The pilot was practicing landings on Pelican Lake in Wisconsin, in his Seawind, an experimental amateur-built amphibious airplane. During the accident landing, he reported the airplane “skipped slightly about 2 feet off the water, I held attitude and let it come down again, but I accidentally let the left wing tip sponson settle onto the […]
NTSB Accidents
Pilot blinded by sunrise loses control of 177
The pilot said that during the landing roll at the airport in Aztec, N.M., he was “blinded by the sunrise coming straight down the runway.” Unable to see, he applied power to abort the landing, but the Cessna 177RG departed the runway to the left and hit shrubs. He reduced power to idle and stopped […]
Pilot blames dust devil for accident
The pilot reported that during the landing roll at the airport in Jackpot, Nevada, a “dust devil hit the rear” of the Piper PA-32-260, “throwing it into the right lane and sliding the airplane sideways down the runway.” The plane veered off the left side of the runway, over a dirt berm, and hit a […]
Pilot overprimes engine, resulting in fire
The pilot reported that he landed the Piper PA-28 at an airport near Pittsburg, Pa., and parked it to address an in-flight anomaly with his headset. He then performed a preflight inspection. Before starting the engine, he pumped the primer twice and then attempted to start the engine. Subsequently, he observed smoke emanating from the […]
Helio Courier pilot loses control on takeoff
The pilot of the float-equipped Helio Courier stated that after takeoff from a lake near Bethel, Alaska, about 30-50 feet above the treetops, the plane encountered a downdraft and descended uncontrolled into trees and terrain. The nearest weather reporting station was 7 nm to the north, and reported that the wind was 350° true at […]
Crop duster hits power lines
The pilot reported that during an agricultural application flight in a Schweizer G 164 B, he was making spray passes under a power line near Paxton, Nebraska. During the last pass, the left wing hit the power line, and the plane descended and hit the ground. The pilot exited the airplane, and a post-crash fire ensued. […]
Building, maintenance errors lead to wreck
The pilot reported that, during the landing flare, the Schilling S-19, an experimental, amateur-built airplane, “ballooned.” He then relaxed back pressure on the control stick to correct, however the plane then hit the runway hard and departed the left side at the airport in East Falmouth, Mass. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the stabilator […]
Fuel exhaustion leads to emergency landing in hay field
The pilot exhausted all the fuel in both of the fuel tanks prior to reaching his destination, and was forced to maneuver for an emergency landing in a hay field near Lexington, Nebraska. After he lost sight of the hay bales that lined the field, he decided to “slightly pull up.” Subsequently, the Piper PA-28 aerodynamically […]
Pilot error leads to stall
The SkyStar Series 5 pilot reported that while on short final about 20 feet above the ground at the airport in Green River, Utah, he noticed the “attitude was a little flat.” He added the airplane lost altitude “so fast, he didn’t have time to react or even think to put the nose down or […]