Injured CFI Struggled to Get Help to Student | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-11.17.25

AirborneNextGen-
11.11.25

Airborne-Unlimited-11.12.25

Airborne-FltTraining-11.13.25

AirborneUnlimited-11.14.25

LIVE MOSAIC Town Hall (Archived): www.airborne-live.net

Thu, Jun 12, 2003

Injured CFI Struggled to Get Help to Student

California Crash Kills Student

A bloody CFI staggered to the roadside Monday, trying to get help for his student, who was still trapped in the wreckage of a 25-year-old Rockwell Aero Commander 112. Gurtej Singh Gill, described by drivers who didn't stop to help him, started what California Highway Patrol spokeswoman called, "...a lot of CB traffic about a crazy bloody guy running all over the lanes."

The "crazy bloody guy," otherwise known as an heroic, dedicated and determined CFI, was able to tell police where to find the wreck, even though the morning's fog was so thick they couldn't see the smoke. Gill, who is in Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in critical condition, was able to describe how to find his (unidentified) student, even though he (Gill) was himself in terrible condition, bruised, bleeding, and suffering third-degree burns "all over."

Police took nearly half an hour to reach the fiery wreck, so rugged was the terrain; they were able to confirm that the remaining occupant was dead. They then worked on the fire. The cause of the accident has not been determined, though suspicions of fast-closing weather on that VFR flight are engendering local speculation.

**   Report created 6/10/2003   Record 8  **
IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 4696W        Make/Model: AC11      Description: 112 Commander 112
  Date: 06/09/2003     Time: 1600
  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Destroyed
LOCATION
  City: SANTA CLARA   State: CA   Country: US
DESCRIPTION
  AC112TCA ACFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES AND WAS DESTROYED, ONE PERSON ON BOARD WAS FATALLY INJURIED AND THE SECOND PERSON ON BOARD WAS SERIOUSLY INJURIED, SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA
INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   1
                 # Crew:  2     Fat:   1     Ser:   1     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
WEATHER: UNK
OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Unknown      Operation: General Aviation
  Departed: UNK                         Dep Date:    Dep. Time:
  Destination: UNK                      Flt Plan: UNK          Wx Briefing: U
  Last Radio Cont: UNK
  Last Clearance: UNK
  FAA FSDO: SAN JOSE, CA  (WP15)                  Entry date: 06/10/2003


Advertisement

More News

NTSB Prelim: Funk B85C

According To The Witness, Once The Airplane Landed, It Continued To Roll In A Relatively Straight Line Until It Impacted A Tree In His Front Yard On November 4, 2025, about 12:45 e>[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (11.21.25)

"In the frame-by-frame photos from the surveillance video, the left engine can be seen rotating upward from the wing, and as it detaches from the wing, a fire ignites that engulfs >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (11.21.25): Radar Required

Radar Required A term displayed on charts and approach plates and included in FDC NOTAMs to alert pilots that segments of either an instrument approach procedure or a route are not>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: ScaleBirds Seeks P-36 Replica Beta Builders

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): It’s a Small World After All… Founded in 2011 by pilot, aircraft designer and builder, and U.S. Air Force veteran Sam Watrous, Uncasville,>[...]

Airborne 11.21.25: NTSB on UPS Accident, Shutdown Protections, Enstrom Update

Also: UFC Buys Tecnams, Emirates B777-9 Buy, Allegiant Pickets, F-22 And MQ-20 The NTSB's preliminary report on the UPS Flight 2976 crash has focused on the left engine pylon's sep>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC