Posted on 06/19/2025 7:56:12 AM PDT by DFG
I think you are making all that up!
Music producer pilot.
That may be the case as the fog rolls in the early hours . The analysis I saw had El Cajon with good visibility for the airport. Be that as it may there were plenty of alternates in the area that were suitable. The pilot fancied himself a hot shot and got bit by bad choices.
Re: 49 - a suggestion to not post to that FReeper. You can spend it in much more productive ways.
If you insist on violating the approach procedures, what difference does it make to have the tower personnel there? No radar, just eyes. “
Back in the day I had to leave the club plane in Mobile as New Orleans Lakefront was fogged in and I was not instrument rated.
I rented a car and picked up the club duty pilot. He was an ex-Navy fighter pilot.
A plane ahead of us flew over the airport and headed for an alternate.
We landed and while coasting the tower called out our sign and asked “Where are you?”
“That may be the case as the fog rolls in the early hours .”
This happened early hours. 3:45 AM.
El Cajon (Gillespie Field)(KSEE) may have had better WX...but 8 NM West towards the coast (marine layer) at Montgomery Field where he was trying to land it was socked in with fog down to 250 feet AGL.
https://www.flyingmag.com/ntsb-san-diego-crash-aircraft-struck-power-lines/
ATC observes and recommends, pilots fly.
“ATC observes and recommends, pilots fly.”
ATC gives clearances and instructions that pilots are required to follow. He was IFR.
In northern New England there is no evening night air traffic control. All the airports are handled out of Boston.
Perhaps Bangor might have a guy on.
Safety of flight is the responsibility of the pilot in command, ATC doesn’t fly anything. And depending on the circumstances (not apparently in this case) emergency Medevac for instance to hell with ATC especially San Diego approach control.
“In northern New England there is no evening night air traffic control. All the airports are handled out of Boston.”
That IS air traffic control.
ATC gives clearances and instructions that pilots are required to follow. He was IFR.
The day the music died again?
He was on an ILS, but the airport was not under control of the tower which was closed. He had no ATC beyond the center that was clearing him to the vicinity of that airport.
But there was nobody to hand him off to at that airport. You can use an ILS at an airport with a closed tower. But it’s all on him.
And that weird stunt he pulled of ducking below the clouds below the ILS to see where he was... that was a massive screwup.
“He was on an ILS”
No, he was on a RNAV approach.
Yes but none in the local towers.
Not if it compromises safety of flight. Or in the case of the military, completion of the mission.
Well that being the case, I guess his only option was to pile it in.
Thanks for coming around.
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