Aircraft: Beech Baron. Injuries: None. Location: Walterboro, S.C. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot was attempting to land in the late afternoon on a runway with a westerly heading. uring the landing roll, the afternoon sun “blinded” the pilot, limiting his vision. The airplane drifted off the right side of the runway, encountered soft ground, and […]
aviation accidents
Poor flare for student pilot
Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: None. Location: Richland, Wash. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The student pilot was practicing touch-and-goes. The first two were normal. On the third, the airplane touched down and began to porpoise and wheelbarrow on the nosewheel. The plane veered to the left and went off the runway, hit a snow berm, and nosed […]
Spatial disorientation leads to fatal accident
Aircraft: Cessna 150. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Quincy, Fla. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The 230-hour pilot, who did not have an instrument rating, landed after sunset, refueled the airplane, and took off again about 90 minutes later for an airport located to the east. According to a witness at the airport, fog was forming when the […]
Carburetor icing leads to off-airport landing
Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: None. Location: Springfield, Tenn. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot was on the second leg of a VFR cross-country flight. He was flying at an altitude of 3,500 feet in order to remain below an overcast ceiling. When he was 10 miles from the airport he began configuring the airplane for landing. […]
Distraction results in gear-up landing
Aircraft: Mooney M20K. Injuries: None. Location: Willmar, Minn. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The student pilot was practicing solo takeoffs and landings. On the third approach he extended his downwind leg to provide spacing for another airplane. He said that he forgot to lower the landing gear and inadvertently landed with the gear up. He reported that […]
Intoxicated pilot crashes
Aircraft: Cessna 150. Injuries: 1 Serious. Location: Denmark, Wis. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: During a flight before the accident flight, the cockpit lighting failed and the pilot made an unscheduled landing at an airport. Later, a witness saw the pilot walking back to the airport with a 12-pack of beer. The pilot explained that he was […]
Pilot takes off with malfunctioning engine
Aircraft: Bowers Fly Baby 1-A. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Jefferson, Ga. Aircraft damage: Destroyed, What reportedly happened: A witness told investigators that the pilot was attempting to diagnose an engine problem prior to the accident flight. The witness said that the engine was running rough and backfiring during takeoff. When the airplane was about 200 feet AGL, it […]
VFR into IMC kills two
Aircraft: Cessna Cardinal. Injuries: 2 Fatal. Location: North Vernon, Ind. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: Before departing on the accident flight, the 458-hour pilot, who did not have an instrument rating, obtained several weather briefings, learning that instrument meteorological conditions prevailed along his route of flight. The pilot took off. When the airplane was at an altitude […]
Wind gust bends Maule
Aircraft: Maule M-5-180C. Injuries: None. Location: River Ranch, Fla. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot, who was on approach to the airport in VFR conditions, stated that he didn’t see any other airplanes or hear any radio communications to indicate the appropriate runway, and there were no visual indications of wind direction. He chose to land […]