Aircraft: Zenith CH701. Injuries: 1 Minor. Location: Paxton, Illinois. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: According to the pilot, he took off with a slight, quartering tailwind in high density altitude conditions. The airplane did not continue climbing or gain altitude and the pilot realized that he would not clear power-lines at the end of […]
NTSB Accidents
Taylorcraft lands with tailwind
Aircraft: Taylorcraft F-22. Injuries: None. Location: Payson, Ariz. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot and a pilot-rated passenger had planned to practice touch-and-go takeoffs and landings on runway 6, but the other airplanes in the traffic pattern were using runway 24, so they switched to runway 24. The airplane was set up to […]
Poor approach dings Super Cub
Aircraft: Piper Super Cub. Injuries: None. Location: Cordova, Alaska. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The private pilot was practicing touch-and-go takeoff and landings. The first two approaches and landings were uneventful. During the third landing, the approach was not stabilized. Instead of going around, he attempted to extend the approach down the runway. The […]
Low-altitude stall kills three
Aircraft: Mooney M20C. Injuries: 3 Fatal. Location: Grace, Idaho. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: A review of the private pilot’s logbook showed the last entry on April 28, 2011, where he logged three flights that day for a total of 1.3 hours. The logbook indicated that as of that date, the pilot’s total flight […]
Engine failure on takeoff proves fatal
Aircraft: Piper Super Cruiser. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Delta, Alaska. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: According to witnesses on the ground, the airplane took off from the private airstrip and had reached an altitude of about 200 to 300 feet AGL, when the engine lost power. The airplane turned to the left and the […]
VFR into IMC ends in flames
Aircraft: Piper Tri-Pacer Injuries: 2 Fatal. Location: Verlot, Wash. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The private pilot had approximately 1,200 hours, but did not have an instrument rating. The weather was VFR when he took off on the 198-mile flight. There was no record of him obtaining an official weather briefing. Weather along the […]
Low light, low altitude bad combination
Aircraft: Cessna 180. Injuries: 2 Fatal. Location: Santa Paula, Calif. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: According to a witness, the Cessna was doing touch-and-goes at the airport around sunset. It then departed to the west toward a river. It didn’t climb higher than 100 feet above ground level and the engine sounded normal. A […]
Density altitude, too much flap for Cessna
Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: None. Location: Price, Utah. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: It was a hot day when the pilot landed on a 3,600-foot-dirt strip at a field elevation of approximately 5,891 feet, then decided to take off again. He reported he took off with 20° of flaps and was never able to […]
Cub crunched by downdraft
Aircraft: Piper J3C-65. Injuries: 1 Minor. Location: Shepard, Texas. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot, who was practicing touch-and-go takeoffs and landings, said the wind was blowing directly down the runway about 5 to 10 knots during the takeoff roll. When the airplane reached an altitude of 50 feet, the pilot encountered turbulent […]