I read the article again and did a little digging. The airport they were going to, 7S5, has a 3000’ runway with no instrument approach procedures, they were flying in heavy fog according to the article, they crashed at 4:52 PM and sundown was 4:31 PM, and the pilot was not instrument rated. My guess is that he had been doing IFR training since he got his private in May and he had a made up non approved GPS approach to the airport to give him lateral navigation, but it did not provide adequate vertical guidance to keep him out of the power lines. Who knows, for sure, the mistakes cost them dearly.
Being that they were Afghan, I wonder if they were some of the few refugees brought here after the Potato Head abandoned Afghanistan? They may have been assets when we were there.
The article also said:
“The organization said the three men were part of a pilot training program sponsored by the resettlement agency and funded by the Willamette Workforce Partnership.”
I wonder if the Willamette Workforce Partnership funds pilot training for people born in the US, or only refugees? It’s bothersome that we often piss all over our own people and hard working troops, then roll out the red carpet for refugees, or so it seems.