172 Takes Off From Oshkosh Taxiway In Wrong Direction

News Discussion
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Originally published at: 172 Takes Off From Oshkosh Taxiway In Wrong Direction - AVweb

Pilot had also had trouble landing earlier in the week.

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Perhaps this poor unfortunate soul should be taken outside, drawn behind a pair of strong Percheron horses and castigated to satisfy our penchant for correctness. Or maybe not. How about some thoughtful instruction and review to bring awareness of this action to the fore. We are all now aware of how poorly someone made choices and has their sins revealed for all the world to reflect on. I certainly never did anything like this, or did I? Who hasn’t? This is probably a pilot with their heart in the right place and their actions for who knows what reasons in the wrong place. As someone said “Dear lord, please don’t let me f..k up”. Probably never again seen at Oshkosh…

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Was there open fire or something that qualifies as a Jack Roush arrival? No? Then on and upwards we go. Who cares.

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Whatcha going to do ?

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How about suspending/revoking his certification at least temporarily, pending further review and medical evaluation, before he kills himself and/or someone else. There. I said what needs to be said.

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I am sure everyone agrees that we are glad no one at AirVenture got hurt, including this pilot.

After caring for a loved one for 17 years who suffered from dementia, I find myself wondering if that may be in play here. To the family of this pilot, I say, “I know what you are going thorough, but you are in the best position to save this pilot’s life, and perhaps someone else’s. This is your sign that it is time to have him evaluated by a neurologist. Yes, this could result in you motivating him to surrender his pilot’s license, and perhaps his driver’s license. Don’t wait for something worse to happen before you step in. You need to get involved today.”

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I will once again suggest that anyone flying to AirVenture (OK, Oshkosh…) read Rick Durden’s article from AVweb 2001. Search for ‘Rick Durden Yes Pogo, the Enemy is Us’

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Jim hit the nail on the head. I have no knowledge of this pilot or the reasons behind what happened. But I do know that we are an aging population, and we owe it to each other to step in when issues present. Dementia doesn’t mean we need to leave our aviation community behind, but there will come a day for all of us when we shouldn’t be PIC anymore. If you see someone struggling, help them. If someone sees something in you, be grateful.

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Hmm, when was his last flight review? I expect the FAA’s ASI in ND will have an interesting interview with the pilot and his instructor.

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While working as a tower controller at Stapleton Airport in Denver the early 1980s, I cleared the pilot of a small single engine airplane for takeoff from an intersection on runway 35 Left, just a few hundred feet from the end, which was blocked by a Boeing 727. “How many feet of runway remaining?” the pilot asked. “At least 10,000 feet” I said. “Doesn’t look like that much” he replied. Then he proceeded to turn the wrong direction and start his takeoff roll with only a few hundred feet of runway remaining. I noticed what was happening and quickly got him stopped and turned around.

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The problem is, from the article it sounds like several attempts were made to help the pilot out in real time and he ignored those attempts. Sometimes, some pilots reach a point where the only help that can be provided to them is to ground them permanently. That may or may not be the case here, so I’ll let the investigation figure that out.

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It’s ironic that on the same day MOSAIC is announced, the poster boy of why you need a regular evaluation by an AME, makes the news this way. Social media is a huge enabler of very bad ideas and can inspire folks to foolishly overestimate their abilities with misplaced confidence. We only need a few more instances like this in quick succession to kill off MOSAIC and all the good potential that came with it. An old time Captain told a fresh faced me a long time ago, “I’m paid to say “No!”” and he took that responsibility seriously. But responsibility is incompatible with our Instagram and TikTok world. If we want the freedom of Sport Pilot privileges it’s up to us to have tough discussions with guys who shouldn’t be flying.

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My sympathy on this lies close to zero. This is not some “fuddy-duddy” that wandered into the world’s busiest airspace. He purposely left North Dakota with the intent of going to Oshkosh and navigated his way there. That he did not likely read and/or understand the NOTAM is on him. He was cognizant enough to follow a controller’s instructions to a specific runway and obviously remembered “pitch and power” to arrive safely. This speaks more to self-determination than dementia. Sort of aviation’s version of road rage. Lastly, as a nit Russ, its “a Cessna 172”, not “an Cessna 172”.

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Predictable in general.

FAA should definitely be having strong words with that pilot - incompetent, disobeying instructions, ignoring warnings, …

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I’m pretty sure any pilot, no matter what age, who feels the urge and then acts on it to, “F it. I’m just going to takeoff” should not be a pilot.

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If there weren’t any bad pilots there wouldn’t be any good pilots. Think about it.

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Possible causes of mental confusion include:

  • intoxicants (I hope no booze is served at OSH by anyone)
  • tired (no nap)
    Both disqualifying for the particular takeoff.
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The controllers were top notch - especially on his confused and apologetic arrival - and reminded me of most first responders - we’re here to help without judgement.

And my opinion of this ‘event’ and others that will come is that they will have no affect on MOSIAC in the future. I’m taking the win and relaxing my aviation sphincter. :smile:

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Rick Durden wrote an excellent article for Aviation Consumer on when to stop flying. If you can find it online, it is a great read and provides a blueprint to use for yourself or others to help determine when a pilot may no longer be up to the task.

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There are a few vendors that do serve alcohol at OSH (both on and off the grounds), and why shouldn’t there be. Every pilot I’ve ever met knows that there are rules against flying while intoxicated, and that it’s just as dumb as taking off directly into a thunderstorm (and controllers will let you do that, if you so desire).