Was a Piper Saratoga...I believe that was what JFK jr flew...
I do not know how much experience this guy had as a pilot. I can tell you that a low time pilot is not experienced enough to fly a plane like the Saratoga. While I have not flown a Saratoga before, I have flown a lot of different piper aircraft. Lots of crap can go wrong if you're phoning it in during pre-flight or your pre-takeoff run up.
I've never understood the fuel valve system in Piper aircraft. You typically have 2 fuel tanks - one in each wing - and some planes have a long range tank for a third. You have to manually switch tanks every 20-30 minutes when flying so that you burn fuel evenly through the flight and don't end up lopsided. It is shockingly easy to have the fuel valve stuck in a "not quite on not quite off" position and not notice. I had to get in the habit of forcing it hard left or hard right and doing a visual every single time. If this valve gets stuck, it has happened a few times where you got enough gas to roll down the runway and lift off, and then engine dies. You have about half a second to react to that before you're fucked.
With competent airmanship and no obstacles to clear, a reasonable pilot should have been able to land on the water and survive. It wouldn't be pretty. But you should be able to walk away. The problem is that most pilots don't regularly practice these drills. When real life happens, they freeze and fail to respond appropriately.
Flying is dangerous. Frankly, it is a miracle I still walk this planet with a heart beat. I have had quite a few close calls. Though I've never had to land anywhere besides an airport. One time my gear failed. Another time I had an engine header blow. I attribute this to pure roll of the dice. If it happened anywhere else, I might not have made it. RIP to this guy and family. Sad story.
Was a Piper Saratoga...I believe that was what JFK jr flew...
I do not know how much experience this guy had as a pilot. I can tell you that a low time pilot is not experienced enough to fly a plane like the Saratoga. While I have not flown a Saratoga before, I have flown a lot of different piper aircraft. Lots of crap can go wrong if you're phoning it in during pre-flight or your pre-takeoff run up.
I've never understood the fuel valve system in Piper aircraft. You typically have 2 fuel tanks - one in each wing - and some planes have a long range tank for a third. You have to manually switch tanks every 20-30 minutes when flying so that you burn fuel evenly through the flight and don't end up lopsided. It is shockingly easy to have the fuel valve stuck in a "not quite on not quite off" position and not notice. I had to get in the habit of forcing it hard left or hard right and doing a visual every single time. If this valve gets stuck, it has happened a few times where you got enough gas to roll down the runway and lift off, and then engine dies. You have about half a second to react to that before you're fucked.
With competent airmanship and no obstacles to clear, a reasonable pilot should have been able to land on the water and survive. It wouldn't be pretty. But you should be able to walk away. The problem is that most pilots don't regularly practice these drills. When real life happens, they freeze and fail to respond appropriately.
Flying is dangerous. Frankly, it is a miracle I still walk this planet with a heart beat. I have had quite a few close calls. Though I've never had to land anywhere besides an airport. One time my gear failed. Another time I had an engine header blow. I attribute this to pure roll of the dice. If it happened anywhere else, I might not have made it. RIP to this guy and family. Sad story.