While maneuvering in mountainous terrain about 700 feet above ground level near Moriarty, N.M., the GlaStar encountered “an extreme clear-air [sic] microburst.” The pilot was unable to control the descent rate and executed an off-airport landing. During the landing, the nose gear collapsed and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical […]
Midget Mustang cartwheels
The Midget Mustang hit the runway in Longmont, Colorado, during takeoff after it prematurely lifted off and cartwheeled to a stop facing in the opposite direction. The pilot said he knew the airplane was not at flying speed when it lifted off, so he moved the control stick forward to return it to the runway surface, but the […]
Balloon hits building
The pilot of the AX8 105 hot air balloon reported “a gust of wind created a false lift effect on the balloon” during takeoff near Intercourse, Pennsylvania. Heat application to increase lift was insufficient to avoid colliding with a building. During the collision the hot air balloon sustained substantial damage to 44 of the 384 balloon […]
Tailwind landing goes awry
After completing one landing at the airport in Portland, Tennessee, the pilot decided he wanted to practice landing with a tailwind. After departure he maneuvered to perform a circling power-off landing on the opposite end of the runway. During the landing he touched down fast, about 500 feet from the departure end of the runway, […]
Piper pilot encounters extreme turbulence
During a cross-country flight under instrument flight rules (IFR), the Piper PA-32R-300 pilot was cleared from 9,000 feet to 7,000 feet over mountainous terrain. In the descent, he reported encountering instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and extreme turbulence, which caused a loss of control, resulting in inverted flight. He was able to recover from the loss of […]
Wind gusts nose Piper over
The pilot performed stop and go landings, at a private dirt airstrip in Drexel, Missouri. After his third landing, while taxiing to the east for takeoff, he reported encountering several wind gusts that nosed the Piper PA 22-135 over. The airstrip is located between two weather reporting stations. Winds for the area were out of the south at […]
Piper bent when pilot loses control on landing
The pilot said that just as he was going to touch down on the runway at the airport in Cornelia, Georgia, the Piper PA 18-150 wanted to turn to the left. He applied right rudder, but it was not affective. He applied full power and attempted to abort the landing, but the airplane would not gain lift. It veered […]
Pilot porpoises on landing
The pilot reported that during landing, his airspeed was too high and the Cessna 172 bounced. He continued the landing at the airport in Clearwater, Florida, but the airplane porpoised, and on the third bounce slid off the runway. During the runway excursion, the nose landing gear collapsed and the propeller struck the ground. The pilot reported […]
LSA crashes after unauthorized aerobatics
The CFI piloting the light-sport aircraft, an Aero SP Z 0 0 AT-4, reported he was not performing aerobatic maneuvers, however a review of the onboard airplane video by the FAA Air Safety Inspector revealed that he had been performing aerobatic maneuvers in an airplane not certified for aerobatic flight. During the flight, the airplane […]