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 […]
NTSB Accidents
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, […]
Trip to backcountry ends in crash
The owner/pilot was participating in a fly-in to a backcountry airport in Big Creek, Idaho, that he had flown into once about two years before. He was the last of his group to arrive in the airport vicinity, and he reported that he was using his GPS, published guidance, and information from fellow pilots to navigate […]
Broken bolt bends Cessna
The Cessna 180H had recently undergone maintenance to realign the main landing gear. During the third landing, the plane turned sharply to the left upon touchdown. The pilot attempted a go-around, but the airplane continued to veer off the runway surface, exited the runway safety area, and hit the upslope of a drainage ditch at the […]
Loss of power leads to accident
The pilot reported that he performed several high-speed taxis on his private airstrip near Pennsboro, W.Va. After about 15 minutes, he initiated a takeoff on the 1,780-foot-long turf runway. About 100 feet above ground level, the CubCrafters CC18-180’s engine either lost all power or went to idle (the pilot could not be sure). He did state that […]
