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The REAL Pilot Mistake That Got Dana Killed!

Entertainment

Introduction

Our story begins on the morning of June 9th, 2016, when Dana prepared for a flight from Oklahoma City to Houston, Texas. Alongside her husband, Tony, and his brother, Jerry, Dana was headed to Houston to visit Tony and Jerry's father, who was undergoing cancer treatment. Tragically, this flight ended in disaster.

Dana was flying a 2012 Cirrus SR20, a modern and safe aircraft equipped with a built-in emergency parachute. The flight had ample fuel, and the aircraft was within weight and balance limits. The weather was VFR with broken clouds at 3600 feet, and Dana stayed clear of the clouds during the flight. Dana had earned her Private Pilot certificate in May 2014 and had around 330 hours of flight time, mostly in the Cirrus SR20. However, she was overdue for her flight review by a month, a factor worth noting even though the NTSB didn't list it as a direct cause of the crash.

Dana's plan was to fly into the Houston Hobby Airport, which is in Class B airspace. Dana had limited experience with such airspace, having only landed four times in Class B airports over the past two years. There's no evidence that she'd ever landed at Houston Hobby before. Class B airspace surrounds some of the busiest airports, requiring pilots to understand various procedures and contingencies.

The Houston Hobby Airport had four runways, with the wind favoring Runway 04 at the time. However, if airliner traffic was heavy, smaller planes would usually land on Runway 35. Dana’s flight was largely uneventful until she contacted the tower controller, where things started to go wrong.

Tower and Cockpit Communications Breakdown

4252 golf at 500 ft here 
4252 golf hobby Tower. Number two following 737 on a three-mile final. Caution. Turbulence from Boeing 4, clear to land.
Runway number two following the Boeing Runway four; clear to land 4252 golf.
52 golf. Maintain maximum forward speed, if able, and proceed to numbers. The 737 is on a nine-mile final following you for the 809 overt.
Okay, we'll proceed directly to the numbers and keep speed up, 4252 golf.

The controller's instructions for Dana to proceed directly to the numbers meant she needed to point straight to the end of the runway, as the tower wanted to sequence her between two heavy 737s. Class B airspace requires pilots to be ready for such scenarios. Here was the timing of the radio calls:

Controller Makes Dana Go-Around

52 golf, I got traffic behind you. Go around and fly Runway heading now. Maintain VFR. Put you back in the downwind for Runway 35. The winds are 090 at 13 gusts eight. Can you accept 35?
Okay, going around and line up for Runway 35. Downwind 4-52 golf.
Fly runway heading, 52 golf.

There's nothing wrong with the controller telling Dana to go around. At this point, Dana should have responded with ‘standby’ to consider her options and calculate the impact of the winds, especially the crosswind and tailwind she would encounter on Runway 35. Inexperienced, Dana agreed hurriedly.

Navigating the Final Accident Sequence

Dana grew increasingly confused, transitioning between different runways and instructions. The controller quickly shifted her back to Runway 4 due to closer traffic constraints:

Turn left heading 30 degrees left heading 30 degrees. 4252 golf
Did you want to follow the 737 on Runway 4? Yes, that would be great, 4252 golf. 
52 golf Follow the 737.

As Dana struggled to process the turn commands, she radiated that she was having problems aligning with the runway:

Straighten up.

The aircraft's flaps procedure, part of standard go-around procedures, was mismanaged. The checklist outlined increasing power, raising flaps to 50%, and maintaining speed before fully retracting the flaps. Dana retracted the flaps significantly below the recommended speeds, leading to stalls.

The pivotal moment came as Dana performed the third go-round, retracting flaps at 58 knots, which ultimately led to a fatal stall and spin to the ground.

The aircraft, equipped with a parachute system, was too low to activate it during the incident:

Straighten up, straighten up.

Dana, her husband Tony, and Jerry were all killed on impact.

Keywords

  • Dana
  • Cirrus SR20
  • Private Pilot Certificate
  • Class B Airspace
  • Houston Hobby Airport
  • Runway 4
  • Runway 35
  • Go-around Procedure
  • Flaps Retraction
  • Stall and Spin

FAQs

Q1: What type of aircraft was Dana flying? A1: Dana was flying a 2012 Cirrus SR20, a modern and safe aircraft featuring a built-in emergency parachute.

Q2: Why was Dana flying to Houston? A2: Dana was flying to Houston with her husband, Tony, and his brother, Jerry, to visit Tony's and Jerry's father, who was undergoing cancer treatment.

Q3: How experienced was Dana as a pilot? A3: Dana earned her Private Pilot certificate in 2014 and had around 330 hours of flight time, most of which were in a Cirrus SR20.

Q4: What were the key factors contributing to the crash? A4: Key factors include Dana’s limited experience in Class B airspace, multiple go-around attempts with improper flap management, and confusion due to rapidly changing controller instructions.

Q5: Could the crash have been avoided? A5: Yes, the crash might have been avoided with greater preparation and experience in Class B airspace, better communication with the air traffic controller, and proper management of go-around procedures.

Q6: What was the critical mistake during the go-around procedures? A6: Dana retracted the flaps significantly below the recommended speeds during her go-around attempts, which led to stalls and ultimately caused the crash.