Aircraft: Piper Tomahawk. Injuries: 1 Minor. Location: Corona, Calif. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: After flying for about an hour, the pilot entered the pattern to land. During the approach the engine lost power. Unable to restart the engine, or make it to the runway, he performed a forced landing into an adjacent field, where the airplane […]
Improper use of flaps by 172 pilot
The pilot’s improper use of flaps for takeoff, which resulted in the airplane’s failure to attain adequate climb airspeed and subsequent collision will trees during takeoff.
Poor go-around for Piper pilot
Aircraft: Piper Comanche. Injuries: None. Location: Lake Tahoe, Calif. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot aborted a landing due to traffic on the active runway. As part of the go-around he retracted the landing gear. On the second approach he opted to carry extra power because of gusty wind conditions, and during the landing flare, he […]
Poor power management results in hard landing
Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: None. Location: Miami, Fla. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: A flight instructor was attempting to demonstrate short field landing technique to a student pilot. About 50 feet over the runway, at an airspeed of 60 knots, with flaps fully deployed, the CFI reduced the throttle to idle and pitched the nose down to […]
Cirrus runs out of fuel
Aircraft: Cirrus SR20. Injuries: None. Location: Parker, Ariz. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: Before the first flight of the day, the pilot visually checked the airplane’s fuel quantity through the fuel tank filler necks, noting what he believed to be full tanks. He subsequently checked the fuel gauges, which indicated that both wing tanks were less than […]
Broken mag brings down Piper
Aircraft: Piper Cherokee. Injuries: None. Location: Allentown, Pa. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: During the initial climb on an instructional flight, the engine lost partial power. The CFI performed a forced landing into a cornfield. During a subsequent test-run of the engine, the engine would lose all power if only the right magneto was selected. Laboratory examination […]
Gusty winds lead to bad landing
Aircraft: Cessna 206. Injuries: None. Location: Buckland, Alaska. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot was attempting to land on a remote gravel bar adjacent to a river in gusty and variable winds. A 10-knot headwind prevailed until just before touchdown, when the airplane descend below the anticipated approach path. The pilot initiated a go-around, but the […]
Pilot fails to switch tanks
Aircraft: Piper Cherokee. Injuries: None. Location: Beltzville, Pa. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: Before launching on the instructional flight, the flight instructor completed a preflight inspection and noted that each wing fuel tank contained about 18 gallons of fuel. At the conclusion of the flight, while returning to the airport, the engine experienced a total loss of […]
Iced-up airplane stalls on landing
Aircraft: Piper Comanche. Injuries: None. Location: Colorado Springs, Colo. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: During the IFR flight, the pilot notified ATC that the airplane was accumulating structural icing. He asked for a lower cruise altitude. ATC provided the pilot with a lower altitude, but the airplane was still in icing conditions and in clouds. The controller […]