"Ghost plane" crashes in Ontario

[ryoder 1,590]

http://jalopnik.com/this-ghost-plane-crash-is-one-of-the-weirdest-mysteri-1793462770

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[quade 4]

If you're going to fake your own death this way, be sure to send the plane out to sea where is is unlikely to be found.

I'm surprised by the number of people who forget that detail.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Phil1111 1,149]

Copycat

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/08/19/fugitive.pilot/

[BillyVance 34]

Phil1111

Copycat

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/08/19/fugitive.pilot/

That was a big story here in Alabama when it happened. Guy thought he had the fuel situation set up so the plane would run out of fuel after crossing over the beach into the Gulf of Mexico. Turned out to be maybe 20-25 miles short and crashed into the edge of Wolf Bay IIRC. He parachuted out over Harpersville along the US280 corridor at night near where he had a motorcycle stashed in a self storage place. He got caught at a campground in the Dothan area, but I'm going completely off memory here.

When air defense intercepted the plane while it was still airborne, they noticed the door was slightly open and nobody at the controls. That was the first clue something wasn't right.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[quade 4]

Phil1111

Copycat

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/08/19/fugitive.pilot/

Oh, this has happened more than once.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[flyhi 24]

Did anyone else read the comments to the story?

Quote

Parachute, poorly faked death.

Or the guy fell out while trying to take a dump in Lake Michigan from 12,000 feet.

And the reply:

Quote

D.B. Pooper

Shit happens. And it usually happens because of physics.

[BillyVance 34]

quade

If you're going to fake your own death this way, be sure to send the plane out to sea where is is unlikely to be found.

I'm surprised by the number of people who forget that detail.

After reading the story, I can only assume the guy jumped out without a parachute and killed himself. There was no background info on the guy in that story so I can't say for sure what his deal was.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[quade 4]

BillyVance

***If you're going to fake your own death this way, be sure to send the plane out to sea where is is unlikely to be found.

I'm surprised by the number of people who forget that detail.

After reading the story, I can only assume the guy jumped out without a parachute and killed himself. There was no background info on the guy in that story so I can't say for sure what his deal was.

Consider the logic of that though. Not that suicide requires a lot of logic, but why jump when you could just as easily drive the plane into the ground and be sure you're not killing others?

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[BillyVance 34]

quade

******If you're going to fake your own death this way, be sure to send the plane out to sea where is is unlikely to be found.

I'm surprised by the number of people who forget that detail.

After reading the story, I can only assume the guy jumped out without a parachute and killed himself. There was no background info on the guy in that story so I can't say for sure what his deal was.

Consider the logic of that though. Not that suicide requires a lot of logic, but why jump when you could just as easily drive the plane into the ground and be sure you're not killing others?

Yeah I get that... Who knows. Or he wanted to take some pictures and opened the door, but fell out by accident. Then again, doors open outwards. Hard to do in flight. I got nothing.

If they would dig up and release the guy's background info, then we have more to speculate on.

Or.... he was raptured?

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[pchapman 279]

Billy brought up a 2nd ghost plane case in the US. I can add a third ghost plane, also in Ontario, with a skydiving connection:

In 2013, a commercial C-208 Caravan was flown by a pilot out from Sault Ste Marie in Ontario on what was supposed to be a short local flight according to the flight plan. It presumably tracked northwest hundreds of miles over or around Lake Superior to a point north of Sioux Lookout (so they say), at which time the ELT was turned on. This was tracked hundreds of miles northish far out over Hudson bay, where the signal stopped and some debris was found. Nobody knows what happened to the young commercial pilot. He supposedly arrived at the airport in a cab and his car wasn't found, but that's totally unverified info.

The pilot, Brandon J., was a company pilot, and a skydiver with, who knows, on the order of 100 jumps. I had coached him a couple times when he was a novice a couple years before, and had repacked his reserve too.

It was all very mysterious and little more has become public that I know. I think his parents didn't want much publicity. The parachuting angle came up in speculation, but there was never anything public about any back story that could have involved wanting to disappear but live -- nor to go off and end it all.

[ryoder 1,590]

I can't believe no one has mentioned this case yet:

NTSB: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20001214X37705&AKey=1&RType=Final&IType=LA

Andrew C. Thornton II: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_C._Thornton_II

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[D-6723 1]

Oh....."Thunder". I remember this well. So many unrecovered things!