when NE weather shows up. You’re missing the point - we should have never gotten to the point where we can compare aggressive, hostile, and completely unhelpful ATC zones. Being busy is no excuse because it’s not a time commitment problem as much as it’s an attitude and snarky control culture problem. This ATC increased his own workload by repeatedly demanding that the pilot respond exactly how he wanted, regardless of whether it was helpful, informative or necessary. His need to assert his authority and control overrode everything else to the point where he was neither helping this pilot nor working any other traffic. Go listen to the Pittsburgh ATC with the Maule pilot. Instead of wasting time churlishly demanding he respond with his call sign after every communication he asked “do you need help”. That changed everything and that pilot is alive today because that ATC understood his mission (and is an excellent controller).
@@kathrynslye471 Oh I get your point 100%, and I don't completely disagree with it. But I am of the opinion that there is not enough information/context given in this video to determine whether your observation is applicable and even if it is, whether it was a contributor to the mishap.
Nobody asked if he had an instructor on board.
Mentally unstable is a stretch if it’s unknown. Seems like a stall is what really led to it
Sounds like the pilot was so intent on looking for traffic that he didn't hold straight & level flight. The nose tilted up causing a stall & spin. Instead of recovering the pilot got on his radio and called "Mayday!"
The psychoactive medications could have caused him to be "mentally unstable," as in "the lights are on but nobody's home."
That is not the same as being mentally ill, deranged, or suicidal.
He was aware of enough to call "Mayday."
Psychoactive meds are to help uour sympyons that's how you would feel BEFORE you were on yhe meds people even with mild psychosis these meds are really life saving
Did ATC give this guy a heart attack with their constant "How many times do I have to tell you?" attitude?
What are you his buddy, or one of his lawyers?
Fort Myers approach is famously, how shall I say, not warm and fuzzy but this is everyday stuff as a GA pilot (I am one and I fly through there a few times a year). The ATC instructions given are completely standard and simple and, particularly a Florida pilot (due to the diverse traffic) should be able to handle in their sleep. Getting balled out by ATC is also a badge of honor to most pilots.
Let me also say that his destination airport of X01 is one short runway with water on three sides and this was in 2018 before they lengthened it last year or two. He would probably be in trouble making that approach.
Yes jot a great attitude again hiving green light that it's all right yo have an attitude cto somrone who may or may not have a mental illness tact is the order of the day, yodic prople see these videos snd arnt mature enough not to copy behaviour and attitude and say that ATC controller was demeaning so I Joe public can copy behaviour
It's not unreasonable for ATC to expect him to know proper procedures.
@@shreddder999 Very true.
Wow those were some patient controllers
I’m a 61 year old student, learning and forming ideas based on what I see. Pilot was obviously incompetent. If you can’t ground him, you’re definitely gonna have to hold his hand while in your airspace. Maybe this situation requires some in service training on ATC’s part. This seems a failed opportunity on atc part.
You dound good font form opinions on what you see and hear form your own jot bring funny but I guess you're young were living in a cruel eorld where people dsn ve rude unkind uncaring don't join thrm you seem nice
My instructors always told me that radio etiquette is important, not just for safety of flight, but it also shows competency in the airplane to the controller. If you sound like a 'student' on the radio, you'll get treated as such.
Controllers didnt need to be unprofessional. Intimidation, stress, anxiety probably led to this crash. All the controllers had to do was calmly tell him to do what they wanted, maybe even ask him if he didnt have a lot of experience in busy airspace, not browbeat him.
This guys a disaster. Internet search shows that he stole valor as well.
I understand that he has a job to do, but the atc could have been less aggressive. Obviously nothing he said or did directly contribute to the crash, but I feel like he added unecessary stress.
At least 24% of the problem is ATC
This pilot was obviously confused or impaired,,,too bad they couldn’t send someone to talk with him before giving him clearance to depart.
Someone who was able to build the plane, but hasn't' gotten his license, apparently. He needs an instructor...
oh gee this is sad af
So very true. Those who say they feel safe here are very nieve. Ive been here 35 years have have experienced a lot whenever ive let my guard down ive been targeted
Sorry, but inappropriate video. Your title is clickbait. Shame on you. There is nothing to suggest this pilot was mentally unstable. And there are lots of people running around with 50-75% stenotic cardiac arteries, but that does not mean this was the cause of the accident. Will not be watching this channel again.
Probable Cause: The pilot's unsafe maneuvering and exceedance of the airplane's operating limitations, which resulted in an in-flight failure of the left wing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's underlying physiologic or psychiatric disease.
We respect your opinion
Thank you
“Records from the pilot's usual source of care, the Veterans Administration, for the period between January 2015 and the accident date were obtained and reviewed. The records documented that the pilot had hypertension, high cholesterol, obstructive sleep apnea, neurogenic bladder, cataracts, peripheral neuropathy, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). At the time of his last annual exam (March 2017), he was prescribed atenolol and lisinopril to treat his blood pressure, simvastatin for his cholesterol, use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine for his sleep apnea, and citalopram and trazodone for his psychiatric disease.
Records indicated that the pilot complained of worsening symptoms from PTSD, including nightmares and intrusive thoughts, during the end of 2016 and early 2017. This was apparently brought on by legal issues. The underlying issue was that the pilot had been discovered misrepresenting his military service, which had been revealed on the internet by a group he considered "terrorists." The pilot was facing charges for repeatedly breaking the conditions of a restraining order regarding threatening the wife of the individual who revealed his misrepresentation. The pilot's wife told investigators that she was unaware that her husband was being treated for mental health issues”
@@Flight_Follower you don't know mental illness was involved fid his focyor tell uou his family his medical team no your surmising your welcome to your belief but when your channel could influence people's attitudes maybe causing harm to mentwlly ill uou have a responsibility yo uour viewers.
I am dealing with bpd most stigmatised nental geslth condition there is most mentally painful condition there is biggest cause of ducides in uk and usa a illness that xan knock up to 20 years off uour life
How will we survive your absense.
By learning to spell absence, that way I don’t have to come back and give 2nd spelling lessons.
Damn.. This was painful to watch, maybe traffic should've asked the pilot to cancel operations, though call not blaming controllers at all.
But seems this person clearly had his mind elsewhere, my condolences to his family if any of them reads this message.
@RetreadPhoto I agree, we've all had bad days, but seems whoever released this person to this solo flight also has some degree of responsibility. Are you also a pilot?
"i don't have time for your four times, but comply with my six times"
Why did control allow him to take off?? The first minute of conversation was a clear indication that he was incompetent of flying at that time.
Lack of o2 to brain....height plus heart condition.
At 2,500 ft? Altitude not a factor.
Aphasia? Cardiovascular disease is a common complication from the coronavirus and it infects the ganglia (central nerve).
Coronvirus or the experimental gene therapy. I'd never heard of that disease until Bruce Willis. Also, I heard of a former squadron mate and excellent pilot who has early dementia at about 62.
yankee gone completed loco. saludos
100% stupid title for this video.
Yea, im gonna have to ask you to park it where you are after all that nonsense.🤔😳
There’s no way he had a pilots license
Experimental, carbon monoxide clearly confused.
Sounds like he's been on carbon monoxide for quite a while.
Ground controller was talking 90 miles an hour. Slow down.
No he wasn't. The pilot lacked everything needed to fly a plane.
You are 100% correct. Communication only successfully occurs when the message is received and comprehended. The speed at which the controller was speaking was a contributing factor as to why the controller had to repeat transmissions. I realize that the controllers are busy at times and become conditioned to talk in this manner even when they are not busy., Regardless, their job is to communicate instructions. He did a poor job of communicating.
@@ahmadsamadzai8255 ? You know this information , how ? 😮
@biffhenderson1144 i honestly didn't think atc was talking fast at all. the reason why it sounds fast is because the pilot is not proficient in comms. every atc guy had to repeat things multiple times to him. the guy couldn't do anything right and paid for it.
@bobwilson758 by listening to the audio. it's crystal clear to me this pilot was not ready for this flight or any flight for that matter.
I don’t see anything wrong with controller. We get a little rusty and need some refresh. Sometime we go flying just to relax and think. The idea is to make everything right with minimum mistakes. Good for the soul to stay sharp
The ATC seems mentally unstable to me.
They were firm but fair, didn’t lose their head even though the pilot couldn’t follow a heading and alt instruction with a basic read back.
The guy didn’t even know what a proper VFR altitude is. Didn’t understand “advise when ready to taxi”. All over the map even on the ground. Couldn’t follow any instructions in the air. ATC if anything was patient and reasonable.
like you would be qualified to judge? LOLOL more flight sim wannabe's
@@iain8837 They lost their head immediately and never regained it.
@@whatilearnttoday5295 Who did?
What the heck is going on here? Controller should have called the police and had this guy tested for alcohol. Not even close..
florida.
This guy was a mess from when he started his homebuilt death machine. Glad nobody else was harmed by this pilots actions. Like I have said many times before, they will give anyone a pilot's license now days.
I don’t see anything wrong with controller. We get a little rusty and need some refresh
No but whoever put this online shouldn't ever use term unstable unless they know it for fact
@@bunglejoy3645 that’s quite true
He could have crashed his plane, causing damage to something else, like another plane or somebody's house. Why was he allowed in the air piloting a plane?
I take it you didn't watch the full video, he crashed.
They didn't mention the collaterals, though. So I assumed he just damaged a tree or some ground. I was just saying that he could have endangered somebody's life other than his own.
Hmm okay. Then the question should have been why did he manage to obtain a license despite his conditions. He didn't need to submit his medical certificate after all, since it's not mandatory.
And about those incompetent pilots you mentioned, it really seems like whoever was responsible for their licenses didn't do a fine job, or just the evaluation process as a whole.
Think the ATC did this man a disservice by overloading him with communications.
ATC should have refused to let him take off when he didn't know VFR altitude requirements
Gravity sucks
All this chatter about him being mentally unstable, I think the fucker manning the tower and ATC drove him nuts.
That guy was a huge dick. The first words the pilot called in with were "with Alpha", then several minutes later, after the tower berates him about "2500, 3500, 4500, 5500, 6500" if he had Alpha. Then he gets in the air and KFMY berates him for trying to fly while struggling to give readbacks and call sign.....if this guy wasn't mentally unstable before talking to these jag-offs, he certainly was after. I'll bet the FAA heard these recordings and decided to go with "pilot had mental issues" to sweep it under the rug.
This guy sounds trashed
No he doesn’t- he’s not slurring his words. He’s reading them back wrong- more like a cardiac/neurologic issue
The American diet strikes again, high levels of carbs sugarand processed foods are killing us. yet we just let the gov do what they do best and lie. Poor man I hate hearing final words of a fellow pilot.
And how do you have any idea his problem was diet related? He could have been a vegan.
@@buckhorncortez highly doubtful not that many whack jobs in aviation
This ATC tower, and maybe surrounding ones, need a serious audit. Sounds like everything is broken, and everyone are auction callers. It gets too easy to ignore, when it is routine. "Normal" pilots would need a lot of experience to fly safely in this area.
But that's america for ya ☕️🤡🌐
This is normal speech…….if you want fast you go to NYC approach. Also when he repeated at 0.50 and 0.25 speed he still got it wrong so……? But its safe to say that he’s medically unfit to fly by himself and the FAA needs to explain who approved his tragic medical record
Pilots that say “very good” are disgusting