Pilots without instrument ratings flying into heavy weather is a common cause of crashes. Aviation people call it the “gotta-goes”. Is it time to require instrument ratings to fly a plane?
This isn't a regular general aviation aircraft. As a jet, the insurance company likely required the pilot to have an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate. An ATP would require 1,500 flying hours (with some slightly lower hour exceptions for certain graduates of flight colleges), including an instrument rating.
With a privately-owned jet involved in this type of crash, my first suspicion would be that someone cut corners on maintenance items, including maintenance or inspections related to the instruments, and the pilot then relied on them to disastrous effect.
The pilots, in all likelihood, possessed instrument ratings along with commercial and turbojet type ratings. Turbojet operations require IFR flightplans at the altitudes at which they operate.
My guess, knowing only what I read in the article, the visibility was about zero-zero, meaning that the pilots should have elected to fly to their alternate airport.
I won't speculate as to the cause, NTSB will do it's fact-finding, however pilot fatigue and desire to force a landing in below minimum conditions are something they're certain to look at.
And no, it's wrong to require VFR pilots to get an instrument rating. It's nice to have (I have one) but unneeded and expensive for day, clear weather operations.
“ Is it time to require instrument ratings to fly a plane?”
No way a jet rated pilot wouldn’t be instrument rated
If he is flying a Citation he would have had an instrument rating. In all probability he hit his minimum altitude for the approach into Montgomery and DID NOT execute the missed approach procedure. Instead was thinking, "okay 50 more feet" and I might see the approach lights.
“Pilots without instrument ratings flying into heavy weather is a common cause of crashes. Aviation people call it the “gotta-goes”. Is it time to require instrument ratings to fly a plane?”
Not of jets it is not. They have instrument ratings.
Why would you say something so ignorant and stupid?