Mike was a friend and all around good guy. Four minutes in to the flight, they went down. RIP Wishing safe skies to everyone. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865570607/Investigation-resumes-in-Texas-plane-crash-that-killed-three-Utah-men.html
Sad news to hear. RIP. I too had a friend die while trying to land in thick fog conditions. He was flying a TBM 700 and was doing a go-around at my home airport (JYO) on a very foggy morning back in 2003. Somehow something went wrong and they crashed into the ground near the airport. http://www.wusa9.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=15313 Not sure why good pilots crash in the fog, but I've read about it several times over the years. I don't think it is the fog itself but perhaps the lack of visibility adding to the precision needed to overcome some triggering event, such as a partial loss of power from the engine. .
take off minimums are descresionary with the pilot... landing minimums are FAA mandated... never leave an airport that cannot be returned to easily or an easy nearby alternate in case of problems... it's tough to land by braille the PA-46 uses both recip and turbine power, easy for an inexperienced fuel crew to use the wrong fuel... too often proper markings are overlooked by look of the plane...
Early word from the FAA is that the plane somehow caught fire shortly after take off. Thoughts are that the fog helped them lose it in an emergency landing attempt in the field.
It is always important to have a plan if things go wrong after takeoff. If there is fog, that probably means going to another airport-- know in advance where. However, if these guys had an engine failure (in a single), the best plan in the world might not have helped. Similarly, if they had a fire, which is probably the worst case. However, it is unusual for a fire to develop that quickly after takeoff.
