Probable cause:The total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined. Contributing to the outcome was the student pilot’s improper decision to conduct a solo cross-country flight at night, which resulted in the airplane being destroyed when it hit a wooded area that the student thought was an open field.
Picture of the Day: Instructing from the back seat
Richard Wyeroski submitted this photo and note: “Flight training from the back seat of a 1947 Aeronca 7AC. This is what the instructor sees from the back seat teaching a new student in his new airplane. It’s tough to see any instruments and you cannot see too well on takeoff and landing. That’s how one sets power by ear and judges altitude by eye.”
Pilot Report: A World War II commemoration flight over Washington, D.C.
Neither event turned out exactly as the planners, donors, or participants had expected.
Accidents continue downward trend
Fatal accidents are down, while flight hours are up.
Flying car hits takeoff speed
The company reports 1,313 reservations for the $150,000 flying car.
New prop STC’d for Piper PA-28s
The new prop promises cooler CHTs and less weight.
Pilot chooses wrong place to take off
Probable cause: The pilot’s selection of unsuitable terrain for takeoff, which resulted in a collision with vegetation and a subsequent loss of directional control.
Picture of the Day: Hanging out with the clouds
Steve Sundstrom submitted this photo and note: “Great day to hang out with the clouds.😎”
Pilot Report: A World War II commemoration flight over Hawaii
Neither event turned out exactly as expected. But the people who served, worked, fought, and died during World War II experienced a much more dangerous and uncertain world than the one we live in.