Windsor Flying Club 172 down in Nashville.

[vrrotate]

So maybe he flew low across the border with the transponder off, staying quiet on the radio and low airspeed. He could then simulate a takeoff from a US airport just across the border with the transponder on 1200 and stay clear of controlled airspace without talking to anyone. Or just leave the transponder off.

Being over the lake, you'd think radar at Cleveland or Detroit would pick up a primary return. DHS will be working to plug that hole.

If he was doing smuggling runs, he'd have to do something to account for some serious time discrepancies in the meters -- or disconnect them.

I guarantee you and if I really cared I would bet you $100 that he was being picked up by radar the entire flight and that they already have his entire route figured out. Unless he was flying at less than a few hundred feet which hey kudos to him if he can do that at night, Radar images are constantly downloaded in real time and saved for just such situations. The point is at the time something like this is happening, nobody is watching. You really think IFR controllers are looking at airspace down to the ground? Absolutely not. They set their screens to look at only the altitudes they want. Unless he was flying right over controlled airports or through approach/departure airspace (which if he was deliberately doing illegal things I doubt he was) nobody saw him on radar until he was close to KBNA.

Also unless you're flying through ADIZ airspace, nobody seems to care what you're doing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ADIZ_Boundaries.jpg

Try doing the same thing across the US/Mexico border. Someone might notice then haha.

[vrrotate]

... he'd have to do something to account for some serious time discrepancies in the meters -- or disconnect them.

Does turning the Master OFF not shut everything down except the engine ?

If I remember correctly it would stop the Hobbs meter if installed but I think the tach for the engine is mechanical.

[pdw]

Some of the older planes maybe, but as I understand it, to function most tachs need battery voltage as well.

[cgartly]

On my 172N the tach is purely mechanical and the hobb's is powered from the same electrical circuit the clock is and runs off of an oil pressure switch.

In other words, both the tach and hobbs function normally even with the master off.

[flyinthebug]

Edit

[Doc]

So, do I have this correct? Somebody dies in a 172, and it turns into a discussion of tach time and Hobbs metres? Shakes head.

[willow burner]

Mmmmmkay. Hundreds of miles at night, under the radar, with the master off? Quite the stunt. Must be an easier way to make a dishonest living.

[RatherBeFlying]

The Hobbs and tach can be disconnected, but I'm not giving out instructions. Just remember it has to be signed off by an AME

[DanWEC]

So, do I have this correct? Somebody dies in a 172, and it turns into a discussion of tach time and Hobbs metres? Shakes head.

The one in sixty rule as it applies to thread drift....

[golden hawk]

http://www.flyingmag.com/technique/acci ... OTI0NzgzS0

Strange Cessna 172 Crash Gets Stranger
By Stephen Pope / Published: Oct 31, 2013
Related Tags: Accidents, News

The bizarre fatal crash of a Cessna 172 at Nashville International Airport (KBNA) on Tuesday that went undetected for up to six hours took another strange turn when the pilot turned out to be a convicted Canadian bank robber.

The 172 apparently crashed sometime after 2:45 a.m. in dense fog with 45-year-old Michael Callan at the controls. The Cessna, which was owned by the flying club Callan belonged to at Windsor Airport (CYQG) in Canada, just across the border from Detroit, departed CYQG on a filed flight plan to Pelee Island, about 30 minutes away. Investigators told The Windsor Star that it’s unclear whether Callan ever landed there, but what is known is that he fatally crashed at Nashville International some time in the early morning hours.

The tower at KBNA is open 24 hours, but Callan reportedly never radioed controllers and the crash wasn’t detected until the next morning when another pilot taxiied past the charred wreckage.

The Windsor Star reported that Callan had a long criminal record including violent bank robberies dating back to the 1990s. He was also reportedly facing Internet pornography charges in Windsor.

The NTSB and FAA are investigating the crash.

[captcrunch2013]

If you have a problem with moderation then PM either a mod or the Webmaster. Another shot at us here will get you a little R & R from this site.
Bandaid

[captcrunch2013]

I noticed that my post was removed? Why?
The Fact is, the pilot had a long criminal record, he was recently charged
with very serious offences and very obviously could not enter the USA legally.

http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2012/02/02 ... porn-bust/

The Windsor Flying Club ( a great flying club) were unfortunately aware of that record,
and with the best of intentions, after a careful review, allowed him to fly.
That error in judgement cost them a C172 that may or may not be covered
under insurance, even worse, the pilot is dead.

At the end of the day, this accident raises a lot of issues that
I'm willing to bet will be swept under the carpet.

Removing posts that address the root cause of accidents, fatal accidents
serve only to cause more accidents and satisfy the crazy notions
of political correctness over reality and logical reasoning.

I've seen a lot of pilots suffer false allegations in family court and
it at least temporarily ended their careers. More often permanently.
Many return at reduced capacities and or at lower paid positions
as a result.

I've watched as one pilot had a heart attack from false allegations,
and believe it or not, sent back flying weeks later.

There is a large difference between the false allegations that 50% of
fathers go through in divorce and the kind of very serious criminal offences that this particular
pilot was convicted of, let alone the most recent charges that mean
his last flight was probably planned that way.

[rookieatc]

PS... rookieatc... Could you answer the question though if this aircraft would raise an eyebrow to ATC if they saw it passing outside their control zone? Or would they have blown it off as a homebuilt or something flying without a transponder? Would it have set off alarm bells for you personally?

Short answer is it depends. It depends on what airspace they are flying in. In my terminal all aircraft require a transponder and clearance to enter the class C airspace. If I see a primary target floating around in active approach/departure paths, I'm keeping a close eye on that guy to see what he is up to and keeping aircraft clear of him to avoid any issues. I will point him out to any aircraft who may be flying near him and seeing if I can get a report from them as to type/approximate altitude. And if I'm really lucky maybe a tail number so we can get a hold of them somehow later on and explain the situation. All that being said, I see multiple aircraft a day skirting the boundary of our class C just to avoid talking to us. So that doesn't raise many eyebrows. This is a Canadian ATC perspective though, where a lot of out VFR's are on their own when in uncontrolled airspace. From my understanding though there is a lot more flight following that goes on in the US so I can't speak for them as to what they may or may not find alarming. Not sure if that makes sense, but that's the best I could answer.

[Gogona]

The Windsor Flying Club ( a great flying club) were unfortunately aware of that record,
and with the best of intentions, after a careful review, allowed him to fly.

So... what? Do they break any law or regulations this way? I don't think so.

As soon as the club member is legal and current, they are not obligated to check his background or preach him instead of signing him out. And notice, the pilot told them he gonna fly to Pelee Island, but not cross the border!

[bizjets101]

Callan’s 1997 arrest came after he ditched a stolen car not far from the Windsor Flying Club, entered the club carrying a bag, changed his clothes and left. Suspicious club members provided police with his name.

That is how he got arrested from his year long crime spree, violent robberies of banks, including pointing a hand gun at the belly of a pregnant teller.

[170 to xray]

Let's assume he wasn't planning on landing kbna, but due to wx tried the ils. So where was he going? There is an rnav approach close to bna, is the 172 capable? As someone alluded to earlier I'm guessing this is a quick turn under cover of darkness. Would he not need fuel for the return?

Lots of questions. I'm interested in what comes to light as this progresses.

[pelmet]

EDITED

[ReserveTank]

investigated

Remember that in Canada you are innocent until proven guilty, regardless of prior offences. Your belief in that would make you a Canadian that the world knows and actually likes.

[DanWEC]

At the risk of sounding callous, and contradicting my initial post, I don't think that pelmet and jeta1 are too far off the mark- I agree, though I'lll maintain a respectful silence out of decorum.... Mostly.

The guy has apparently used the WFC on apparently more than one occasion as an unwitting accomplice. Unfortunately I have a distant connection to relatives of his through family friends, and from what I've heard, those members actively maintained a complete non-association with him because he was obviously bad news.

[Doc]

Well DanWEC, he may well have not been someone you'd want to date your mom, BUT, I have a very hard time when fellow pilots "high five" somebody dying in an airplane accident. We don't have the death penalty in Canada. If he was a convicted felon, he'd obviously paid his debt to the Ministry of Punishment and Revenge.

[pdw]

Speaking of "high five" though, after holding their hands in the fire for this guy the WFC executive are probably glad nothing worse happened with their aircraft itself. Wherever the aircraft was heading across the US, when taking into consideration the pending charges, it may not have been the intention to return the plane at all ... so where would they have been at if it had vanished without a trace, waiting out the statute of limitations ? ... or if it had done serious damage to other property over and above the maximum insurance liability ...

In that sense the total disregard for the WFC is of a grievious nature for sure ...

[DanWEC]

I agree- With extremely few exceptions, death is tragic, and I would never celebrate or wish harm on anyone- but it seems that while his debt were paid for prior crimes, he was very much in the process of continually committing new ones. Is death justifiable? I for one certainly wouldn't think so, but I'd feel much worse if it were Mother Theresa.

[Doc]

I agree- With extremely few exceptions, death is tragic, and I would never celebrate or wish harm on anyone- but it seems that while his debt were paid for prior crimes, he was very much in the process of continually committing new ones. Is death justifiable? I for one certainly wouldn't think so, but I'd feel much worse if it were Mother Theresa.

Mother Theresa denounced her faith at the end,(look it up) and couldn't fly. Everything against this guy is hearsay, which isn't admissible.
I don't think this is the place for "ding dong, the witch is dead..." Google it
Cheers

[switchflicker]

...
Everything against this guy is hearsay, which isn't admissible.
...
Is anything on this forum 'admissible'. And admissible to what or to whom. Is this some kind of Kangaroo Kourt with the Dishonourable Doc presiding?

Sw

[Doc]

...
Everything against this guy is hearsay, which isn't admissible.
...
Is anything on this forum 'admissible'. And admissible to what or to whom. Is this some kind of Kangaroo Kourt with the Dishonourable Doc presiding?

Sw

No need to stop being a lady! I just find it offensive to celebrate a death as a positive on an aviation forum. I guess if this makes me "dishonourable"? So be it.