The private pilot was landing the experimental, amateur-built RV-7 at a residential airpark in Tavernier, Florida. Immediately following the accident, a state trooper interviewed the pilot, who said the landing was his first one at the residential airpark and that he thought that the side road was the runway. The airplane struck three mailboxes, a […]
152 pilot hits snow berm on landing
The pilot reported that on his second landing he felt a “small” impact just before touchdown, and then the Cessna 152 pitched down and skidded to a stop at the airport in Shirley, N.Y. After the airplane came to a stop, he observed smoke coming from the lower left side of the cowling just forward […]
Spatial disorientation fatal for two
The private pilot was flying along a shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico in dark night conditions, with a tailwind, on an extended left base leg for landing at the airport in Destin, Florida. Witnesses reported the pilot announced a go-around on the airport’s common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF). Radar track data depicted the Piper […]
Failure to execute missed approach leads to accident
The pilot was conducting an instrument approach in instrument meteorological conditions to the airport in Sturgis, S.D. Upon reaching the decision altitude, the front seat passenger reported the runway was in front of the Piper PA-24. The pilot looked up from the instruments, but could not see the runway out the windscreen or the side […]
Distracted pilot lands on taxiway
The pilot, who was conducting a cross-country flight in a Beech 95, entered the pattern at the airport in Casey, Illinois, on the crosswind leg and set the mixture and power for landing and extended the flaps. He reported that the right engine “sputtered” while the plane was abeam the runway threshold. He immediately checked […]
Dragging the landing site goes awry for Alaska pilot
The pilot was on a personal cross-country flight to a remote, off-airport site in Sleetmute, Alaska, in a tailwheel-equipped Cessna 180. He said that before landing he intended to fly a low pass over the snow-covered site to determine the condition of the snowpack, a maneuver commonly known as dragging the landing site. He said […]
First solo ends badly
The student pilot was performing his third stop and go landing during his first solo flight. He reported that during the landing flare he heard the stall warning horn, and he bounced the landing while traveling at a ground speed of approximately 45 knots. The student pilot remarked he was not able to control the […]
Crankshaft failure brings down Cessna 210
The private pilot reported that, 10 miles from the destination airport, the passengers heard a loud “clank” and smoke entered the Cessna 210’s cockpit. Shortly after, the engine experienced a total loss of power and the propeller stopped turning. The pilot selected a field near Bryan, Texas, as a forced landing site, but the plane […]
Distracted pilot hits top of tree
During a cross-country flight at night, the pilot was attempting to deviate due to deteriorating weather. He failed to maintain terrain clearance and the Piper PA-34 hit the top of a tree. The pilot subsequently landed the airplane uneventfully at the airport in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, about 23 miles away from where the tree was hit. […]