During the night cross-country flight, the Piper PA-28-181 had been flying for four hours, 21 minutes and was about six miles from the destination airport when the pilot reported a fuel emergency to air traffic control. He stated that he was going to attempt to land on a highway, however, the plane hit 160-foot power […]
NTSB Accidents
Continued flight into IMC proves fatal
On the morning of the accident, the de Havilland DHC-1 pilot contacted a flight service station for a weather briefing for a visual flight rules (VFR) flight from Wisconsin to Georgia. The briefer told the pilot that VFR flight was not recommended from southern Kentucky through Tennessee and into north Georgia. He also stated that […]
Gusty winds contribute to crash
According to the sport pilot, while turning from the left base to the final leg of the approach for Runway 2 in Kill Devil Hills, N.C., with engine power reduced to “near” idle, a gust of wind came from the right and the Allegro 2000 lost altitude. He attempted to recover the altitude loss by […]
Banner tow plane ends up in bay due to fuel starvation
The pilot departed on a two-hour banner tow flight in the Cessna O1-A with 58 gallons of fuel. After one hour, he returned to the airport to pick up a different banner for the second hour of the flight. The first pick-up attempt was unsuccessful. He then briefly circled the pick-up location and then completed […]
Poor planning, coupled with bad battery, leads to crash
According to the pilot, he purchased the Cessna 172 and planned to fly it across the country “via the southern route.” The aircraft seller informed the pilot that the battery held a limited charge, but asserted that the plane could be flown if the pilot charged the battery and disengaged the master after takeoff. Prior […]
Inflight break-up fatal for two
The pilots of the twin-engine Piper PA-44-180 were conducting a cross-country instrument flight rules (IFR) flight. Although both pilots were instrument-rated and IFR-current, the right seat pilot had only 8.8 hours of actual instrument experience, and the left seat pilot had only 1.8 hours of actual instrument experience. While en route and likely operating in […]
Snow-covered runway contributes to collision
Prior to departure, the pilot was taxiing the ski-equipped Cessna 180 back-and-forth on a hard-packed, snow-covered runway in North Pole, Alaska, to warm up the engine oil, and polish any frost that might have accumulated on the bottom of the skis. During the last taxi pass the airplane began to drift to the left. He […]
Engine failure ends fatally
On the morning of the accident, the pilot terminated his first flight early due to a fuel leak in the fuel tank sight gauge on the Sonerai II LT. He made a repair before taking off for a second flight. During the second flight, witnesses reported seeing the airplane in distress and hearing the engine […]
Distraction contributes to water ditching
The pilot stated that after takeoff the flight proceeded IFR towards the destination airport, The Florida Keys Marathon Airport in Marathon, Florida. He cancelled his IFR clearance, and performed the pre-landing checklist. While on the base leg over water during the dark night, he became distracted by the failure of the landing light. With the […]