Aircraft: Piper Cherokee Archer. Injuries: None. Location: Santa Barbara, Calif. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The airplane was aligned with the centerline of the runway as the pilot applied full power. It accelerated and then began to veer left. The pilot immediately added right rudder to correct, but the airplane did not respond to the control input. […]
NTSB Accidents
Hand prop accident fatal
Aircraft: Piper Cherokee. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: San Diego, Calif. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The passenger reported that he and the pilot were both seated in the airplane when the pilot made three unsuccessful attempts to start the engine. The pilot told the passenger to “get out, I need to jump it.” The passenger got out […]
Frozen runway results in loss of control
Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: None. Location: Grand Isle, Vt. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: Before departing for a private airport, the pilot called the owner of the destination airport to inquire about the condition of the turf runway. The area had been subject to rain and below freezing temperatures in the days prior to the accident. The […]
Cessna stalls on approach
Aircraft: Cessna 340A. Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious. Location: Ocala, Fla. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: On the accident flight the 1,005-hour pilot was cleared to land and entered the left downwind leg of the traffic pattern to land to the north. A surface wind from the west prevailed with gusts to 15 knots. Radar data revealed […]
Sun blinds pilot on landing
Aircraft: Beech Baron. Injuries: None. Location: Walterboro, S.C. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot was attempting to land in the late afternoon on a runway with a westerly heading. uring the landing roll, the afternoon sun “blinded” the pilot, limiting his vision. The airplane drifted off the right side of the runway, encountered soft ground, and […]
Poor flare for student pilot
Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: None. Location: Richland, Wash. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The student pilot was practicing touch-and-goes. The first two were normal. On the third, the airplane touched down and began to porpoise and wheelbarrow on the nosewheel. The plane veered to the left and went off the runway, hit a snow berm, and nosed […]
Spatial disorientation leads to fatal accident
Aircraft: Cessna 150. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Quincy, Fla. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The 230-hour pilot, who did not have an instrument rating, landed after sunset, refueled the airplane, and took off again about 90 minutes later for an airport located to the east. According to a witness at the airport, fog was forming when the […]
Carburetor icing leads to off-airport landing
Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: None. Location: Springfield, Tenn. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot was on the second leg of a VFR cross-country flight. He was flying at an altitude of 3,500 feet in order to remain below an overcast ceiling. When he was 10 miles from the airport he began configuring the airplane for landing. […]
Distraction results in gear-up landing
Aircraft: Mooney M20K. Injuries: None. Location: Willmar, Minn. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The student pilot was practicing solo takeoffs and landings. On the third approach he extended his downwind leg to provide spacing for another airplane. He said that he forgot to lower the landing gear and inadvertently landed with the gear up. He reported that […]