Aircraft: Piper Seminole. Injuries: None. Location: Lawrenceville, Ga. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: A CFI and pilot receiving instruction were practicing power-off stalls. While configuring the airplane, the pilots noted that after selecting the gear down position there was an unsafe gear indication. The CFI made several unsuccessful attempts to extend the landing gear using the emergency […]
Wing fails in flight
Aircraft: Piper Cherokee Six. Injuries: 5 Fatal. Location: Bryan, Texas. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The instrument-rated private pilot and four passengers were flying on a cross-country flight in IFR conditions. The airplane was in cruise flight at an altitude of 8,000 feet MSL when it entered an area of heavy rain showers. The pilot informed an […]
Botched takeoff bends Cessna
Aircraft: Cessna 120. Injuries: None. Location: Montague, Mass. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot was attempting to take off. As the airplane accelerated to 40 mph, the engine sputtered and the pilot reduced power to abort the takeoff. The sputtering ceased, so the pilot added power to continue the takeoff. The engine sputtered a second time, […]
Bad bounce for Cirrus
Aircraft: Cirrus SR22. Injuries: None. Location: Farmville, Va. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The purpose of the flight was for the pilot to regain his night currency. According to the pilot, he was attempting to land using the GPS approach. The airplane was lined up on the runway centerline with the approach lights in sight. At 500 […]
Failure to follow emergency procedures contributes to crash
Aircraft: Cessna 421. Injuries: 4 Fatal. Location: Sioux Falls, S.D. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: Shortly after the airplane lifted off, the tower controller informed the pilot that a plume of smoke was visible behind the airplane. Witnesses reported seeing flames at the inboard side of the left engine. The airplane began a left turn. When it […]
Scud run kills two
Aircraft: Piper Cherokee Six. Injuries: 2 Fatal. Location: St. Ignace, Mich. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot took off from an airport on the mainland with the intention to drop a passenger off on an island located about five miles off shore. No IFR flight plan was filed although instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at both the […]
Test flight ends in crash
Aircraft: Wittman Tailwind. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Fulton, N.Y. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot, who was also the builder of the experimental aircraft, was making the flight to become more familiar with the plane in order to complete the required 40 flight hours of the phase one operating limitations. The pilot had logged 759.6 hours […]
Low-level aerobatics kill two
Aircraft: Cirrus SR22. Injuries: 2 Fatal. Location: Boynton Beach, Fla. Aircraft damage: Substantial What reportedly happened: Both people on board the Cirrus were pilots. At the time of the accident, the plane was returning from an airshow and flying in formation with two aerobatic airplanes. The pilot of one of the aerobatic airplanes reported that shortly after the Cirrus […]
Experienced pilot encounters ice
Aircraft: Cessna Skymaster. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Casper, Wyo. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The 61-year-old pilot, who was the owner of the airplane, held multiple ratings and had logged 4,582 hours, including 687.3 hours in the Skymaster. Additionally, he recorded 644.7 hours of actual instrument time and 648.9 hours of night time. According to the pilot’s logbook […]