The pilot was on a personal cross-country flight to a remote, off-airport site in Sleetmute, Alaska, in a tailwheel-equipped Cessna 180. He said that before landing he intended to fly a low pass over the snow-covered site to determine the condition of the snowpack, a maneuver commonly known as dragging the landing site. He said […]
NTSB Accidents
First solo ends badly
The student pilot was performing his third stop and go landing during his first solo flight. He reported that during the landing flare he heard the stall warning horn, and he bounced the landing while traveling at a ground speed of approximately 45 knots. The student pilot remarked he was not able to control the […]
Crankshaft failure brings down Cessna 210
The private pilot reported that, 10 miles from the destination airport, the passengers heard a loud “clank” and smoke entered the Cessna 210’s cockpit. Shortly after, the engine experienced a total loss of power and the propeller stopped turning. The pilot selected a field near Bryan, Texas, as a forced landing site, but the plane […]
Distracted pilot hits top of tree
During a cross-country flight at night, the pilot was attempting to deviate due to deteriorating weather. He failed to maintain terrain clearance and the Piper PA-34 hit the top of a tree. The pilot subsequently landed the airplane uneventfully at the airport in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, about 23 miles away from where the tree was hit. […]
Partial loss of engine power leads to forced landing
The pilot reported the Cessna 150 had seven gallons of fuel and that he had planned a short flight to a nearby airport to purchase more fuel. During initial climb, about 750′ above ground level, the engine experienced a partial loss of power. The pilot applied carburetor heat, but the engine rpm remained at about […]
Fatigue crack ends in ground loop
The private pilot was landing the Cessna 140 on a dry, hard-surfaced runway in Independence, Oregon. He said the approach and touchdown were normal. Just after touchdown, he felt “something similar to a bump,” and the airplane started to drift to the left. He thought that the plane possibly had a flat tire and tried to […]
Maule bent when passenger inadvertently pushes rudder pedal
According to the airline transport pilot, during the takeoff roll at the airport in Anchorage, Alaska, the Maule M-4 briefly exited the runway to the left after the passenger inadvertently pushed the left rudder pedal. While correcting for the runway excursion, the right main landing gear hit a taxiway sign. The pilot and passenger reported that they […]
Observation flight ends fatally
The Flight Design CTLS, which was owned and operated by the local county sheriff’s department, was on a low-altitude observation flight near Springville, California. According to GPS data recovered from the airplane, about 1 minute before the accident, the plane was flying westbound (heading 242°) over a highway, about 500′ above ground level (agl), and […]
Dragging landing gear turns out to be bad decision
The pilot was flying over a snow-covered dry lake bed near Park Valley, Utah, and decided to “drag” the left main landing gear to “better assess the surface condition.” When the Cessna 210’s tire touched down, he reported, “Drag rapidly increased and sucked the aircraft down.” He attempted to abort the landing by adding full […]