NTSB: Selfies led to fatal Colo. plane crash

Trevor Hughes | USA TODAY

DENVER— A pilot who lost control while taking selfies was likely the cause of a small plane crash that killed two men this past spring, according to federal investigators.

Pilot Amritpal Singh, 29, and his passenger were killed instantly when Singh's Cessna 150K crashed into a wheat field shortly after midnight May 31. The wreckage was discovered around 7:30 MT that morning.

A GoPro camera mounted to the plane's windshield recorded Singh and several other passengers taking selfies on their cellphones during a series of short flights before the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board found. While the GoPro didn't record the flight where Singh crashed, investigators portrayed a pattern of the pilot taking selfies and possibly texting while giving rides to passengers above Front Range Airport, about 30 miles east of Denver.

Singh's plane was about 740 feet above the ground when it descended rapidly and hit the ground.

"It is likely that cellphone use during the accident flight distracted the pilot and contributed to the development of special disorientation and subsequent loss of control," the NTSB said.

Federal rules prohibit commercial pilots and aircraft crew from using cellphones or other personal electronic devices while at their duty stations, during takeoff, while landing or when below 10,000 feet.

However, the rules are different for private pilots on private planes. Private pilots are barred from dangerous or careless behavior, but the rules don't specifically ban the use of phones.

And many private pilots use their phones or iPads instead of traditional paper charts or built-in navigation systems. That's because small planes like the Cessna that Singh was flying often lack the complex navigation and display systems familiar to anyone who has peeked inside a commercial airliner's cockpit.

Although the FAA doesn't have a specific rule governing private pilots' use of cellphones, it expects them to pay attention while flying, spokeswoman Laura Brown said.

"We expect pilots to operate safety, and our rules prohibit them from operating carelessly or recklessly," she said. Brown declined to comment on the specifics of Singh's crash.

Flight instructor Tony Moreno said he often takes photos of clouds while flying — but only when it's appropriate.

"Why take a picture at that critical moment of flight?" said Moreno, who works as an instructor with Rocky Mountain Flight School in Centennial, Colo. "Why disrupt your concentration on the really critical tasks at that important moment?"

The evidence suggests that Singh got distracted, disoriented, stalled the plane and crashed, NTSB investigators said. Singh also lacked certification for flying at night with instruments and for carrying passengers at night.

"During the climb-out portion of flight, the pilot uses his cellphone to take a self photograph. The camera's flash was activated and illuminated the cockpit area," NTSB investigators reported about one of Singh's flights a few minutes before the crash. "During the climb-out phase, the pilot was seen making keyboard entries to his cell phone and additional keyboard entries on a portion of flight consistent with the downwind leg."

Contributing: Jessica Oh, KUSA-TV, Denver