Originally Posted by
pooch817
I was in Yuma and flew over the the Mantz wreck right after it happened. I had heard he had had a few drinks, caught a skid and flipped. Tallman, I heard, hit Saddleback which is the final resting place for many airmen, but I don't know the details and would like to. I took up aerobatics as a defensive maneuver because as a copilot I was regularly paired with a Captain that did not belong in Flight Test and I was afraid he would put us on our back. He eventually ended his career by destroying an airplane. Flying requires an honest effort, though a bit of luck is always welcomed.
You are correct about Mantz dragging a skid; only speculation about the drinking.
Tallman was supposed to fly the Phoenix but had hurt his leg in a minor go-kart incident with his son. Mantz flew in his place. When Mantz died, Tallman blamed himself, and did not take care of the injury. It went septic, and most of his leg was amputated.
Not Saddleback; a mountain in Orange County. Wiki:
On Saturday 15 April 1978, Tallman was making a routine ferry flight in a twin-engine Piper Aztec from Santa Monica Airport, California, to Phoenix, Arizona under visual flight rules when he continued the flight into deteriorating weather, a lowering ceiling and rain. He struck the side of Santiago Peak in the Santa Ana Mountains near Trabuco Canyon at cruising altitude, and died in the ensuing crash.