A report from federal investigators found that a 2017 airplane crash in northwestern Minnesota that killed three Wyoming residents probably happened because of “spatial disorientation.”
Spatial disorientation defined as the inability of a pilot to correctly interpret aircraft instruments.
According to the Rawlins Times, 69-year-old pilot Moy Wing died in the crash, as well as passengers 27-year-old Brian Duke and 26-year-old Zach Ostertag.
The plane was a single-engine Cessna and crashed shortly after takeoff from the Theif River Falls, MN airport. The plane was heading to Rawlins.
According to the report from the National Transportation Safety Board, the aircraft likely departed in weather conditions that required the pilot to fly primarily using the instruments instead of sight. The report said the pilot was not rated to fly in such conditions.
More details on this story here from the Rawlins Times.