The private pilot/owner had recently completed the experimental, amateur-built Free Bird Classic and was conducting the first test flight near Kylertown, Pennsylvania. He completed two circuits around his private airstrip before witnesses saw the airplane approaching to land. While on final approach about 50-100 feet above the ground, the plane suddenly descended and hit terrain, […]
NTSB Accidents
Plane gets away from distracted pilot
After the pilot started the Piper PA-46-350P’s engine, he noticed an error in the route programmed in the global positioning system (GPS). He reported the plane had begun to roll forward as he made changes to the GPS programming and he was not aware the airplane was moving. The airplane hit a steel pole and […]
Mechanic’s error bends Cessna 310
The commercial pilot and his passenger were returning to the airport near Tucson, Arizona, after a 30-minute personal flight. The pilot reported he configured the Cessna 310J for landing, but that the landing gear down indication did not illuminate. He cycled the landing gear several times, but the landing gear down indication still did not […]
Fuel exhaustion brings down Piper
According to flight service station records, the private pilot had planned a cross-country flight that was expected to be about 465 miles long and to take about 3 hours and 15 minutes. The first two-thirds of the flight were uneventful, but the pilot diverted to an alternate airport because the passenger needed a rest stop. […]
Engine failure at 2,000 feet
By Mark W. Johnson, CFI The morning was typical for a hot and humid July, with a few scattered clouds and a small line of rain showers to the south of the airport. My student was about to embark on his third training flight towards earning his private pilot certificate. Our aircraft, a Cessna 152, was […]
Pilot seriously injured when takeoff goes awry
The commercial pilot was conducting a personal flight in a Quest Kodiak 100 near Sheridan, Wyoming. Two witnesses saw the airplane lift off in an extreme nose-high attitude, level off, and then re-enter a nose-high attitude before it descended and hit the ground 1,500 feet south of the runway. The pilot was seriously injured in […]
Bad landing bends 180
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped Cessna 180 planned to land at a mountain airport situated in a valley near McCall, Idaho. He overflew the airport and observed the windsock, which indicated the wind was out the north and then entered the left downwind for Runway 19, which has an uphill slope. While on downwind, the […]
182 pilot loses control during crosswind landing
The pilot reported she was compensating for a crosswind throughout the final approach to landing at the airport in Ely, Nevada. During the touchdown, the Cessna 182T was “at a slight angle” and immediately veered to the right. She applied full left rudder and brakes, but the airplane left the runway and hit a runway […]
CubCrafters pilot hits trees on takeoff
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped CubCrafters CC11-16 was departing from a mountain airport in a valley in Lake City, Colo. He reported that during takeoff, he rotated at about 52-54 miles per hour, and about 20 feet above the ground, a strong crosswind from the left pushed the airplane to right of the runway centerline. […]