Originally Posted by
Maoraigh1
Unpleasant turbulence is one thing. Turbulence which will down a Pa28 is another matter.
There's no mention of any distress message being picked up, and on any likely frequency, on that day, in that area, I'd expect any transmission to be heard by someone, even if from a very low altitude.
I'd expect there would be a radar track for most of the flight, but that won't be public until the accident report is issued.
As regards being able to glide to shore, ditching might be a preferred option with engine failure, but not 2 miles offshore.
Agreed about turbulence- I think the thread drifted a bit off topic earlier.
However, not sure I agree with you on ditching, even near the shore. I have thought for many years that landing on dry land, especially if semi-prepared like forest tracks, under control is preferable. The gliding guys at Oban reckoned you would usually crawl away from it even if the wings are knocked off by the trees! On the other hand, you could make a perfect ditching and still drown or, more likely, die from hypothermia. Discuss?