Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during the landing, which resulted in a ground loop.
20251009
Student hits fuel truck
Probable Cause: The student pilot’s failure to maintain adequate clearance from a fuel truck while taxiing. Also contributing was the flight instructor’s inadequate monitoring of the student pilot.
Pilot loses control during aborted landing
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane during initial climb after an aborted landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain.
Pilot inadvertently retracts landing gear when he meant to retract flaps
Probable Cause: The pilot’s inadvertent retraction of the landing gear during landing rollout, which resulted in a landing gear collapse.
C172 bent when pilot lands on closed waterlogged grass runway
Probable Cause: The pilot’s decision to land at a closed water-soaked grass runway, which resulted in a runway excursion.
Mooney’s test flight goes awry
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the takeoff roll, which resulted in a runway excursion and an impact with the runway’s precision approach path indicator (PAPI) lights.
Ask Paul: What could cause this to happen?
If you look closely at the photo, you’ll notice that the exhaust valve pushrod shroud tube on the right is bent severely and has fractured the pushrod shroud tube. The intake pushrod shroud tube is also bent, but you’ll also notice that this has caused much more serious damage because it has cracked the tappet boss on the crankcase, which means the crankcase will either need serious repair work completed at an FAA-approved facility or a complete replacement.
Seized piston leads to total loss of engine power in plane not flown in 10 years
Probable Cause: A total loss of engine power due to a seized piston in the power take-off cylinder.
Pilot seriously injured trying to avoid deer
Probable Cause: Loss of directional control to avoid a deer during landing, which resulted in a runway excursion and collision with a culvert.