Aircraft: Beech G35. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Byron, Ga. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The private pilot, 44, had logged about 400 hours, including 140 in the Bonanza. The accident happened during a cross-country flight. When the airplane was at 9,200 feet MSL, the pilot cancelled VFR flight following and initiated a descent toward […]
aviation accidents
Flight review ends in ground loop
Aircraft: Cessna 170A. Injuries: None. Location: Mulino, Oregon. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The purpose of the flight was for the private pilot to regain tailwheel currency and to complete a flight review. Following basic air-work, the CFI asked the student to perform a wheel landing. The CFI said the landing was successful, but […]
Fuel tank dry, plane gets wet
Aircraft: Piper Comanche. Injuries: 1 Serious. Location: Sidney, N.Y. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot stated that he last checked the fuel quantity two weeks before the accident flight. During that flight, he noticed that the right auxiliary fuel gauge was inoperative. The purpose of the flight was to drain fuel from the […]
Poor weather, poor decision
Aircraft: Piper Cherokee. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Berne, N.Y. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: There was no record of the 153-hour private pilot, who did not have an instrument rating, obtaining a weather briefing or filing a flight plan prior to the accident flight. Witnesses on the ground said the clouds were “right over […]
Takeoff into thunderstorm kills three
Aircraft: Piper Malibu Mirage. Injuries: 3 Fatal. Location: Rantoul, Ill. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The day before the accident the pilot, who was reported to have logged at least 1,850 hours, obtained a computerized weather briefing and filed a flight plan. However, none of the weather information he obtained was current at the […]
Accelerated stall at low altitude proves fatal
Aircraft: Grumman American. Injuries: 2 Fatal. Location: Corona, Calif. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The Grumman was flying in mountainous terrain on what was supposed to be an introductory instructional flight. According to a witness on the ground, as the plane approached the foothills, it entered a series of turns while flying unusually low […]
Intoxicated non-pilot crashes after attempt at aerobatics
Aircraft: Polaris Polar Star. Injuries: 2 Fatal. Location: Dewees Island, S.C. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: According to witnesses, the non-certified pilot was attempting to fly loops in an unregistered, experimental Polaris Polar Star. The weight-shift-control aircraft consisted of an inflatable boat attached to a fabric-covered wing. Since the aircraft qualified as a light-sport […]
Darkness leads to spatial disorientation
Aircraft: Cessna 182. Injuries: 2 Fatal. Location: Erwin, N.C. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The private pilot, 79, held an instrument rating. According to a logbook recovered from the wreckage, he had accumulated 1,973 hours. In the 12 months preceding the accident, he logged 12 total hours of flight experience, of which 0.2 hours […]
Clogged fuel lines for RV
Aircraft: RV6. Injuries: None. Location: Hartford, Ky. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot had logged 2,643 hours, including 360 in the RV, which he built. He filled the auxiliary fuel tanks just prior to departing on the accident flight. It was the first time in eight or nine months that he used the […]