SkyNews 9 Pilot Jim Gardner Reflects On Yukon Plane Crash

***Editor's Note: We changed the verbiage from 'crashes' to 'incident' to better reflect what happened. In the wake of a small plane crash that killed four people this week in Yukon, News 9 asked questions about pilot safety at smaller airports. Bob Mills SkyNews 9 pilot Jim Gardner carries about four decades of flight experience. Gardner said safety comes with training, but many things can go wrong even with the best pilots.

Wednesday, August 7th 2024, 11:00 pm

By: News 9, Jordan Fremstad

OKLAHOMA CITY -

In the wake of a small plane crash that killed four people this week in Yukon, News 9 asked questions about pilot safety at smaller airports. Many of them don’t have control towers and require solid communication from pilots.

Bob Mills SkyNews 9 pilot Jim Gardner carries about four decades of flight experience. Gardner said safety comes with training, but many things can go wrong even with the best pilots.

“If you’re gonna fly, stuff's gonna happen,” Gardner said. “Your mind can do a lot of things. You just have to learn to control it and stay calm.”

Tuesday a plane crashed at Sundance Airport killing four people.

“It’s a bad situation all around,” Gardner said.

News 9 discovered 10 incidents at Sundance Airport over the past five years, with three being fatal, and two occurring on Sundance property.

“I would say that’s a little high,” Gardner said.

Sundance is an uncontrolled airport with no control tower and most communication responsibilities fall on pilots.

“It’s all, ‘see and avoid,’ and you have to be willing to talk on the radio,” Gardner said.

Gardner said most incidents involve pilot errors, or mechanical failures, that are out of the pilot’s control. Gardner lost two of his best friends in a jet crash.

“That was mechanical,” Gardner said.

Gardner understands the risks. Last year SkyNews 9 took a hailstone to its windshield.

“If this is all that’s happened to me, I've been very lucky,” Gardner said.

Even as flight technology improves, Gardner recommends pilots always keep their minds sharp and prepared for anything.

“Learn everything you can before you go into a strange airport,” Gardner said. “Keep your head between your shoulders.”

Gardner said investigators will look at pilot and maintenance records to ensure everything was properly cared for before Tuesday’s flight. Friends of the pilot who died on Tuesday said he was a seasoned pilot with more than 24 years of experience in the air. They said he also had the biggest smile.