These July 2005 accident reports are provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, they are intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Aircraft: Beech Bonanza.
Location: Oregon City, Ore.
Injuries: None.
Aircraft damage: Substantial.
What reportedly happened: The aircraft touched down and was in the landing rollout when a dog ran onto the runway. The pilot added power and pulled up sharply to avoid the dog. The aircraft flew over the animal and touched down again. During the second roll out the pilot realized there was not enough pavement to come to a stop, while obstacles at the end of the runway prevented a go-around. The airplane ran off the end of the runway and came to rest in a ditch.
Probable cause: The animal on the runway during the landing, which caused the pilot to take off and land a second time, resulting in an overrun.
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Aircraft: Ayres S2R-T34, Ayres S2R-T15.
Location: Bonita, La.
Injuries: None.
Aircraft damage: Substantial.
What reportedly happened: Both aircraft, which were being used in agricultural operations, were owned by the same operator. A 16,000-hour pilot flew one aircraft. He had just completed an aerial application mission and initiated a high rate of climb on a heading of 270°. The second plane was being flown by a 10,337-hour pilot and was in cruise flight at 500 feet agl on a heading of 360°. The propeller of the climbing airplane struck the right wing of the aircraft in cruise flight. The pilot of the struck airplane banked the airplane to the left and initiated a descent. He was able to land at a nearby grass airstrip. The pilot of the other airplane said his aircraft began to vibrate so he elected to make a forced landing in a cotton field, which substantially damaged the aircraft. The pilots were not in radio contact when the accident happened. The operator reported that both pilots had been on duty for at least eight hours at the time of the collision.
Probable cause: The failure of the pilots to maintain an adequate visual lookout, which resulted in a midair collision.
Aircraft: Kitfox Classic IV.
Location: Bagley, Minn.
Injuries: None.
Aircraft damage: Substantial.
What reportedly happened: The purpose of the flight was for a new owner to receive a flight review and dual instruction in his airplane. The pilot providing instruction had 2.5 hours of experience in the make and model. The pilot receiving instruction made a landing previous to the accident and noted that there was a crosswind from the left. On the second landing the pilot noted that the airplane began to weather vane to the left after touchdown. The pilot added engine power and right rudder in an attempt to realign the airplane with the centerline, but the airplane veered quickly to the right and became airborne. The pilot continued with the unexpected takeoff and initiated a shallow turn to avoid trees off the right side of the runway. The airplane stalled and hit the ground. The instructor pilot did not attempt to take control of the aircraft during the landing sequence.
Probable cause: The pilot’s inadvertent lift-off and failure to maintain adequate airspeed while recovering from a loss of directional control during landing.
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Aircraft: Cessna T210.
Location: Muscle Shoals, Ala.
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
Aircraft damage: Substantial.
What reportedly happened: The pilot of the accident airplane had a total of 6,800 flight hours, however his total flight time in the accident aircraft was not determined. A witness flying in the traffic pattern heard the pilot of the accident airplane report four miles east of the airport requesting local weather information. The pilot of the accident aircraft stated that he would be entering right traffic for runway 29. The aircraft was on the base leg for runway 29 when it collided with an electrical transmission line approximately 95 feet above the ground. The airplane fell to the ground and burst into flames. The post-accident examination of the airplane failed to disclose a mechanical problem or component failure.
Probable cause: The pilot’s inadequate visual lookout, and failure to maintain clearance, which resulted in an in-flight collision with a trans-mission wire.
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Aircraft: Mooney M20M.
Location: White Cloud, Mich.
Injuries: None.
Aircraft damage: substantial.
What reportedly happened: The pilot was climbing through 9,000 feet and above a cloud deck when he noticed that the oil temperature gauge was in the red and the oil pressure low. The engine also was losing power. He disconnected the autopilot and pushed the nose over to achieve best rate of glide speed, then contacted air traffic control and declared an emergency. He asked for vectors to the nearest airport. The information was provided. The pilot went through a layer of clouds and spotted the airport. He lacked sufficient altitude to glide to the runway and made a forced landing on uneven terrain south of the end of the runway.
During the post-accident investigation investigators found the oil line that was supposed to go from the cylinder valve guides to the oil cooler was disconnected. A representative of the FBO stated that recently three cylinders were removed and replaced. During the engine’s operational check, no oil leaks were noted. The technician that performed the initial work also inspected the work. The FBO representative added that there was pressure to get the work done as the owner requested.
Probable cause: A loss of engine power during cruise flight due to the mechanic’s improper maintenance, the disconnected oil line, the oil leak from the disconnected line, and the unsuitable terrain the pilot encountered during the forced landing.
