Plane Crash Victim Killed by Distracted Flying
Federal investigators have been looking into the possible causes of a plane crash last spring near Denver, Colorado, and have discovered that the pilot may have been committing distracted flying because he was taking selfies while in the air.
Pilot Amritpal Singh, 29, and his two passengers, were killed instantly last year when the Cessna 150K that Singh piloted crashed into a wheat field near Denver just after midnight on May 31st.
The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the crash, and found evidence from earlier short flights involving the same pilot and several other passengers. A GoPro mounted to the plane’s windshield showed that Singh and his passengers routinely took selfies during the flight. Mobile phone use, including taking selfies and posting the images to social media, is a rapidly increasing cause of fatal car accidents, through distracted driving. The federal safety agency believes that Singh may have committed distracted flying, which led to the distracted flying plane crash.
“During the climb-out portion of flight, the pilot uses his cellphone to take a self photograph. The camera’s flash was activated and illuminated the cockpit area,” NTSB investigators reported. “During the climb-out phase, the pilot was seen making keyboard entries to his cell phone and additional keyboard entries on a portion of flight consistent with the downwind leg.”
However, federal investigators added that the GoPro did not record the flight on the night of the accident, so they are unsure. However, they deduce that distracted flying could have led to the plane crash from Singh’s previous behavior.
“It is likely that cellphone use during the accident flight distracted the pilot and contributed to the development of special disorientation and subsequent loss of control,” the NTSB said.
“Post-accident examination of the airplane did not reveal any pre-impact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation…Based on the wreckage distribution, which was consistent with a high-speed impact, and the degraded visual reference conditions, it is likely that the pilot experienced spatial disorientation and lost control of the airplane.”
Plane Crash Victims Deserve Compensation
Statistically, flying is much safer than driving. Air travel can reduce travel time and offers convenience. When an airplane crash occurs, catastrophic injuries and death may result, killing hundreds of innocent passengers, and giving rise to a wrongful death claim. If you or a loved one has been the victim of a plane crash, you need a South Carolina plane crash attorney.
The reality is that pilot error is the most common cause to blame. As mobile technology use becomes more and more common, many people will come to believe that they can multitask while using their mobile phones or wearable devices, and this is simply not true. Distracted driving is becoming a leading cause of fatal accidents in the US, and distracted flying could be even worse.
The Strom Law Firm Helps South Carolina Plane Crash Victims and Families
The South Carolina aviation accident attorneys at the Strom Law Firm, LLC represent the victims of an airline accident or plane crash caused by the negligence of others, whether it is flying while intoxicated, distracted flying, or defective equipment in the airplane. In the event of a death, we also represent the families of loved ones in a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the loved one who died in the plane crash. Contact us today for a free consultation regarding the facts of your case. 803.252.4800.
