What's it about? Our troops away from home on the front lines look forward to a little R&R but it isn't easy getting away from those front lines, nor is it a cheap airline ticket. That's where Hero Miles comes in. Almost a dozen airlines have signed up for the program, including American, US Airways, and United. Their participation made the program an immediate success. As of December, 2006, more than 8,000 airline tickets have been given to military members and their families - the equivalent of 380 million frequent flier miles.

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Their pilot, Roger Peterson, was a licensed commercial pilot but was not instrument rated nor was he rated for night flight. He had received his private pilot’s certificate in 1955 so he had been flying for just 4 years. Peterson also died in the crash. He was 21.

The events leading up to the flight started when the manager of the venue where the singers were performing called Roger Peterson to arrange a charter flight for Buddy Holly to Fargo, North Dakota, so he could arrive ahead of the rest of the tour members who were traveling by bus. Peterson scheduled the flight. On February 3^rd he departed Mason City Airport about 1 A.M. in light snow. Minutes later the plane crashed in a cornfield just eight miles from the airport.

As an aside, Waylon Jennings and Tommy Allsup (a member of Holly’s band) were supposed to be on the plane with Buddy Holly. Jennings gave his set to the Big Bopper who was suffering from the flu and didn’t want to ride the bus. Allsup gave up his seat to Ritchie Valens through a coin toss. Valens wanted to fly since he had never been on a small plane. Dion DiMucci, of Dion & The Belmonts, who was the fourth headliner on the tour, had been approached to take the flight as well; however, the price of $36 was too much for him.

The Civil Aeronautics Board (the predecessor to the NTSB) concluded the primary cause of the crash was pilot error, citing Peterson's inability to interpret the instruments he was forced to read due to the weather conditions. The secondary factor was that the pilot had not been informed of adverse flash weather forecasts.

Singer/song writer Don McLean penned the song “Miss American Pie” about 12 years after the accident and called February 3^rd “the day the music died.”

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"Our Most Wanted List, which was created in 1990, was designed to raise the public's awareness and support for transportation safety issues," said NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker.  "The safety issues on this list are critical to improving transportation safety.  When acted upon, these recommendations will reduce accidents and save lives."

A new recommendation was added to this subject area that would provide pilots with information or alerts in the cockpit regarding attempted takeoffs from a taxiway or the wrong runway.

2009 Most Wanted List

AVIATION

The Board added Improve the Safety of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Flights.  The Board believes that a concerted effort must be made to improve the safety of emergency medical services flights.  In 2006, the Safety Board issued a special investigation report addressing the safety issues involved in these operations.  Although the Board has issued recommendations to improve EMS safety, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not implemented the changes.  In the last 11 months, there have been 9 EMS accidents resulting, in 35 fatalities.

Improve Runway Safety - In the last two decades, the Safety Board has issued numerous safety recommendations addressing this issue and believes that implementing a safety system for ground movement with direct warnings to flight crews will improve runway safety.  Another recommendation in this issue area would require pilots to conduct landing distance assessments before every landing based on existing performance data, actual conditions, and incorporating a minimum safety margin of 15 percent.  Also, a new recommendation was added to this subject area that would provide pilots with information or alerts in the cockpit regarding attempted takeoffs from a taxiway or the wrong runway. 

Reduce Dangers to Aircraft Flying in Icing Conditions - Actions need to be taken to improve flight safety in icing conditions.  The FAA has yet to complete efforts to revise icing certification criteria, testing requirements, and restrictions on operating in icing conditions.  A recommendation added this year on deice boots addresses a widely held, but incorrect, belief that activation of deice boots be delayed rather than started immediately upon entering icing conditions.

Require Image Recorders - Conventional cockpit image recorders (CVR) and flight data recorders (FDR) do not show the initial cockpit environment leading up to a crash. Image recording systems, a supplement to the CVR and FDR that are currently on large aircraft - and that could be retrofitted on smaller planes that do not have voice recorders - would  provide critical information about the actions inside the cockpit and immediately before and during an accident.   

The Board removed the area Eliminate Flammable Fuel/Air Vapors in Fuel Tanks on Transport Category Aircraft from the list.  On July 21, 2008, The Federal Aviation Administration published a final rule titled "Reduction of Fuel Tank Flammability in Transport Category Airplanes."  The rule requires fuel/air mixtures in all fuel tanks to be below a prescribed flammability level for all newly manufactured aircraft that have more than 30 seats, as well as modifications to passenger-carrying aircraft manufactured after January 1, 1992.

The Board kept the issue Improve Crew Resource Management Training for on-demand Part 135 carriers on the list with no changes.

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I'm sure we all felt a lot safer. I know I did.

Now I'm seated on the plane and the captain has just announced that we're ready to go and will get off the gate a few minutes early. Oh, the power of positive thinking. Not. Time passes and about 15 minutes later the captain is back on the mike saying that TSA has "targeted" our flight and we're waiting. For what he doesn't say.

Time passes and the gate agent comes onboard and announces that the following people are to get all their carry-ons and exit the plane. Wow, I'm thinking, some dangerous folks are on here with us. Six names are read off and I see the "targets" get up and start getting their stuff together. There's a guy from India who's in first class, a 5-year-old girl, an 8-year-old girl, a 12-year-old girl, a grandmother, and the dad of 2 of the girls. Now that's a scary bunch.

Next, a guy in jeans and a sweat shirt boards the plane and proceeds to dismantle the seats where all these "targets" were sitting. Cushions were removed and seat-back pockets were searched. The underneath part of the seats were felt. He also had an old sweat sock-looking ball in his hand that he passed over everything. Nothing was found.

About 15 minutes later, all the "targets" returned to their seats and we took off only an hour late. I'm sure we all felt a lot safer. I know I did.

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Note: This true story is from a pilot who was in VMFA 314 at Chu Lai in '69...Just another day at the office!  You Vietnam F4 guys will appreciate this amazing story

First, we got the daylights shot out of us.  But, hey, that was okay.  We weren't hurt.  Then, we survived a belly landing.  But, that was okay too.  We weren't hurt.

The first thing we six rookies did was attend an Air Group briefing in an underground bunker protected by a thick layer of sandbags.  This bunker served as our group intelligence center.  Suddenly, an urgent radio call interrupted our briefing.  We listened as one of VMFA-115s aircraft radioed-in to report a problem.  The aircraft had been hit by enemy ground fire and could not lower its landing gear.  The pilot was going to attempt a belly landing on the runway.  At that news, we all raced outside near the runway to grab a good spot from which to watch the crash landing. 

Crash crews raced to cover the runway with a layer of fire retardant foam while the damaged F4 circled overhead, burning down its load of fuel.  Two arresting cables were strung across the middle of the runway.  The cables were anchored on each end by a chain made with heavy, 40-pound links.  The plan was for the F4 to lower his tail hook, to belly-land in the foam, to catch one of the arresting wires, and to come to a screeching halt.  It did not quite happen that way.

After burning off most of his fuel, the pilot gingerly lowered the airplane onto the foamed runway.  A spark set off the fumes in the jet's empty wing tanks and they erupted into flames.  All one could see racing down the runway were two wingtips protruding from an orange and black ball of fire heading toward the arresting cables.  The F4 hit the first arresting cable.  We watched the cable snap and hurl its 40-pound chain links skyward.  Then the plane hit the second arresting cable.  It also parted and flung its chain links.  The aircraft was now just a ball of fire heading toward the end of the runway.

Then we heard, Boom! Boom!  The pilot had lit his afterburners.  He was attempting to take-off without wheels!  As the aircraft roared toward the end of the runway, it slowly struggled skyward.  It got airborne and began to climb nearly vertically.  Then, both the pilot and his backseater, the radar intercept officer (RIO), ejected.

We stared in wonder as the aircraft crashed into the nearby ocean.  The two crewmen slowly floated down in their parachutes.  The wind carried them over the ocean and they too soon splashed down. 

A rescue helicopter was on the scene immediately.  Both of the F4 crewmen, treading water, raised their right hand.  This was a signal to the chopper that they were unharmed.

The helicopter slowly lowered itself and plucked the pilot out of the water and into the safety of the helicopter. 

The helicopter then turned its attention to the RIO.  As the helicopter slowly lowered itself over the RIO, the helicopter pilot suddenly lost control of his chopper, and he crashed into the water atop the RIO.  As soon as the chopper hit the water, its pilot regained control, got airborne again, and yanked the RIO from the water.  Although the RIO was rescued safely, his leg was broken when the helicopter crashed atop him.

That night at the Officers Club, the RIO sat with his leg elevated and encased in a full-leg cast.  As he imbibed a few, he related his story: First, we got the daylights shot out of us.  But, hey, that was okay.  We weren't hurt.  Then, we survived a belly landing.  But, that was okay too.  We weren't hurt.  Then the pilot decided he'd take off without wheels, but that worked out well too.  Then we survived an ejection and a water landing, but that was also okay.  We weren't hurt.  Then, the damn rescue helicopter crashed on me and broke my leg.

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