NTSB Accidents

Probable cause: The in-flight separation of a portion of the propeller, which subsequently penetrated the right rudder, as a result of the failure of the bond line between two of the propeller’s wood layers. Contributing to the failure of the propeller was the manufacturer’s use of an inappropriate bonding agent.

Probable cause: The total loss of engine power due to carburetor icing.

Probable cause: The failure of the engine-driven fuel pump and the pilot’s failure to identify the pump’s failure, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation and a forced landing on a road, during which the airplane hit obstacles.

Probable cause: An in-flight collision with a bird.

Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to use taxiways shown on the airport diagrams and his subsequent failure to avoid a ditch.

Probable cause: The failure of the universal joint in the pilot-side flight control yoke due to the fatigue fracture of a rivet within the universal joint. Contributing to the universal joint failure was the universal joint design, which was prone to galling wear and seizure.

Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to see and avoid power lines while maneuvering at a low altitude.

Probable cause: The pilot’s improper glidepath during a night approach, which resulted in impact with terrain short of the runway.

Probable cause: The loss of engine power due to a propeller failure when the passenger’s hat exited the cockpit and impacted the three-bladed pusher propeller, separating one of the propeller blades.