---I had a wonderful technical advisor for my writing project, but he disappeared suddenly. Last I heard he was very ill so I wonder if he's even alive, or if I'd know it if he's not.
---My work is fiction, but I'm obsessive about every detail being technically correct. I need technical advice from any of the following: a pilot who has survived a crash, a crash investigator, an aviation attorney, and/or anyone who knows the ins and outs of g.a. crash investigation. I've exhausted the internet looking for sources of information, but everything so far has come up empty.
---What I need to know is probably quite simple. The pilot in question has 30 years experience and was flying a business-class turboprop over the Appalachian Mountains when he lost fuel pressure and ultimately crashed. He remembers little about what happened. He owned the airplane. There were no fatalities or private property damages, save for 4 trees he took out in a national forest. His injuries will prevent him from ever flying again so FAA will be revoking his medical certificate. In ICU he was off-limits, but now he's in a regular hospital room and fair game to anyone who wants answers. He retained an aviation attorney first thing. On Monday, NTSB and FAA are going to want to talk to him, and herein lies the problem. I haven't the faintest idea where to go from here. Will the investigators show up together? Have they made an appointment, seeing as how there is now an attorney involved, or do they just drop in? After their initial introductions, what kinds of questions do they ask? Will it take all day or just a few hours, keeping in mind that no forms of any kind have been submitted yet? Do they aggressively demand answers or are they mostly decent people? As for the medical certificate, is that something they'd revoke on the spot or is it a process? After they leave, are they likely to come back?
---I'd so appreciate any insight someone who has "been there, done that" can offer. Thanks!!

 

So, he's not an employee of a company (subject to getting fired).... so why an attorney?

Was he running drugs? Is he an illegal immigrant? Tax evader? Why would there be people who "want answers"? Yes, the FAA. That's pretty straight forward. And the insurance company. And maybe the Forest Service, if he landed in a wilderness.

Assuming the airplane was legal (proper maintenance and records) and he was legal (medical, certificate, currency), the FAA might be looking at fuel suppliers, or maintenance folks (not the pilot).

Obviously, this is in the US, where everything is an "attorney first thing". And the NTSB does not investigate every single crash. I doubt a guy running out of gas would qualify. It just happens too much.

 

So this scenario is "fiction". Well the Medical is pretty much done. The FAA does what they want when they want in what ever manner is most convient for them. Nothing wrong with it, they are protecting a Billion dollar industry and human lives. So yes they will want to talk to him and it all depends on there mood and what he has to say as to how it goes. A person is going to get an attorney if they are GUILTY typically or FEAR legal ramifications for there actions. So what has you character done???

 

---First of all, thank you so much for your help ... I haven't been able to catch a break in figuring out this one little tiny segment.

---There were no laws broken here, no drug running or criminal activity with this 30-year pilot with a spotless record. It was just a faulty fuel pump and nowhere to put the airplane down. I wrote in the attorney after studying an aviation attorney's website. He made it sound like it was absolutely essential to retain an atty first thing, even if the pilot has done nothing wrong, just to make sure his rights are protected and no one twists anything he says to make him look guilty. I can very easily write out the lawyer if he isn't necessary; in fact, it might make things a lot less complicated.
---So it is conceivable, then, that an FAA investigator would just show up unannounced on Monday morning with no appointment?
---The atty website said the FAA and NTSB investigators might make their appearance together ... is that right?
---If they're decent guys, would he help him with the 6120? Any other forms or paperwork he'd need to submit?
---How long would it take to mop this whole mess up with the FAA, NTSB, and insurance co, i.e., one morning vs several days?
---As for the medical certificate, is that something they'd revoke on the spot or is it a process? My pilot doesn't even know where all that stuff is at the moment.

Thanks so much for your help; I appreciate it more than you know. One tiny half-page segment has been a real bear to get through!

 

FAA aviation accidents take months to years to get to the end. There's the preliminary report, the factual report and finally the probable cause report - I may have missed a step or two along the way. You can see about 50 years worth of stuff at
N T S B - Aviation Accidents - Index of Months

I'm guessing the FAA and NTSB could show up together depending on how close their respective offices are to the pilot and how "high profile" the accident may have been. Somewhat educated conjecture on my part, but I would not think federal agencies would do a good job of coordinating.

If it happened on the Appalachian trail, the state of South Carolina may be interested to know if our Governor is ok.

Good Luck
73M - Private Pilot, not an Airline guy.

 

A business class turboprop? If a twin, a dual simultaneous failure is a stretch, in fact many aircraft (single or twin) can operate with gravity fuel pressure alone. If you're going to go into technically correct detail about the aftermath, why not be realistic about the point of failure?

 

I got most of the technical stuff from the pilot of the single-engine airplane I used as a model (won't mention it by name in the book so I can't get sued) so I got all the mechanics figured out. I derived everything from his own experience ... he was the surviving pilot in a crash of that particular airplane, then adjusted it to fit what I needed to accomplish. He sent pictures and everything. I even tracked one of these planes down locally and was invited out to see it firsthand; that was especially helpful. Unfortunately, the only thing my advisor didn't cover was the one thing I'm working on now, and I don't have a clue.
Basically, this airplane became a glider, which should have been no problem had there been anyplace to put it down. In all the insanity of the first week, no forms or reports were filled out. The family didn't know they had to. Might investigators have talked to the family during that week? Never thought of that.
I don't want to drag it on and on; there are too many other things to work into that short time span. And since it's fiction, I can alter this and adjust that and make just about anything work. I just need to get that Monday morning taken care of in a way that any pilot could read it and not roll his eyes because it's unrealistic and stupid.
This pilot remembers very little about the actual crash and is bound to frustrate anyone who wants answers of any kind. With no witnesses and no one else to interview, details are few.
If you all have any kind of imagination, I'd very very much appreciate any input or suggestions about this aftermath. And I should scrap the attorney, right?
(Not quite sure I know what you mean about the governor of SC??)
Thanks ...
W

 

He claimed to be hiking the App trail while he was really in Brazil with his mistress.

 

Any final thoughts on this before I close the subject? Questions remaining unanswered:
--Scrap the attorney?
--After their initial introductions, what kinds of questions do the investigators ask?
--Will it take all day or just a few hours, keeping in mind that no forms of any kind have been submitted yet?
--Do they aggressively demand answers or are they mostly decent people?
--As for the medical certificate, is that something they'd revoke on the spot or is it a process? After they leave, are they likely to come back?

Thank you all for your help. This one little segment has been a bear to get through! After this, the rest is easy.
w

 

An attorney is always a good idea when dealing with the feds. You don't have the same rights or presumption of innocence like when dealing with a crime.
Ntsb people I have talked seem like decent people, there mission is safety more than anything, FAA inspectors on the otherhand are like the kids that got beat up in school and are now looking to bust everyone for everything. (Not all of them)