The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a new blog series, Inside the NTSB’s General Aviation Investigative Process. The series explores how medical, mechanical, and general safety issues are examined in the agency’s investigations.
Bird strike bends Piper
The pilot reported the Piper PA-23-250 was in cruise flight at 2,500 feet above mean sea level (1,920 feet above ground level) when he heard a “bang” and felt a jolt in the flight controls. He noted no abnormal flight characteristics, so he continued the flight and landed without incident in Joliet, Illinois. After landing, […]
Tail strike damages Aero Commander
According to the pilot, during the takeoff roll, a vehicle entered the runway at the airport in The Dalles, Oregon, and he immediately pulled back on the yoke in his Aero Commander 500B to climb and avoid the vehicle. As the airplane began to rotate, he simultaneously retracted the landing gear, and he felt a […]
Hard landing bends Cessna 177
The pilot reported that the Cessna 177 porpoised three times on the second landing, and bounced once on the third and final landing. He reported that while taxing to the fuel pump at the airport in Los Angeles, he noticed he had a “flat tire” on the nose wheel. During a post-accident examination of the […]
Pilot’s attempt to return to airport goes awry
According to the pilot, shortly after takeoff he noticed that there was no movement on the header tank fuel float gauge in the Ercoupe 415-C. He went on to say that the fuel float gauge then started to move “down quickly,” and since he still had the airport at Fairmont, West Virginia, in sight, he […]
Pilot’s excessive speed on landing bends Cessna 206
The pilot was conducting a skydiver jump run. Before letting the skydivers out of the Cessna 206, the radio squelch interrupter failed, causing a constant static noise. After letting the skydivers out over the airport in Titusville, Florida, the pilot set up the descent based on the winds acquired for the previous landing on Runway […]
Searey flips after hitting submerged object in river
The pilot of the amphibious Searey stated that after a normal touchdown on a river in Augusta, Kentucky, “5-10 seconds later we were upside down.” The pilot and passenger were able to exit the airplane into the water and a nearby boater came to their assistance. The pilot stated he believed he struck a submerged […]
Pilot’s poor planning results in fuel exhaustion
During a local flight, the pilot reported that the engine on his Sonex quit while maneuvering about 1,200 feet above ground level. The pilot felt his only option was to land in a soybean field near Wolcottville, Indiana. He attempted to fly as slow as possible prior to touchdown. After rolling about 50 feet in the […]
Equipment failure contributes to crash in a forest
The pilot reported that, after takeoff, the Zenith CH-750’s engine lost partial power about 100 feet above ground level and that he then attempted to return to the airport in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He added that “the engine would not keep me flying and the airplane just fell into the forest.” The pilot was seriously injured in […]