Not long ago we discussed the tragic crash of the Beech Super King Air which took place shortly after departing Long Beach Airport the morning of March 16, 2011. Readers will recall that this well built twin engine airplane apparently tried to return to the airport but crashed short of the field.

Since our last discussion, it appears that the condition of the sole survivor of the crash, Michael Jensen of Long Beach, is improving. We wish him the best and hope that he is able to recover fully.

From a legal standpoint, having a survivor of a crash puts the matter into a different perspective. Tragically, most aircrashes of this type are simply not survivable. In those cases, investigators and forensic experts are forced to piece together the evidence as best they can in order to determine the “probable cause” of the crash. But things are different when there is a survivor. Many times the survivor will recall the sequence of events or what the pilot may have said or done prior to the crash. This can be invaluable to investigators when they put together the puzzle pieces to get a picture of what really happened, and why.

In our last discussion we mentioned the importance of tower controller tapes. If the pilot in this case had a chance to make a transmission to the tower, this could shed some light on the nature of the pilot’s situation. But pilots are taught from the get-go the mantra: “Aviate, Navigate, Communicate.” In other words, flying the airplane and keeping it under control is far more important than talking on a microphone. The point is: if the pilot of the King Air was not able to transmit to the tower, this makes the testimony of the sole survivor all the more important, as he, and only he, will be in a position to say what happened in the moments preceding the crash.

For the time being, however, before any legal proceedings start, we wish Mr. Jensen and his family the best, with the hope that his recovery is both speedy and complete.

For more information see Aviation Accidents.