72-Year Old Pilot Makes Heartbreaking Mistake! 

This was a heartbreaking tragedy because despite some of Harvey's mistakes he still had an opportunity to land and he probably would have learned a lot from this harrowing experience. Unfortunately, this is perhaps a good reminder to never let your guard down and the flight isn't over until you shut down and walk away from the aircraft. Be sure to check out this other heartbreaking story of a pilot that had an engine malfunction and tried desperately to make it back to the runway. 👉 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XTjcT4rhnS8.html

I have to stop feeling a bit silly when I decline a flight because I'm not 100% happy with weather, time or other conditions.

Another heartbreaking tragedy but extremely well debriefed and informative...thanks again Hoover for all of your fantastic efforts with these videos!

I am a retired airline pilot type rated in the DC-8, 747, and MD-11. You do a very nice job explaining what is going on and the events as they unfold-well done sir.

I am a lay person , I do not fly a plane and have no wish even if I could afford it to do so , but your videos are clear and concise for someone like me to understand thank you !!!!!☺️🇬🇧

He sounds exhausted…. It’s heartbreaking. They are my age and married the same amount of time. I can’t imagine the sadness with this event. Thanks Hoover

As a passenger, I learn a lot about the responsibility involved in the pilots and air traffic controller communication during the dangerous landing approach. One final mistake of the pilot on altitude caused this preventable tragedy. Thanks.

Absolutely heartbreaking 💔

Hoover, you do such a great detailed analysis of these events, even identifying things the NTSB had left out. I am not a pilot but have learned so much about how technical flying is by watching many, many videos. I've realized that there is no short cut in avaition. You have to do the checklists, you have to know the weather conditions, you have to know the flight parameters of your aircraft, and most of all to know and acknowledge your limitations and current proficiency. And as you say, it is so sad that these tragedies happen. Keep up the good work and if one of your videos helps to save one life, the work you do is worth it. God Bless you!

That night VFR approach after the roof broke is terrible. After having a visual reference of the floor by the city lights, going into total darkness trying to find the clue is very disorienting. It leads you to lose orientation of how low you are. Looking outside and losing sight of the vertical descent indicator.

R.i.p Harvey and Wife.. you love what you do ..fly high angel wing.

Excellent and compassionate analysis!

It's truly heartbreaking after all that work he was so close...

I couldn't do what you're doing. Having to deal with tragic outcomes of people that are doing what they love and most of them are just really good people, not out to hurt anyone or themselves.

Outstanding Analysis!

Jeeze…. Here’s to that feeling you get when you’re flying very low over tree tops and look down and say “wow those trees are close, I’m safe altitude but I’m going level out a bit on this final approach for a few more seconds”… too bad he didn’t remember that feeling. At unfamiliar airports at night I always just assume the blackness is trying to end me lol

I wonder if Harvey could see the VASI lights when he had the runway in sight.

Crazy stuff. Just wonder why he didnt recognize the altimeter showing him low. Maybe its more difficult than I know.

It sounded like the pilot was not correcting his altitude when instructed by the controller. He was indeed seriously behind the aircraft.

Unless I'm missing something, and you are usually spot on, the altitude he was at was 500 at time 8:04 when he was given a 4400 assignment. The controller can clearly be heard stating "you are at 500" and to climb to 4400. So to me it sounds like he was dangerously close to terrain at this point. Something doesn't add up here.

Quite sad, he seemed a competent pilot. I wonder if age was a factor. Certainly can’t help in terms of eyesight and reactions as well as cognition

Sad - Together 50 years.... :( Good video >Hoover

Too bad they didn’t give him runway 5. Runway 32 is hard to find in the daytime. Sad.

RIP Harvey and Mrs Partridge 😢

Is it possible this is simply a case of him being too old to be flying? I know that number is different for everyone...but he was clearly confused.

Why is a Pilot allowed to take off for a Night-time Landing with Bad Weather when he doesn't have the Requirements to fly at Night or in Bad Weather? What's the point of these Requirements if nobody is checking to see if a Pilot is capable of attempting these flights? Seems like a massive flaw in the well-being of us on the ground.

Yup at 10:34 he was unable to read back pretty simple ATC commands that were necessary. Its just old age no one can beat that no one can fix it I' m pushing 70 and my computational power is no where near just 3 years ago. It happens so slowly its not even noticeable till you need to do some complicated tasks. Not to mention your night vision.i try to stay sharp and one way is these videos that force me to try to comprehend complicated things. I say try to. Its hard to do just sitting in front of my computer. I would be a hell of a danger in the air. And I had a very detailed Engineering lifelong career. No one should be flying past 69. it all just fades away.

I feel that he was too old to be flying at his age. He should’ve had a restriction on his license for a daytime flying only too bad what a terrible loss. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones.🥲💔🤷‍♂️ There is one thing in aviation and that is the age saying is should be safe than sorry. You’re right he should’ve waited till the next day.🥲

As someone who retired at age 68 after flying a Baron for 27 years, this tragic flight really hit home. I found it harder and harder to maintain proficiency due to the fast paced advancements in navigational technology (the Baron's panel was loaded with Garmin glass and a full autopilot) and the demands of desk bound responsibilities at the office. With cockpit proficiency suffering, that's when I decided it was time to hang it up. After 40+ years of flying it was a difficult decision to walk away from being a pilot but it's a decision I do not regret for one moment.

At 74, I have hung up my wings. For reasons just like this. In all my years of flying, I don't think I ever encountered a controller as professional, and as courteous as this one!

I am a retired B747 Captain with over 30,000 hrs International experience. I have been so impressed with your debriefs and am now sharing them with my son who is a CFII Flight Instructor. I believe that you are doing a great service to practicing pilots and may one day save a life. As I'm sure you are aware, we review and debrief accidents every year in training in hopes that we can learn from these heartbreaking mistakes. Every aircraft manual/checklist is written in blood, and it's so important to know your limits and be prepared. Well Done Sir!

This controller is a boss. Really good work. And i recon he was already dealing with the situation as an emergency.. tHE BLOCK HOLE EFFECT IS VERY REAL!

I am currently an airline Airbus 320 pilot. I flew international for 15 years on a Boeing 767. Every video I watch of yours I take something away and can easily use it in my profession. Thank you so much, you are saving lives.

Thanks for doing this video Hoover. We were friends of Harvey and Pat and had known them since we moved to St. Pete in the 80's. Harvey was by far one of the best veterinarians in FL. Some would say he could do the impossible and make it look easy. To lose both of them like this was a shock and it didn't have to happen. They could have delayed the flight and should have. They had been at a class reunion at Auburn a couple days before this flight. This was a side trip to see friends on the way back.

He was a very nice person, Having known him personally. He was my dogs vet. Should have refused runway change from his original IFR flight plan, cause he was so nice! RIP Dr. and Mrs. Partridge. Gordie Rosenberg, Multi-Instrument rated private pilot...

He never sounded confident that he actually saw the runway, even though they turned up the lights. A 72 yr old who’s not used to flying at night might simply struggle with night vision, like senior drivers on the road when it gets dark or in the rain. I’m not a pilot, but with many years in the military I noticed that some people (including myself) simply have a harder time at low light/blinding lights than others. Age doesn’t help here.

I am 72 years old and I quit driving at night a couple of years ago and I refuse to drive in bad weather.. I think when most people get older there depth perception gets worse and of course old eyes are not young eyes.. getting old is not any fun but we do have a responsibility to our fellow citizens not to hurt them because of our old age problems😮😊

My boss has been a pilot since the 70's. He had a 340 twin and we flew all over the eastern U.S. in it. When he got 70 yrs old, he found he was getting forgetful. He decided to quit flying. I know it broke his heart, but he fishes every weekend now. He's happy and mostly, alive......

Impressed with the controller, he did a great job trying to help him out.

Hoover, the bigger your channel grows, the more lives you could save.

My bride convinced me to hang up my GA Flying career at 70 years old, persuasively pointing out that Airline Pilots are retired at 65 Years. I could feel the edges getting duller at about 68, so with seat-time annual hours dropping, and eyesight acuity affected with age, it was an easy, yet bitter-sweet, decision - to avoid an outcome similar to this event. Contributed all my gear to young pilots on their way up, at a reputable local Flying Club. Pay it forward.

That controller rocks. Having worked Crash Fire Rescue for decades we monitor those conversations on declared emergency and or final so we can act, not necessarily react. The tone of voice by the controller put me at easy watching this. I can hear the pilot stress climbing by the minute.

The Black Hole Illusion. Now I know what I was experiencing in 1973 landing on a clear calm night in a Cherokee 180 at Chico Regional Airport, CA on Runway 13L. My friend and I were doing touch and go's. Every time we were on short final we'd be low. We would see that we were low on the approach when a row of trees would get illuminated by the landing light. Every time we made our approach, it happened. The previous experiences did not set us up to adjust our approach angle or approach strategy. But I was 22 years old back then, too.

IMO , this may be the best controller I have ever heard . GREAT job .. RIP Mr. and Mrs. Partridge ....

Such a tragedy, I think back about how many times you get that feeling when you think the flight is over and go whew, but it is NOT, Hoover thank you for bringing this horrible outcome to everyone attention.

This video really upset me. When you think about the fact that you're listening to someone's last moments, it is just terrible.

Thank you for covering this. I experienced the black hole effect in my first marriage. The marriage ended up crashing as well.

Flying instrument approaches, in weather, at night and single pilot are in a word, terrifying. Stories like this are truly heartbreaking. A second pilot onboard, familiar with your aircraft and the avionics reduces the risks tremendously. Not being current increases those same risks tremendously. It doesn't matter how proficient you were a year ago. What matters is where you were with that yesterday. Thanks for another great video Hoover.

It's that damn house of cards. Each additional stress becomes life-threatening.

I am always amazed at the incredible empathy and professionalism of US ATC

I’ve never flown a plane but I always enjoy your debriefs because they’re very human stories of human mistakes. I live next to the state park and I was present when they brought the fuselage out of the woods and lifted it onto a flatbed. So small, tailless, wingless and crumpled. He was my age, a medical guy and a fellow Floridian. I got a lump in my throat. Thanks for explaining what happened.

I am also 72 and while my eyesight is perfectly fine during the day, I can't say the same at night. That's why I avoid driving at night all together.

I'm old, and pilots in their 70s should not be flying without another pilot with him! Because our brains are not as sharp as they used to be, our reflexes are not as quick as they can be. I'm in my 60s and can see them slowing down. What a sad deal.

Thanks for another informative video, Hoover. I am a 1200-hr PP who flies a complex single engine airplane like this man. I had an engine quit on me 3 years ago, resulting in an off-airport landing in a a pasture in beautiful VFR conditions, which resulted in a totaled aircraft but no injuries. The FAA said I did everything right. But as I did my after-action review of the incident I realized that if I had been flying at night, or if flying over low IMC ceilings, I would probably not survived the landing. As a result, my personal al minimums have drastically changed. I will fly at night ONLY if the weather is perfect. I will fly in IMC but not into Low IFR conditions, and never at night. And I fly frequently, keeping my IFR rating and night flying current and proficient. As I watched this video, my heart sank. This pilot flew late in the day into IMC at twilight. He knew this would be the case when he did his flight planning, and he knew he was not current, yet he launched anyway! He knew he would have to do an instrument approach, but from what he said to ATC, he only looked at and briefed one approach. (I make a point of reviewing several approaches for my destination airport, and both RNAV and ILS approaches because you never know when your GPS or autopilot might go down.) As you said, he could have declared an emergency and asked for vectors to the FAF and hand-flown the ILS Rwy 5 approach. But he was unprepared, not current, and not proficient. Every takeoff is optional, but every landing is mandatory. So many flights end in tragedy because pilots don’t think this through.

One of my bucket list items when I retired was to get my PPL. I'm 67 now and am thinking that I should cross that one off the list. I have been watching so many of these accident analysis videos and have learned a lot about what not to do but I still think it is just too dangerous for me to start flying at this age. I think I'll stay with cars and boats and just be happy watching flying videos.

That controller was a true professional.

He sounded confused and overwhelmed... What a horrible tragedy.....

I was getting my PPL out of KTTA (just south of Raleigh) when this happened. My instructor said the same thing as you, spacial disorientation from flying over the state park. He took me up to land on 32 at night and it is very difficult to explain how confusing it is to go from the city lights of Raleigh to the blackness of the state park.

I'm not a pilot and I haven't even flown in an airplane in 35 years, but I really enjoy your informative, detailed and respectful videos of these crashes. I appreciate your hard work in compiling the information. Thank you.

I love these videos and don’t know a thing about flying. I’m an ICU RN but for some reason I love everything about flying and your channel is amazing.

I land on 32 almost everyday. It is a pretty short runway and one that you really don't want to overfly since it is perpendicular to two other runways. The trees on final are also deceptively tall. If pilots are concerned about stopping in time they may have a tendency to get slower or lower on final. Not saying this is what happened here, but if it was dark, it's very possible that he simply misjudged the height of the trees. After seeing that the pilot was confused and not flying well, the controller almost certainly could have saved his life by offering 5R which is much more visible, 2x as long and 50% wider. 32 has been a fairly notorious runway at RDU, in fact a turboprop just crashed a couple weeks ago after bouncing and attempting a missed approach before crashing.

i own a field in front of a runway. This explains why so many of the small planes end up on our property when the clouds are low.

This is what I call "the blinking awful cussedness of things in general. " Small things become big things which turn into bad decisions. RIP to his family 🙏

You bet Hoover, just tragic. I hope the ATCs involved have someone to talk to, that's a huge amount of emotion there.

You could hear that controller that was talking him through it really cared, and he was giving clear voice signals that Harvey wasn't bothering him to ask for this help. As you said, it's a tragedy that Harvey never thought to explicitly state the help he needed, or that the controller didn't recognize the severity of the situation which might have allowed him to declare on Harvey's behalf.

As much as I love your videos. Hoover, I'm saddened by the loss of life due to little mistakes - and especially what's astounding is a lot of these pilots you discuss have thousands of hours experience more than I do. Either way, I appreciate the effort and that the lessons learned will help us avoid such mistakes.

Harvey was obviously a good Pilot but that was too many obstacles to overcome with unexercised skills. Hoover you did a great job on this debrief and Harvey would have learned so much from it. It would have made him a better Pilot. It's sad he " relaxed " and failed to comprehend what he was seeing. I'm sorry for him, his wife, their family and friends.

This is a heartbreaking scenario but very well done. One of your best done to date. You and Blancolirio are by far the best ones out there doing this

Sunday morning coffee and Hoover on the screen teaching me lessons I never knew I wanted. It's sobering how simple mistakes turn fatal; it reminds me that life is short and to love unreservedly. Hoover you do a great service to the aviation community, you are a credit to pilots everywhere (and to veterans like myself too) and your sane, sober, moral, prudent analyses are always one of the highest highlights of my week. I love your content.

I was in a situation like this coming into Camarillo years ago. I let the autopilot keep the heading and altitude and told ATC to give me a moment to relax and gather my thoughts. Successfully reprogrammed the auto pilot for the approach and got in safely.

One of the reasons I sold my airplane was because of bad weather. Sure, as a low time single engine pilot I could fly an IFR approach. But as one of my professional pilot friends told me- "if you aren't flying on instruments all the time to be proficient- and you don't have a co-pilot as a cross check- it's a lot more dangerous for you to fly single pilot IFR than any of us commercial guys flying faster jets." I sold my plane. I'm still alive.

I like my gps. But it took longer to learn to fly the gps than it did the airplane.

With having equipment problems and getting behind the airplane, throw in the towel and divert. Was there any alternate in VMC? I had an instructor that always said know where there's 5000 & 5..Always have an out.

Good analysis. ATC didn't really cover themselves with glory (I can comment as I am a retired ATC and vfr only pilot). It was fairly clear that the pilot was having real difficulty navigating, in fact he said so. The constant attempts to get him to fly different RNAV approaches to various waypoints really added to his stress and workload. It was a radar environment, the controller should have taken control giving radar vectors at an earlier stage to the final approach track and could have improvised a surveillance radar approach to a short final with advisory heights to fly, or better still radar vectors to an ILS equipped runway with radar monitoring. Sometimes you have to declare/assume an emergency even if the pilot doesn't.

I'm actually a captain of specialised ships in offshore oil & gas with a life long long interest in aviation ( I did have a private licence 30 years ago - Cessna 172 , wish I still did) & have to say this is a great channel notwithstanding the often tragic outcomes. I think Hoover does an exceptional job of considering the events , working through them with appropriate sensitivity all in the name of increasing awareness and safety in flight. Very professional , well done.

I’m not a pilot but a retired mariner and I applaud your debriefings and focus on safety. Excellence all around.

When I see this sort of tragedy I am so thankful that I hung it up four years ago at age 71 after flying my Cherokee (full IFR) 1,800 hours for 34 years. With being down to 10 hours a year I was no longer maintaining proficiency and was becoming less and less comfortable and trusting my abilities and reaction time. So I sold the plane to a young man building hours for an airline career ... best decision I ever made!

What a tragedy....He sounds like a lovely person but all the way through his voice seemed to be showing a lack of confidence and understanding.... The Controllers did an amazing job...Thank you for highlighting another aviation crash with such empathy....Roger..Pembrokeshire UK

Hoover. This is one of the saddest stories. Your presentation is always respectful and professional.

I did a lot of single pilot IFR and one thing I kept in mind, and always repeated to my self, is fly the numbers...you are going to put the needles somewhere, so put them where they belong....it is a simple saying, that is easy to remember and to say to your self. I never had an autopilot in my a/c. The autopilot is good, but I was helping pilots get refreshed in approaches, they always wanted to just fly the autopilot, I would always make them turn it off or I would tell them, then pull the fuse. Basically, I made them hand fly. In my opinion, pilots get lazy or spoiled, and they would relax to the point that if something happens to the autopilot, then they are totally lost. Every pilot I trained liked this was pissed when I did it, but once we landed, they were ALL happy that I made them realize that an autopilot can go out at any time. FLY THE NUMBERS

✈ Hoover, i'm retired ATC (ZDC)... When i heard the tone of the RDU controller's voice change from "business as usual" to a more concerned "something is different here" my heart just sank. Even though I had to deal with quite a few similar situations throughout my career, thankfully 🙏, mine all had safe endings. This story breaks my heart.

Controller was awesome! These folks are a pilots best friend and I have a lot of respect for them.

I've dealt with Raleigh approach many times in the past, and they're always great to deal with. Terrible this crash happened but approach was absolutely spot on here. I've flown this approach quite a few times. Scary to think about how it could all go wrong right at the last second.

These videos reinforce in my mind that I could NEVER have become a pilot. My palms get sweaty just thinking about it!

Thank you for another excellent debrief. And congratulations on surpassing half a million subscribers! They are well deserved and with the quality of your work I have no doubt you’ll hit that million subs mark sooner rather than later. Wishing you and yours a great weekend.

Quick decision making and multi-tasking gets harder when you get old. There should be a maximum age of 65 in my opinion.

Thank you for your service, Hoover, as a veteran and a safety advocate.

WOW!!! Thank you Harvey... I am a 67 y/o student pilot and I own a little Cherokee 140. Great debrief all this is so important to me!!! Keep up the good work

Utter sadness. God rest their beautiful souls .

I had to force my dad, a retired fighter pilot, to stop flying his Cessna 182. He was 77, passed his flight physical and thought he could still fly. I flew with him and was surprised how bad he was. He completely relied on the auto pilot and had to ask ATC to constantly repeat themselves. I was shocked that he recently gave flights to civil air patrol cadets. I wouldn’t let my daughter fly with him. It wasn’t until we looked at his operating costs that he could no longer write off as a business expense he finally agreed to sell the plane.

Runway 32 at RDU saved my life several years ago. Taking off on 5R my Piper Cherokee lost power as I was turning south. Declared emergency and slipped the plane down to the runway landed with no problem. Great instructor training prepared me for this situation. Plus practice, practice, practice under a controlled environment.

A very sad end for sure Hoover. I appreciate how thorough you are with these debriefs.

I just flew this flight in the sim with better visibility than they had, and I still almost planted it. That is definitely a black hole before you get to the runway. Very disorienting, even when you are just flying your desk...

I'd like to hear your debrief on the crash in Oklahoma (March 2022,) from Austin to Lincoln, of the Laubers (William, Christine, and Regan.) please. Thank you.

Age in itself is only a minor factor in this or any other accident. His flying abilities, IFR currency, and decision-making are the major factors here, which apply to any pilot at any age. He should have stayed at 4000 and requested an opening for the approach to runway 5R. Additionally he should have forgotten the GPS, which took his attention away from the flight instruments.

Impossible to find a more patient and understanding controller.A man with understanding and kindness.Sad outcome.My respects for the family and friends.Flying Ifr on your own in a small,non redundant aircraft,is a very serious matter,even for a proficient airman.Thanks for your great work.

Heartbreaking. 52 yrs. together then gone in a flash.

Too many pilots don’t take their currency serious enough and they rely on the autopilot to bail them out. The holes lined up for Harvey that night. Please let this be a lesson to all.

Thanks for you excellent debriefs. I wish I would had access to this type of information in 1987 while getting my private rating.

Very sad and tragic. Fatigue must have played a part by making him impatient, because all he needed to do was maintain altitude as the tower instructed. So simple. Correct air speed and altitude are vital, and if they're maintained, most accidents would never occur.