About that "other" accident in Alabama. I was flying 2 students on a helicopter instrument flight out of Pensacola (NAS Whiting Field) that night. As is quite common, we were shooting approaches at Mobile Regional (just a few miles away from Mobile Downtown) when we heard the Caravan over Mobile Approach. The pilot started saying, "I'm deviating, I'm deviating" and the voice continued to rise in pitch - also, it sounded like I heard an increase in engine power. Judging by what I heard on the radio, I thought the pilot got vertigo. We quickly landed and refueled but the TW-5 Commander vetoed a Search and Rescue effort (weather was 400 overcast) Coast Guard arrived on station shortly afterwards but I think they found the wreckage about 7 miles NorthEast of the Brookley vortac the next morning.
The other interesting thing if I remember correctly was that a FedEx heavy (or maybe 727?) was on approach to Mobile at that time. Perhaps, the Caravan pilot saw the FedEx plane and was deviating?
Last edited by 46Driver; 21st December 2003 at 14:35.