Aircraft: Rans S-12. Injuries: None. Location: Festus, Mo. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: Neither the student pilot nor his instructor had flown the airplane before the accident flight. The student pilot had recently purchased the airplane and was receiving flight instruction toward a sport-pilot license. The CFI reported that the airplane was high on final approach so […]
High flare, bad bounce
Aircraft: Grumman American. Injuries: None. Location: Furnace Creek, Calif. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot told investigators that he was attempting to land and he flared too high. The airplane landed hard and bounced. The pilot added power during the bounce to do a go-around, then changed his mind and decided to abort the go-around. The […]
Caravan encounters ice
Aircraft: Cessna Caravan Injuries: 1 Minor. Location: Kwigillingok, Alaska. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot reported that he was flying in visual meteorological conditions for most of the flight. As he approached the airport, he inadvertently entered an area of instrument meteorological conditions that resulted in a buildup of ice on the airframe and windscreen. He […]
Crosswind bends Bonanza
Aircraft: Beech Bonanza Injuries: None. Location: Cheyenne, Wyo. Aircraft damage: What reportedly happened: The pilot stated that he was landing with a 40° crosswind. During the flare, when the airplane was about 5 feet above ground level, the airplane veered to the right. The pilot was unable to regain control of the airplane before it touched down and […]
Stoned pilot crashes Piper
Aircraft: Piper Pawnee Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Jacksonville, Fla. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot was working as a banner tow pilot. According to company’s Banner Tow Pilot Training Record, he had completed 6.3 hours of flight training as of Feb. 28, 2011. The training included 0.3 hours of “full stall recovery,” 0.5 hours of “Emergency […]
Poor fuel management results in ditching
Aircraft: Waco YMF5. Injuries: None. Location: Marathon, Fla. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: According to the pilot, at the beginning of the day the main fuel tanks of the airplane were 7/8ths full. The pilot spent the day conducting sightseeing flights departing from an island airport. The accident happened on the third flight of the day. The […]
Wrong runway for Cessna
Aircraft: Cessna 182. Injuries: None. Location: St. Paul, Minn. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The tower controller informed the pilot that the wind was from 230°. The pilot had the option of landing on runway 27 or runway 14, and chose runway 14, which gave the airplane a quartering tailwind. The pilot said the visual approach was […]
Low altitude aerobatics leads to fatal crash
Aircraft: American Champion 8KCAB Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Marysville, Ohio. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot was performing low-altitude aerobatics for a ground-based observer to renew his low-level aerobatic competency waiver. According to the observer the airplane appeared to be pulling out of a dive following a “modified clover-leaf/split-‘S,” when it hit the ground in a […]
Failure to go missed kills one
Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: 1 Fatal, 2 Serious. Location: Denton, Texas. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The commercial pilot and flight instructor received clearance to fly the ILS approach to runway 18. Weather was reported as 200-feet ceiling and 1/2-mile visibility with fog. An observer, who sat in a rear seat, recalled that the airplane entered a […]