Sorry to hear there was a death in the Inhofe family. A couple of things.

This particular variety of Turboprop had fairly significant problems. It is known for it's stalling. Mostly on take off and landing. The last plane was manufactured in the 1980s, but, it still sells for a considerable amount of money. The hitch is that the pilot is the key to a successful safe flight.

The value of the plane keeps it flying, not it's efficacy. The pilots needed frequent and specialized certification on this particular plane to fly it. There have been numerable examinations of this type of plane by the federal government, the latest was in 2009.

By Maxine Wally
Nov 11, 2013 03:44 PM EST

Perry, who worked as an orthopedic surgeon in Tulsa, (click here) was reported to be the sole fatality from the crash. He was a licensed pilot and flying instructor, and owned two planes though a company called Anasazi Winds, LLC, according to the Atlantic. Sen. Inhofe reportedly taught Perry how to operate an aircraft more than 30 years ago. Perry then passed on the tradition, teaching his own son Cole how to fly. The Atlantic reported that all three next-of-kin were taught to fly on the same 1954 Grumman Tiger plane....

UNISYS North and West Water Vapor Satellite at the time of the crash at about 3:30 AM EST.

There were high tropospheric straight line winds from Nevada east, however, there weren't planes falling from the sky. The plane lost it's ability to fly well. Given it's particular problems and the flying conditions, the FAA needs to examine the efficacy of this turboprop again. Mr. Inhofe was a seasoned pilot and he owned this plane.