The flight instructor/owner and pilot-rated passenger departed the local airport in a tailwheel-equipped Piper PA-18A to inspect ranch property and livestock near Wheatland, Wyo. The pilots planned to land in a pasture. The CFI was in the rear seat of the tandem cockpit airplane, while the pilot in the front seat was on the controls. […]
NTSB Accidents
Fuel leak ends in fire
The pilot reported that, after the Bellanca 8KCAB lifted off after several touch-and-go landings, he suddenly smelled fuel and observed streaming fuel. The fuel appeared to come from the fuel system header tank area and streamed onto the cockpit floor between his feet. He landed the airplane straight ahead and taxied clear of the active […]
Continued flight into IMC ends in field
The non-instrument-rated pilot departed late in the afternoon in marginal visual flight rules (VFR) conditions. After climbing the Cessna 172 to the desired cruising altitude, he was forced to descend due to worsening weather conditions to maintain VFR. Shortly after, an air traffic controller advised the pilot that the weather conditions at the destination airport […]
Touch-and-goes go bad
Two witnesses reported that they saw the pilot performing touch-and-go landings at the airport in Macon, Ga. During takeoff, the Piper J3C-65 lifted off about halfway down the runway and began a right turn to the crosswind leg of the traffic pattern when it was about 100 feet above ground level (agl). As it began […]
Fuel exhaustion dents Piper
In a statement provided by the pilot, the fuel calculations for the flight in the Piper PA 18-150 were based on the fuel burn from the flight the day before. On the day of the accident, the pilot used a clock timer from the time of engine start to estimate the longevity of the fuel […]
Improper use of carb heat contributes to crash
The pilot reported that, during the descent to the airport in Lexington, Texas, he applied carburetor heat but that he then removed carburetor heat when leveling off. He reduced the throttle to slow the Cessna 182 while on final approach. When he advanced the throttle to maintain airspeed, the engine power did not increase and […]
Vacationing pilot crashes into ocean
According to the operator/owner, the non-instrument-rated pilot was visiting the United States on vacation and had rented the Piper PA-28-161 for a week. The pilot planned a day trip to an airport located about 2.5 hours from the airplane’s home base, and the accident occurred on the return leg near Stuart, Fla. After departing on […]
Taylorcraft crashes into snowbank
The pilot reported that he was departing to the north from a snow-covered grass runway in Hartford, Wis., in a ski-equipped tailwheel Taylorcraft BC12-D. A plowed asphalt runway intersected the snow-covered runway, and snowbanks were located on the north and south side of the plowed runway. During takeoff, the plane hit the snowbank on the […]
Icing brings down SR22
About 90 minutes before the flight, the pilot received a preflight weather briefing, which included an advisory for moderate icing between the freezing level (expected to be at or below 10,000 feet mean sea level and 22,000 feet msl.) The pilot reported that the Cirrus SR22 encountered instrument meteorological conditions with light icing accumulation about […]