Photo via Reuters/New York Times
Photo via Reuters/New York Times

Talking and texting have long been a problem on the road, but now a fatal plane crash has likely been caused by the pilot and his passenger taking selfies while in flight.

At least that’s the conclusion of the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation of a small Cessna crash which occurred last May in Colorado. Investigators found a functional GoPro near the crash site and recovered the data card. It showed the 29-year-old pilot the previous day taking selfies while in flight, with several passengers on board, and also during one more nighttime flight before the fatal trip.

And while no GoPro footage exists of the final flight, investigators say they have enough evidence to conclude that was probably the cause.

“It is likely that cellphone use during the accident flight distracted the pilot and contributed to the development of spatial disorientation and subsequent loss of control,” the safety board said in a report last week, as reported by CNN.

The camera’s flash, which would light up the cockpit, is also being pinpointed as possibly contributing to the crash. Investigators did not find anything wrong with the plane.

I think the lesson here speaks for itself.

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