Hey everyone,

I'm the pilot involved in this crash. I started writing up a summary of the events leading to to my accident but I'm having problems with my old laptop. My frostbite hands make using my phone and iPad difficult but I'll try to throw up some facts and field questions when I get a chance.

The FAA is still investigating, but I'm 99? sure this was caused from CO Poisoning. This was the 3rd flight of the day and in hindsight I had CO poison symptoms most of the day.  The heater/defrost was run full-on the whole time.  5 hrs after the accident CO Poisoning occurred as a possibility to me, my levels were then tested 15-18X higher than normal. I didn't have CO detection in the plane.  I was dumb and naive to think that I would "know" when I was effected.  I was way wrong! The problem was that the CO degrades ones cognitive ability to the point where you can't connect the symptoms with the cause.

I passed out in the climb and woke up in a field.  I am the luckiest man alive. Allot of things helped to have the great outcome I have been blessed with.  

1- I was in a Mooney. The airplane gave it's life to save mine. I'm a huge believer in the "steel cage" and the full spar.  

2- I was wearing a shoulder harness.  I still busted up my face, I'm not sure how, but I don't think I would be here without it.

3- STec 30 auto pilot.  I was flying with the heading bug when I passed out.  The electric autopilot kept the wings level all the way down. The original PC system may have worked just as well, but the engine was windmilling from 12k to the ground. I don't know if there would have been enough vacuum.

4- it happened in the climb.  I only have alt hold so it was tracking heading bug and trimmed for climb. As I was in the initial climb I still had in full power with full rich mixture. This resulted in a fuel burn in the 17-18.5 gal/hr. And only allowed the airplane to climb to around 12.5k.  if it were leaned at all I would have went much higher, for allot longer.  Being that I was oxygen starved and unconscious it probably would have been fatal.  

5- ATC was awesome.  Because of them search and rescue was underway before I crashed.  After I woke up I had to get myself to help, once I did emergency responders were to me in a few min.  My 121.5 ELT was working, but if I had a 406 I bet I would have been pulled from the airplane before I woke up.

6- luck, luck, luck, divine intervention, miracle, what ever you want to call it.  

I'm banged up, but should recover 100?. I came home from the hospital on my daughter's 3rd birthday.  It doesn't get any better than that.

Cheers,

Dan

Quoted:
Never trusted muffler heaters in planes. Small hole in muffler sends co2 into cabin.
Tried not to use them if I could.

Now piston twin  avgas fueled heaters would scare the shit out of me.

Quoted:
Never trusted muffler heaters in planes. Small hole in muffler sends co2 into cabin.
Tried not to use them if I could.

Now piston twin  avgas fueled heaters would scare the shit out of me.