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CBS Denver screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET
Much publicity is dedicated to stopping people from texting while driving.
However, the potential hazards of mobile gadgets may now have extended to taking selfies while piloting a plane.
Last May, a Cessna 150K crashed near Front Range Airport in Watkins, Colo. The two people aboard were killed. As CBS Denver reports, the National Transportation Safety Board has just issued its report.
The NTSB says a GoPro camera was found amid the Cessna’s wreckage. Investigators went through the footage recorded on the device.
Both the pilot, 29-year-old Amritpal Singh, and his passenger were seen taking selfies with their phones.
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The NTSB determined that these selfies were being taken when the plane was flying low. The fear, therefore, is that the selfie-taking may have contributed to inattention on the part of Singh, leading to the crash.
The report says of the crash: “The airplane impacted the field with the left wing first, bounced one time and came to rest upright.”
The report also states that a flash was being used during the photo-taking. This is especially dangerous at night as it can cause disorientation, a source told CBS Denver. The Cessna 150K crashed while Singh was practicing nighttime takeoffs and landings.
The GoPro, which was mounted above the instrument panel, didn’t capture the accident itself. There were also no witnesses because the plane came down in a wheat field two miles from the airport.
Clearly, though, suspicion is centered on the possibility that the taking of selfies was irresistible and ultimately may have been fatal.
