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 […]
NTSB Accidents
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 […]
Maintenance issues prove fatal for Fly Baby pilot
The plans-built single-seat Bowers Fly Baby 1A had been built about eight years before the accident by another individual, who had flown it about 30 hours before it was purchased by the current owner/pilot. In the year since the purchase, due to the low build-quality of the airplane, the pilot had made several modifications and […]
Sun blinds Aeronca pilot
The pilot, who was landing to the west on a private, grass airstrip in Port Gibson, Miss., stated that as the Aeronca 7AC touched down, he became blinded by the setting sun that was low on the horizon. The plane subsequently veered to the right into a tree line, which resulted in substantial damage to […]
Student pilot loses control during go-around
During the supervised solo flight in the Cirrus SR20, the student pilot had completed three previous circuits in the traffic pattern in Sanford, Florida, with two of the three landing attempts aborted. On the fourth attempt, a 70° right crosswind “blew” the airplane off the left side of the runway. The student pilot then applied […]
Beach takeoff goes awry
The pilot was taking off from a sloping beach in Kenai, Alaska, in his tailwheel-equipped Piper PA-18A-150. He noted that the tide had come in, narrowing his takeoff path. During the takeoff roll, the right main landing gear tire hit an object on the beach, the plane pivoted to the left, and the left wing […]
Improper fuel planning breaks 172
The pilot departed on the two-hour flight with the fuel quantity gauge of each fuel tank indicating about half full, but did not verify the quantity of fuel present in the tanks prior to the flight. Approximately 20 minutes from the destination airport, the left fuel tank gauge indicated between empty and one-quarter full, and […]