The two killed were employees. One, Jon Karkow, was the chief test pilot and lead engineer.
RUMINT is that the lake where they crashed was frequently used by Icon for tests and that the lake had a set of powerlines that were strung across it. Lake Berryessa is a dam-created lake with a hydroelectric plant, but that doesn't mean that there are lines across it. I can't see anything on satellite photos. And presumably, Icon-employed pilots would know their location and stay well clear, as powerlines are almost invisible themselves.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
The news story map locations don't match the lake map names...I would assume Little Portuguese Cove would be either in or next to Little Portuguese Canyon. The San Francisco TV report put the accident in Portuguese Canyon instead. Either way, the "Canyons" are quite narrow (openings about 120-200m, narrowing steadily), with rising terrain, so I expect the aircraft was operating in the wider lake area....but wider is a relative term. I also spotted no wires, or more accurately towers, in that area of the lake.
Pictures show lots of boats, could they have clipped (and sunk) one and no one has been reported missing yet? Whatever, the location of the accident doesn't seem really smart to be flying/landing.
Post a Comment