CNN: Small plane crash in Austin TX, 6 dead.

[Kid_A]

http://www.cnn.com/

[AlFrankenFan]

1. Oh lord

That is terribly sad. Three of our family friends were killed in a small plane crash coming back from the Master's tournament earlier this year. My hero, Paul Wellstone, was killed in a small plane crash. Bottom line: small planes are dangerous.

[Jacobin]

2. Yes. They fall out of the sky with alarming regularity

I've spent a lot of time in them and know several people who have died in small plane crashes.

[Stuckinthebush]

9. Why?

I've always wondered why they have so many crashes. Is it because less experienced pilots are flying them or is it an inherent design flaw.

or both?

[JayS]

10. There are a lot more small planes than there are commercial...

...ones. Other factors may include less experienced pilots and/or sub-par maintenance. Small planes are more susceptible to inclement weather also.

[lapfog_1]

11. Pilot error

usually one of overconfidence. Pilots that have been flying for
about 1 to 2 years can become overconfident and thus, miss things.
Routine equipment checks, fuel checks, weather checks, etc.

When they first start flying they have a healthy respect for the
dangers and so on, later they start treating it like getting in
your family car... but they aren't experienced enough to get out
of trouble or, indeed, wise enough to avoid trouble to begin with.

Still, because of the relative INFREQUENCY of the even, small plane
crashes are covered in the national press so you basically hear about
each and every one... whereas auto accidents are so common, you only
hear about really tragic or unusual ones. I don't know the statistics
for miles traveled, I suspect that fatalities for miles traveled
by private plane are not that different than those for autos.
Somebody will likely post the actual stats.

[mike1963]

14. Yep, you're exactly right. In my 39 years of flying General Aviation

planes, I've had only 2 acquaintences die in small planes...many more in car accidents. The plane I usually fly these days cost well over a million dollars and is no more "unsafe" than any commercial airliner.

[soleft]

3. My friend from Austin is visiting me today in NY

I hope they details on this soon

[hang a left]

4. Sadly my first though was.......

who was on that plane.

[hackwriter]

5. Mine too

It's the times we live in...

[Connie_Corleone]

6. first thought too.

n/t

[Tsiyu]

16. Me, too

Let's keep our eyes on this one, folks. This is a common "hit" method, if you can read between the lines. Are Bev Harris, Michael Moore and Bill Maher accounted for? How about anyone about to testify against the Bushista Regime? Too bad that this was my very first thought.

[Longhorn]

7. This is just a few miles from our house!

They're showing live coverage on News 8 Austin, our 24-hour cable local news channel. Three people in the house but none of them hurt.

http://www.news8austin.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=115294

[booksenkatz]

12. Wow, I was the first person to vote YES in that online poll

at your link. But I'm not surprised, I'm a Texan, I know how most Texans thinks, LMAO!

[Skittles]

20. Patsified!!!!!!!!!!!

I've had that cartoon on my fridge for YEARS!!!! :thumbsup:

[JayS]

8. Plane was bound for Oklahoma. n/t

n/t

[displacedtexan]

13. I taught in that school district before I left Texas.

Lakeway is a yacht basin suburb of Austin (n the West side), in the Hill Country. LBJ's ranch is just a few miles from there, and so is Willie Nelson's ranch.

[GOPisEvil]

15. Yikes!

That's a ritzy area. Sad for those folks on the plane and their families.

[JayS]

17. It is sounding like the crash was caused by the weight of the...

...craft and/or the heat of the day; however, one news report is still saying it was engine trouble.

[AlFrankenFan]

18. link

http://orangecounty.cox.net/cci/newsnational/national?_mode=view&_state=maximized&view=article&id=D847VKGO4

[SoCalDem]

19. It bothers me that they keep reporting.."luxury home"

WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE, WHEN A PLANE CRASHES INTO YOUR HOUSE?????

[AlFrankenFan]

22. It bothers me as well

Oh big loss! A luxury home! Not like they can't afford to get another one! You know what I think is a bigger tragedy? A plane crashing into a small-middle or low class home.

[SoCalDem]

23. Yep.. no one inside the house was hurt, so of course they HAVE

to amplify it.. LUXURY HOUSE "injured" in plane crash :P

[TrogL]

21. Twin engine plane has one "engine"

Bystanders reported "the engine" has having problems, but the plane is reported to be a twin.

:wtf:

A twin can still fly (badly) on one engine.

[catzies]

24. Are all of our Democratic senators accounted for?????

:scared:

[RedEarth]

25. They just reported on the local news that it's a family from my hometown

...Edmond, Oklahoma....four adults and two children.
Very tragic.

[JayS]

26. The FAA is still saying that they made one attempt at landing...

...and then crashed on the second pass, and did not crash on takeoff as reported. People on the ground say this is not the case though. I think they said the plane was a twin engine Aerostar.