Aircraft: Piper Cherokee. Injuries: None. Location: Lake Wales, Fla. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The student pilot was practicing takeoffs and landings with his CFI. After several successful takeoffs and landings the CFI got out of the airplane and briefed the student pilot for solo traffic pattern work. The student pilot taxied to the end of the […]
aviation accidents
Poor fuel management leads to off-airport landing
Aircraft: Cessna 210. Injuries: 2 Minor. Location: Fowler’s Bluff, Fla. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: According to the pilot, the airplane was in cruise flight at an altitude of about 3,000 feet AGL when the engine lost all power. Attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful and he made a forced landing. The subsequent examination revealed that […]
Loss of control on takeoff
Aircraft: Evektor Sportstar Injuries: None. Location: Lancaster, Pa. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The accident happened during takeoff. The pilot applied full engine power and the airplane veered to the left. She then applied right rudder, but could not control of the airplane before it went off the runway. The airplane bounced several times as it continued […]
Failure to follow procedure proves fatal
Aircraft: Cirrus SR22. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Anderson, S.C. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot was practicing takeoffs and landings with a CFI. The CFI then got out of the airplane and instructed the pilot to do three takeoffs and landings to full stop. According to the instructor, the pilot’s first flight around the airport traffic […]
Low-altitude manuever kills three
Aircraft: Cessna 185. Injuries: 3 Fatal. Location: Blanding, Utah. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot was accompanied by his father and his flight instructor, who was very experienced in mountain flying and familiar with the local canyon areas. The intention was to perform multiple stops at backcountry airstrips. The flight instructor was carrying a personal locator […]
Failure to use checklist leads to accident
Aircraft: Cessna 150. Injuries: 1 Serious. Location: Fairbanks, Alaska. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The student pilot intended to depart for a solo flight to the local practice area. During the takeoff roll, he held forward pressure on the yoke to keep the nosewheel on the ground. At 50 mph, he let the nosewheel come off the […]
Delayed go-around leads to crash
Aircraft: Mooney M20F. Injuries: 3 Serious. Location: McKinnon, Tenn. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot was attempting to land on runway 8, which measured 3,000 feet. He noted that the 3,000-foot runway was the shortest one he had ever attempted to land on. During the approach he noted the winds were shifting from east to west. […]
Strong winds contribute to broken nose gear
Aircraft: Cessna 210. Injuries: None. Location: Marienthal, Kan. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot was attempting to land on a runway with a line of trees along side of it. According to the pilot, the trees contributed to mechanical turbulence. The airplane encountered turbulence or a downdraft, which resulted in the airplane landing hard on its […]
Hand-propping goes awry
Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: 1 Minor. Location: Johnson Valley, Calif. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: An acquaintance of the pilot expressed an interest in learning to fly his newly purchased airplane. The pilot agreed to provide a demonstration flight. The acquaintance had no prior flight experience. On the morning of the planned flight, the pilot discovered that […]