It is no secret that talking and texting while driving is distracting, but what about taking pictures? What about selfies? Unfortunately for one pilot and his passenger, a selfie seems to be the cause of their untimely deaths after a night-flight turned into a deadly crash.
The crash happened in East Denver last May while pilot Amritpal Singh attempted to transport an unidentified passenger to a concert.
Singh's "logbooks did not show that he had training in instruments to deal with a stall or that he was qualified to fly at night with passengers," the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said, according to CNN.
According to Denver Post, an undamaged GoPro video camera was found near the wreckage of the plane.
Investigators were unable to identify anything lacking in the aircraft that could have initiated the crash, however the GoPro camera caught several flights in which Singh and his passengers use their cellphones to take selfies and Singh was recorded using the flash for his phone to take a selfie during the plane's ascention. Since there was no evidence of technical failure in the plane, the NTSB believes:
"It is likely that cell phone use during the accident flight distracted the pilot and contributed to the development of spatial disorientation and subsequent loss of control."
It is unfortunate that the flight turned fatal, however this is not the first instance in which a selfie is the cause of death. As the Observer notes, a couple fell off a cliff while attempting to take a selfie.
When taking selfies, please keep in mind your surroundings and do not attempt to take a photo when you or others around you require concentration, such as driving at night.
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