Aircraft: Cessna T182. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Ludlow, Calif. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot was on a cross-country flight in night visual meteorological conditions and requested flight following from air traffic control. According to radar data, about 11 minutes after takeoff, the airplane leveled off at 14,800 feet MSL. About 30 minutes later, when the plane […]
NTSB Accidents
Distraction leads to crash
Aircraft: Zodiac CH 601XL. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Belmont, Ohio. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot had previously flown the experimental, amateur-built airplane cross-country to a potential buyer but the sale was not completed and the airplane did not fly for several months until arrangements could be made to return the airplane. The accident happened when […]
Bad fuel management for Baron
Aircraft: Beech Baron. Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious. Location: Broken Bow, Neb. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot stated that the airplane was fully fueled before departure. The fuel system was composed of two 37-gallon main fuel tanks and two 31-gallon auxiliary fuel tanks. The pilot stated he had not used any of the fuel in […]
Departure stall kills one
Aircraft: Avid Flyer MK4. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Waxhaw, N.C. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: According to several eyewitnesses who were pilots, the pilot of the airplane initiated a go-around about 30 feet above ground level. The airplane had about a 30° nose-up attitude at first, then the pitch attitude increased. When the plane was at treetop […]
Gusty wind leads to bad bounce
Aircraft: Allegro. Injuries: None. Location: Groveland, Fla. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot was attempting to land in a gusting, quartering tailwind. The airplane bounced three times. After the third bounce, he added power to perform a go-around. During the go-around, the wind blew the plane to the left of the runway, where it crashed in […]
Poor fuel management by Piper pilot
Aircraft: Piper Cherokee. Injuries: 1 Serious. Location: Margaret, Ala. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot and passenger departed on a local flight. The airplane was in cruise flight, about 1,000 feet AGL, when the engine lost power. Attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful. The pilot made an emergency landing on a road, and the airplane […]
Loss of control on takeoff
Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: 1 Minor. Location: Colorado Springs, Colo. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot reported that the wind during takeoff was from the right at 9 knots, gusting to 13 knots. He rotated the airplane at 55 knots, then it started to drift. He heard the stall warning horn, so he lowered the nose […]
Mid-air in VFR conditions kills two
Aircraft: Cessna 172, Cessna 180. Injuries: 2 Fatal, 1 Minor. Location: Longmont, Colo. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: Day VFR conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, with reported visibilities at 60 miles. Neither pilot was receiving air traffic control advisories at the time of the collision. Radar track data depicted the airplanes on gradually converging […]
Mechanical malfunction brings down Debonair
Aircraft: Beechcraft Debonair. Injuries: None. Location: St. George, Utah. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: According to the pilot, during cruise flight, the engine’s exhaust gas temperature was hotter than normal and the fuel flow was lower than normal. The engine lost power and multiple attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful. The pilot made a gear-up forced […]