GRAND COUNTY - A single engine Cirrus plane with a father and son onboard went down west of Kremmling late Tuesday night. Both the father and son survived.
The crash happened in the Grand River Ranch area of Gore Range around 10:30 p.m.
Crews searched well into the night to recover the wreckage but were unable to pinpoint the location until early Wednesday morning at daylight. They found the plane and the two passengers inside alive, but injured.
The pilot, 32-year-old Ritesh Lal, and his son 3-year-old Neil Lal were both initially taken to the Kremmling Memorial Hospital before being transported to Denver area hospitals.
The father remains in serious condition with injuries to his ribs, back and ankle. The 3-year-old boy is also in the hospital and is said to be in good condition, according to officials.
“The plane was actually witnessed flying low across the town of Kremmling,” according to Grand County Undersheriff, Walt Eldridge. “He hit the top of some Aspen trees (which) flipped him uphill. and spun him around.”
The FAA has begun their investigation of the crash. Officials say the father and son are from California.
Both the father and son survived.
… They found the plane and the two passengers inside alive, but injured.
The pilot, 32-year-old Ritesh Lal, and his son 3-year-old Neil Lal were both initially taken to the Kremmling Memorial Hospital before being transported to Denver area hospitals.
The father remains in serious condition with injuries to his ribs, back and ankle. The 3-year-old boy is also in the hospital and is said to be in good condition,
I’m glad to hear the two on board survived in your post. I hope the pilot recovers quickly.
I’m impressed with the condition of the a/c after the crash. The entire cockpit is intact. I could not imagine what it would be like to hit trees in the absolute dark of night.
The pilot survived the crash, that’s right, but the real question is, will he survive the ensuing confrontation with the mother of the boy - I can vividly imagine it: “You irresponsible bastard, endangering the life of my little boy - if you feel the urge to kill yourself why don’t you leave the boy out of it” and so on and so on…
The pilot survived the crash, that’s right, but the real question is, will he survive the ensuing confrontation with the mother of the boy - I can vividly imagine it: “You irresponsible bastard, endangering the life of my little boy - if you feel the urge to kill yourself why don’t you leave the boy out of it” and so on and so on…
Yea, he’ll have some 'splaining to do to mommy…that’s for sure. It is just fortunate to have them alive. It looks like he was smart enough to make the boy sit in the back seat from the photos posted. Maybe he was even smart enough to have him in a car seat.
The accident makes a strong case for the newer ELTs and PLBs with GPS reporting capabilities. It appeared SAR took eight hours to locate the plane.
BTW, which Cessna do you have, where do you go, where are you from?
As 1 of the ‘SAR guys’ I can tell u it takes us hours to spool up. AFRCC need 2 hits from the satellite, then alerts us, then we get in the air/ground, then out to look. As u can imagine that takes hours assuming weather is good (it never is) and its light out so we can see. This usually takes minimum 2-6hrs.
forgive me for asking this , b ut, time after time I keep reading that one accident after another is occuring and no one is using the chute…what gives?
forgive me for asking this , b ut, time after time I keep reading that one accident after another is occuring and no one is using the chute…what gives?
Gerry,
I don’t know about “one accident after another”… but certainly, when there’s CFIT (as it seems possible that this one was), the pilot doesn’t realize that he’s in any danger - that he’s about to make contact with trees, or the ground. Now if the pilot DOES realize that he’s in trouble, and still doesn’t use the CAPS… that’s a judgment issue* - one that has been, and continues to be, debated.
In every CFIT situation, the real question is why/how the pilot got to that point in the first place.
*That’s not to suggest the CAPS should be used in EVERY dangerous situation; only that it should be included in the decision-making.
forgive me for asking this , b ut, time after time I keep reading that one accident after another is occuring and no one is using the chute…what gives?
Well, what probably gives is that not all accidents arise from situations where deployment of the chute is a reasonable option. Take undershooting or overshooting the runway when landing. Take continuing VFR into IMC, not really aware of where you are, thinking you’re OK and running into a mountain.
The chute has been used at least 6 times I can think of offhand. All deployments were related to possible loss of control at a reasonable altitude. Two were extreme turbulence over inhosptitible terrain, one was an aileron coming off the aircraft. One was disorientation secondary to water in the static system. Pilot incapacitation was another, and loss of control in ice was the sixth.
The point is that for the parachute to be effective you must 1) have some altitude, 2) recognize that you are in trouble and have to get down NOW and 3) have the presence of mind to deploy it.
In my opinion the BRS system is a major advance in potential single engine safety but it is not a panacea and will not help at all in a reasonable number of situations where accidents are common.
By the way, since you are a COPA member, putting this post on the Member’s Forum will certainly generate more information and discussion for you. Many members look at the Guest Forum infrequently or not at all.
The stats show that 40% of all GA accidents occur during landing defined as accidents that occur inside the FAF on an instrument approach or on final in VFR until the airplane stops on the runway.
That entire chunk of accidents would not be the most appropriate time to pull the chute.
With other accidents, the pilot hat to know an accident will happen if he does not pull the chute. How often is that the case?