The airline transport pilot reported that the accident flight was the Cessna 441’s first flight after a phase maintenance check, and that he was repositioning the airplane to an airport about 40 nautical miles away. While en route, the plane experienced a series of avionics and fuel-related anomalies. He eventually declared an emergency and was […]
NTSB Accidents
ILS approach in night IMC overwhelms Piper pilot
The commercial pilot and his wife departed on a visual flight rules cross-country flight to their home airport. About 46 nautical miles from the destination airport, the pilot requested an instrument flight rules clearance and was subsequently cleared for an instrument landing system (ILS) approach at the destination airport. GPS data indicated that the Piper […]
Ice contributes to SR22’s fatal stall
The airline transport pilot was repositioning the Cirrus SR22 to its home base after maintenance was completed at a repair station. He filed an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan with a cruise altitude of 9,000′ mean sea level (msl). The en route portion of the flight to the destination was uneventful. Before descending to […]
Flight to show off new plane ends fatally
The pilot had recently purchased the Piper PA 22-1 and planned to fly it to a friend’s private airport to show him the airplane. The private airport was located about 27 nautical miles east of the departure airport. A witness observed the pilot start the airplane’s engine, but he did not observe the airplane take off. […]
Bellanca crashes after running out of fuel
The private pilot did not visually check the fuel level in the tanks before the personal cross-country flight, but estimated that there was sufficient fuel on board for a one-hour flight. The flight was expected to take 30 minutes. About 15 to 20 minutes into the flight, the Bellanca 17-30A’s engine started to surge, and […]
Loss of engine power brings down LSA
The sport pilot of the Avid Mark IV, an experimental, amateur-built, light-sport airplane, performed a takeoff and initiated a steep, left crosswind turn to avoid horses off the end of the runway. About 300′ above the ground, he smelled “burning wires” and thought he saw a “wisp of smoke.” The engine “sputtered then died.” The […]
Landing on snow-covered runway goes awry
The pilot reported that during the approach to the airport in Seeley Lake, Montana, he was informed by a person on the ground, who was not associated with airport operations, that there was about 3 inches of compacted snow on the runway. Before attempting to land, he completed a low pass over the runway to […]
VFR to IMC deadly for 172 pilot
The non-instrument-rated pilot planned to conduct a cross-country flight. Before departure on the second leg of the flight, he obtained a weather briefing, which noted areas of instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions along his route of flight, including his destination airport. During the briefing, the pilot indicated that his vehicle and work was at his […]
Carb icing contributes to forced landing
The private pilot reported that the engine cylinders had been replaced and the flight was to continue a cylinder break-in period. The engine run-up and propeller check were completed during the taxi to the runway to keep the ground run-up to a minimum. After engine start, no anomalies were noted. Break-in procedures called for lower […]