Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A commercial pilot flew into Alaska's Gulf coast on June 18th, 2026, with a suspended certificate, an expired medical, no flight plan, and no radio contact — toward a destination already reporting instrument conditions. He never arrived. The NTSB preliminary report on the crash near Cordova, Alaska, lays out the record fact by fact, and the picture that emerges is unlike most accident reports. No probable cause yet — that comes with the final report, expected in 2027. We cover what's confirmed, what's still open, and what this flight reveals about the layers of safety that exist only on paper until a pilot chooses to honor them.
If you feel moved to help Mike's family, here's the GoFundMe: gofundme.com/f/bringing-michael-grimes-home-to-his-family
— PARTNERS & SPONSORS —
▸ Serendipitous Films – For business inquiries → takingoff@outloudtalent.com
▸ AEROVERSE – Use code TakingOff for 15% off! → aeroverse.com
▸ FlyingEyes Optics – Get 10% off pilot glasses → flyingeyesoptics.com/pages/taking-offs-discount
▸ Colten Mortgage – Residential mortgage & refi, run by a pilot! → coltenmortgage.com/takingoff
▸ XeVision – Extreme LED Landing Lights. The only competitor is the sun! → xevision.com (xevision.com/)
▸ Clemens Insurance – Your broker should be fighting for you. Call Clemens! → clemensinsurance.net
▸ Marshal Protective Services – Private Security Elevated! → mpsprotects.com
▸ METAR Maps – The large METAR map on our set! Mention TakingOff when you order → metarmaps.com
▸ Lightspeed Headsets – Support us by buying through our link → lightspeedaviation.com/?ref=13
A commercial pilot flew into Alaska's Gulf coast on June 18th, 2026, with a suspended certificate, an expired medical, no flight plan, and no radio contact — toward a destination already reporting instrument conditions. He never arrived. The NTSB preliminary report on the crash near Cordova, Alaska, lays out the record fact by fact, and the picture that emerges is unlike most accident reports. No probable cause yet — that comes with the final report, expected in 2027. We cover what's confirmed, what's still open, and what this flight reveals about the layers of safety that exist only on paper until a pilot chooses to honor them.
If you feel moved to help Mike's family, here's the GoFundMe: gofundme.com/f/bringing-michael-grimes-home-to-his-family
— PARTNERS & SPONSORS —
▸ Serendipitous Films – For business inquiries → takingoff@outloudtalent.com
▸ AEROVERSE – Use code TakingOff for 15% off! → aeroverse.com
▸ FlyingEyes Optics – Get 10% off pilot glasses → flyingeyesoptics.com/pages/taking-offs-discount
▸ Colten Mortgage – Residential mortgage & refi, run by a pilot! → coltenmortgage.com/takingoff
▸ XeVision – Extreme LED Landing Lights. The only competitor is the sun! → xevision.com (xevision.com/)
▸ Clemens Insurance – Your broker should be fighting for you. Call Clemens! → clemensinsurance.net
▸ Marshal Protective Services – Private Security Elevated! → mpsprotects.com
▸ METAR Maps – The large METAR map on our set! Mention TakingOff when you order → metarmaps.com
▸ Lightspeed Headsets – Support us by buying through our link → lightspeedaviation.com/?ref=13
