At a kids birthday party over the weekend a woman told the story of her ex-husband and their exploits in their Piper Aztec. On one occasion the VFR pilot (husband) was on route to Tahoe with a plane load of nervous passengers at night and in IFR conditions. As they popped into and out of the clouds in the dark among the mountains the wife made the comment that "perhaps we should turn around"?

The husbands reply was "WELL DO YOU WANT TO GO SKIING OR NOT"?

I thought that was a good one. He also was famous for landing his Aztec on the green at the golf course where their vacation condo was. In order to depart he had to file a flight plan and a tee time. Eventually the Aztec was sold much to everyones relief.

Skyhigh

There are so many idiot pilot stories. I was working at SoCal Approach (Burbank Area, California) when a twin Cessna drilled it into the ground. The wife was onboard and knew that the weather was IFR at Van Nuys (world's busiest general aviation airport) and that he was a tool in the clouds.

So, she demanded that he land and let her off at Palmdale, California. He did. He (and another guy) died shortly thereafter do entirely to his own inability to fly in clouds.

The Aztec is great, it will make up for a lot of stupidity (but not CFIT or lack of BAI skills).

I flew an hour or two in an Aztec 25 years ago. If I remember it correctly - it was old school. There is no regulating stupidity (as demonstrated in the recalled stories above)

USMCFLYR

The first pilot (and his wife) that died on my watch at ATC was a Beech Baron that was cruising from SFO area to the LAX area. It's done hundreds of times a day by aircraft.

This guy was at 8500 feet. Mount Pinos, just south of Bakersfield, is 8800 feet.

Here's one, had a guy land in a C-340 when I was a fuel truck monkey. Weather was barely 200 and 1/2, only appoach we had at the field was an NDB with mins 640-2 (with high rise condos on either end). So how he got in without hitting one I never figured out, it's happened before.

It gets better when he asks me to top it off. The airplane took about 3 gallons less than max CAPACITY. IIRC I put 137.3 gallons in, and it held 140 total. I came in to tell him personally how much I'd just loaded and he didn't say much.

One of my less experienced flying club members related the story of scud running and "accidentally" flying thru Cape Canaveral's airspace.

Thank goodness the controller was forgiving or our 172 might have been impounded or shot down.

We were somewhat thankful when that member decided to pursue other interests.

I had an examiner tell a story of a guy flying an aztec from the Bahamas to Naples or FLL. Did he preflight and went on his way, when in the patten back in the states tower asked if he was dragging a banner or sign, he has no idea what they are taking about. Upon landing and parking at the FBO, there was a 100 pound Caribbean "tie down" (cement block with a chain attached) still hooked to the rear tiedown. Never knew it was there or felt it. Thank god they are overpowered.

I did that once and never again. Over water I might add, so I had no choice but to make it. One more lesson I learned, if it ever happens again don't tell the fuel man to "fill it up".

Was it in a C-340 back in the 90's?