A witness reported that he observed the Cessna 150 at an altitude of between 800 to 1,000 feet above ground level about two miles from his location. About the same time, he also heard the airplane’s engine sputter, and he then observed the airplane in a vertical, nose-down attitude for three to four seconds before […]
NTSB Accidents
Broken alternator contributes to crash
The pilot reported that the flight departed about two hours after sunset and that, several minutes after departure, the Piper PA-28-235’s lights began to dim. He reduced the electrical load. however, within several minutes, the airplane lost all electrical power. He chose to continue to the destination airport, which was 21 nm from the departure airport […]
Three die after balloon hits power lines
Witnesses to the accident reported observing the Eagle C-7 balloon approaching the landing zone in Ruther Glen, Va., from the south where another balloon had just landed. A video obtained from one of the witnesses showed that, as the balloon descended and approached the landing site, the pilot engaged the burner. However, shortly after, the […]
Pilot crashes during candy drop
According to the pilot, he was flying the Just Aircraft Highlander about 500 feet above the ground, dropping candy to children as part of a church outing near Roxbury, Pa. He encountered a “rotor” wind off the nearby mountain and when he initiated a turn, the wing stalled. He lost control of the plane and […]
Bad fuel system design contributes to accident
The pilot, who was also the builder/owner of the Zenith CH-750, reported that he was en route toward his home airport with each wing tank about 3/4 full. About 50 minutes into the flight, the engine experienced a total loss of power, and he was unable to restart the engine. He conducted an off-airport, forced landing […]
RV-12 and Chipmunk collide in mid-air
The Van’s RV-12 was inbound for landing at the airport in Bayport, N.Y., and had joined a 45° approach to the left base leg for the runway. The Chipmunk had taxied to the end of the runway to conduct an engine run-up. The RV-12 pilot said that he made a radio call on the common […]
Loss of control during landing brings down Bellanca
The Bellanca 17-30A pilot was using flight following services from air traffic control during the return leg of the cross-country flight and, about 12 miles from the destination, he reported to the approach controller that he had the airport in Albany, Ohio, in sight. Two witnesses reported seeing the airplane traveling toward the airport and then “nose dive” […]
Delayed go-around bends Searey
According to the Searey pilot, he positioned his plane to land in an area on a lake in Tavares, Florida, with light ripples. During the landing attempt, the plane bounced and he attempted to continue the landing instead of immediately initiating a go-around.He then elected to perform a go-around, however there was not enough room […]
Snow plus tailwind bad combination for Cessna 140 pilot
According to the pilot, after landing in Colebrook, N.H., a 180° turn was required to back taxi on the runway. During the turn, the Cessna 140’s main landing gear encountered soft snow at the edge of the runway, and began to sink further into the snow.He increased engine power to return the plane to the […]