Pilot crashed plane while taking selfies in cockpit, US investigation reveals

[Aeroplane]

Pilot crashed plane while taking selfies in cockpit, US investigation reveals

PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 04 February, 2015, 3:30pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 04 February, 2015, 3:31pm

Agence France-Presse in Los Angeles

The wreckage of the Cessna 150K that crashed in May last year. Photo: Reuters

A pilot who died when he crashed his small aircraft was distracted because he was taking mobile phone selfies in the cockpit.

His actions likely contributed to the fatal accident, US investigators said yesterday.

The 29-year-old and a passenger were killed instantly when his Cessna 150K plane smashed into a field on May 31 last year.

A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) probe, using GoPro video taken in the cockpit, indicated that the pilot repeatedly took selfie photos with his phone leading up to the accident.

“The evidence is consistent with an aerodynamic stall and subsequent spin into terrain,” said an NTSB report.

“Based on the evidence of mobile phone use during low-altitude manoeuvreing ... it is likely that mobile phone use during the accident flight distracted the pilot and contributed to the development of spatial disorientation and subsequent loss of control," the report said.