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James was just an inexperienced pilot.

	1:41 PM EDT: N218VB departs John C. Tune Airport (KJWN) in Nashville (12:41 PM local CDT) with three people on board . The Cirrus SR22T climbs out and cruises eastward at roughly 10,800 ft altitude and about 170–175 knots (≈200 mph) ground speed by 2:30 PM , en route toward the mountainous terrain of western North Carolina. Weather en route is VFR with clear skies.

•	~2:40 PM: The flight begins descending toward its destination, Macon County Airport (1A5) near Franklin, NC. At 2:40 PM the aircraft passes through 10,000 ft MSL at ~189 knots groundspeed , starting its let-down into the Macon County area. The surrounding terrain is mountainous (peaks reaching 5,000+ ft) and the airport sits in a valley at 2,034 ft elevation  , which demands careful altitude management on approach.

•	2:50 PM: As N218VB approaches 1A5, it continues to shed altitude. By ~2:50 PM, the Cirrus is descending through about 4,900 ft MSL (≈2,900 ft AGL) and slowing while lining up for Runway 07 . Macon County Airport’s single runway (07/25) is 5,002 ft long and surrounded by rising terrain  . Runway 07 has no functioning PAPI/VASI guidance (the PAPI was out of service) , meaning the pilot must judge the glide slope visually against a backdrop of hills.

•	2:52 PM: N218VB is on a straight-in final approach to Runway 07. ADS-B data shows the aircraft at ~3,000 ft MSL (~966 ft above field elevation) while only about 0.5 NM from the runway threshold . This implies a steep flight path, well above a normal 3° glide path. The crew still has clear weather (calm winds and >10 mile visibility reported) , but the high descent profile suggests the approach may be unstabilized. The lack of PAPI guidance and the sloping terrain can make it difficult to judge the correct glide angle, a known challenge at 1A5’s Runway 07 approach.

•	2:53 PM: Rather than forcing a landing, the pilot elects to go around. At approximately 2:53:30 PM, when the Cirrus is ~ over the runway threshold at ≈2,750 ft MSL (~700 ft AGL), the engine power is increased and the nose is pitched up . ADS-B records show the aircraft leveling then climbing by 2:53:37 (altitude rising from 2,750 to 2,900 ft) with groundspeed around 100–105 knots during the go-around . This indicates an aborted landing on the first attempt. (Initiating a go-around so late – just a few hundred feet above ground – is a high-workload maneuver with little margin for error . The pilot must rapidly manage engine power, flaps, trim, and airspeed to transition back to a climb .)

•	2:54 PM: N218VB circles back for a second landing attempt. It enters the left traffic pattern (standard left downwind for Runway 07 ) by turning left to the northwest and west. The plane climbs to about 3,200–3,300 ft MSL by ~2:54:30 PM as it flies away from the runway to set up another approach . Investigators later noted that a go-around in this terrain requires a tight pattern in the valley and precise flying. During the go-around climb, the pilot would have been configuring the aircraft for climb (adjusting flaps from LAND to TAKEOFF position, mixture/prop as needed, etc.) while also navigating the rising terrain .

•	2:55 PM: The Cirrus turns left base to final for Runway 07 again. At 2:55:39 PM, ADS-B data shows N218VB descending through ~2,525 ft MSL (~490 ft AGL) at about 113 knots ground speed . By 2:55:55 PM, the aircraft is aligned on final approach, roughly abeam the runway threshold, at ~2,100 ft MSL (~70 ft above the runway elevation) and slowing through 103 knots . This suggests the aircraft was in landing configuration, about to touch down within seconds. The approach still appears slightly high but much closer to normal profile than the first attempt. No significant wind or turbulence is reported to interfere at this time (winds were calm) .

•	2:56 PM: In the final moments of the approach, the aircraft’s flight path becomes erratic. At 2:56:11 PM, N218VB is essentially over the runway or very short final, at about 2,075 ft MSL (only 40 ft above ground). At that instant, ADS-B shows a sudden positive climb rate (+265 ft/min) while the ground speed decays to 79 knots . This indicates the pilot may have pitched up abruptly – possibly attempting to initiate another go-around or to arrest a fast descent rate – but the airspeed was already near stall speed. Within the next 15–20 seconds, the aircraft likely stalls due to the high nose-up attitude and low airspeed . The last data point at 2:56:29 PM still shows the Cirrus at ~2,250 ft MSL (~200 ft AGL) but now at only 72 knots and drifting off course (heading 0°/north) . This abnormal heading and slow speed at treetop height imply the plane had fallen out of controlled flight – a classic aerodynamic stall/spin scenario very close to the ground.

•	~2:56:33 PM (Crash): N218VB impacts the terrain approximately 500 feet north of the Runway 07 pavement , in a field just outside the airport boundary. The time of the crash is around 2:56–2:57 PM EDT . Witnesses (including a school resource officer at a nearby school) see the plane go down and describe hearing “like a loud bang” as it crashes  . The Cirrus comes to rest upright in the open field with the cabin largely intact and no post-crash fire  . The impact was forceful enough to be fatal to all on board, but the lack of a debris trail indicates a low forward-speed, near-vertical crash rather than a high-speed impact . Emergency responders arrive within minutes; they find no survivors among the three occupants (pilot Brett James and two female passengers) . Thankfully, no one on the ground is hurt (the crash, while close to Iotla Valley Elementary, did not impact the school itself) .

•	3:00 PM and beyond: Macon County first responders and firefighters secure the scene and ensure no fire risk . Authorities confirm the fatalities and begin preserving the site for investigators. The NTSB dispatches an investigator the following morning (Sept 19) to document the wreckage and gather evidence . The aircraft’s wreckage (which showed no signs of in-flight break-up or fire) is slated for transport to a secure facility for detailed examination . The FAA and NTSB classify the event as an accident during the approach/landing phase and will analyze radar/ADS-B data, weather, and pilot background as part of the investigation.
 
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  • Fuck Around and Find Out 1
Posted
1 hour ago, Gladeite said:

James was just an inexperienced pilot.

	1:41 PM EDT: N218VB departs John C. Tune Airport (KJWN) in Nashville (12:41 PM local CDT) with three people on board . The Cirrus SR22T climbs out and cruises eastward at roughly 10,800 ft altitude and about 170–175 knots (≈200 mph) ground speed by 2:30 PM , en route toward the mountainous terrain of western North Carolina. Weather en route is VFR with clear skies.

•	~2:40 PM: The flight begins descending toward its destination, Macon County Airport (1A5) near Franklin, NC. At 2:40 PM the aircraft passes through 10,000 ft MSL at ~189 knots groundspeed , starting its let-down into the Macon County area. The surrounding terrain is mountainous (peaks reaching 5,000+ ft) and the airport sits in a valley at 2,034 ft elevation  , which demands careful altitude management on approach.

•	2:50 PM: As N218VB approaches 1A5, it continues to shed altitude. By ~2:50 PM, the Cirrus is descending through about 4,900 ft MSL (≈2,900 ft AGL) and slowing while lining up for Runway 07 . Macon County Airport’s single runway (07/25) is 5,002 ft long and surrounded by rising terrain  . Runway 07 has no functioning PAPI/VASI guidance (the PAPI was out of service) , meaning the pilot must judge the glide slope visually against a backdrop of hills.

•	2:52 PM: N218VB is on a straight-in final approach to Runway 07. ADS-B data shows the aircraft at ~3,000 ft MSL (~966 ft above field elevation) while only about 0.5 NM from the runway threshold . This implies a steep flight path, well above a normal 3° glide path. The crew still has clear weather (calm winds and >10 mile visibility reported) , but the high descent profile suggests the approach may be unstabilized. The lack of PAPI guidance and the sloping terrain can make it difficult to judge the correct glide angle, a known challenge at 1A5’s Runway 07 approach.

•	2:53 PM: Rather than forcing a landing, the pilot elects to go around. At approximately 2:53:30 PM, when the Cirrus is ~ over the runway threshold at ≈2,750 ft MSL (~700 ft AGL), the engine power is increased and the nose is pitched up . ADS-B records show the aircraft leveling then climbing by 2:53:37 (altitude rising from 2,750 to 2,900 ft) with groundspeed around 100–105 knots during the go-around . This indicates an aborted landing on the first attempt. (Initiating a go-around so late – just a few hundred feet above ground – is a high-workload maneuver with little margin for error . The pilot must rapidly manage engine power, flaps, trim, and airspeed to transition back to a climb .)

•	2:54 PM: N218VB circles back for a second landing attempt. It enters the left traffic pattern (standard left downwind for Runway 07 ) by turning left to the northwest and west. The plane climbs to about 3,200–3,300 ft MSL by ~2:54:30 PM as it flies away from the runway to set up another approach . Investigators later noted that a go-around in this terrain requires a tight pattern in the valley and precise flying. During the go-around climb, the pilot would have been configuring the aircraft for climb (adjusting flaps from LAND to TAKEOFF position, mixture/prop as needed, etc.) while also navigating the rising terrain .

•	2:55 PM: The Cirrus turns left base to final for Runway 07 again. At 2:55:39 PM, ADS-B data shows N218VB descending through ~2,525 ft MSL (~490 ft AGL) at about 113 knots ground speed . By 2:55:55 PM, the aircraft is aligned on final approach, roughly abeam the runway threshold, at ~2,100 ft MSL (~70 ft above the runway elevation) and slowing through 103 knots . This suggests the aircraft was in landing configuration, about to touch down within seconds. The approach still appears slightly high but much closer to normal profile than the first attempt. No significant wind or turbulence is reported to interfere at this time (winds were calm) .

•	2:56 PM: In the final moments of the approach, the aircraft’s flight path becomes erratic. At 2:56:11 PM, N218VB is essentially over the runway or very short final, at about 2,075 ft MSL (only 40 ft above ground). At that instant, ADS-B shows a sudden positive climb rate (+265 ft/min) while the ground speed decays to 79 knots . This indicates the pilot may have pitched up abruptly – possibly attempting to initiate another go-around or to arrest a fast descent rate – but the airspeed was already near stall speed. Within the next 15–20 seconds, the aircraft likely stalls due to the high nose-up attitude and low airspeed . The last data point at 2:56:29 PM still shows the Cirrus at ~2,250 ft MSL (~200 ft AGL) but now at only 72 knots and drifting off course (heading 0°/north) . This abnormal heading and slow speed at treetop height imply the plane had fallen out of controlled flight – a classic aerodynamic stall/spin scenario very close to the ground.

•	~2:56:33 PM (Crash): N218VB impacts the terrain approximately 500 feet north of the Runway 07 pavement , in a field just outside the airport boundary. The time of the crash is around 2:56–2:57 PM EDT . Witnesses (including a school resource officer at a nearby school) see the plane go down and describe hearing “like a loud bang” as it crashes  . The Cirrus comes to rest upright in the open field with the cabin largely intact and no post-crash fire  . The impact was forceful enough to be fatal to all on board, but the lack of a debris trail indicates a low forward-speed, near-vertical crash rather than a high-speed impact . Emergency responders arrive within minutes; they find no survivors among the three occupants (pilot Brett James and two female passengers) . Thankfully, no one on the ground is hurt (the crash, while close to Iotla Valley Elementary, did not impact the school itself) .

•	3:00 PM and beyond: Macon County first responders and firefighters secure the scene and ensure no fire risk . Authorities confirm the fatalities and begin preserving the site for investigators. The NTSB dispatches an investigator the following morning (Sept 19) to document the wreckage and gather evidence . The aircraft’s wreckage (which showed no signs of in-flight break-up or fire) is slated for transport to a secure facility for detailed examination . The FAA and NTSB classify the event as an accident during the approach/landing phase and will analyze radar/ADS-B data, weather, and pilot background as part of the investigation.
 
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I don't know how/why anyone would choose to land at an airport with their glide path indicator down.  I used to take lessons (at John Tune no less), and my instructor took me to a hanger one day when the conditions were outside of my skill level (crosswinds) and showed me an airplane that had taken a prop strike in a landing.  He said that the pilot was trying to land at JWN with a severe cross wind and kept aborting the landing.  Finally, he got it down but not before incurring a prop strike which pushed the engine back 6 inches into the fuselage.

The moral:  if you can't land safely at you destination airport, find one where you can.  BNA is 10 miles SE and has a perpendicular runway.  He should have gone there and landed with a direct headwind.  Would have saved his aircraft, at a minimum.  That dude should have gone to Asheville or somewhere where a tower approach with long runways was available.

Also, all that wight on board really calls for increased skill level if anything unusual happens, like a go-around.  You're just begging for a stall.

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