According to flight service station records, the private pilot had planned a cross-country flight that was expected to be about 465 miles long and to take about 3 hours and 15 minutes. The first two-thirds of the flight were uneventful, but the pilot diverted to an alternate airport because the passenger needed a rest stop. […]
NTSB Accidents
Engine failure at 2,000 feet
By Mark W. Johnson, CFI The morning was typical for a hot and humid July, with a few scattered clouds and a small line of rain showers to the south of the airport. My student was about to embark on his third training flight towards earning his private pilot certificate. Our aircraft, a Cessna 152, was […]
Pilot seriously injured when takeoff goes awry
The commercial pilot was conducting a personal flight in a Quest Kodiak 100 near Sheridan, Wyoming. Two witnesses saw the airplane lift off in an extreme nose-high attitude, level off, and then re-enter a nose-high attitude before it descended and hit the ground 1,500 feet south of the runway. The pilot was seriously injured in […]
Bad landing bends 180
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped Cessna 180 planned to land at a mountain airport situated in a valley near McCall, Idaho. He overflew the airport and observed the windsock, which indicated the wind was out the north and then entered the left downwind for Runway 19, which has an uphill slope. While on downwind, the […]
182 pilot loses control during crosswind landing
The pilot reported she was compensating for a crosswind throughout the final approach to landing at the airport in Ely, Nevada. During the touchdown, the Cessna 182T was “at a slight angle” and immediately veered to the right. She applied full left rudder and brakes, but the airplane left the runway and hit a runway […]
CubCrafters pilot hits trees on takeoff
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped CubCrafters CC11-16 was departing from a mountain airport in a valley in Lake City, Colo. He reported that during takeoff, he rotated at about 52-54 miles per hour, and about 20 feet above the ground, a strong crosswind from the left pushed the airplane to right of the runway centerline. […]
Excessive application of brakes bends Stinson
According to the pilot of the tailwheel-equipped Stinson HW75, the airplane veered to the left during the landing roll at the airport in Bremerton, Washington, and he overcorrected by applying excessive right brake. The airplane rapidly turned to the right, and the left main landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left […]
Takeoff goes awry
After taking off from a frozen gravel bar by a river in remote wilderness near Arctic Village, Alaska, the Cessna 170B stalled. The left main landing gear struck the edge of the cut bank and the left wing hit the ground. The fuselage then hit the top of the bank and spun counterclockwise. The left […]
Student’s soft field takeoff ends up in ditch
The student pilot reported that during a solo soft field takeoff at the airport in Sanford, N.C., the tail of the Diamond DA-20 hit the ground. He lowered the nose, and as the airspeed increased, initiated rotation. After liftoff, the plane drifted to the left of the runway, descended, and hit the bottom of a […]