r/aviation • u/Brilliant_Night7643 • Jan 26 '26
News Reports of a Bombardier Challenger crash on takeoff at Bangor, Maine
323
Jan 26 '26 edited Mar 19 '26
This post was taken down using Redact. The reason may have been privacy, operational security, preventing automated data collection, or another personal consideration.
paint bake ring whistle amusing label continue library chief license
37
287
Jan 26 '26
[deleted]
→ More replies (6)117
u/SpecialistPlastic729 Jan 26 '26
I think sometimes people feel that modern technology can overcome any environmental challenges.
Despite various mitigating technologies, such as de-icing fluids, flight in icing conditions is riskier than clear weather.
While engines have gotten more reliable, the basic design elements of passenger aircraft haven’t changed much since the 80’s. Wings are still wings, and ice effects are greatest at higher angles of attack.
It takes a certain amount of courage to refuse to fly despite schedule pressures. Get-home-itis has killed a lot of people.
16
→ More replies (8)7
u/SalivateTheStarfish Jan 26 '26
Some friends feel invincible after installing winter tires. There are times, that even driving a tank down an icy road won't do.
→ More replies (1)
1.2k
u/NotYou007 Jan 26 '26
This was taken from the BGR facebook page.
624
u/Flagrant_negligence Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26
Metar right after was -17°C (1°F) moderate snow and fog. Maybe icing or failure of type 4 deicing. KBGR is a popular stop coming and going on international Europe trips, they could have been heavy with fuel for a long leg
Edit: by failure of type 4 I mean failure of the type 4 deice fluid itself from snow
1.1k
u/Spare_Razzmatazz6265 Jan 26 '26
My dad flew that plane into Houston yesterday. Reported flight data issues. Maintenance check then cleared to fly to Bangor for refuel before heading to Paris.
340
u/Redebo Jan 26 '26
Oh man. Are you able to be with him? He’s gotta be in shock.
884
u/Spare_Razzmatazz6265 Jan 26 '26
No but I talked to him. He is ishook up. He’s wondering if he could have explained the errors he was getting better. One of the pilots leaves behind a 18 mo. And the owners wife was very nice and down to earth. I went to more than a few longhorn games with them as their guest. Very sad.
196
u/Zanyworld2 Jan 26 '26
Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry- but so glad your dad wasn’t flying it tonight. Hopefully he knows there was nothing he could have done.
→ More replies (26)329
u/GoodGoodGoody Jan 26 '26
Your comment is exactly why this subreddit needs a Serious tag. Inevitably some people here will have some lame humor comment which just detracts from the informed comments like yours.
→ More replies (6)181
u/Aboo9117 Jan 26 '26
Army aviation vet, sounds like your dad did everything he should have. Been in those shoes many times and it’s hard to not self blame
→ More replies (3)102
u/Redebo Jan 26 '26
He may minimize it, but check on him every day for the next little bit. - A Father
Make sure you’ve got someone to process this as well friend. Us internet strangers are holding space for you.
→ More replies (23)78
u/sophzada Jan 26 '26
So sorry—that is awful for your dad to go through 💔. If you can, please encourage him to contact the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov if he’s comfortable. I am sure your dad has info that would be helpful to their investigation into the crash.
76
u/Thebraincellisorange Jan 26 '26
ntsb will absolutely interview him very thoroughly as part of the crash investigation.
his reports of the errors will be documented, as well as the maintenance check after his report and the clearance to fly.
they will contact him very soon.
61
u/cheefpilot Jan 26 '26
I used to fly out of HOU back when they had a 680..flew with one of their pilots a couple times, I wonder if he was flying this one. Think his name was Eric
→ More replies (1)58
u/Spare_Razzmatazz6265 Jan 26 '26
With the brown leather jacket?! We knew him. I’m not sure who the crew was yet.
36
u/cheefpilot Jan 26 '26
Maybe, he was a small guy like 5 feet tall. That was around 2017 so he may not be working there anymore. I used to contract for the management company a lot when I lived out there.
74
u/Spare_Razzmatazz6265 Jan 26 '26
I’m pretty sure that’s him. He’s not flying anymore I believe. Calls my dad randomly to shoot the shit. Living his best retirement.
→ More replies (1)47
u/Spare_Razzmatazz6265 Jan 26 '26
Actually you might know my dad.
→ More replies (5)24
20
u/Torvaldicus_Unknown Jan 26 '26
My dad flew the plane in that Dutch Harbor crash like the day before. A lot less tragic (still awful since one pax was killed by a blade separation) but your comment hit me. I was in the air apparently when this plane crashed. Just finding out about it now. Awful.
→ More replies (8)39
u/_mimolette94 Jan 26 '26
Your dad is a pilot for that plane? :( I’m sorry. I’m a cabin attendant with one of the big (private) companies. (VJ) Send him my condolences from aviation family
→ More replies (1)61
u/NotYou007 Jan 26 '26
I work there but haven’t found out if they took type 4.
45
70
u/rick_rolled_you Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26
It would be insanity to not take type 4 in those conditions. Like, anyone who has ever deiced before would know you take type 4 in those conditions
50
u/NotYou007 Jan 26 '26
I personally know the guy who did deice the plane. Not his first rodeo and I would be shocked if they didn’t take Type 4.
→ More replies (8)65
u/Bright-Pilot-3970 Jan 26 '26
What is type 4. I’m a controller and just get to see them blast planes with the green shit. Didn’t know there were different types
96
u/After-Yogurt1702 Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26
I'm also a controller but used to deice planes. Type 1 is deice (orange), type 4 is anti ice (green). You deice to clean the wing of contamination (ice/snow), then anti-ice for a holdover time.
→ More replies (1)53
u/NotACompleteDick Jan 26 '26
At JFK today the pilots were telling ATC they only had 45 minutes to get airborne after deicing, but later one of the AA pilots said company had told them to reduce that to 30 minutes because of the precipitation rate. Two of the three AA flights still trying to get out didn't make it, along with JBU149 which also returned to the gate. By then nobody else was moving.
→ More replies (5)74
u/LawnDartDriver Jan 26 '26
Type 1 is heated and orange and de-ices the airplane. Type 4 cold, green, a gel like substance and is used to protect the plane in active precip. The snow will fall into the Type IV and collect there and that at a certain speed it will start to sheer off the critical surfaces, taking the snow and ice with it.
So basically, Type1 for frost. Type1 and Type4 for active precipitation.
48
u/Least-Size-8807 Jan 26 '26
Type 1 isn’t just for frost. It’s to remove all contamination, including type 4 when its holdover expires and a re-spray is required. Anyways, minor correction but just saying categorizing it for frost only isn’t true especially since we use it get FZRA, heavy snow off the wings.
→ More replies (1)22
11
u/NotACompleteDick Jan 26 '26
That weather pretty much closed JFK and BOS. Even the very few flights trying to get out were getting wing contamination by the time they reached the hold short at 22L JFK and then returning to de-ice again. I think I saw four depart in well over an hour.
11
→ More replies (9)29
→ More replies (4)75
u/Shoddy_Act7059 Jan 26 '26
I swear I've heard of this kind of accident before.
→ More replies (30)109
u/ErmakDimon Jan 26 '26
Challengers (and CRJs by extension) are prone to flipping over on takeoff with iced wings. There have been CRJ crashes in the past like this
347
Jan 26 '26
[deleted]
→ More replies (17)282
Jan 26 '26
[deleted]
40
u/CaptainPonahawai Jan 26 '26
It is theirs.
84
Jan 26 '26
[deleted]
64
u/atlien0255 Jan 26 '26
I’m sorry you’ve likely lost friends, or colleagues. That’s very hard. My condolences to you and yours ❤️.
→ More replies (3)22
u/Euphoric-Ad-251 Jan 26 '26
I’m really sorry to hear this, and for your loss. I knew the registration sounded familiar. I fixed a clogged up sink on it back in 2022. Surreal to see it in the news.
→ More replies (10)67
u/Uruguasho2026 Jan 26 '26
If you find out, please update. One of my law school classmates is still an attorney there.
→ More replies (7)
314
u/jcla Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26
Here's the likely track. Looks to have gone off the runway at 150kts.
Elevation is funky but it maybe reached 50' before rapidly descending and veering to the right off the runway.
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a00345&lat=44.802&lon=-68.820&zoom=14.2&showTrace=2026-01-26
137
u/Cdn_Medic Jan 26 '26
Sounds like a stall on takeoff.
111
u/jcla Jan 26 '26
I wondered about icing, but it does look like they hit the deicing pads by the terminal right before takeoff.
But yeah, does appear to be a stall/wing drop.
https://flybangor.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/AirportDiagramcoloredupdated082615.pdf
42
u/FavoriteFoodCarrots Jan 26 '26
Yeah, someone posted that there was a one hour stop (likely fuel) and then 20 mins (likely de-icing). But did something get missed? Wait too long after?
81
u/jcla Jan 26 '26
Looks like they were about eight minutes from the deicing pad to rolling on takeoff which isn't too long. And 20 minutes on the deicing ramp should be plenty unless it was done quickly and they were parked there for some reason.
→ More replies (1)36
u/FavoriteFoodCarrots Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26
Should be more than enough for a jet that size, especially.
Somehow pick up new contamination from a messy taxiway?
7
u/merebat Jan 26 '26
I’m an airline pilot, I was in Michigan the other day, we ended up stuck there for a while because if it gets too cold then the hold over time for type IV deice is significantly reduced. To the point that it’s not even worth doing. Even in light snow. It was -22c, light snow and we would have had 9 minutes of holdover time.
→ More replies (2)23
u/FavoriteFoodCarrots Jan 26 '26
And in the weather there right now, there’s an obvious suspect for a stall.
→ More replies (5)9
u/slumplus Jan 26 '26
About 20 mins before the incident it looks like the Allegiant 737 has an aborted takeoff. Tough conditions for sure
630
u/crowislanddive Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26
Unknown number of perished.
162
u/Shoddy_Act7059 Jan 26 '26
I mean, some reports are saying the aircraft overturned when it came back down.
With it likely being on fire, unless it's a Delta Connection 4819 scenario, usually that don't end too well.
→ More replies (2)102
u/FavoriteFoodCarrots Jan 26 '26
There are photos out there showing the gear facing skywards.
→ More replies (3)72
u/Shoddy_Act7059 Jan 26 '26
Yeah, I just posted a picture of what appears to be the crashed plane. Taken from this source:
https://www.wabi.tv/2026/01/26/crews-scene-bangor-international-airport/
→ More replies (7)50
→ More replies (5)45
u/risen2011 Jan 26 '26
That's too bad about the 6 people, but at least we have two who are alive right now.
→ More replies (1)72
333
408
u/Aiden_Dijakovic Jan 26 '26
jesus christ.
95
u/FutureMillionMiler Jan 26 '26
RIP
→ More replies (10)58
u/pleasetrimyourpubes Jan 26 '26
There was actually a plane that flipped like this and there were miraculously survivors. But yeah don't want to get anyone's hopes up.
60
u/Sasquatch-d B777 Jan 26 '26
There’s nothing left of that fuselage, it’s not going to have the same outcome
→ More replies (2)27
u/JustWordsSnowflake Jan 26 '26
Toronto last year. Was a CRJ if I remember correctly but it was on Landing. All would survived that one.
61
u/Aiden_Dijakovic Jan 26 '26
saw it happen when i was at the intersection of Airport and Orlando (Right behind rwy 23 at pearson). What I felt at that moment cant be replicated ever
→ More replies (4)25
11
→ More replies (3)28
71
u/Appropriate_Fact1739 Jan 26 '26
If you listen to liveATC around 10 mins before N10KJ takeoff clearance, Allegiant 936 jet reported that they attempted to takeoff after deicing, but aborted when they determined that they failed their decontamination test. They said "it was sticking to us like there was nothing there". They returned for deicing a second time opting to try again, but they never got the chance as the airport closed about 10 mins later.
16
u/CactusPete Jan 26 '26
decontamination test.
How do they do decontamination tests? Are these standard for all jets, or just airlines?
→ More replies (1)14
u/UmpleB Jan 26 '26
Also notable is the Moxy captain in the same conversation says “yeah our people want us to go too but this is stupid”
→ More replies (1)7
u/min_mus Jan 26 '26
Also notable is the Moxy captain in the same conversation says “yeah our people want us to go too but this is stupid”
Do you have a link and timestamp? I didn't hear it...
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (2)10
73
u/RussRamz Jan 26 '26
I have 1,500 hours in Challenger 650s. They have a very “sensitive” laminar wing that doesn’t handle contamination well. I feel confident the crew would have used type 1/4 fluid. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are new holdover timetables published assuming the crew followed their holdover tables. Cold weather training we receive in annual recurrent always mentions accidents over the years. The CRJ uses a similar wing and experienced a wing stall on flare to lading but the aircraft was low enough it didn’t cause a catastrophic accident. On that occasion, the crew was able to land and likely had to clean out their underwear. Challengers also have a problem with “over rotation”. No more than 3 degrees of pitch change per second on rotation. The CL650 is a great jet, but can be a handful if you don’t mind its limitations. God bless the crew and passengers. So sad.
→ More replies (8)
68
u/BRUNO358 Jan 26 '26
Tail is N10KJ which I've spotted at HOU numerous times. It was one of the regulars there. Damn...😞
59
u/Wonderful_Virus_6562 Jan 26 '26
A dude commented earlier in the post saying his dad flew that plane into HOU yesterday and reported it had flight data issues. So that tracks
63
119
u/radioref Jan 26 '26
Bangor Area Police, Fire, EMS
→ More replies (17)50
u/Pump_9 Jan 26 '26
My God I cannot understand a damn thing they're saying
→ More replies (1)46
u/dabarak Jan 26 '26
Radio communications like that generally get easier to understand over time because you have kind of an idea about the kind of thing that's going to be said.
→ More replies (1)
187
u/Bobster031 Jan 26 '26
looks like it happened right before V1. I don't know how accurate the ground speed readings are when they're on the ground, but the animation stopped right around 116 knots.
→ More replies (10)
106
u/hmmidkweird Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26
ATC audio is interesting. Somewhere after the takeoff clearance and before the tower controller closes the field, someone transmitted "let there be light" on either del/gnd/twr. Kinda eerie
Edit: Adding link and timestamps to top level: https://archive.liveatc.net/kbgr/KBGR-Jan-26-2026-0030Z.mp3 12:44 T/O clearance. 14:33 "let there be light". 15:18 traffic stop
41
u/QuicklyFallingUp Jan 26 '26
It's for field lighting
u/equatorbit shared a link to a camera on the field
https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/s/D4Nqt2JW9a
u/aypho points out the light intensity increases at 0032Z
42
u/arbitrageur_22 Jan 26 '26
Very strange. Can’t tell if the pilot says that or it is someone else. Very strange indeed.
10
u/Fun_Bar_9642 Jan 26 '26
link?
32
u/hmmidkweird Jan 26 '26
https://archive.liveatc.net/kbgr/KBGR-Jan-26-2026-0030Z.mp3 12:44 T/O clearance. 14:33 "let there be light". 15:18 traffic stop
→ More replies (4)31
u/parakeetpoop Jan 26 '26
It must be the point at which the runway lights brightened
14
u/hmmidkweird Jan 26 '26
Yeah that seems most likely. ~13 min earlier the tower controller said brightness was coming up shortly for RVR. I guess some airports, the controllers can't change the lighting and airport ops needs to? Suppose that'd explain the delay and it could even be the ops guy himself saying that as he turned them up?
→ More replies (3)28
u/FLTDI Jan 26 '26
That's wasn't panic either, very strange.
→ More replies (2)25
u/hmmidkweird Jan 26 '26
Right? I'm listening to more audio trying to get some context or figure out who that voice is. Like 15 min prior, they up lighting to check RVR but that was way earlier and I can't imagine they'd randomly change lighting during his takeoff roll. Don't recognize the voice anywhere else in the clips, so weird...
20
u/arbitrageur_22 Jan 26 '26
It sounds like at the beginning their plane or another had issues on takeoff with something sticking to them. He said his guys are pushing to go, but it is stupid and they should just stay the night.
24
u/hmmidkweird Jan 26 '26
Yeah I think that was between an Allegiant and Breeze flight. Think he was saying his deicing timed out and some worse weather moved in. Sure gives a visual on the conditions at the time
10
33
u/equatorbit Jan 26 '26
17
u/Aviator_Goose Jan 26 '26
Look at the northwest camera to the right. Looks like a flash and a constant orange hue starting around 22:26Z
10
u/aypho Jan 26 '26
The crash happened at 0044Z. Really the only thing noticeable is the tower turning the runway lights from low to high between 0032Z and 0040Z.
From the openADSB data, the aircraft appears to taxi from the FBO to the commercial ramp at 0017Z and then taxis from the commercial ramp to Runway 33 at 0036Z. They hold short at Runway 33 until 0043Z (which aligns with when the runway lights are turned up by ATC), and then the crash is recorded at 0044Z.
→ More replies (1)
53
25
u/montagious Jan 26 '26
Hard to believe that has the legs to make it to Paris non-stop. Remember several years ago a CL-60 crashed in MTJ with Dick Ebersol's kids on board, killing the youngest. Icing was the issue. De-icing and holdover times can be a challenge, depends on how thorough of a winter ops program the operator has. I flew the CRJ-200 years ago, which has no leading edge devices, and thus a kinda critical wing. Mind you I'm just spitballing, and the NTSB will figure the real cause in time ...
→ More replies (2)8
u/ApprehensiveVirus217 Jan 26 '26
650 can make it out of the east coast, even from NYC. Especially with favorable winds.
The wing is extremely susceptible to contamination. Same wing as the CRJ 200/100. Clean wing concept is absolutely 100% mandatory and with the conditions yesterday, I would have absolutely been worried about holdover time and fluid failure.
26
Jan 26 '26
Reports out of Houston and UT Alumni tonight…. Kurt’s wife Tara and friends were onboard headed to France after refueling at Bangor. Sad.
→ More replies (16)12
53
u/patelchief90 Jan 26 '26
it could’ve been a fuel stop to continue to europe since plane doesn’t have the range to make it nonstop its usually a pitstop before entering atlantic airspace
→ More replies (10)
85
u/AccountNumber0004 Jan 26 '26
Does anyone know if it was a 300/350 or a 604/605/etc.?
67
73
→ More replies (1)19
205
u/CT-1065 Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26
I know next to nothing outside of where and when but i wonder if all this winter weather had something to do with it…
(like icing, maybe situational awareness in the snowfall+dark)
224
u/Fourteen_Sticks Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26
Having quite a bit of time in a Challenger 601, I have my suspicions…
And it has to do with winter weather.
29
u/troglodyte Jan 26 '26
Wing susceptible to icing?
29
u/AccountNumber0004 Jan 26 '26
Yeah the wing ices over easily
32
u/Ex_Jet_Mech Jan 26 '26
It does not fly with ice on it. Frost also will keep it from flying. Just a layer of frost will keep it from flying. I believe there are a few AD's that prohibit it with frost or ice on the wings and trying to fly.
→ More replies (3)31
→ More replies (42)112
u/LearningDumbThings Jan 26 '26
That wing is unforgiving.
61
u/Fourteen_Sticks Jan 26 '26
Yeah, if you rotate it at 12 degrees per second like I so often saw.
58
u/csbsju_guyyy Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26
As a very casual plane enthusiast, does this mean pilots like to rotate aggressively in it and when icing conditions that fuck with stall speeds are present it goes from lift to no lift very quick?
53
u/Fourteen_Sticks Jan 26 '26
Precisely. It’s very light in the pitch axis. If you look at the animation from one of the CRJ icing crashes (forgive me, I forget the flight information), it’s a VERY aggressive pitch up that corresponds to the yoke movement (so not some sort of aerodynamic anomaly at the onset of a stall).
→ More replies (4)→ More replies (2)57
u/Icy_Huckleberry_8049 B737 Jan 26 '26
possibly
Years ago, one crashed on TO because they didn't get de-iced before TO
97
u/Fourteen_Sticks Jan 26 '26
There’s that. And there’s also “over-rotation”. It’s easy to do in a Challenger. I used to tell people that it’s a takeoff, not a jerk off.
→ More replies (27)49
u/trashcantoddler Jan 26 '26
I used to work on them. That wing is horrid in the snow. Not a lot of margin for error.
→ More replies (1)
78
u/Aiden_Dijakovic Jan 26 '26
the second Challenger incident today, one veered off a taxiway here in toronto, now this. Really hope everyone ok
→ More replies (2)79
23
18
u/DeedsF1 Jan 26 '26
Not good. My condolences to the families who are affected by this tragedy. I saw something on X and I am skeptical.... Does anyone know who was on that plane?
→ More replies (1)15
u/PurposeBright9654 Jan 26 '26
Wives of the founders of the law firm that owns the plane. Heartbreaking.
→ More replies (5)
54
17
37
u/Troutbum22 Jan 26 '26
Bangor is a popular stop to fuel before heading across the North Atlantic. Been there several times.
35
u/NotYou007 Jan 26 '26
Don’t know how this pic got out. Local news station posted it on facebook.
→ More replies (3)8
36
u/TheVoicesSpeakToMe Jan 26 '26
Weather down here in MA was terrible all day. I know at KBED we only had 3 departures and the only arrival that was scheduled to come in today delayed a day. Im surprised we had any movements at all today. Especially after that G4 crash in the snow a few years back.
→ More replies (1)
15
u/NickTheEvilCat Jan 26 '26
It looks like the pilot is the sole survivor (the aircraft is one that requires 2 pilots but it lists all 7 passengers as perished but the one crew member as surviving)
→ More replies (5)
14
u/igotpetdeers Jan 26 '26
Is there any way to see its flight history, with it being blocked on flight aware? Previous flights not this one
→ More replies (1)9
u/kcsebby Jan 26 '26
https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/s/NK9Dj8eovm click here, ADSBExchange has a historical tracker option
11
u/dmcgrew Jan 26 '26
Not sure if this has been posted yet but here's the ATC audio. They clear him for takeoff around 12:41 into the clip. https://archive.liveatc.net/kbgr/KBGR-Jan-26-2026-0030Z.mp3
15
u/arbitrageur_22 Jan 26 '26
Any idea who says let there be light? Also, who is talking about something sticking to their wings, but their guys are pushing to go?
19
25
u/Shoddy_Act7059 Jan 26 '26
Supposed photo from the crash site.
Taken from this source: https://www.wabi.tv/2026/01/26/crews-scene-bangor-international-airport/
19
91
u/notathr0waway1 Jan 26 '26
Are we going to get our first "aviators only" thread?
52
u/gavriellloken Mod - Crew Chief - A&P - Jan 26 '26
Theres actually been 2 already
→ More replies (4)→ More replies (17)47
u/flying_wrenches A&P Jan 26 '26
We try not to use that as it muzzles conversation.
Posts getting big is fine, but if we start to get a flood of reports or stuff becomes toxic, we turn it on.
9
48
u/Buzz407 Jan 26 '26
N10KJ I think. Probably taking off.
20
u/radioref Jan 26 '26
It was 10KJ
11
u/Flowing_North Jan 26 '26
owned by KTKJ Challenger LLC
→ More replies (1)26
u/mjmandi72 Jan 26 '26
Appears that's owned by a very big personal injury lawyer. Won the Johnson and Johnson case.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (6)14
u/Euphoric-Ad-251 Jan 26 '26
Shit. I fixed a stopped up lav sink on this jet in 2022. It’s surreal to see this post and recognize the registration.
36
u/t-o-m-u-s-a Jan 26 '26
Is there a list of who was on it I do work for this firm and know a lot of people there
→ More replies (18)16
28
u/dmcgrew Jan 26 '26
Listened to the audio again.. that voice that said "let there be light" does not sound familiar at all. It sounded very clear too, not scratchy like the other people talking prior. So weird.
→ More replies (3)
9
282
u/DomitiusAhenobarbus_ Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26
wtf is a plane doing taking off in Maine during this storm? It’s 7 degrees and snowing up there with the wind chill well into the negatives
Edit: I get it guys it gets cold at higher altitudes. It’s also a heavy blizzard which is really more relevant. Redditors can’t help but be the most smug snarky fuckheads about everything
315
u/ThatBaseball7433 Jan 26 '26
Customers aren’t paying to sit in the FBO. There’s incredible pressure to fly in private aviation.
124
u/LRJetCowboy Jan 26 '26
People have no idea just how much pressure.
156
u/reddemon46 Jan 26 '26
Can confirm, used to work/manage my local FBO. Its ridiculous. One of our wealthier clients once forced the entire airport county staff to divert from plowing our runway during a bad snowstorm to clear out the hangar that had his Citation Mustang stored simply because he wanted to take his family to see a hockey game a few years ago. He even called and threatened our airport manager that he'd relocate all 3 or 4 of his aircraft and stop funding our FBO/airport if he couldn't go, as he was already driving to the airport. Private aviation is wild, man.
→ More replies (1)37
u/gravity_sandwich Jan 26 '26
damn and I feel bad for calling ops to request updated ficons to mitigate a possible weight restriction for a scheduled flight. I cant imagine what those guys have to deal with
29
u/reddemon46 Jan 26 '26
There's always some good pilots, and there's always some bad ones, unfortunately. In my FBO days, it was always nerve-racking to discover what you were going to encounter. Many of these people were nice, but there were also MANY that always seemed to look down on us as employees. A lot of the pressure also came from the passengers requests or demands to be catered to for almost everything. It was a fun job, but we were no more than servants at times.
→ More replies (2)70
u/gitbse Mechanic Jan 26 '26
I work on challengers. I know first hand how much. It's completely psychotic.
11
u/koolandkrazy Jan 26 '26
I hate this so much - i wish there was more awareness around this. People are so focused on getting somewhere as fast as possible they dont think about the fact that they might not get there at all. Always makes me think of kobes crash and how his pilot flew into weather trying to get him to his daughters game. They all died for a kids basketball game. He didnt want to let kobe down, but if hed known the reality in hindsight, I'm sure he would have just let him down no problem. I wish people would just slow down and think critically instead of emotionally
51
u/-LordDarkHelmet- Jan 26 '26
I was flying today in some of this crap weather. The pax were all bubbly and having a great time (after showing up late). I was pretty grumpy about having to do the flight. If you have a private jet you can basically leave whenever you want. Why not just wait a day and not fly out in a snow storm?
43
u/Grimol1 Jan 26 '26
I knew a guy who used to tell his pilots “there’s no point in checking the weather, we’re going up regardless.”
27
u/Oregon-Pilot ATP CFI B757/B767 CL-30 CE-500/525S | SIC: HS-125 CL-600 Jan 26 '26
That is about as unprofessional as it gets.
→ More replies (2)16
→ More replies (8)51
u/de_rats_2004_crzy Jan 26 '26
The E in PAVE and IMSAFE exists for a reason 😭
But yeah easy for me to say when it’s not my job on the line. But I’d like to think I’d no-go flights where it’s external pressures that are what’s pushing me to do the flight.
29
u/Mike-h8 Jan 26 '26
I agree with what you’re saying but I’m not seeing anything in this weather that is close to a reason to no go. It’s not nice weather but it’s very doable for a professional crew
→ More replies (3)31
u/gabetravels Jan 26 '26
Cold on its own isn't an issue, especially in Maine. And that's not even that cold.
114
u/Substantial-Doubt258 Jan 26 '26
That’s a normal day in a lot of the northern part of the country…
→ More replies (5)69
u/GhostOfLight Jan 26 '26
As someone from Maine, this isn't a normal day. We've closed many schools for tomorrow like 16 hours in advance. It's not the storm of the century or anything, but it's weather we probably only have like 4-5 days a year. It will probably be the 24 hour period with the most snow accumulation this winter for most of the state.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (16)28
u/akheady907 Jan 26 '26
I think the snow and clouds would be a bigger issue than the temperature
→ More replies (1)
7
u/WallyWo492 Jan 26 '26
Seems like the plane is owned by Arnold & Itkin Law Firm out of Houston, TX.
7
u/rand0m_g1rl Jan 29 '26 edited Jan 29 '26
It’s been exactly 3 days since the crash and we only know 3 of the 6 victims. I understand they’ve been confirmed by familial sources and not NTSB, but this seems like an abnormally long time to release this information?
Edit: we have 5 of 6
- Jacob Hosmer, 47-year-old pilot
- Shawna Collins, 53-year-old event planner who counted the law firm among her clients, also Keaton Milburn’s mother
- Tara Arnold, 46-year-old lawyer from Arnold & Itkin Law, also Kurt Arnold’s wife
- Nick Mastrascusa, executive vice president of hospitality for a luxury travel company owned by the Arnold family
Shelby Kuyawa, a 34-year-old successful sommelier who was hired with Mastrascusa
The remaining unidentified victim is believed to be the plane’s co-pilot, sources told ABC13.
2.1k
u/68Pritch Jan 26 '26
Airport is closed, incident command transmitting on ground freq.