Fatal Crash Near Sherbrooke Quebec

[jpilot77]

https://globalnews.ca/news/5871059/body ... nd-estrie/

Very unfortunate. RIP.

[rigpiggy]

Named

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/body-believed ... 37480.html

Gone west too soon.

[Old fella]

Always very sad to hear of a promising young aviators life snuffed out.

[Mooney21]

Condolences to the Barch family.
She was an Air Transat flight attendant and an aspiring airline pilot. Very sad.

[pelmet]

I read the accident report.

https://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/enquetes-inve ... q0153.html

There were two Cessna's flying together from Mirabel to Sherbrooke. The pilot of the plane that crashed was licensed with about 80 hours total time and had completed all requirements for a night rating, It may be that because her license had not been updated yet for the night rating, that she was operating under supervision of an instructor back at Mirabel who authorized the trip along with the chief flight instructor.

The only thing is..... that it was not a good night for a VFR flight for several reasons. Keeping in mind that there was significant terrain to be flown over or fairly close by, it was windy at destination at virtually 30 knots that evening with post-cold front winds. That would have created the possibility of significant turbulence. The area forecast called for clouds below what I would have considered to be a safe enroute altitude, there were rainshowers around. But, the terminal forecast at destination was fairly good in terms of clouds and visibility.

It seems to me that all the pilots pretty much just looked at the weather reports and forecast at the departure and destination airports and did not consider the enroute weather. They report says that the investigators could not identify which GFA, if any was reviewed before flight. I think we know what that likely means. I suspect that the weather radar was not checked either as there were rainshowers.

Unfortunately, the report does not even discuss the winds and terrain factors and how this factor should have affected decision-making for this flight. I would have wanted no cloud below 10,000 feet, good visibility, and a cruise altitude at least of 5,500 on a windy night like that or even on a light wind night for an inexperienced pilot. Instead, the GFA was calling for patchy ceilings at 1500 agl.

The pilot was licensed and should at this point be making dispatch decisions but I am surprised that the instructors authorized the flight.

[digits_]

They report says that the investigators could not identify which GFA, if any was reviewed before flight. I think we know what that likely means.

Do we?
How would an inspector identify which GFA you checked if you had crashed during your last flight?

I don't think I have had paper trails for GFAs or other checks for over 10 years, barring the occasional check ride.

[cdnavater]

They report says that the investigators could not identify which GFA, if any was reviewed before flight. I think we know what that likely means.

Do we?
How would an inspector identify which GFA you checked if you had crashed during your last flight?

I don't think I have had paper trails for GFAs or other checks for over 10 years, barring the occasional check ride.

Another opposition post, posted by digits!
Every website you visit leaves a digital footprint, if this pilot checked the weather online, it would show up in the search history. If they called FSS for a weather briefing, it would be recorded.
Are you in the habit of removing your website cache after you check the weather, I’m sure they would have reviewed this as part of the investigation but I’m not privy to that information, so I’m just guessing!

[pelmet]

They report says that the investigators could not identify which GFA, if any was reviewed before flight. I think we know what that likely means.

Do we?
How would an inspector identify which GFA you checked if you had crashed during your last flight?

I don't think I have had paper trails for GFAs or other checks for over 10 years, barring the occasional check ride.

It says 'if any'. If the instructors had reviewed any GFA, they would have no doubt stated so. That being said, if the instructors actually did review the GFA and approved this flight, it doesn't make them look very good. If the pilot who survived had reviewed the GFA, she would have said so, even of she couldn't be sure of the exact one.

I suppose the instructors could have taken the word of the pilots that they had reviewed the GFA. Perhaps an instructor here could let us know what they are responsible to look at prior to doing a sign-out.

Check the GFA's prior to departure on a cross-country flight of significance(or get a weather briefing from FSS). I have been caught in bad weather by not checking the old FA once and relying just on the terminal forecasts.

[digits_]

They report says that the investigators could not identify which GFA, if any was reviewed before flight. I think we know what that likely means.

Do we?
How would an inspector identify which GFA you checked if you had crashed during your last flight?

I don't think I have had paper trails for GFAs or other checks for over 10 years, barring the occasional check ride.

It says 'if any'. If the instructors had reviewed any GFA, they would have no doubt stated so. That being said, if the instructors actually did review the GFA and approved this flight, it doesn't make them look very good. If the pilot who survived had reviewed the GFA, she would have said so, even of she couldn't be sure of the exact one.

I suppose the instructors could have taken the word of the pilots that they had reviewed the GFA. Perhaps an instructor here could let us know what they are responsible to look at prior to doing a sign-out.

That's a lot of speculation. I don't think it's fair to draw those conclusions. On most of my flights I am sure I have checked the GFA , but if you were to ask me after the flight, or a week after the flight which GFA I looked at exactly, especially around the time the new forecast would come out, I likely wouldn't remember exactly.

There's a big difference between "we couldn't determine which GFA, if any, was reviewed" and "we determined no GFA was reviewed before the flight".

[pelmet]

Do we?
How would an inspector identify which GFA you checked if you had crashed during your last flight?

I don't think I have had paper trails for GFAs or other checks for over 10 years, barring the occasional check ride.

It says 'if any'. If the instructors had reviewed any GFA, they would have no doubt stated so. That being said, if the instructors actually did review the GFA and approved this flight, it doesn't make them look very good. If the pilot who survived had reviewed the GFA, she would have said so, even of she couldn't be sure of the exact one.

I suppose the instructors could have taken the word of the pilots that they had reviewed the GFA. Perhaps an instructor here could let us know what they are responsible to look at prior to doing a sign-out.

That's a lot of speculation. I don't think it's fair to draw those conclusions. On most of my flights I am sure I have checked the GFA , but if you were to ask me after the flight, or a week after the flight which GFA I looked at exactly, especially around the time the new forecast would come out, I likely wouldn't remember exactly.

There's a big difference between "we couldn't determine which GFA, if any, was reviewed" and "we determined no GFA was reviewed before the flight".

I suspect that if the pilots had said, "Yes, we looked at the GFA during the pre-flight preparation but can't remember what its issuance time was", the report would have been written differently. All that being said, if they looked at the GFA and used that information to determine that it was suitable weather for this flight for an 80 hour pilot, they showed incompetence in their decision-making. Doesn't look good either way.

[CpnCrunch]

Another opposition post, posted by digits!
Every website you visit leaves a digital footprint, if this pilot checked the weather online, it would show up in the search history. If they called FSS for a weather briefing, it would be recorded.
Are you in the habit of removing your website cache after you check the weather, I’m sure they would have reviewed this as part of the investigation but I’m not privy to that information, so I’m just guessing!

They could not retrieve her phone or tablet, so obviously couldn't check the history.

When I check the GFA I do it on wxbrief.ca rather than the navcan site.