Sport Pilot Talk

N797N crashed killing two in California earlier this year.

http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2019/04/t ... fatal.html

Looks like a botched simulated "emergency turn around at 500 feet."

RIP

Very sorry to see this. The CFI, Joe Kulbueth, was a friend of mine. We took maintenance courses together at Rainbow Aviation several years ago, and he gave me my self-launch endorsement in his Lambada motorglider.

I can see how this might have unfolded. In the Lambada, he cut the engine on me during takeoff at 300 AGL. When I set up for a straight-ahead landing, he said to turn back to the runway (which I did, easily). I can imagine a seasoned CFIG becoming overconfident about the Impossible Turn capabilities of an ASEL (especially one with which he was unfamiliar). RIP, Joe.

Please, CFIs, unless you're in a glider, practice and demonstrate your turn-arounds only at altitude!