Aircraft: Zenith CH 750. Injuries: None. Location: Colfax, Wis. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot was attempting to land the airplane on a grass runway. The airplane touched down on the centerline of the runway and was slowing down when it encountered a strong gust of wind from the right. The pilot was unable to correct […]
NTSB Accidents
Piper fails to climb
Aircraft: Piper Cherokee. Injuries: None. Location: Marysville, Tenn. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot was attempting to takeoff from his private airstrip. Despite the application of full power, the airplane did not climb at a normal rate, and he was unable to avoid trees at the end of the grass runway. The left wing and landing gear collided […]
Hard landing for Cessna
Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: None. Location: Richmond, Ky. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The accident happened during touch and go practice on a training flight. According to the flight instructor, the approach was “stabilized” with an increase in engine power due to a strong headwind. The student pilot flared the airplane high, and it descended rapidly. The […]
Running out of fuel proves fatal
Aircraft: Buccaneer II. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Granite Quarry, N.C. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot added about five gallons of automotive gasoline to the airplane’s fuel tank before departing on a local flight. Witnesses saw the airplane flying at a low altitude when the engine lost power. The plane struck power lines and crashed in […]
Short field takeoff goes awry
Aircraft: Cessna 182. Injuries: 4 Minor. Location: Tiskilwa, Ill. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot and three passengers was attempting to takeoff from a 1,600-foot private airfield. The C-182 had been modified for short takeoff and landing (STOL) operations. The pilot reported he was doing a short field, maximum performance takeoff when the plane encountered two […]
Gust front catches Cessna
Aircraft: Cessna 180. Injuries: None. Location: Huntington, Utah. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The commercial pilot was using his high-wing, tailwheel-equipped airplane to participate in an Experimental Aircraft Association Young Eagles event at a non-towered airport. The airport was situated in high desert terrain at an elevation of about 6,000 feet. About 1 p.m., when the pilot […]
Drunk pilot crashes
Aircraft: Cessna 150. Injuries: 2 Fatal. Location: Fredericksburg, Va. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: During takeoff in good visibility and calm wind, about 100 feet above ground level, the airplane banked 90° to the left and descended in a spiral until hitting the ground. The wreckage was located in a residential area, about 1,000 feet from the […]
General aviation accidents decrease in 2013
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Transportation Safety Board released preliminary aviation accident statistics Sept. 15, which show an overall decline in the number of US registered civil aviation accidents, from 1,539 in 2012 to 1,297 in 2013. Although there has been a decrease in accidents involving scheduled Part 121 operations (commercial air transport), the first fatal […]
Crosswind catches Cessna
Aircraft: Cessna 150. Injuries: None. Location: St. Johns, Ariz. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot was landing at a private dirt airstrip in gusting crosswind conditions. He reported that when he flared to land, the wind shifted. The airplane swerved and hit a dirt berm. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing […]