Probable cause: The airplane’s encounter with unforecast icing conditions, which led to structural icing that obscured the pilot’s vision, an aerodynamic stall, and a subsequent hard landing.
NTSB Accidents
Pilot dies when Buccaneer hits power lines
Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to see and avoid power lines while flying at low altitude.
Fatal crash caused by pilot’s medical condition
Probable cause: The pilot’s loss of vision during cruise flight, which resulted in a loss of aircraft control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to fly with a known medical condition.
Deep snow bends Cessna 180
Probable cause: The pilot’s improper decision to land on a snow-covered airstrip with a tundra tire-equipped airplane, which resulted in a nose-over.
Cessna 150 crash caused by fuel exhaustion
Probable cause: The pilot’s improper fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
New homebuilt crashes due to fuel starvation
Probable cause: A failure of the right fuel tank to supply fuel to the engine for reasons that could not be determined, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Mooney pilot’s VFR flight into IMC proves fatal
Probable cause: The pilot’s controlled flight into mountainous terrain while attempting to operate under visual flight rules in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC).
Cub’s forced landing due to stuck valve
Probable cause: The reciprocating engine’s exhaust valve being stuck in the “open” position, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power during initial climb.
Maintenance error leads to oil starvation
Probable cause: Maintenance personnel’s failure to properly secure the vacuum pump, which resulted in a loss of engine oil and the subsequent total loss of engine power due to oil starvation.







