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Tesla: 3 employees killed in Calif plane crash
AP via SFGate ^
| 2/17/10
| BROOKE DONALD and SUDHIN THANAWALA, Associated Press Writer
Posted on 02/17/2010 12:52:50 PM PST by SmithL
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1
posted on
02/17/2010 12:52:50 PM PST
by
SmithL
To: SmithL
That will teach those electric car guys to utilize a combustion engine for transportation.
I know, inappropriate.
2
posted on
02/17/2010 12:55:59 PM PST
by
Phantom Lord
(Fall on to your knees for the Phantom Lord)
To: SmithL
It's a small company. The personnel with sufficient disposable income to enjoy flying private aircraft means they are probably important players.
3
posted on
02/17/2010 12:56:02 PM PST
by
Myrddin
To: SmithL
4
posted on
02/17/2010 12:56:53 PM PST
by
Egg
(The nationalizations will continue until the free market recovers)
To: SmithL
Tesla motors is in deep trouble with their planned production. Losing some top execs certainly won’t help. RIP
5
posted on
02/17/2010 12:57:44 PM PST
by
saganite
(What happens to taglines? Is there a termination date?)
To: SmithL
Sounds like a VFR pilot operating in IFR conditions. That’s never a good idea.
Comment #7 Removed by Moderator
To: Myrddin
It was a twin too, though an old one. Will be interesting to hear about the cause. Sad story, RIP.
8
posted on
02/17/2010 1:01:20 PM PST
by
HerrBlucher
(Jail Al Gore and the Climate Frauds!)
To: SmithL
9
posted on
02/17/2010 1:01:26 PM PST
by
gleeaikin
To: SmithL
They found a mode of transport even less safe than those tiny foot-tall (3’ 8”) cars (which are very cool looking but not much safer than a motorcycle, I’d imagine).
10
posted on
02/17/2010 1:02:02 PM PST
by
Atlas Sneezed
("Personal freedom begins when you tell Old Mrs. Grundy to go to Hell." -Lazarus Long)
To: SmithL
East Palo Alto...I wouldn't even want to crash in that neighborhood.
I wonder if there'll be anything left of the crash to investigate. What's the salvage price of aluminum theses days?
11
posted on
02/17/2010 1:11:52 PM PST
by
lewislynn
(What does the global warming movement and the Fairtax movement have in common? Disinformation)
To: HerrBlucher
I stopped at single engine, fixed gear. Multiple engines and retractable gear add an extra dimension to the piloting task. I've had an opportunity to sit in the cockpit of the P3 during taxi/takeoff. That is an amazing sight with the extra equipment necessary to monitor the turbine temperatures/pressures/RPM and prop pitch. Steering the nose wheel with the "tiller" and having to achieve sufficient airspeed to attain "rudder command" is very different from steering the nose wheel with the brake pedals on a typical tricycle gear.
More telling is the report of heavy fog. I'm surprised they aircraft was cleared for takeoff under those conditions. As a VFR pilot, I recall the minimum acceptable being around 3,000 ft AGL. "Scud running" i.e. dodging clouds was considered poor practice. The FAA regularly sent a newsletter detailing accidents and their causes.
12
posted on
02/17/2010 1:13:00 PM PST
by
Myrddin
To: Phantom Lord
It had just taken off from Palo Alto Airport in heavy fog. I thought global warming had reduced the fog in California.
13
posted on
02/17/2010 1:13:10 PM PST
by
PDMiller
To: jiggyboy
Youre an asshole. That is a bit strong for a slightly offensive comment.
To: lewislynn
I wonder if there'll be anything left of the crash to investigate. What's the salvage price of aluminum theses days?
Yeah, they probably won't be ID'ing them from their wallets either....
15
posted on
02/17/2010 1:23:54 PM PST
by
BikerJoe
To: Myrddin
It could have been a rented plane. Not uncommon in California.
I have a long time friend who has a pilot’s license, and he rents planes. He doesn’t ever expect to have the funds to own his own aircraft.
To: SmithL
If you aren’t instrument rated and don’t know the area you are most likely going to die getting out of Paly airport on a foggy morn. Today was pea soup thick
To: Pajama Blogger
Sounds like a VFR pilot operating in IFR conditions. Thats never a good idea. In fog, and a multi-engine plane? Not likely.
Assuming that the registered owner was operating the plane, Douglas Bourn has a commerical pilot certificate, with single-engine airplane, multi-engine airplane, instrument airplane, and rotorcraft ratings. He also has flight instructor certificates for single and multi-engine airplane, as well as advanced ground instruction.
It's more likely that he had some sort of problem, like an engine failure. Single-engine rate of climb in that plane is only 370 feet per minute, and any obstructions near the runway would be difficult to clear.
18
posted on
02/17/2010 1:24:37 PM PST
by
justlurking
(The only remedy for a bad guy with a gun is a good WOMAN (Sgt. Kimberly Munley) with a gun)
To: HerrBlucher
Cause will be pilot error (aka stupidity)
To: Myrddin
The minimums for takeoff are much lower than for landing. Basically all you have to do is track straight and liftoff. They probably would have been out of the fog very quickly after take-off. I suspect maybe one engine went out, or the pilot got disoriented.
I have an IFR rating. Even after all that training I still didn’t want to do actual IFR by myself. With foggles or a hood you can always cheat a little, you can’t when its the real thing. None of my training took me into actual IFR.
20
posted on
02/17/2010 1:27:06 PM PST
by
HerrBlucher
(Jail Al Gore and the Climate Frauds!)
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