Witnesses observed the Cessna 150 as it departed the airport near Topping, Va., and reported that it appeared to have trouble climbing. It returned to the runway two times, but the pilot aborted the landing approach both times. During the climbout following the second aborted landing, the airplane banked to the left, descended in a nose-low attitude, […]
NTSB Accidents
Tailwind knocks plane off runway
The NTSB determined the probable cause as the pilot’s failure to compensate for tailwind conditions and maintain directional control during landing, which resulted in a runway excursion.
Homebuilt ends up in water after flying low over lake
The pilot and passenger were returning home after attending a fly-in at another airport. The passenger reported that, during the descent to land, the pilot spotted a boat on the lake near Frankston, Texas, and began to follow it at low altitude. The pilot then made a steep turn, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its […]
Exhaust valve failure contributes to crash
The flight instructor reported that, after takeoff, when the Piper PA-28-140 was about 500 feet above ground level, the engine started to run roughly and lose power. Engine rpm decreased to about 1,100 as he attempted to turn the airplane 180° back toward the airport in Granbury, Texas. However, he was unable to land at the […]
Inadequate preflight planning contributes to crash
The private pilot reported that, when the Cessna 210 was about 200 feet above the ground on final approach to Las Vegas, N.M., after a cross-country flight, he saw vehicles and flashers on the runway. He attempted to abort the landing and started climbing the airplane, but the fuel “started cutting out,” and he subsequently lost […]
Water in fuel brings down Piper PA30
An airport security camera captured the pilot getting into the Piper PA30, starting the engines, and taxiing for takeoff from Harrison, Ark. No preflight inspection was recorded. About two minutes later, the camera and witnesses saw the airplane take off and immediately enter a gradual left turn about 400 feet above the ground. The bank angle […]
Kitfox hits powerlines
The pilot was practicing taxiing in his recently purchased airplane in Sprague, Wash. While taxiing, the Kitfox unintentionally became airborne. The pilot decided that in an effort to not collide with an electric fence ahead, he would need to add full power and fly the airplane in a traffic pattern to come back and land. Despite […]
Spatial disorientation contributes to Lancair crash
The pilot/owner was ferrying the Lancair IV from the United States to Europe, and he had installed an auxiliary fuel bladder in place of the rear seat. Before takeoff, the fuel tanks were topped off, and 60 gallons of fuel were added to the auxiliary fuel bladder. The estimated weight of the airplane during takeoff was […]
Ostentatious display proves fatal for two
The pilot was providing airplane rides to family and friends who had assembled at a dry lakebed near El Mirage, Calif., in his American Aviation AA-1A. He completed two uneventful flights and then departed for a third flight from the lakebed. According to witnesses, he had planned to perform a low pass over the group, […]