How these Pilots Crashed their Plane While Having Fun | A Thrill at 41,000 Feet

When the captain says "look how high we are", I don't think he's talking about altitude...

My flight instructor had me read the NTSB report then we discussed it. The importance of staying professional, fly by the numbers, know what the numbers are, keeps you alive. Had a couple experiences where the lessons he taught saved me.

That was the first and last time the air traffic controller saw that type of plane over 40,000 feet. If it ever happens again, he'll probably declare an emergency before the pilots do.

I went to work for Pinnacle a few years after this accident. Every time I heard people talk about this accident, the scorn or contempt they had for the pilots was very noticeable. This is very rare in the airline world. That speaks volumes.

An old pilot advised me, long ago: "Maintaineth thy airspeed, lest the ground rise up and smite thee" I miss hearing his wisdom...

The silence in these videos really add to the sense of dread, imagining what these pilots last moments were like and worse yet, getting to experience real-time how long they had to sit there and think about their impending death, to think about their own stupid mistake and how they can’t take it back. It’s truly chilling.

There is a reason they call the Maximum Operating Altitude for any aircraft "Coffin Corner." As you climb the thinning air produces less lift over the wings. Because of this it is vital that you maintain a higher than normal forward airspeed to prevent stalling. At the same time the thinning air also causes the engines to produce less and less thrust the higher you climb. When operating at the aircraft's certified maximum altitude you are balanced on a knifes edge performance wise. Piloting an aircraft in this condition requires strict attention to the aircraft's instrumentation to ensure that you are following the published guidance for your aircraft type.

They mysteriously switched seats at least 2 times during this flight. And had they called for vectors immediately after engine failure, they would have had plenty of time and elevation to glide to the closest airport. The worst part of that is that while they were descending towards the eventual crash they could SEE the runway they were aiming for in the distance.... Gruesome.

Just use a Flight Simulator if you want to have fun...

In ground school back in 1966, I was told that "There are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots"!

Crazy story! Reminds me when flying back to Europe over the US, one bored controller asked us if we were flying a Global, when we confirme he strangely asked us if we could climb to FL 510 (the max ceiling of our a/c) to '''make his day''. We answered that we could but we wont. I was very surprised by such an silly request from a professional.

This is what really gets me enraged. All that experience and still goofing off. It was a blessing that It was just the two of them and not a full passenger flight. Every time I get in my car I treat the trip as the first. Aware,alert and focused with both hands on the wheel always looking. CWA

This plane crash occurred less than one mile from my house. I heard the crash - it sounded like a freight train collision. I looked outside and saw a huge fire ball erupting from across the valley! I sped to the scene and saw the burning wreckage. The plane had plowed through a thick grove of trees, thereby breaking up. Remarkably, the front of the fuselage came to rest between two occupied homes on a residential street! There were a number of smaller collateral explosions of what I assumed to be oxygen canisters, hydraulic lines and possibly one, or more tires. In defense of the aircrew, it was obvious they avoided hitting any homes or businesses in the area - there were several of each. In a gross instance of irony, I flew on an identical CR jet the next day!

An airplane cockpit is the last place on earth where i would decide to have fun

I'm an ex-army parachutist and have flown hundreds of times commercially, so I'm used to a lot of rough rides, landings, and unexpected things happening in the air. But the more flight channel videos I watch the less trusting I am of pilots doing the right thing on the flight deck. I know the odds of a crash are incredibly remote, however that doesn't change the way I feel now.

23 years old, with an amazing salary for his age and his entire life ahead of him, all thrown away for a few minutes of joyride

NTSB [off camera]: "Idiots. How do we phrase 'idiots' politely?" "How about: Pilots' unprofessional behavior, deviation from standard operating procedures, and poor airmanship?" "Sounds good. Let's go with that. Idiots."

I used to fly for this airline, and while the video is great as usual, it omits some key items that actually make it a lot worse. The CVR shows they were too busy celebrating their first time at FL410 and bragging to each other that "we're 4-1-0-ing it, baby!" to notice the deteriorating situation they had put themselves in. The captain and first officer had exchanged seats during the climb (a huge violation of procedures). So the relatively inexperienced FO was in the left-hand captain's seat when the stick shaker & stick pusher activated. That was a huge contributor to the pilots not recognizing or responding correctly to the low airspeed. After the engines flamed out and the plane began to descend, the pilots traded seats AGAIN to get back to their correct positions. This stole precious time, and required that both pilots reorient themselves while in a high stress, highly disorienting situation. It likely contributed to their inability to achieve 300kts and get the engines out of core lock. When the dual flameout occurred, they told ATC they had only lost ONE engine. They were too arrogant or embarrassed to admit they had experienced a dual flameout. By the time they realized they were in deep s*** and told ATC that both engines were out, they were too low and ATC was unable to direct to a suitable airfield.

Being able to say "Look how high we are!" Wasn't worth the risk to have a little fun, obviously. If they had just let the plane right itself, they'd still be alive. What a shame to die in a crash of your own making, and being posthumously shamed and disgraced. Bless their families.

This is so upsetting. I'm just glad no innocent passengers were on board that flight. Really sad honestly. RIP two these two pilots.