Originally Posted by
Chris P. Bacon
It's completely fair. That emergency didn't have to end in tragic results. Since we're talking about all encompassing safety, why don't planes have horns?
Secondly, what caused the emergency in the first place and what is being done to prevent it from occurring in the future?
Assuming the pilot did not see the people walking on the beach, where would you have had him land? He was at pattern height (1,000 ft) so he didn't have a lot of time to sort it out.
Water and dunes are both dangerous. According to the NTSB report, he actually landed in the water near the beach and did not know he hit anyone until after he was climbing out of the aircraft. They do not know why the aircraft lost power. There was plenty of fuel on board and they were able to start it after it the accident.
additional info: A PA-28 with a dead engine at 1,000 will hit the ground in about a half mile (maybe further depending on the airspeed when the failure occurred) whether the pilot wants it to or not. Best glide speed for maximum distance will be around 80 mph. Time for choosing a landing site will be reduced because the pilot will likely attempt a restart before committing to an off airport landing or crash. Turning will reduce the distance.