The pilot was attempting a wheel landing in the tailwheel Aviat Aircraft A-1C-180 at his private grass air strip in Comanche, Oklahoma. During the landing touchdown, the airplane bounced once, settled back to the runway, and then suddenly nosed forward and came to rest inverted. The pilot reported that he did not know why the airplane nosed […]
Malfunctioning landing gear contributes to accident
During an instructional flight in the Piper PA 24-250 near Newton, Kansas, the flight instructor reported that while on final approach at their destination airport, the landing gear did not illuminate down and locked. He tried to cycle the gear with the electric landing gear handle, but the down and locked green light would not […]
Plane hits building after aborted landing
The Zenith CH-750 pilot reported that during takeoff, the airplane’s engine was producing normal rpm, and “the aircraft lifted off about halfway down the runway, but did not climb normally.” He aborted the takeoff, landed beyond the departure end of the runway, and hit a building in Gainesville, Missouri. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall […]
Student’s landing goes awry
The student pilot reported that the high-wing airplane in which she had received her initial flight training had been sold, and she had transitioned to the low-wing Diamond DA-20. She stated that she acquired 5.9 hours of flight training in the low-wing airplane before she was authorized to solo in that airplane. During the accident […]
Fuel exhaustion brings down Ag Cat
The pilot departed on a local agricultural application flight in a Grumman G-164 Ag Cat with what he believed was sufficient fuel on board for two hours of flight. He stated that he based this assumption solely on viewing the fuel quantity gauge and did not insert a stick in the fuel tank to check the fuel amount […]
Cessna 170 blown over by jet blast
The Cessna 170B pilot reported that while taxiing to his hangar at the airport in Durango, Colorado, a regional jet was stopped on the active taxiway, blocking his intended path. He radioed over the common traffic advisory frequency and asked the regional jet to “move up so he could taxi behind” so he could proceed to his […]
Distracted pilot hits Beechcraft
While taxiing as a flight of two at the airport in Idaho Falls, Idaho, the pilot of a red Beechcraft D17S stopped his airplane so that he could conduct a run-up of the engine. The pilot of a blue Beechcraft lost visual contact with the red Beechcraft while changing frequencies on his radio and hit the left aft […]
Super Cub’s landing goes awry
The pilot was landing at a remote, off airport site in Palmer, Alaska, in a homebuilt, tailwheel-equipped PA-18 Super Cub. He made two passes over the short strip, and while setting up to land on the third pass, he lost sight of his intended touchdown spot and landed longer than he had anticipated. After landing […]
Failed gear shaft brings down banner tow plane
The pilot reported that, while the Piper PA-25-235 was towing a banner about 1,100 feet mean sea level, the engine lost power. His attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful. He executed a forced landing to a pasture in Galveston, Texas, during which the right wing struck a fence. The airplane then came to rest upright. The pilot […]