clear prop!!!:
It is very sad for John’s family that it is being suggested that the whole thing is down to pilot error and, that the Sheriff feels that the pilot should have considered a forced landing
Sorry you feel unable to accept it, but the whole thing
IS down to pilot error.
Two fundamentals of flying twins:
1)In an engine failure, it is
imperative to identify the failed engine correctly (dead leg, dead engine- not rocket science).
2)If you cannot maintain altitude and are losing control, trade height for speed and put the aircraft down in a controlled fashion, in a clear area. There were plenty of clear areas available in this case (the aircraft crashed into one of them).
This pilot neither correctly identified the failed engine, nor maintained control of his aircraft. That, I am afraid, is the simple, hard truth.
And before anybody says "there but for the grace of God..." CRAP. If you fly the emergency with even reasonable competency, you generally live to tell the tale.
It is sad that his family should have to endure further pain, but better that than pretending the crash was caused by some other, unidentified, factor (which hinders flight safety).