Big Questions In Fatal Crash Of Cirrus Piloted By MyGoFlight CEO Charlie Schneider

The Cirrus Aircraft SR22 that MyGoFlight CEO Charlie Schneider was flying last week when it crashed in Knoxville, Tennessee, killing Schneider and injuring one other occupant, whose identity has not been released.

The cause of the crash last Thursday (December 16, 2021) that killed MyGoFlight CEO Charlie Schneider remains a mystery. The SR22 Schneider was piloting went down near Knoxville, Tennessee's, McGhee Tyson Airport. What is known is this: The plane was on approach to land at Knoxville when something went terribly wrong. The whole airplane parachute on the SR22 was activated, but the plane was apparently too low for it to save the flight. The plane subsequently crashed and burst into flames. Schneider was taken to the hospital but later died from his injuries. Another person was on board the plane and was taken to the hospital, but even after five days, the identity and condition of that second occupant is unknown.

A couple of aviation news outlets, including AOPA, have reported that the preliminary assumption is that the plane encountered wake turbulence while on approach, leading to the loss of control, the CAPS deployment and the subsequent crash and fire. AOPA's report also mentions that Schneider was assumed to have been demonstrating the company's head-up display on the flight before the plane crashed. But neither outlet has named a source for either of those reports.

As CEO of MyGoFlight, Schneider, a former leadership team member at Fortune 500 companies who was smitten with flying, oversaw the transformation of the company from one that created and sold innovative and popular products specifically designed to make a pilot's job easier to driving the creation of the SkyDisplay HuD, a. head-up display for small airplanes that sells for around $30,000.

Editor's Note: On a personal note, Schneider was a longtime friend of Plane & Pilot and the staff members here. His loss has hit us hard, and we extend our sympathies to his family and friends, as well as to our friends at MyGoFlight. He will be sorely missed.

Plane & PilotStaff