Queensbury pilots talk safety after Colonie crash

QUEENSBURY, NY (NEWS10) — When it comes to aviation safety, pilots have to go through extensive training, especially to prepare for situations like the fatal crash in Colonie.

Pilot Jim Barrett, owner of Leaf Air flight school in Queensbury, has hit the skies for a half-century. Like all of us, he heard about the ill-fated flight that crashed near Albany International Airport Wednesday morning. The incident claimed the life of the pilot, the lone soul on board. Based on witness accounts of the plane nosing up before crashing, Barrett thinks mechanical issues. 

"That suggests stall because when an airplane goes up high like that, nose up, she [the pilot] was already at a low air speed and the aircraft lost its lift and she was only 300 ft above the ground so it bellied into the ground," said Barrett.

Barrett doubles as a flight instructor and gives this prime piece of advice to his students: “You've got to maintain control of the airplane. That's critical. No matter if you're in bad weather, a door pops open on you unexpectedly, an engine quits, it's easier for me to sit here and say that than actually experience it and make it happen.”

Safety is foremost for fellow flight instructor Melody Viele who says twin-engine Piper PA-31s, like the one that crashed, require extra precautions.

“The pilot is going to have even more procedures than a single-engine pilot has because there are situations where you might have a gear malfunction, you might have an engine failure, you might have a prop problem” Viele explained.

If this tragedy activates your fear of flying: "Aviation accidents always make the news...Yes, it's very tragic and very sad but it's nowhere near traffic accidents...The safest part of your flight is actually your flight not driving to the airport" Viele reassured.

Viele confirmed notions that smaller planes carry a higher risk than larger commercial planes.

"—A higher risk, I think, because the airlines have an excellent safety record overall. In general, aviation is coming up to that but we still got a ways to go," the pilot explained.

Both pilots say they will look at the future NTSB report on the Colonie crash to educate themselves and students about how to proceed in future emergencies.