Aircraft: Velocity RG. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Sanford, N.C. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The 375-hour pilot had owned the airplane for seven years and in that time had flown it for a total of 24 hours. His last flight took place 18 months before the fatal accident. The airplane’s airworthiness certificate was issued in 1996. According […]
Student runs out of fuel
Aircraft: Cessna 120. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Cordele, Ga. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The student pilot was endorsed for solo flight in Cessna 120 and Cessna 150 aircraft. He also had an endorsement to make repeated solo cross-country flights. Review of the pilot’s personal flight log revealed that between Feb. 23, 2009, and the date of […]
Too rich mixture leads to poor performance
Aircraft: Cessna Cardinal. Injuries: None. Location: Rock Springs, Wyo. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The elevation of the airport is 6,764 feet MSL. The density altitude at the time of the accident was calculated to be 7,907 feet. The pilot leaned the mixture to start the engine, but he did not lean the mixture prior to takeoff. […]
Airplane hits trailer
Aircraft: Thorp T-18. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Plainwell, Mich. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The Thorp was the second plane in a flight of two on approach to the destination. Visibility on approach was about three miles. The pilot in the first airplane stated that the Thorp pilot asked him to keep up his speed on final. […]
Failure to use checklist bends airplane
Aircraft: American Champion Super Decathalon. Injuries: None. Location: Leesburg, Va. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot went through the normal pre-flight inspection, then attempted to start the engine. He told investigators that he set the mixture full on rich, fuel pump turned on for about three seconds, then off, mixture full off, put the throttle full […]
Mechanical failure for Glasair
Aircraft: Glasair III. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Falls of Rough, Kentucky Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: According to witnesses on the ground, the airplane took off and then circled back to make a fly-by over the runway. The witnesses said the engine sounded like it “over revved” and they saw what appeared to be a puff of […]
Big pilot, small cockpit a bad combo
Aircraft: Christian Eagle II. Injuries: 2 Fatal. Location: Seward, Neb. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The flight instructor, who had 9,700 hours, was seated in the front seat giving instruction for an airplane check-out to the private pilot in the rear seat of the biplane, who had logged about 1,700 hours. The engine lost power on takeoff […]
Inadvertent spin kills 1
Aircraft: RV-6A. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: West Jordan, Utah. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The accident happened at the end of a four-hour flight. The pilot, who had an estimated 810 hours in the RV-6A, transmitted his intentions to join the traffic pattern at the airport. A short time later, an indiscernible distress transmission was made over […]
Night flight into clouds kills two
Aircraft: Cessna 182. Injuries: 2 Fatal. Location: Stanley, Idaho. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The private pilot, who did not have an instrument rating, had logged 640 hours, including 520 in the 182. On the afternoon of the accident, he checked the weather, then took off. His passengers said the pilot received several in-flight weather updates and […]