Posted by William Moses on April 20, 2018, 7:00 am
I have read the NTSB crash report and since the were thunderstorms near Nashville at the time, its very possible the cause of the crash was spatial disorientation.( vertigo if you will) how ever, since he entered , or flew under a storm that seemed unusally intense and was on approach four miles out i wonder as a private pilot, if it even remotely possible that he encountered what is now known as a micrburst? the suddenes of the accident's occurrance less than a minute after he entered the clouds raises that question the phenomenon known as a microburst or a down burst would have been for the most part unheard of and unknown about in 1963.
Re: the aircraft accident
Posted by Larry Jordan on April 21, 2018, 6:50 pm, in reply to "the aircraft accident"
I devote two chapters in my 672-page book, "Jim Reeves: His Untold Story," to the plane crash. My account is very detailed, and presents minute-by-minute information based on the communication Reeves had with controller John Hettish by radio as well as exhaustive other research I did, including with principals who were on the scene that day, and even an eyewitness in the neighborhood who was never interviewed by authorities.
The microburst idea cannot be ruled out. However, the eyewitness describes the roar of the engine and how the right wing went down in a side slip posture. Jim failed to level his wings before adding power and you know what happened after that.
I explain how there was a convergence of circumstances and the major mistakes Jim made that lead to the tragedy. Not the least of which was the fact that he came back from an exhausting trip overseas and -- without having any time to practice flying -- got his license by paying a guy to give him the exam who was known around Nashville as being unduly enamored by celebrities. Jim got his license before he was thoroughly prepared to fly. Both of his main charter pilots flew with him and were aghast that he was flying on his own because it was obvious to them he was not ready yet.
The NTSB report is very brief. You need to read the book! :)