The Flight Design CTLS, which was owned and operated by the local county sheriff’s department, was on a low-altitude observation flight near Springville, California. According to GPS data recovered from the airplane, about 1 minute before the accident, the plane was flying westbound (heading 242°) over a highway, about 500′ above ground level (agl), and […]
NTSB Accidents
Dragging landing gear turns out to be bad decision
The pilot was flying over a snow-covered dry lake bed near Park Valley, Utah, and decided to “drag” the left main landing gear to “better assess the surface condition.” When the Cessna 210’s tire touched down, he reported, “Drag rapidly increased and sucked the aircraft down.” He attempted to abort the landing by adding full […]
Kitfox’s landing gear collapses
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped Kitfox reported that during the landing roll at the airport in Slate Creek, Idaho, the left main landing gear slowly collapsed forward. During a post-accident examination of the airframe by the pilot, it was revealed that the left main landing forward gear tube had collapsed, which resulted in substantial damage […]
Piper hits birds on final approach
The pilot reported during night visual meteorological conditions, he hit multiple birds at an altitude of about 300′ to 400′ above ground on final approach to the airport in Newport, Rhode Island. He continued the approach and landed the Piper PA-31 without further incident. A post-accident examination revealed substantial damage to the right wing. Probable […]
Training flight ends before it begins
The flight instructor and student pilot were parked at the airport in San Diego with the Cessna 172’s engine running when the plane began to move forward and to the right. The instructor said that upon noticing the forward movement, he applied the brakes. He reported that the right rudder/brake pedal was positioned further forward […]
Piper ditched in ocean after unexplained power loss
The private pilot was flying over the ocean and just off the coast of Miami when an air traffic controller asked him to descend to 500′. He reduced power and applied carburetor heat until he reached the assigned altitude. He then attempted to increase engine power and level off, however, even with the throttle full […]
Forced landing results from improper placement of fuel selector handle
The pilot reported the Beech V35’s engine began running roughly during cruise flight a few minutes after he switched the fuel selector from the left to the right main fuel tank. He initially switched back to the left main fuel tank, which still contained useable fuel, increased the mixture control to full rich, and turned on […]
Landing on muddy runway goes awry
According to the pilot of the tailwheel-equipped American Legend AL11C-100, he made an approach to his private sod airstrip in Las Animas, Colorado, after several days of rain showers. He reported that as the main wheels made contact with the surface, the plane immediately nosed over. A photograph taken following the accident showed the runway […]
Forced landing to road after 152 runs out of fuel
The commercial pilot reported that he visually checked the Cessna 152’s fuel tanks before conducting the personal flight and verified that they were full with a total of 26 gallons (24.5 usable) before the flight departed. Fuel receipts corroborated that the airplane was refueled before the flight. The pilot reported that, shortly after he descended […]