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What Can Pilots Learn From Jenny Blalock’s Accident?

Factors behind YouTube pilot’s fatal crash hit closer to home than we might wish to admit.

Jenny Blalock's Debonair crashed in Pulaski, Tennessee
Wreckage of Jenny Blalock’s Beechcraft Debonair [Credit: National Transportation Safety Board]

A December 2023 crash that killed aviation YouTube presenter Jenny Blalock and her father James resulted from a loss of aircraft control that may have stemmed in part from the pilot’s difficulties staying ahead of her high-performance airplane and a lack of proficiency in operating its autopilot.

Blalock’s apparent use of certain prohibited medications also could have played a role, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s final report on the accident.

Jonathan Welsh

Jonathan Welsh is a private pilot and lifelong aviation enthusiast who has been a reporter, writer and columnist for 35 years. His career includes stints with the Wall Street Journal, Flying Magazine and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. He recently returned to Firecrown to lead Aviation Consumer.