Aircraft: Piper Comanche. Injuries: 2 Fatal. Location: Norfolk, Neb. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The non-instrument rated pilot departed on a night cross-country flight in marginal VFR. When the airplane did not show up at its destination, a search was initiated. The following evening, the airplane wreckage was located in an open field. It […]
NTSB
CFIT for Mooney pilot
Aircraft: Mooney M20. Injuries: 2 Fatal. Location: Copake, N.Y. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The accident flight happened at night. The phase of the moon was waxing crescent with only 22% of the moon’s visible disc illuminated. The 1,410-hour pilot was flying on an IFR flight plan although the weather conditions at the time […]
Primer out, airplane down
Aircraft: Luscombe 8A. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Schaumburg, Ill. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: According to a witness on the ground, the airplane took off and had climbed to about 150 feet above the runway when the engine quit. The airplane stalled, and spun into the ground. During the post-crash investigation it was discovered […]
First flight in 25 years, last flight ever
Aircraft: Maule M-5-180C. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Emory, Texas. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot, age 80, had logged more than 1,300 hours, his son said he had not accumulated many hours in the Maule, and had limited experience flying the airplane from his airstrip. Prior to purchasing the airplane, the pilot had […]
GAO calls for GA to report flight hours, as well as data on recurrent training
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is calling for the FAA to start collecting flight hours for all general aviation aircraft, collect data on recurrent training, and set “specific safety improvement goals for individual industry segments using a data driven, risk management approach.” While the U.S. aviation system is one of the safest in the […]
Slow approach, poor approach
This October 2010 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others. Aircraft: Cessna 180. Injuries: 1 Minor. Location: Summner, Maine. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: According to the pilot, while the airplane was on final […]
Ferry flight ends badly
This October 2010 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others. Aircraft: Mooney M20. Injuries: 1 Minor. Location: New Smyrna Beach, Fla. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: According to the pilot, the airplane was not […]
Diverted attention, damaged airplane
This October 2010 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others. Aircraft: Piper Cherokee. Injuries: None. Location: Richmond, Ind. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot was aware of a notice to airman (NOTAM) for […]
Fuel selector confusion blamed for engine failure
This October 2010 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others. Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: 2 Minor. Location: Durango, Colo. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The first takeoff attempt was aborted when the passenger’s door […]