Local drunk pilot gets bail, not a "flight risk"

[karlrschneider]

I don't know this guy but I'd think twice before getting into a plane with him...

(Yeah, 'flight risk'...I know :D )

edit: shit, forgot the link

http://www.kotv.com/news/local/story/?id=116730

[babylonsister]

1. What guy?

:shrug:

[karlrschneider]

2. Sorry, was putting in the link as you posted, I forgot it at first.

...

[Wiley50]

3. Karl, Is this the same guy we were talking about the other night?

The unlicensed pilot who flew his plane
into Grand lake killing the 3 Mexicans?

If not, What's the latest on him?

[Wiley50]

5. WOW! It Is Him. (Just read the link)

What's the scuttlebutt around the strip, Karl?

[karlrschneider]

6. I haven't been able to really find out much of anything. The Viking Bellanca

definitely is registered to him but none of my pilot buddies know anything about him. We STILL haven't found out where he took off from! It's one wacky deal for sure...

[Dr.Phool]

4. I wonder what they meant by no valid license.

[karlrschneider]

7. It hasn't been divulged. It could mean several things:

He could have a ticket that is (sort of) "expired", meaning no record of a biennial flight review...perhaps no valid medical certificate...didn't have it on his person...or even never had a valid license. The first 3 possibilities are technical violations but don't usually result in serious penalties. Aside from what SEEMS to be a fairly understandable accident (some dumb error like failing to select the proper fuel tank, etc. or even a true mechanical malfunction), the circumstances are just really strange. It seemed passing strange to me that the authorities were able to identify 2 Mexican nationals within a couple of hours of finding their bodies.

[babylonsister]

8. A pilot was drinking, but he's not accountable? Wow.

'It's not what you know, it's who you know.'

[karlrschneider]

9. Uh, sorry I have no idea what you mean.

...

[babylonsister]

11. He made bail? Who did he know? Why isn't he being held for

manslaughter?

[karlrschneider]

12. Okay, I see your confusion. It is almost unheard of to charge someone with

manslaughter in an airplane accident within a matter of hours. Actually, it's rare in car crashes as well - that normally occurs only after at least some investigation. But you must have missed the point that he HAS been charged with manslaughter...so I'm still not sure what you're concerned about. Maybe I'm missing the point...

[babylonsister]

13. My point is that he was allowed to make bail after it was determined

he'd been drinking. I think in a plane, it should be a much bigger deal, especially with passengers who died. But you're right; I don't know law at all.

[northofdenali]

10. Drunk AND no pilots license?

Toss him in and toss the key!!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

14. Check it out -- the preliminary NTSB report:

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20061220X01821&key=1

"...According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP), the pilot reported that he was taking his workers for a joy ride around the lake when the airplane's engine stopped producing power. The pilot stated that before the airplane touched down to the water he asked a passenger to open the door to facilitate their exit once the airplane was in the water. After landing the pilot exited the airplane and swam to shore. The pilot further reported to the OHP that he did not hold a pilot certificate and that he had not logged a flight in the past five months."

And:

"Investigators siphoned all four of the airplanes fuel tanks. The right wing auxiliary fuel tank contained approximately one gallon of water. The right wing main fuel tank contained approximately three gallons of water and three gallons of a blue liquid consistent with 100 LL aviation fuel. The left auxiliary fuel tank contained approximately six and a half gallons of water and five and three fourths gallons of a blue liquid consistent with 100 LL aviation fuel. The left main fuel tank contained approximately four and a half gallons of water. The fuel tanks were visually examined and did not appear to be compromised."

This dude is in a big bunch of trouble, I'd say.