Cessna crash into San Diego neighborhood spotlights hazards of flying in fog

Thick fog moves into Mission Valley File photo by Chris Stone Times of San Diego When a business jet crashed into a Murphy Canyon neighborhood Thursday its pilots had to cope with one of the oldest hazards of flying dense fog Officers described the crash scene as being enveloped in fog at the time of the accident While the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash weather could prove to be a factor Even with massive advances in radar and collision avoidance systems over the years fog remains a obstacle for pilots Flying blind can lead to confusion about the plane s whereabouts proximity to the ground or other aircraft or its flight is straight and level That s why multiple pilots are trained how to fly on instruments The National Weather Provision says about people a year are killed in weather-related aircraft accidents For pilots that are not as skilled fog is an extremely dangerous and potentially deadly hazard it says Pilots need to fly under instrument flight rules not by eyesight alone when visibility is less than three miles In four people aboard a Learjet were killed in inclement weather when their plane plowed into power lines a minimal miles east of Gillespie Field where the aircraft was headed The pilot had requested permission to switch from instrument to visual flight rules shortly before the crash the NTSB mentioned Air traffic controllers had agreed to the switch Fog played a role in the helicopter crash that killed NBA legend Kobe Bryant and eight others The copter slammed into a hilltop after the pilot radioed that he was attempting to climb the craft after encountering dense fog Years ago airports enveloped in fog would divert commercial jetliners Los Angeles International airport for instance would have planes land in Ontario leaving buses to bring in passengers With new automated systems those days are long gone But airports such as San Diego International still occasionally delay flights One day in January flights were halted until conditions improved The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association warned in a article that pilots sometimes have to play it extra safe and divert to airports where the skies are clear Pilots who are instrument-rated and current can legally fly in these conditions but they will have to follow strictly defined procedures to take off and land the article stated Even then if visibilities are lower than the limits published on instrument approach charts you may not see the runway at all and have to execute a missed approach climb away and seek out a destination with better weather