Aircraft: Piper Pawnee Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Jacksonville, Fla. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot was working as a banner tow pilot. According to company’s Banner Tow Pilot Training Record, he had completed 6.3 hours of flight training as of Feb. 28, 2011. The training included 0.3 hours of “full stall recovery,” 0.5 hours of “Emergency […]
aviation accidents
Poor fuel management results in ditching
Aircraft: Waco YMF5. Injuries: None. Location: Marathon, Fla. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: According to the pilot, at the beginning of the day the main fuel tanks of the airplane were 7/8ths full. The pilot spent the day conducting sightseeing flights departing from an island airport. The accident happened on the third flight of the day. The […]
Wrong runway for Cessna
Aircraft: Cessna 182. Injuries: None. Location: St. Paul, Minn. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The tower controller informed the pilot that the wind was from 230°. The pilot had the option of landing on runway 27 or runway 14, and chose runway 14, which gave the airplane a quartering tailwind. The pilot said the visual approach was […]
Low altitude aerobatics leads to fatal crash
Aircraft: American Champion 8KCAB Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Marysville, Ohio. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot was performing low-altitude aerobatics for a ground-based observer to renew his low-level aerobatic competency waiver. According to the observer the airplane appeared to be pulling out of a dive following a “modified clover-leaf/split-‘S,” when it hit the ground in a […]
Failure to go missed kills one
Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: 1 Fatal, 2 Serious. Location: Denton, Texas. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The commercial pilot and flight instructor received clearance to fly the ILS approach to runway 18. Weather was reported as 200-feet ceiling and 1/2-mile visibility with fog. An observer, who sat in a rear seat, recalled that the airplane entered a […]
Gear collapses on rollout
Aircraft: Piper Seminole. Injuries: None. Location: Lawrenceville, Ga. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: A CFI and pilot receiving instruction were practicing power-off stalls. While configuring the airplane, the pilots noted that after selecting the gear down position there was an unsafe gear indication. The CFI made several unsuccessful attempts to extend the landing gear using the emergency […]
Wing fails in flight
Aircraft: Piper Cherokee Six. Injuries: 5 Fatal. Location: Bryan, Texas. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The instrument-rated private pilot and four passengers were flying on a cross-country flight in IFR conditions. The airplane was in cruise flight at an altitude of 8,000 feet MSL when it entered an area of heavy rain showers. The pilot informed an […]
Botched takeoff bends Cessna
Aircraft: Cessna 120. Injuries: None. Location: Montague, Mass. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot was attempting to take off. As the airplane accelerated to 40 mph, the engine sputtered and the pilot reduced power to abort the takeoff. The sputtering ceased, so the pilot added power to continue the takeoff. The engine sputtered a second time, […]
Bad bounce for Cirrus
Aircraft: Cirrus SR22. Injuries: None. Location: Farmville, Va. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The purpose of the flight was for the pilot to regain his night currency. According to the pilot, he was attempting to land using the GPS approach. The airplane was lined up on the runway centerline with the approach lights in sight. At 500 […]