Aircraft: Kitfox IV. Injuries: None. Location: Homedale, Idaho. Aircraft damage: Substantial.

What reportedly happened: Approximately 15 minutes into the flight, the oil pressure gauge dropped to zero. [Read more...]

Aircraft: Beech Bonanza. Injuries: 2 Fatal. Location: Chester, Calif. Aircraft damage: Substantial.

What reportedly happened: The 76-year-old private pilot was attempting to land at his home airport at night. [Read more...]

Aircraft: Beech Baron. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Birmingham, Ala. Aircraft damage: Substantial.

What reportedly happened: The pilot’s logbook was not recovered, therefore a precise determination of his flight experience in IFR conditions in the twin-engine airplane could not be made.

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Aircraft: Piper Cherokee. Injuries: 3 Minor. Location: Platinum, Alaska. Aircraft damage: Substantial.

What reportedly happened: Several people saw the Cherokee fly over the field and line up to land on the closed runway.

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Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Walnut Grove, Mo. Aircraft damage: Substantial.

What reportedly happened: The private pilot had logged approximately 405 hours, of which 340 were in a 172. Of that time, 109 hours were at night. The accident occurred during the last leg of a long VFR cross-country flight.

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Aircraft: Cessna 310. Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Minor. Location: Orange, Mass. Aircraft damage: Substantial.

What reportedly happened: The pilot told investigators that he had become a pilot in 1989 and had logged about 500 hours. He had stopped flying for about seven years, then resumed about a year before the accident. The Cessna was purchased in May 2010.

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Aircraft: Cessna 140. Injuries: None. Location: Winnsboro, S.C. Aircraft damage: Substantial.

What reportedly happened: The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane allowed his pilot-rated passenger to make a wheel landing. [Read more...]

Aircraft: Taylorcraft BC-12-65. Injuries: 1 Serious. Location: College Place, Wash. Aircraft damage: Substantial.

What reportedly happened: The pilot departed for a short local flight. About 20 minutes later, he returned to land. The sun was low on the horizon, and as he turned onto the final approach leg of the traffic pattern, his view became completely obscured by the sun’s glare. The airplane hit trees about 250 feet to the right of the runway.

Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to abort the landing when he lost sight of the runway due to sun glare.

NTSB Identification: WPR11LA076

This December 2010 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.

Aircraft: Cessna 210. Injuries: None. Location: Abilene, Texas. Aircraft damage: Substantial.

What reportedly happened: The pilot departed on a 615-nautical mile cross-country flight. He determined the flight would take him about four hours and 15 minutes. He had about five and a half hours of fuel on-board.

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Aircraft: Cessna 185A, Taylorcraft. Injuries: None. Location: Madras, Ore. Aircraft damage: Substantial.

What reportedly happened: At the time of the accident, the ceiling was broken clouds at about 6,500 feet AGL, and visibility was more than 10 miles. The Cessna and a Taylorcraft were both on approach to the same runway.

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