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"The Pilot’s Failure To Remove The Flight Control Lock Before Departure..."
E-I-C Note: Too many know-it-alls who seemed to think they were clairvoyant have had too much to say about this tragedy long before the Probable Cause report and actual evidence saw the light of day... and we're sick of it -- and we KNOW that many of Dale's loved ones feel likewise. SO... here is what the NTSB ultimately reported, without further comment.
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Aero Linx: The General Aviation Joint Steering Committee (GAJSC)
The General Aviation Joint Steering Committee (GAJSC) was launched in 1997 as part of the industry-government Safer Skies Initiative to improve aviation safety. Revitalized in 2011, the GAJSC works to improve general aviation safety through data-driven risk reduction efforts focused on education, training, and enabling new equipment in general aviation aircraft.
Release Time
A departure time restriction issued to a pilot by ATC (either directly or through an authorized relay) when necessary to separate a departing aircraft from other traffic.
"The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be: The pilot’s failure to remove the flight control lock before departure, which resulted in a loss of airplane control and impact with terrain. Contributing to the accident was his failure to perform an adequate preflight inspection and flight control check before takeoff."
Source: From the NTSB Probable Cause report that completes the investigation into the tragic accidenrt that robbed the aviation world of one of our finest aviators, Dale 'Snort' Snodgrass.
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