Aircraft: Murphy Rebel. Injuries: None. Location: Hayden Lake, Idaho. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The owner of the amphibious airplane was receiving instruction from a CFI. The accident happened when the pilot was attempting to land on glassy water. According to the CFI, the pilot did not use the airplane’s checklist and the CFI did […]
aviation accidents
Pilot’s delay leads to overrun
Aircraft: Piper Arrow. Injuries: None. Location: Mariposa, Calif. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: According to the pilot, who was attempting to take off from a 3,300-foot runway, the airplane did not accelerate as he anticipated it would, and therefore it did not achieve adequate airspeed for take off in a timely fashion. He decided to abort the takeoff but […]
Super Cub dings tail on takeoff
Aircraft: Piper Super Cub. Injuries: None. Location: Gakona, Alaska. Aircraft damage: None. What reportedly happened: The pilot was attempting to take off from a remote, 800-foot-long, gravel-covered airstrip. The winds were variable. During the takeoff roll, just before liftoff, a gust of wind pushed the airplane to the right. As the airplane became airborne, the pilot […]
Steep turn leads to stall
Aircraft: Beech Bonanza. Injuries: 2 Fatal. Location: Lake in the Hills, Ill. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: A commercial pilot accompanied by a CFI was practicing touch-and-goes. The commercial pilot, 82, did not hold a medical certificate at the time of the accident. On his most recent application for a medical, he reported 18,077 hours, of which […]
Airplane stalls on go-around
Aircraft: Cessna 177B. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Honesdale, Pa. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot was operating on a temporary certificate in preparation for an FAA competency checkride. The compentency checkride was required following an accident that happened when the pilot delayed a decision to abort a long landing and crashed into trees beyond the end […]
Failure to remove control lock leads to accident
Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: 1 Minor. Location: Culebra, P.R. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: After doing an engine runup, the pilot taxied onto the runway and started his takeoff roll. During the attempted takeoff, he realized that the control wheel would not move aft when he tried to pull back on it because the flight control lock […]
Overweight, unstable airplane crashes
Aircraft: Hummel Bird. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: DeFuniak Springs, Fla. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: A review of the pilot’s logbook indicated that he had accumulated only 4.4 flight hours in the two years preceding the accident flight, with only 0.3 hour in the accident airplane. According to witnesses at the airport, the airplane took off and […]
Short runway plus lack of experience a bad combo
Aircraft: Mooney M20J. Injuries: 2 Fatal, 1 Serious. Location: Sterling, Pa. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The runway measured 2,478 feet in length and had a 2.4% upslope with a hill and trees located just off the end. It was the pilot’s first time landing at the airport. After landing the pilot and two passengers went to […]
Low-level aerobatics kills one
Aircraft: Pitts S1D. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Port Richey, Fla. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: Several witnesses reported that the pilot was conducting aerobatic maneuvers over the Gulf of Mexico. He initiated a loop between 300 to 500 feet above the water. At the top of the loop, while inverted, the airplane started the descent. The pilot […]