HOW TO BECOME A DEAD PILOT Published March 5, 2012 By Lt Col. Richard Doyle AETC, Chief of Flight Safety AIR EDUCATION AND TRAINING COMMAND -- July 27, 2004, a T-6 crew in Georgia flies several unauthorized and illegal low-altitude aerial maneuvers, including aileron rolls and high speed passes, steep bank and high pitch. Three of these demonstrations occurred at altitudes as low as 50 feet, with two near family homes. That night, the pilots meet friends at a local bar and consume 33 alcoholic drinks (between five people). The crew paid the bar tab around 11 p.m. and departed for crew rest. They awoke at 7 a.m. the following morning and decided on an early departure. They did not file a flight plan or get a weather brief. They performed a quick preflight around 8:50 a.m., taxied a short distance for takeoff and requested one pattern before departing to the west. At this time they were already in violation of flight safety rules, which state aircrew shall not consume alcoholic beverages within 12 hours of take-off. After takeoff, the crew then chose to fly an aggressive maneuver near the ground with inadequate airspeed that clearly exceeded the capabilities of the aircraft. This resulted in total loss of control of the aircraft. The front seat pilot tried to eject, but was fatally injured in the unsuccessful attempt. The other pilot rode the aircraft into the ground where he also was killed and the aircraft destroyed.