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When I was learning to fly fresh out of ground school I had to deal with a death of the owner of the flying school I was attending. I wrote a blog called “No Flight is Routine” and I talked about a few fatal accidents that hit close to home. The first one happened to Bill Law, owner of Bill Law Aviation in Rochester, NY and had to do with fuel starvation. I was attending Bill’s ground school and just started flying when he died in a fiery crash. As a student, this was shocking. How could a guy with decades of experience and thousands of hours of flight time crash his twin on a 30 mile hop from one airport to another? How could a divine god like instructor make such a mistake? What chance do I have?

Below is an excerpt from the newspaper and a conclusion from the NTSB regarding the crash.

Rochester Aviation Icon, Bill Law, Lost In Crash

Bill Law, owner of Bill Law Aviation School for 20+ years near Rochester International Airport, was killed on Saturday when the twin engine aircraft he was flying went down in a wooded area near Clarkson (NY). All that is known at this time is that he reported having engine trouble just before he crashed. There were no passengers with him on the aircraft.

Law was an icon in the Rochester aviation community, having operated his flight school for more than 20 years. He was considered by many to be one of western New York's top aviation operators. Reaction to the news of his death was immediate, as fellow pilots, current and former students gathered at the School to pay the respects.

NTSB Probable Cause and Findings

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be: The pilot's mismanagement of the fuel by his failure to select the proper fuel tank which resulted in starvation and subsequent loss of engine power in both engines.

No pilot likes to talk about accidents

This is ironic because all throughout our training we study on how to avoid them. We take quizzes online and off. We memorize speeds and procedures. We recite CBGUMP (Carb Heat, Boost Pump, Gas, Undercarriage, Mixture and Prop) on the ground, and if we are smart we do it more importantly in the air. Yet accidents still happen. Why?

To Err Is Human…

The phrase to “err is human, to forgive divine” is an idiom which is widely used in the English language. To understand it better it is wise to split the idiom in two. The first part to err is human means that every single person is fallible and bound to make mistakes, including ourselves. As pilots, we don’t like to hear this. We want to believe that we know enough not to error, or if there is a problem it was due to some other fault than our own humanity.

The second half of the phrase refers to the act of forgiveness. Forgiveness is a trait gifted to us from a higher power and is seen as being merciful. It is this divine mercy that is being called upon here. All people will error and when they do it is right to forgive them. To expect perfection from such an imperfect being defies common sense and is the most unfair thing we can do to each other, but more importantly to ourselves.

Crashed plane pulled from lake

The floatplane that crashed into Lake Goodwin, killing the pilot's son, 6-year-old Jacob Jeter of Anacortes, was hoisted from the lake Monday and taken to an Auburn airport for the investigation of the crash.

In the same blog under “A Sad Loss”, I made a slight reference to a second story that I glossed over because I knew the people involved. This story really was about Russ Jeter and the crash of the amphibian he was flying with his son Jacob. I didn’t want to name names or get into the details of the crash out of respect for the family. Russ’s wife Kim is my ex-wife’s cousin and I had met Russ a Kim a few times here in Canandaigua at family gatherings and even flew out to Santa Barbara for their wedding in 2005. They knew I was working on my pilot’s license and would often ask how I was doing. At the time I never had the answer I wanted to give them…that I had my pilot certificate.

Anyway, the last time I remember seeing them was at another family gathering and Jacob, their son who died in the crash was there too. So when I heard of this tragedy, my heart sank, and it really brought home the fact that accidents can and do happen to anyone. Russ is a good pilot, even his wife Kim is a good pilot, and flying was one of the many things that brought them together.

Video about this accident from the pilot at: https://youtu.be/8bjsxBEVl5o

Russ’s story is online for every pilot to learn from so that we can do our own self assessments and truly understand how important it is to be fit for flight.

NTSB Probable Cause and Findings

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be: The pilot did not confirm retraction of the landing gear before landing on water as a result of distraction. Contributing to the accident was the pilot coping with the death of a close family member in the days before the accident, which resulted in a self-reported disruption in the quality of sleep.

Plane crash investigation launched, pilot dead - May 5, 2015

Yates County Sheriff Ron Spike reported Steven P. Seely, 55, of Stanley died during a fatal plane crash at the Yates County - Penn Yan Airport Sunday, May 3.

The preliminary investigation indicates a single-engine older Cessna aircraft was taking off southbound on the main north-south runway and the plane veered off to the east, striking the ground hard with its nose/propeller and spun around, coming to rest with the tail against the airport fence and trees that border the fence line approximately 100 yards from the runway.

Steve Seely was a member of the Penn Yan Flying Club, but owned his own plane and kept it at the airport, the Sheriff's Office said. He had a student pilot license.

Emergency responders found Seely dead inside the plane, strapped into his seat, the Sheriff's Office said. Yates County Coroner Steve Culver pronounced him dead at the scene.

A caller from the adjacent Lakeside Country Club alerted Yates County 911 to the crash around 11:38 a.m. on Sunday. The airport is in the town of Milo, just south of the village of Penn Yan.

This crash really hit home even though I had already had my pilots license for a number of years. The plane that Steve flew was stored in one of the clubs’ hangars and I actually flew this plane a number of years before Steve bought it. As I am the General Manager of the club, I know many of the pilots and Steve was no exception. Steve was always courteous and kind when I spoke with him. He was always concerned about his section of the hangar being clean and tidy. Steve had bought his plane sight unseen and I had told him my experiences in the aircraft and he had mentioned a few times that he was getting things fixed slowly. It was good to know Steve was staying on top of things. So what happened?

Real Accidents Impact Real People

A day or so after Steve’s crash a slight, quite woman walked into the club house and introduced herself as Steve’s wife Mary and asked if she could see where he crashed. I was surprised by her presence. As I look back I understand why it was important to her and at the time I simply said…of course…when asked.

As we got to the location of the crash along the side of the main runway I saw the site for the first time. We both got out of my car and walk over to the wreckage slowly as she explained how much Steve enjoyed flying. She seemed to understand why we fly, the freedom and joy that it brings.

I pointed out the different parts of the plane, what surprised me was that the flaps were set at 40% - not what you would be using for takeoff (as confirmed by NTSB). I explained to her at the time that my thought was that Steve stalled after takeoff upon climbing due to the flap setting.

We stayed at the location for about 15 minutes and continued bouncing ideas around as well as about learning the fly. She was concerned that Steve might have had a heart attack. Both of us would have to wait for the final outcome of the investigation.

NTSB Probable Cause and Findings

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be: The student pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during the initial climb. Contributing to the accident was the student's inappropriate configuration of the airplane's wing flaps for the initial climb.

All Pilots Know the Risks

The hobby of flying, is meant to be fun, but can turn tragic…as can driving.

If something breaks in a car, you can pull over and call for help. When something goes wrong in a plane, it is a lot less forgiving. Pilots are not ones to shy away from new challenges. Steve was a loving husband, father and grandfather, and will be missed by me and by many family members and friends.

The takeaway from these stories for the want to be pilot or any pilot, is that these pilots errored and paid the ultimate price…or a family member did. The pain of these errors lives on for those that remain. There were no mechanical failures just failures in judgment at a critical moment – and every moment flying is a critical moment.

Blue skies and fly safe!