Real Pilot Story: The Heat of the Moment 

It really hurts not hearing McSpadens distinct voice over these videos, Rest In Power ❤

Thank you to these two lovely souls for sharing their story. Sharing these stories saves lives. Thank you to Pilot Zak for being a Good Samaritan. Jon deserves credit for at least one action: he flew the plane into the crash and did not stall it. If you fly a plane into the tops of trees you’re giving yourself a chance that the fuselage impact at that point will slow you down sufficiently to make the ultimate crash survivable. That’s why Jon and his fiancée are alive. I hope they’re both happily married and still flying!

No judgement here, John. We all make mistakes. Some days they're small, but some days... I'm very happy that you and your fiancé lived through it and are on the road to normal again. Thanks very much for sharing your story and helping me fly safer. Like many AOPA members, I've heard the density altitude mantra many times, but it never hurts to hear critical reminders again. Fly safe, my friend.

I think it is very brave of you to share you’re story. Don’t get discouraged by people in the comments saying „this was a dumb takeoff“. We’re humans and we make mistakes. Even if we should have known better. Yes this was a bad one but I’m sure that listening to this story will make some people think twice before they take off in high density altitude situations. Thanks and be well

Lots of respect and thanks to Jon and AOPA for bringing us all these valuable testimonials. In aviation what I do not know, do not understand or cannot do can in fact HURT me. Ignorance is not bliss. Listening to this story brings to mind the closest I ever came (consciously) to losing an airplane. It was decades ago flying a Cessna 207 off a grass runway on a island. It was a Part 135 (Non scheduled air taxi) flight and two "extra" passengers showed up. Fortunately, in my stupidity and inexperience, I did not hurt anybody that day.

I really appreciate that Mackenzie spoke to the need for mental healing after a trauma and the resources available to help. Thank you for highlighting that in this video.

Hats off to a man who can openly discuss his mistakes. Thank you for the lessons learned. -A Piper pilot working on his tail wheel endorsement.

Pay attention to these terms. "I didn't think", "I never thought", "It didn't cross my mind", etc..... The performance charts of your aircraft are optimistic. You should be consulting them and if it's close, you are not going to make it. Pay attention to weight and balance. Density altitude on lower powered piston singles is a HUGE deal.

Many flat land pilots spend very little time thinking about density altitude. I didn't until I took off with mixture full rich from a 2500 elevation airport (that's not HIGH right? wrong...) on a 96 degree day full loaded with my son in the plane. I nearly killed us both. Such a helpless feeling when the plane won't climb and there is a hill (or trees) filling the windscreen. Even after I "learned" this lesson 20 years ago, this past summer I almost repeated this mistake. Fortunately I caught myself on the roll and aborted. DA is a sneaky killer. Thanks for sharing your story. It helps all of us.

I like these videos because they have a happy ending. They allow us to meet the pilots and it helps us understand what we might also do to survive if we ever encountered danger ourselves.

First, I want to offer my thanks and respect to these folks for telling their story….especially John as PIC. I’m so happy you both made it and hopefully you are back up in the air. As a CFI, I would say that every single pilot has had high “pucker factor” takeoffs….situations where it is just by the slimmest of chance that you make it, or don’t. I live at a airport community with one 2500’ paved runway and one 1450’ grass runway, and regularly see people that buck the odds. Thank you for sharing your story, and thanks to the ASI for producing the video. This is a story that all pilots should see and yes….there is no doubt that you will, over time, have helped someone avoid getting caught up in a situation like this.

Love the idea of the big LED sign showing DA. Would love to know where these are made/sold, our home airport could use one.

No judgement here. Just grateful that this cautionary tale ends with the two of you alive and walking.

Much respect to this couple for being willing to tell their story. Blue skies and tailwinds!

Hey man, nothing but respect for someone who learns from a mistake and has the guts to share in order to help the rest of us. Think of it this way - not only did you and your fiancé survive, but as a result of your situation, you’re helping other people survive by making good choices. Great job.

Back a few years ago, I witnessed almost the exact same thing happen at Mansfield Municipal Airport, Mansfield, MA, at an annual fly-in event. It was an unusually hot, humid late September Saturday, and a pilot came in to pick up a couple of friends for a day of golf. With 4 adult men and all their golf gear in the plane (I'm not sure what kind of plane, but it was a small 4-seater), they tried to take off but struggled to get off the ground. You could hear the plane wasn't very happy, and it took him forever to get airborne. He had enough altitude to clear the trees at the end of the runway, but we believe he wasn't confident with his situation. He called in a mayday, and started to turn back. Unfortunately, he didn't have enough airspeed, so when he banked left the plane stalled and nosed straight into the ground. The pilot and the front seat passenger were killed on impact, the back seat passengers survived but were taken to the hospital in critical condition. Very sad. I'm glad Jon and MacKenzie are well and they survived their harrowing ordeal!

Your a stand up guy for boldly sharing your experience. Thank you.

I am glad they are alive to tell the story.

As a pilot, I can easily imagine making these same mistakes, that is not accounting for density altitude and remembering just the right take off configuration. Well done, Jon, Mackenzie and Zak for making your account so personal and moving! I'm sure you've made many, many pilots more aware of these dangers, and I for one am going to be much more careful when I encounter similar situations. It was great to see both of you walking normally down the runway! It may take awhile for the PTSD to diminish but you've set a wonderful example for all of us. Simply knowing that is probably the best therapy.

I think as they both admitted, they definitely had a get home attitude because they were excited to tell everyone the news. So it was rushed and not thought/planned out properly. Every pilot knows about this dangerous attitude, yet it happens time and time again. You can't judge someone for it really, you don't know what circumstance would make you make a bad decision until you're in that situation. The LED signs are a good idea, force the pilot to think about something they may have overlooked.

I flew into that strip once in a 182. It was a warm day and with just me, a buddy (each 200lbs) and some camping gear. The trees off the departure end had me puckering a touch as we lifted off. It all worked out fine but even a relatively benign strip like that needs respect. We all make mistakes and have shown poor judgement at some point. I know I have gotten away with some things in the past (in my early flying days) and have learned from them. I am thankful Mackenzie and John survived the accident and are here to share their words.

I was seriously crying my eyes out for half this video; my heart goes out to everyone involved. Jon still seems subdued and quiet and embarrassed, but I think he should be anything but. They were able to get out of the situation. Even when things went bad, he didn't necessarily entirely solve it himself, but surely he played a part in their survival. The fact that he made a lot of mistakes at once isn't anything unusual for any human being. We all make lots of mistakes every day, most of them completely inconsequential, but sometimes multiple just line up. Sometimes they line up with the mistakes of others. There's no avoiding it. It is incredibly admirable to admit one's mistakes and go on record about it in this way. In the end the amount of suffering that happened was finite; but the amount of suffering that this could help avoid is potentially infinite. You can't change the past, but your present actions can change the future.

I’ve been seeing a lot of these “on the edge of performance envelope” accidents being highlighted. Makes me think recreational pilots need to start being taught to add a ~20% buffer to all weight calcs, instead of the exact nature that it is currently taught.

Very respectable for them to be interviewed and admit to their mistakes. I’m thinking 450lbs of passengers and I imagine at least 50lbs of camping gear loaded in a 145hp 170 trying to take off on a short grass strip while not being proficient in the aircraft….. not trying to Monday morning quarterback but.

I'm really thrilled John is here to tell his story. I great teaching moment. The airport I fly out of is 2400' with 5 degree approaches at both ends. We have a pilot-commanded weather system on the field. With 3 clicks you get conditions, and 3 more clicks right after that report you get an extended report. 4 clicks for a radio check. Our MSL is only 115' but in summer we have 95-100 degree days. With a Cherokee 180 I only take one person with me and fuel to the tabs.

Glad you both survived and had folks there who came to your assistance so quickly. Thanks for sharing your story. Be well.

Density Altitude. That'll get you every time. Great job surviving it. Given the situation, you guys did great job getting out of a bad situation you'd gotten yourselves into. Like so many other pilots. At least you lived to talk about it and learn from your mistake! Well done!

Getting comfortable loading as much as you want in a 210 is a bad habit. Always check weight and balance; never get used to anything. Follow the book. Complacency leads to more complacancey. Glad they lived to tell the tale for the benefit of all. God bless them.

Thank you so much for telling your story. You will never know how many lives you have saved by doing so.

Anyone that gives him any sort of flak needs to re-evaluate themselves. I'm glad they survived to tell their story and I'm glad he learned from his mistake. Thank you, Jon, for sharing your experience.

Real pilot stories are so informing

Thank you for sharing your story. No flak here - the strongest and most experienced thing you can do is admit your mistakes, learn from them, and help others do the same. We all make mistakes - what comes after and how you use the lesson is what defines who we are.

We are all human and with that, we make mistakes. I have nothing but a deep respect for sharing your story. Thank you.

Glad you are both alive. Lessons learned for all of us watching. Thank you for sharing this event.

Great video and a really good opportunity for us to learn from someone else's mistakes. Glad we had the Opportunity to learn without loss of life. He seems like a good pilot. No judgement here.

I remember my first and hopefully only surprise with density altitude. In 30 minutes, the temperature raised so much that it seemed like density altitude went from 3000 to 6000 feet. Whether that is true or not, I can't confirm besides knowing that it was 6000' density altitude and we were going into slight rising terrain and it just felt like we weren't climbing fast enough but luckily everything turned out okay. I was still so upset at myself for even letting it get that close. I risked not only my life, but more importantly my wife's. I know now to never take density altitude for granted and am overly conservative now when it comes to flying high or hot. You guys are alive and so happy for you. Don't be too hard on yourself, it happens to the best of us but the main thing is not only that we learn, but that we pass that lesson on for others to learn from so I commend you for doing this because you have definitely saved some lives already by having pilots questions there own personal minimums.

This channel provides a very valuable service.

Thank you so much Jon and MacKenzie for sharing. I learned again that density altitude is very important. You guys are beautiful and I honesty. What great character.

I noticed the dolly zoom to depict how close the trees were

Excellent video as usual. Good job guys and thank you for the courage to share it.

Thank you Jon for sharing your story! I could see myself doing the same thing. Thanks for the reminder!

Thank you for sharing your story. It can help someone else.

A great lesson for us all. Thank you.

Wow! glad you guys survived, hope the rest of your lives run smoother.

Major respect for sharing this to help others. I’m sure it takes a lot of guts to share something like this.

Thanks for sharing your story. Glad everybody is okay. ❤

They are lucky enough to "live and learn". Lets hope Jon takes aviation more seriously on the future.

Admirable humility on all counts.

Excellent video and thank you to this couple for sharing their story so frankly and honestly. These testimonials help all of us become better pilots. I really liked the discussion at the end about the technology being introduced at the field. This is an excellent response to the situation.

Really enjoyed hearing your heartfelt story, I can assure you that all of us make mistakes. I am so happy you survived the accident and will live to fly again. Congratulations on your engagement 🎉

Thanks for sharing your experience… it has the power to makes us all safer pilots

A courageous and helpful video. Well done for sharing your experience. I hope that you continue flying and live long and happy.

Full respect man - we all make mistakes - trying to help as a result is gods work

So glad you guys survived. Thank you for sharing this it will undoubtedly save someone else’s life!

Thank you for sharing your story.

Kudos, and prayers for both of them for owning it and trying to help others. I don’t fly in the back country but a PLB would be a must if I did.

Glad you guys made it. Thanks for sharing. I'm sure this will help others that have suffered crash trauma.

A big thanks to everyone involved in getting this video here and seen. If it had to happen, I'm so happy it ended this way! And if you saved just 1 other life, it was very well worth it!! May you have a long happy life together. Peace... --gary

Always grateful to Pilots who share their mistakes, they save lives!

Jon, no judgement here! Thanks for sharing.

a very lovely couple.... so fortunate. Great sympathy to McSpaddens as well.

Fantastic video - so well made. And bravery from the participants too.

That was a really pretty plane, love the color scheme. Glad they were ok!

Very well done video on a difficult subject, my appreciation and congratulations on the effort. I've been a CFI for 25 years and it makes me question if I have spent enough time on making my students understand density altitude. Not just the calculation of DA but its effect on the airplane. Another valuable lesson is teaching the result of retracting flaps prematurely on climb out. The DA demonstration might be more safely demonstrated in a simulator but the flap retraction exercise could be done in the airplane at a safe altitude. Regardless, thanks for posting this, I hope you get back into the saddle and go flying again!

I won't judge you man. You did the best you could. We all do that. I've made mistakes too. I remember to be grateful for everything. I'm alive. Many of my friends are not. We are the lucky ones. I wish you two many happy anniversaries!

I’m so glad you made this video! Tons of pilots have been lost due to density altitude and your story will save lives. It’s an easy piece of the puzzle to overlook. Is your beautiful airplane restorable? So sorry this happened. Very cool that the airport is taking steps to help pilots avoid this and to also make 911 calls available in the future. Very proactive!

thank you and much respect to you all for sharing and trying to get the word out about da

Wow, what an emotional story. I am so happy this wonderful young couple lived to tell it. BTW, Jon reminds me of Jason Kelce from the Philadelphia Eagles. And Zac reminds me of a young Col. McSpadden. Thank God for their courage!

Thank you for having the courage to share your story so that we all can learn from your experience and hopefully become safer pilots ourselves. I'm so happy you and your fiancé ended up okay. Any pilot who gets judgmental or tells you he hasn't ever made an error is a pilot with whom I would never fly. Experience is what you get after you need it. Anyone who is ignorant enough to believe in their own infallibility obviously has none.

Thank you guys for coming on here and talking!

great knowledge. thanks for sharing

Thank God they survived - fair play to the rescuers / did a great job!! 🙏

Very very useful video. Thanks for stepping up.

That guy is a stud.

It's definitely not about judging John. We're all human, and we all make mistakes. It's about learning, and the fact that John was willing to share his story and thought process may have positive effects we'll never know. I'm just glad they were both here to tell their story. From looking at that airplane nosed in, and listening to the description of the crash, I wonder if it was the hay bales that made the difference.

Very helpful story. Flew heavy with 3 passangers in my 182 a lot this summer, and I am pretty sure I would've made the same mistake as you John, facing DA. Your story helps me rethink carefully flying in hot weather fully loaded. Thank you for sharing!

Thanks for sharing. Extremely happy everyone was ok. I’m a low time pilot with a C170. The 2 things that scare me are density altitude and winds above 15.

Sounds like a scary event, but at least you both survived. And think of the memorable story youre able to tell for the rest of your lives. 😊

Good advice on PTSD

Thanks a million for this story. There are so many DA accidents that don't end this well. Congratulations on your marriage and happy flying!

That Cessna 170 was beautiful.

Thanks God you guys survived, a sobering reminder to all of us how dangerous DA is. Thank you for willing to share this story.

Pilot, no one here is going to give you flack for your decisions. We've all been there. Thank you for sharing this story.

Thank you for sharing, I know it's hard. We had an engine failure in our F35 Bonanza just after T.O. at 900ft AGL. We were able to make a forced landing in a field and walk away but that feeling of imminent death stays with you for life.

Thank you for sharing your story, I'm glad to hear it from you directly instead of hearing about it from Blancolirio or Day Gryder!!

Thank you for sharing this story, it can be easy to dismiss DA in the real world. I pledge to writing DA on my flights moving forward.

This is an excellent video and thank you to these brave people for sharing their story. We are all but weak and frail and if ALL of us could be a little better at owning our mistakes and learning from them, the world would not be such a F***ed up place!

Loved the story and it’s a learning for me as well. But one take away for me is, whenever there’s a realization that “I’m not going to make it” there Must be before that throttle goes forward a total commitment to fly the plane straight and level. Do not turn. Going straight ahead at as slow and controlled as possible has a much better outcome. Unless of course it’s a solid rock wall. But if trees or rising terrain I’d bet on a better outcome then a slow at stall turn.

as a private pilot with relatively low hours (even though i have had my certificate a while) living in the southwest , i always respect DA. the northern part of the state has some higher elevations at a lot of places and it can get very hot. i have seen some crazy DA in the summertime . i just learned a few things from the beginning i guess. i fly a Cherokee 180 by myself usually, and at times it does not climb like you would think. saving grace around where i am at , we have long strips. i have done stuff flying that i probably should not have, just try to learn from those mistakes and move on. this video is a reminder to all pilots. i am very glad that everyone lived to tell, that doesn't always happen.

A very honest and articulate account of an awful event. Glad they made it out the other side. Is Jon still flying?

This is one of the best videos y'all have released. I am not a pilot but my 11 year old son wants to become one so I have been watching all the videos out there on the web along with reading everything from the basics of flight that I got from our local library and as many GA NTSB reports. This video right here is exactly what I am after. I want to learn from these mistakes. Thank you, Jon and Mackenzi, for going through this and releasing this. I hope that when the time comes and my son is ready to start lessons that I will be able to find a good flight school and a good instructor. I am a diesel tech so I will hopefully be able to take some lessons on preflight stuff so when my son makes it through I will at least be able to look at the extras and hopefully be able to catch an issue while it's on the ground. I hope the two of you were able to get back into flying after this.

I feel like it might be worth adding a segment to the end of the video (or linking to another video?) reminding people how to determine DA. There are people in the comments here saying, "What am I supposed to do, bring my own weather station when I go to a backcountry strip?" Seems like some educational content would not go amiss.

Weight and balance being the main factor here, DA also a secondary but just an underpowered plane with two larger people. Glad they are alive ♥️🤙🏼

Thanks for the story Jon. With enough exposure we all find ourselves in a bad place from time to time. The normal school program covers the soft field and short field takeoff, but Airmen Certification Standards teach techniques that are energy inefficient. You covered density altitude and load well, and both were problems. Unless lean to max RPM, the basic level in low ground effect takeoff (like soft field), pitch up only enough to just clear the obstruction, and consideration of down drainage egress are taught, a lot of kinetic energy is lost. Tail should be brought up quickly for acceleration (or nosewheel just off). Mains should be brought off much slower than Vso when the wing will carry the load in low ground effect for acceleration. Dynamic proactive elevator should be used (little jabs to find and fix level in low ground effect) to get level and stay level in low ground effect for acceleration. We should stay level in low ground effect as long as runway or level surface is still available or cruise airspeed is reached. Wind management is into headwind component but down drainage egress is a lot of potential energy of altitude traded for airspeed if needed. Once off and level in low ground effect and we have taken advantage of low ground effect over as much runway as is available, we look for hole to fly down into or as much down drainage or slightest up drainage available. The river was best egress either way, but down drainage would have overruled light downwind. Anyway, you did a good job flying all the way to the crash and survived. Hopefully you have continued flying. If so, consider the energy management considerations I have laid out. I too have dumbly put myself in bad situations, but as a crop duster and pipeline pilot I always had zoom reserve airspeed to work with on ten engine failures while very low or on takeoff. Until high enough to recover from inadvertent stall, airspeed and not altitude is life. Good job. Hang in there.

This story hit hard. It begs the question: well do I bring a thermometer and barometer to a Backcountry airport? We take AWOS for granted sometimes. This will undoubtedly change the way I teach my students not just about DA but also tech reliance. Thanks for sharing

Great share ..like many others im sure. I very nearly became a victom of D.A. many years ago . So close that it haunts me every time . A lesson ill never forget and a lesson most people dont survive . The worst thing is we all know better . G.a. needs better training.

Very insightful and helpful video made with great courage. I had to look up an abort point for density altitude. It says you should be at 70% of rotation speed by halfway down the runway. Sound correct?

A miracle from God they survived this crash!!!

What WAS the density altitude? Was it in the envelope where the airplane would perform better with no flaps? Could the takeoff have been successful? Maybe if they had left in the morning? There aren't a lot of specific details in this video. Maybe that's on purpose, to try and prevent copycats or something. But I don't think that's sufficient. The answer to a crash like this can't be, "never fly at a grass strip" or, "never takeoff with less than 5,000 feet." As pilots, we need to be able to understand our performance charts and how to apply them. I assume from the video that the pilot didn't do a takeoff performance calculation. If he had, what was the result? Was it clearly impossible, or just on the edge? My takeaway from this is that pilots should include takeoff performance when planning a trip like this. Before departing home, figure out what is the hottest temperature/ highest DA that a takeoff can be made within 2/3 of the runway available. Most airplanes need more distance to takeoff than land, so it's easy to get into somewhere you can't get out of.

Sweet couple.