The TV News

Yesterday: the TV news is full of a story about a rented Turbo Arrow from Colorado down on Interstate 680 (a local freeway) after an engine failure on departure from Concord (KCCR). The pilot managed to put the plane down OK on the freeway; he and his passenger walked away from the wreck uninjured, but the plane hit a van on the freeway and a young girl in the van was severely injured by the prop. This is one of my Bay Area flying nightmares: there just isn't anywhere much to go when the engine fails on departure or arrival around here that's not going to put someone on the ground in danger. One of those nasty little secrets we all share. [Later: Apparently the plane had had engine trouble on arrival at Concord, and the owner had sent an A&P out from Colorado to fix it; the engine then subsequently failed on climb out at about 400' AGL.]