...in next month's American Hunter magazine. Interesting stories, though I have to say something about the first one. A pilot takes two friends up on a "crystal-clear day with winds less than 5 knots". Flying over Lake Powell, in Utah, they "decided to fly closer to the water, under the canyon walls, which is a fabulous sightseeing experience." The water had a slight ripple, which gave him (the pilot) his depth perception. But then the water smoothed out, he loses his depth perception, and flies into the water. All three are unhurt and bail out of the sinking bird, a Cirrus SR22. They start for shore (the author said it was about 3/4s of a mile in water later found to be 44 degrees), and one of them a non-swimmer. Then my favorite line: "Thank goodness the water was calm. What irony - the thing that caused the crash was now actually working in our favor." Smooth water caused the crash?? (Hmmm, if 'the water' is that dangerous, maybe that lake should be drained.). They all make it to shore and spend an uncomfortable night out.
All in all, I'm thinking:
1) Flying too close to the water to begin with.
2) No PFDs or flotation of any kind.
3) No survival gear.
4) No PLB.
And 5) IMHO, being old enough to know better.
Lucking, they all "lived to see another day."

10-4 on #1!!!

Proof that there is one world record that cannot be beaten, only equaled: World Low Flying Record.

There are no new causes of aviation accidents.

Another dummy to watch for in future Darwin Awards. And his friends aren't any smarter.

"Did you file a flight plan?"
No. I don't believe in flight plans, and there's no law that says we have to file one

"Is your altimeter working?"
Altimeter? Is that the thing that looks like a clock?

"Do you have flotation devices?"
I think the kids were using them in the swimming pool.

"Is there a survival kit attached to a floation device?"
Oh, we won't need anything like THAT!

"Is there a PLB on board?"
What's that?

"Is there any beer?"
Oh, yeah, enough for a week.

"Then I guess we're ready to go!

Dumb as stumps. But lucky stumps.

Sue

followed shortly thereafter by "y'all watch this"...

The man in question is not a stupid man. He's president of a business many in here would recognize. I suppose he either didn't think it was necessary or didn't think about it at all. I'm not going to berate him, I've certainly done a dumb thing or two in my life, but he did make a series of poor decisions which added up to a cold (and expensive) swim (and night out) that could have cost a few people their lives.
Interestingly, the author of the article, under the heading "Lessons Learned" had the sentence "Oh, for a survival kit when you need one. Of course even if they had one, it's entirely possible the men would not have salvaged it in time: planes are made to fly, not float."
Again, I'm thinking: Small plane + over water = survival VEST - worn on your body - at all times. It will leave the aircraft at the same time you do. Maybe ask your passengers to wear one too.
Floatplane rating, anyone??

Lake Fowell is a man made edifice to further our follies.

Survival truth no.1: It is better to be lucky than good.

(I think most here are shooting for both though :-) )

"The man in question is not a stupid man. He's president of a business many in here would recognize."

That doesn't mean diddly squat. Intelligence and common sense are two entirely different things. I have a friend who is well into the genius level, and she has no common sense whatsoever.

All it means is that the increase in his insurance premium probably won't bother him very much. Money does not replace sense. He was lucky that two of the three knew how to swim. What was the fool's plan if two of them hadn't been able to swim?

Sue

So many business' run by smart people I am familiar with have closed recently it's hard to keep track.
So which one is he?

Guy who stole the 50 billion dollars is pretty smart too...still wouldn't trust him..;^)

JohnE

I personally find horsepower always helps me prove how dumb I can be! The more horsepower, the quicker I can get in trouble!
That's one of the reasons I went to a canoe.

I'll bet that the guys/gals running GM, Chrysler, and Ford are pretty intelegent, and look at where they are now, begging from us...

Or the ones running the banks who already got their $ and have not made it available for loans like they said they were going to. I bet its under their mattress's.

I wish I could be like Susan and never make a dumb decision I wished later I hadn't done.

Glad these guys are ok and hope they (and others) have learned from it.

I seem to remember reading Albert Einstein had the front door of his house painted red as he would mistakenly walk into his neighbors homes.

... but your sinuses are nice and clean!

There are dumb decisions and then there are DUMB and potentially fatal decisions. Big difference, especially when other people's lives are on the line too.

Being a Boy Scout leader I face those decisions on every trip. I'm more life guard than anything else. I always have to be looking ahead and asking "what if" to make sure the boys will safely return home while still letting them enjoy the outdoors to the fullest.

When in remote places - the Boundary Waters come to mind - one has to be real conservative when making decisions, as help is a long LONG way off. Of course PLBs make getting help much MUCH easier these days - something unimaginable a number of years ago.

Ken

"...your sinuses are nice and clean!..."

Lense cleaner will do that also. Don't ask me how I know that...

Kinda reminds me of Brian Dennehy hanging out the side of a Beaver trying to get the engine running while his passenger is freaking out trying to steer the plane. As the Beaver rolls over to the pilot's side, Brian finally starts feeling the gravity of his situation, and only then starts instructing the passenger to correct the roll.

Now what was that movie again?

Was it "Never Cry Wolf?"

"I wish I could be like Susan and never make a dumb decision I wished later I hadn't done."

I'm 59 years old, have traveled over half the country by myself, and tend to recognize wholesale stupidity when I see it. I also have ADD and have the general attention span of a gnat, which makes some things more difficult. But I'm still alive, and the only time I've spent in a hospital was beyond my control.

When someone reads about a dimwit like the one in the posted article, who nearly killed himself and his friends, who only wants to pat him on his little pointy head and wish him well, it makes me wonder.

And no, I'm sure he didn't learn anything from it. He will do something just as stupid, probably someday soon. Again. Of course, he may kill someone next time, and maybe that will turn on his tiny little light bulb. Maybe.

Sue

He may be smart in business, but he is a stupid, or at least, careless pilot.

Wait. A careless pilot is a stupid pilot. Or is that a dead pilot?

"There are old pilots, there are bold pilots, there are very few old and bold pilots." Seems like I remember an old pilot telling me that.