In its Final Report on the crash of a light plane taking off from Lewiston-Nez Perce County Airport in Lewiston, Idaho, last year, the National Transportation Safety Board found that the pilot, former Naval Aviator and well-known and highly respected airshow flyer Dale Snodgrass had failed to remove the gust lock from the SIAI-Marchetti light single-engine plane he was flying. The locking mechanism, designed to prevent gusty winds from damaging the flight controls, prevented Snodgrass, the Board found, from controlling the aircraft. With the device installed, the plane’s nose rose immediately after takeoff, and at an altitude of 80 feet, nosed over in a left turn and impacted the ground in a direct nose-down position.
