Aircraft: Evektor Sportstar Injuries: None. Location: Lancaster, Pa. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: According to the pilot, as the airplane lifted off, the canopy opened. He simultaneously attempted to close the canopy while attempting to fly the airplane, but lost control of the airplane. The Sportstar landed hard on the runway. Probable cause: The pilot’s attempt to secure […]
NTSB Accidents
Wrong lever results in bad landing
Aircraft: Beech Baron. Injuries: None. Location: Atlanta, Ga. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot was practicing touch-and-go landings. After touchdown, he intended to retract the flaps, but inadvertently selected the landing gear control lever. The landing gear partially retracted, and the plane settled onto the runway, resulting in substantial damage to a nose section bulkhead. Probable […]
Non-certified pilot runs out of fuel
Aircraft: Bellanca Scout Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Zahl, N.D. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot, 33, did not have a valid pilot certificate or medical certificate. His last aviation medical exam was dated April 27, 1997. At that time, he reported a total flight time of 15 hours. The airplane belonged to his father. Witnesses saw […]
VFR flight into IFR kills one
Aircraft: Piper Cherokee. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Mountain Home, Idaho. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The non-instrument-rated pilot was on a VFR cross-country flight over mountainous terrain. Weather radar for the area at the time of the flight showed rain/snow showers. There was an AIRMET in the area for mountain obscuration and the reported freezing level was […]
Poor inspection results in crash
Aircraft: Remos GX. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Westminister, Md. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot was also a mechanic. He disassembled the airplane for storage during the winter. The Remos is designed with foldable wings and a removable tail to facilitate storage and transportation. He subsequently reassembled the Remos and inspected it with the intent of […]
C-170 goes off runway
Aircraft: Cessna 170. Injuries: None. Location: Pullman, Wash. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: A CFI was providing tailwheel instruction to a pilot who intended to purchase the airplane. They had completed 10.7 hours of training, which included 56 landings. The CFI said he felt pressured to complete the training since the pilot planned to depart the following […]
Failure to maintain airspeed proves fatal
Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: 4 Fatal. Location: Veneta, Ore. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: According to several people at the airport, shortly after the airplane took off from the grass runway, the sound of the engine stopped. One witness reported that he saw the airplane fly over 100-foot-tall trees north of him at an altitude of about […]
Poor go-around for Cessna 177
Aircraft: Cessna 177. Injuries: None. Location: West Milford, N.J. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: According to the pilot, the airplane bounced during the landing. He added power in an attempt to recover, then decided to perform a go-around. He performed the go-around checklist, but inadvertently retracted the flaps to the zero degree, or “UP” position, instead of […]
Non-approved modifications contribute to crash
Aircraft: Socata TV21. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Gold Hill, N.C. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot intended to fly from his home airport in North Carolina to Germany, where he had another residence. During the weeks before the accident, he made several modifications to the airplane in preparation for the trip. Friends and witnesses described the […]