What you’re failing to mention is he clearly stated he lost attitude. Also, he was around the weather and then was suddenly going North. The place where he had the maintenance done on his airplane has failed to turn over his maintenance logs, saying they don’t have them. I know for a fact that they have them. The attitude was fixed many times.

I believe instrument failure and ATC played a huge part in this accident.

I’ve reached much the same conclusion which has been characterized by the saying” As pilots, we may not be right but we’re never in doubt.” That is not unique to just pilots as seen regularly in the news and leads to much difficulty.

For those who fly, however, the bad outcome may come quickly for them and, sadly, their passengers. A little self doubt and thorough questioning is always helpful

Many thanks for your thoughts……Bruce

I’ve spent the last year as an active FAASTeam Rep, leading several CFI workshops. In preparing for some of the discussion topics I’ve looked at local accidents and often been puzzled, as in this case, how seasoned pilots could end up dead. I try hard not to be quick to judge, but have tried to learn more about the “soft science of Psychology” to understand why pilots end up in these situations.

I recently picked up a book that might have some insights: “On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You’re Not” by Robert A. Burton. If you’ve not read this book, it might be worth a look. The very short version is that our subconscious may generate a feeling of “certainty” even when the data does not support it. As pilots we’ve been reminded to trust that feeling when things “just don’t feel right”. This book might lead us to add “and triple check things even when they DO feel right”.