I'm sitting here this evening just reading today's Washington Post and there's an article in the Metro section titled "Strong winds suspected in plane crash that killed general, wife." I started reading it and soon found myself muttering "what a moron!" about the author, R. Tees Shapiro.
I expect more from a paper like the Washington Post, but I don't know why. The story is about a two-star Air Force general and his wife who were killed in a crash while attempting to land at the Williamsburg airport. Here's the first statement that was really horrible. Just so wrong!
Quote:
It was a trip the couple had made many times in the family's single-engine Cessna 210, but airport officials said winds gusting to 35 mph might have caused the plane to stall and spin out of control just before an attempted landing."
No, no, no!! Gusty winds do
not cause a plane to stall and spin! This writer has no clue what he's talking about and it sets my teeth on edge!
Here's more from the article:
Quote:
Waltrip [Larry Waltrip, owner of the Williamsburg airport] said Brown did not radio a distress call, and he said the 35 mph tailwinds at the time could have caused the plane to stall. Family members said officials have told them that the plane might have been caught in a crosswind, stalled and then spun to the ground.
"This was a freak thing," said Waltrip, who opened the airport in 1970. "It seemed the wind got him."
After reading this last part, I'm thinking that maybe the reporter is just a victim of bad information coupled with his ignorance of flying. How the owner of the airport could make such ridiculous statements is beyond me and I wonder if the reporter got the quotes right. A tailwind doesn't make a plane stall, nor does "being caught in a crosswind."
I am really tempted to call the airport and see if I can get Mr. Waltrip on the phone and at least educate him on some basic aerodynamics. This is so frustrating to read and I just had to blow of steam somehow. Posting here is cathartic for me.