This video should never have got into the public domain. I’ve viewed it several times, and read the accompanying YouTube comments. They are mainly horrible. If, as one commenter says, Ronnie was the pilot’s son, it makes it even worse. I don’t see comments like this from pilots after an aerobatic accident. The NTSB report is factual, and does not speculate on what led to the stall/spin. Low flying in mountains and over forests has increased risks, but I don’t see the pilot do anything stupid on the video. Taking off from Grandby, (8207’ altitude, 5000’runway) he would be well aware of density altitude. The crash was only 2000’ above his take offaltitude. He would notice his aircraft performance as he flew close to the ridges.
The sound on the tape seems to be mainly not engine.
He correctly crosses the ridge at an angle, low, but to the right of a pass. He decides to turn at a reasonable place. To make a left turn, he first heads to the right, to get more room. The flight so far is in calm air. A steep descending turn is a standard low g manoeuvre, and he appears to have room and height for this. (The view dependson the camera lens.)
The slope he is approaching looks to be in shade, and might have a katabatic downdraft. The crucial bits of the tape are missing – just before the stall sequence. A massive downdraft, with turbulence, might have prevented him making a left turn, pushing down his right wing. Or the engine lost power. Or a control restriction. And he has no safe options. The trees are too far apart for a stall into their tops, and they are tall.
(I have only a little experience flying a Pa28 and aC172, both 180hp, solo, at similar density altitude, in Utah and Colorado . I know nothing about the Cessna L19. My valley flying experience is at low density altitude.)
Last edited by Maoraigh1; 31st March 2012 at 23:12.
Reason: spaces missing