Probable cause: The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during departure due to being distracted by looking for his phone.
Tow pilot crashes after bad banner pickup
Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to ensure that the aerial pickup towline was not entangled around the horizontal stabilizer after the banner pickup.
Distracted ag pilot hits wires
Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to avoid electrical wires during low-altitude maneuvering, which resulted in a wire strike.
Student loses control on takeoff
Probable cause: The student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the aborted takeoff, which resulted in a runway excursion.
Pilot seriously injured after plane cartwheels
Probable cause: The pilot’s unstabilized approach, which resulted in the airplane’s wing striking the ground while the pilot was maneuvering to realign with the runway.
RV-6 nose gear damaged during bounced landing
Probable cause: The pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing on the grass runway.
Two injured when Bellanca hits utility wires
Probable cause: The pilot’s intentional low-altitude operation, which resulted in his failure to maintain clearance from unmarked utility wires.
Fuel exhaustion leads to forced landing at a farm
Probable cause: The pilot’s improper fuel planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion, a total loss of engine power, and a forced landing.
Fuel exhaustion leads to forced landing on interstate
Probable cause: The pilot’s improper fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.



