Pilot loses license after fatal jet crash in Tehachapi, Calif. - Aircraft of World War II

syscom3 · 10-07-2009, 11:23 PM

The former Air Force captain received a revocation order after a Fourth of July aerial display ended with two deaths.

Pilot loses license after fatal jet crash in Tehachapi, Calif. -- latimes.com

By Dan Weikel

October 7, 2009

Federal authorities have revoked the pilot's license of a veteran aviator who flew in a July 4 aerial display in Tehachapi, Calif., that ended with the fatal crash of a vintage Soviet military jet with two people aboard.

The Federal Aviation Administration canceled the airline transport pilot and ground instruction certificates of Douglas E. Gilliss of Solana Beach, a former U.S. Air Force captain and Vietnam War veteran with decades of aviation experience.

The FAA sent Gilliss a revocation order Sept. 28, a copy of which was obtained by The Times on Tuesday under the federal Freedom of Information Act.

Gilliss was one of several pilots who participated in a formation flyover of three Aero Vodochody L-29 Delfins, once the standard jet trainer of the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations during the Cold War. Gilliss flies with the Thunder Delfins, a group of L-29 enthusiasts.

During the flyover, one Delfin fell out of formation and slammed into Old Town Road, killing David Zweigle, 42, the city's airport director, and Robert Chamberlain, 63, of Morrison, Colo., a retired airline pilot and former Air Force test pilot. The aircraft, which was owned and flown by Zweigle, passed over a park and missed several houses before impact.

FAA officials say that Gilliss violated federal regulations by flying over densely populated areas at less than 1,000 feet. They also assert that Gilliss improperly carried a passenger and falsely claimed in a pilot's log that he had checked out Zweigle in the L-29 before the crash.

Zweigle was required to demonstrate his ability to fly the L-29 to an FAA-designated flight examiner before he could act as the pilot in command of the aircraft. FAA officials say Gilliss was a flight examiner at the time.

"You have demonstrated that you lack the required care, judgment and responsibility to hold any airman certificate," the FAA stated in the revocation order.

Gilliss declined to comment, except to say that he would appeal the decision.

In an earlier statement, he said the L-29s avoided populated areas and flew between 1,200 and 1,500 feet, well above the minimum required altitude.

He said the planes did not present a hazard to the public because they proceeded along the area's railroad tracks and not directly over the city of about 35,000.

dan.weikel@latimes.com

Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times

vikingBerserker · 10-08-2009, 01:00 AM

Wow, I did not hear about this crash.

GrauGeist · 10-08-2009, 01:20 AM

Pretty sure you would have, VB...it's the one that happened over the 4th.

Bob Chamberlain was a member of FLYBOYJ's family.

evangilder · 10-08-2009, 01:30 AM

What a load of crap. I am sure that Joe has plenty of thoughts on this, but I will say that the FAA pulled a witch hunt on this and I think it really sucks.

GrauGeist · 10-08-2009, 01:47 AM

My thoughts exactly.

It seems more and more that the investigations are nothing more than justification for thier existance. Just look at what they did about that mosquito abatement crash where the pilot admitted he clipped the tower guy-wires...and they went after the maintenance records...

lesofprimus · 10-08-2009, 11:07 AM

Ill be very interested to see what Joe has to say on this one......

FLYBOYJ · 10-08-2009, 11:27 AM

Hi Guys;

I was waiting for this to hit and all i could say is "no comment." This is more for Doug's defense team than anything else but as soon as this is over I could go into detail about this. IMO the feds are looking for a scapegoat.

DerAdlerIstGelandet · 10-08-2009, 12:29 PM

Wow this sucks! Can't wait to see what comes out of this.

RabidAlien · 10-08-2009, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FLYBOYJ

Hi Guys;

I was waiting for this to hit and all i could say is "no comment." This is more for Doug's defense team than anything else but as soon as this is over I could go into detail about this. IMO the feds are looking for a scapegoat.

No surprises there. Why claim responsibility, or admit that really crappy things just tend to happen at times? Gotta blame SOMEONE!!!

ETA: Sorry that your family is still going through this crap, Joe.

Vassili Zaitzev · 10-09-2009, 12:47 AM

I'll have to wait and see. Once again, I'm sorry that this had to happen to you and your family FBJ.

evangilder · 10-09-2009, 01:12 AM

I am going to show my support with a new siggy. Feel free to use it guys to show your support.

DerAdlerIstGelandet · 10-09-2009, 03:49 AM

I will add the siggy when I get home.

GrauGeist · 10-09-2009, 03:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evangilder

I am going to show my support with a new siggy. Feel free to use it guys to show your support.

Got mine!

Maestro · 10-09-2009, 05:53 AM

What the hell ?

A plane crashed killing two men and they blame the flight leader ? Excuse me, but I think that in a plane accident, only two persons can be blamed... The pilot (who died, in this case) and the ground crew (if it is due to a malfunction). And even though, the accident could still be the result of "dumb luck"... or bad luck, depending on your point of view. Which means no one can be blamed.

And they're going after the guy who wasn't even in the friggin plane ? Or responsible for the maintenance of the plane ? Am I the only one to think it is stupid ?

beaupower32 · 10-09-2009, 12:43 PM

Showing my support.

10-07-2009, 11:23 PM	#1
syscom3 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 10,272	Pilot loses license after fatal jet crash in Tehachapi, Calif. The former Air Force captain received a revocation order after a Fourth of July aerial display ended with two deaths. Pilot loses license after fatal jet crash in Tehachapi, Calif. -- latimes.com By Dan Weikel October 7, 2009 Federal authorities have revoked the pilot's license of a veteran aviator who flew in a July 4 aerial display in Tehachapi, Calif., that ended with the fatal crash of a vintage Soviet military jet with two people aboard. The Federal Aviation Administration canceled the airline transport pilot and ground instruction certificates of Douglas E. Gilliss of Solana Beach, a former U.S. Air Force captain and Vietnam War veteran with decades of aviation experience. The FAA sent Gilliss a revocation order Sept. 28, a copy of which was obtained by The Times on Tuesday under the federal Freedom of Information Act. Gilliss was one of several pilots who participated in a formation flyover of three Aero Vodochody L-29 Delfins, once the standard jet trainer of the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations during the Cold War. Gilliss flies with the Thunder Delfins, a group of L-29 enthusiasts. During the flyover, one Delfin fell out of formation and slammed into Old Town Road, killing David Zweigle, 42, the city's airport director, and Robert Chamberlain, 63, of Morrison, Colo., a retired airline pilot and former Air Force test pilot. The aircraft, which was owned and flown by Zweigle, passed over a park and missed several houses before impact. FAA officials say that Gilliss violated federal regulations by flying over densely populated areas at less than 1,000 feet. They also assert that Gilliss improperly carried a passenger and falsely claimed in a pilot's log that he had checked out Zweigle in the L-29 before the crash. Zweigle was required to demonstrate his ability to fly the L-29 to an FAA-designated flight examiner before he could act as the pilot in command of the aircraft. FAA officials say Gilliss was a flight examiner at the time. "You have demonstrated that you lack the required care, judgment and responsibility to hold any airman certificate," the FAA stated in the revocation order. Gilliss declined to comment, except to say that he would appeal the decision. In an earlier statement, he said the L-29s avoided populated areas and flew between 1,200 and 1,500 feet, well above the minimum required altitude. He said the planes did not present a hazard to the public because they proceeded along the area's railroad tracks and not directly over the city of about 35,000. dan.weikel@latimes.com Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times __________________ "Pilot to copilot..... what are those mountain goats doing up here in the clouds?"

10-08-2009, 01:00 AM	#2
vikingBerserker Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: South Carolina Posts: 3,721	Wow, I did not hear about this crash. __________________ "Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it" "Those who dwell in the past, condemn the future"

10-08-2009, 01:20 AM	#3
GrauGeist Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Redding, California Posts: 3,345	Pretty sure you would have, VB...it's the one that happened over the 4th. Bob Chamberlain was a member of FLYBOYJ's family. __________________ "Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future." - Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome > I Support Doug Gillis <

10-08-2009, 01:30 AM	#4
evangilder "Shooter" Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Moorpark, CA Posts: 14,803	What a load of crap. I am sure that Joe has plenty of thoughts on this, but I will say that the FAA pulled a witch hunt on this and I think it really sucks. __________________ http://www.vg-photo.com For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. Leonardo Da Vinci

10-08-2009, 01:47 AM	#5
GrauGeist Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Redding, California Posts: 3,345	My thoughts exactly. It seems more and more that the investigations are nothing more than justification for thier existance. Just look at what they did about that mosquito abatement crash where the pilot admitted he clipped the tower guy-wires...and they went after the maintenance records... __________________ "Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future." - Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome > I Support Doug Gillis < Last edited by GrauGeist; 10-08-2009 at 01:49 AM.

10-08-2009, 11:07 AM	#6
lesofprimus Minister of Whoopass Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Long Island Native in Mississippi Posts: 17,488	Ill be very interested to see what Joe has to say on this one...... __________________ My IL2 Video Tribute to My Grandfather: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtzN5RuNNJk

10-08-2009, 11:27 AM	#7
FLYBOYJ IP/Mech THE GREAT GAZOO Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Colorado, USA Posts: 16,049	Hi Guys; I was waiting for this to hit and all i could say is "no comment." This is more for Doug's defense team than anything else but as soon as this is over I could go into detail about this. IMO the feds are looking for a scapegoat. __________________ "IF ITS RED OR DUSTY, DON'T TOUCH IT"

10-08-2009, 12:29 PM	#8
DerAdlerIstGelandet Der Crewchief Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ansbach, Germany Posts: 33,150	Wow this sucks! Can't wait to see what comes out of this. __________________ fly boy:"isnt that the first jet bomber becasue i have flown one in a flight sim before and i know how it handles"[/I]

10-09-2009, 12:47 AM	#10
Vassili Zaitzev Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Stafford Springs, Connecticut Posts: 2,221	I'll have to wait and see. Once again, I'm sorry that this had to happen to you and your family FBJ. __________________ "Never was so much owed by so many to so few"- Winston Churchill.

10-09-2009, 03:49 AM	#12
DerAdlerIstGelandet Der Crewchief Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ansbach, Germany Posts: 33,150	I will add the siggy when I get home. __________________ fly boy:"isnt that the first jet bomber becasue i have flown one in a flight sim before and i know how it handles"[/I]

10-09-2009, 05:53 AM	#14
Maestro Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Beaupré, Province of Québec, Canada Posts: 2,380	What the hell ? A plane crashed killing two men and they blame the flight leader ? Excuse me, but I think that in a plane accident, only two persons can be blamed... The pilot (who died, in this case) and the ground crew (if it is due to a malfunction). And even though, the accident could still be the result of "dumb luck"... or bad luck, depending on your point of view. Which means no one can be blamed. And they're going after the guy who wasn't even in the friggin plane ? Or responsible for the maintenance of the plane ? Am I the only one to think it is stupid ? __________________ Maestro http://www.yantremblay.com/

10-09-2009, 12:43 PM	#15
beaupower32 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Charleston, South Carolina Posts: 721	Showing my support. __________________ The four elements: Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. Of these, I call your attention to two: Air and Fire. Though it is your privilege to live in the air, you will die by fire.

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