Teen pilot’s death ‘totally preventable,’ an instructor says
A federal investigative agency has released a preliminary report on the July 6 small plane crash that killed an 18year-old student pilot in Oxford, Mississippi, and a flight instructor says he believes the young woman’s death was preventable.
The organization that was training the pilot, the Civil Air Patrol, said it’s too early to speculate on the cause of the crash.
The NTSB report quotes witnesses who said the pilot sounded “panicked” in communications with the control tower and that the plane made an aborted landing attempt, then rose sharply, turned and crashed onto a golf course.
The report cites a witness who said the pilot had attempted to land with a tailwind – that is, with the wind behind the airplane.
That’s a serious error, because pilots are supposed to fly into the wind while landing to help slow down the airplane, according to Robert Katz, a Dallas flight instructor who frequently reads crash reports and discusses them with news media.
He said the report leads him to believe that the pilot had trouble finding the runway and approached from the wrong direction. He says that and other indicators in the recently released National Transportation Safety Board preliminary crash report suggest the student pilot wasn’t properly trained for that day’s solo flight that took off near Columbus, Mississippi and traveled to Oxford.
“In summary, what happened to this kid is totally preventable,” Katz said. “She fell through the cracks of a system that’s supposed to protect student pilots from this kind of catastrophe.”
In a statement, the Civil Air Patrol said it’s too soon to reach conclusions. “The NTSB has posted a preliminary report and will continue their investigation. The next step for them will be to complete a factual report. We, of course, are cooperating with them throughout each stage of the investigation. Any speculation as to why the accident happened is unwarranted.”
18-year-old Lake Little of Starkville, Mississippi, had recently graduated from high school and was planning to attend the University of Southern Mississippi. She dreamed of flying for Fedex - the company later sent commemorative wings to her family.
The NTSB cautions that information in the preliminary report, released this week, may include errors. The agency says it aims to correct them when the final report is complete.
According to the NTSB report, Little had first received a student pilot certificate in August 2017, then received a third-class medical certificate in October 2018. That type of certificate is required for solo flights.
At the time of the crash, she had logged 69.4 hours of flight time.
Civil Air Patrol chief calls for greater attention to safety
Little was flying a single-engine plane with the Civil Air Patrol. It’s an organization affiliated with the U.S. Air Force that carries out emergency services and disaster relief missions nationwide, runs science and engineering programs and also trains young pilots.
Katz said the Civil Air Patrol and the instructor involved are responsible. “We’re talking about children whose parents are trusting the elders in the CAP to set a good example and to protect their children from this kind of malfeasance, in my opinion.”
In an online message posted shortly after the crash, the group’s National Commander and CEO, Maj. Gen. Mark Smith, called for increased attention to safety.
“My request is that each of us, from a risk management perspective, reflect on the duties assigned to us. Whether we are in steady state (Civil Air Patrol) activities, involved in cadet special activities or conducting flight activities, let us ensure that our approach to and performance of these duties reflects the high standards of excellence and professionalism to which we are called.”
“Doing so will honor our fallen member and help ensure the safe conduct of our operations.”
The investigation found the plane’s flaps appeared to have been retracted. Pilots deploy flaps when approaching a runway, because the flaps help provide more lift at slower speeds, Katz said. If the pilot retracted the flaps after the landing attempt, it would cause the plane to sink suddenly, he said. He believes that’s what happened in this case.
A witness at the golf course described seeing the airplane appearing to be “struggling” to maintain airspeed, with its nose up, and appearing to be very close to stalling, the NTSB report says.
The witness then saw the plane make a left turn and lose altitude. It struck the ground and slid up to nearby trees.
The pilot suffered serious burns in the crash, Ole Miss spokesman Rod Guajardo said in a statement earlier this month.
According to the NTSB report, bystanders and first responders tried to help the young pilot out of the cockpit, but her seatbelt and shoulder harness kept her inside. Then a fire started. Firefighters put it out and rescuers eventually extracted the pilot.
She was airlifted to a Memphis hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Investigative reporter Daniel Connolly welcomes tips and comments from the public. Reach him at 529-5296, daniel.connolly@commercialappeal.com, or on Twitter at @danielconnolly.
Phillip Jackson and Daniel Connolly