NTSB Rules Pilot Error In Roush Oshkosh Crash

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NASCAR team owner and AirVenture regular Jack Roush says he accepts the findings of the NTSB report released Friday that blamed him for the crash of his Hawker Beechcraft 390 business jet at AirVenture 2010. But Roush also told The Sporting News the NTSB could have taken into account the circumstances that led to him stalling the aircraft and crashing it on the infield by Runway 18R during the show on July 27, 2010. “It was a very sad day in my life when I crashed that airplane,” Roush was quoted as saying. “I’m glad to have closure now. … I accept the findings. There are some omissions. I wish they had been more complete in the description of the things that were happening in the congested airspace that I was presented there in Oshkosh. They didn’t do that, so that’s a moot point.” The NTSB found that Roush didn't properly execute the go-around he initiated when he thought his aircraft was in conflict with a Piper Cub that had just been cleared to take off on the same runway that he was approaching. The board lists the probable cause as "the pilot's decision not to advance the engines to takeoff power during the go-around, as stipulated by the airplane flight manual, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude." As we reported on the day of the accident and in the accompanying ATC recording, Roush queried controllers about the potential conflict with the Cub.

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Use this thread to discuss the article above. What are your thoughts about: NTSB Rules Pilot Error In Roush Oshkosh Crash?

MikeATC Retired FAA, NATCA Member Nashville TN

I haven't heard the tapes, nor was I there last year and from this post I can't tell if Roush was inbound VFR or IFR to Oshkosh, but it seems that Roush is trying to push blame on the controllers.

The controllers in the tower only talk with inbound aircraft, and rarely are pilots asked for responses to instructions (they rock their wings to respond). Departing aircraft are worked by controllers beside the runway that are working on portable communications platform called a MOCOW, again pilots are not expected to respond verbally to commands to takeoff (pushing the throttle up and rolling is response enough).

It is common practice at OSH (during the airshow) for the controllers on the MOCOW to look and launch departures between arrivals, go arounds by arrival aircraft are rare, but do occasionally happen (usually because another arrival did not exit the runway or another arrival is trying to run down a previous arrival). Tower controllers can communicate with the controllers on the MOCOW via a seperate radio so they can coordinate when needed.

Arriving pilots will NOT hear departing aircraft because they are on a different frequency and vice versa, departing aircraft won't hear arriving aircraft.

This accident is regretful but it isn't the controllers fault that Roush didn't push the throttles up to full power.