On Wednesday, February 4th, 2015 the NTSB reported that the Colorado plane crash that killed two men last May may have been another case of selfie death. The crash took place near Watkins, Colorado.
While the crash itself was not captured on film, investigators found video content in a camera near the plane wreckage which showed the pilot taking photos of himself on a cell phone shortly before the crash.
The fatal flight, on May 31, was not captured on the GoPro footage but investigators said that the pilot, who is not identified in the report, was at the controls of the plane when it stalled and crashed in a wheat field, bounced once and came to rest upright.
It’s likely that the use of cell phones during that flight “distracted the pilot,” the report said, causing him to develop spatial disorientation and lose control of the plane. The aircraft went into a stall and then spun before crashing, investigators said.
Investigators found nothing wrong with the aircraft itself that might have contributed to the crash, the NTSB said.
Read the full story: NTSB: Taking selfies likely caused fatal Colorado plane crash
It is important to note that taking selfies in the cockpit is not illegal and the NTSB did not actually say that taking a selfie caused the plane to crash. It did, however, theorize that use of a phone to take a selfie may have caused the pilot to be disoriented which led to the crash. The FAA has a ban on use of personal electronic devices under certain circumstances for commercial airlines. This ban would not apply to the Colorado crash.
Read more about selfie deaths
Strange Deaths 2014: The Year of Death by Selfie
