Probable Cause: The pilot’s inadequate fuel planning and improper in-flight decision-making, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
20251204
Ask Paul: The fall-out from not doing due diligence
Question for Paul McBride, the General Aviation News engines expert: I purchased a 1971 PA-32 Cherokee 260 about 18 months ago. I did not do my due diligence in a pre-buy and did not consider the effects on an airplane engine with only 300 hours since rebuilt in 2012 that spent a lot of time in a hangar in New Jersey.
Student and CFI seriously injured during touch-and-go landing
Probable Cause: An aerodynamic stall from which the pilots did not recover while maneuvering in the airport traffic pattern.
Cessna 172 breaks through ice while landing on frozen lake
Probable Cause: The pilot’s inadequate landing surface evaluation and failure to stop the airplane on the frozen lake, which resulted the airplane continuing into a crack in the ice.
Human Factors: A case of mistaken identity
What lessons can we learn from a pilot who crashes while landing at the wrong airport?
Waco UPF-7s dusted too
When insect pests threatened Oregon forests as early as 1945, another duster type, the Waco UPF-7, made the scene. If we think of the UPF-7 today as a vintage sport and training biplane dating back to 1937, its use as an agricultural aircraft comes as a surprise to many.
Garmin SmartCharts adds Graphical NOTAMs overlay to alert pilots of surface closures
The new Graphical NOTAMs overlay, when selected “On,” will depict active runway, taxiway, and ramp closures, as well as conditional closures. Additionally, current field condition (FICON) codes will appear on the runway label, allowing pilots to see the runway conditions while viewing the airport diagram.
Virginia launches advanced air mobility and unmanned systems test site
Developed to support the deployment of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), urban air mobility solutions, and other advanced aviation platforms, the program will serve as an operational proving ground for new capabilities that align with Virginia’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) strategy, public-private priorities, and long-term economic goals, according to state aviation officials.
GA accidents down, flight hours up
Key takeaways from the latest report from the Air Safety Institute show that in 2023 there were 1,097 general aviation accidents in the United States, including 186 that were fatal. The overall accident rate fell to 3.86 per 100,000 flight hours, down from 4.3 in 2022, and the fatal accident rate declined to 0.65 from 0.68 the year before.