Was he doing loops/flips intentionally, or did he lose control of the plane? Either way, what an absolute legend to be flying solo at his age.
Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders ID'd in WA plane crash
11–20 of 264 posts
Re: Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders ID'd in WA plane crash
#12> the plane that crashed was a vintage Air Force T-34 Mentor...
About the plane:
"The Beechcraft T-34 Mentor is an American propeller-driven, single-engined, military trainer aircraft derived from the Beechcraft Model 35 Bonanza."
Re: Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders ID'd in WA plane crash
#13All respect, this guy is was ~91. I’m uncomfortable driving with my mom. As a total layperson, what sort of tests does a person have to pass annually(?) to maintain a pilot’s license? Or is this dude just so O.G. that he was bound to go out living his dream?
Here's a brief guide https://www.faa.gov/ame_guide/standards "Old guy crashes airplane" is a somewhat common occurrence that leads to obvious question if they really should have passed their medical. There's a tendency to not want to be the one to say no, especially if you've known the doctor signing the forms for decades... or if you were a fricken astronaut.
At least with an airplane you're not much risk to others....
Re: Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders ID'd in WA plane crash
#14All respect, this guy is was ~91. I’m uncomfortable driving with my mom. As a total layperson, what sort of tests does a person have to pass annually(?) to maintain a pilot’s license? Or is this dude just so O.G. that he was bound to go out living his dream?
It's an open secret in the aviation community that large numbers of aging boomers are medically unfit to fly but are able to maintain their medicals, for a variety of reasons.
Re: Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders ID'd in WA plane crash
#15Rest in peace, I'm sad to hear this especially with so few Apollo astronauts still around.
Re: Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders ID'd in WA plane crash
#16All respect, this guy is was ~91. I’m uncomfortable driving with my mom. As a total layperson, what sort of tests does a person have to pass annually(?) to maintain a pilot’s license? Or is this dude just so O.G. that he was bound to go out living his dream?
Pilots in the US need to pass a biennial flight review with a few hours of ground… or add a rating instead. It’s possible he was operating under BasicMed so he may not have needed a recent medical.
A BFR is not just ground... you have to demonstrate airborne skills as well
And even with BasicMed, your primary doctor has to certify that you are fit to fly. It's less rigorous than a full FAA flight medical by design, but it's not a rubber stamp. (You're also limited to smaller aircraft that are unlikely to do much damage on the ground.)
Re: Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders ID'd in WA plane crash
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
Here's a brief guide https://www.faa.gov/ame_guide/standards "Old guy crashes airplane" is a somewhat common occurrence that leads to obvious question if they really should have passed their medical. There's a tendency to not want to be the one to say no, especially if you've known the doctor signing the forms for decades... or if you were a fricken astronaut.
At least with an airplane you're not much risk to others....
Sarcasm doesn't translate well via text.
Re: Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders ID'd in WA plane crash
#18All respect, this guy is was ~91. I’m uncomfortable driving with my mom. As a total layperson, what sort of tests does a person have to pass annually(?) to maintain a pilot’s license? Or is this dude just so O.G. that he was bound to go out living his dream?
It's an open secret in the aviation community that large numbers of aging boomers are medically unfit to fly but are able to maintain their medicals, for a variety of reasons.
Is there any more you can say about (1) how you know this and/or (2) whether there are reports or books that talk about this at all?
Re: Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders ID'd in WA plane crash
#19All respect, this guy is was ~91. I’m uncomfortable driving with my mom. As a total layperson, what sort of tests does a person have to pass annually(?) to maintain a pilot’s license? Or is this dude just so O.G. that he was bound to go out living his dream?
Here's a brief guide https://www.faa.gov/ame_guide/standards "Old guy crashes airplane" is a somewhat common occurrence that leads to obvious question if they really should have passed their medical. There's a tendency to not want to be the one to say no, especially if you've known the doctor signing the forms for decades... or if you were a fricken astronaut.
The aircraft is unfortunately known for crashing without pilot error
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beechcraft_T-34_Mentor#Civilia...
Re: Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders ID'd in WA plane crash
#20All respect, this guy is was ~91. I’m uncomfortable driving with my mom. As a total layperson, what sort of tests does a person have to pass annually(?) to maintain a pilot’s license? Or is this dude just so O.G. that he was bound to go out living his dream?
I’ve seen a few people mentioning medical certifications, but nobody has mentioned that 8 years ago the FAA passed a system called BasicMed which allows pilots to continue flying without getting a medical examination as long as they meet certain conditions. The plane must not exceed 6,000 lbs and must carry less than six passengers. You also can’t have failed your last medical exam. The plane he crashed had a maximum takeoff weight of 5,500 lbs and only carried two people. As long as he flew below 18,000 ft and 250 knots, he was legal (I’m not saying anything about whether he was healthy enough to fly).
In all likelihood he hadn’t had a physical in 8 years. He still would have had to have passed one in his eighties, but he probably hadn’t had an FAA exam in a while.
Source: I’m a private pilot and my dad in his 60s is as well, he flies on BasicMed because he hates going to the doc.
Edit: someone actually had mentioned BasicMed a few minutes before I started typing, but I’ll leave my comment up.