aviation accidents

The private pilot did not visually check the fuel level in the tanks before the personal cross-country flight, but estimated that there was sufficient fuel on board for a one-hour flight. The flight was expected to take 30 minutes. About 15 to 20 minutes into the flight, the Bellanca 17-30A’s engine started to surge, and […]

The sport pilot of the Avid Mark IV, an experimental, amateur-built, light-sport airplane, performed a takeoff and initiated a steep, left crosswind turn to avoid horses off the end of the runway. About 300′ above the ground, he smelled “burning wires” and thought he saw a “wisp of smoke.” The engine “sputtered then died.” The […]

The pilot reported that during the approach to the airport in Seeley Lake, Montana, he was informed by a person on the ground, who was not associated with airport operations, that there was about 3 inches of compacted snow on the runway. Before attempting to land, he completed a low pass over the runway to […]

The non-instrument-rated pilot planned to conduct a cross-country flight. Before departure on the second leg of the flight, he obtained a weather briefing, which noted areas of instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions along his route of flight, including his destination airport. During the briefing, the pilot indicated that his vehicle and work was at his […]

The private pilot reported that the engine cylinders had been replaced and the flight was to continue a cylinder break-in period. The engine run-up and propeller check were completed during the taxi to the runway to keep the ground run-up to a minimum. After engine start, no anomalies were noted. Break-in procedures called for lower […]

The private pilot conducted a 20-minute local flight in the Eros 1600, an experimental, amateur-built airplane, after installing a new ignition coil on the two-stroke, two-cylinder engine. He then returned to the airport in Lebanon, Tennessee, where he landed the airplane, back-taxied on the runway, and initiated a second takeoff. Witnesses reported that, shortly after takeoff, […]

The pilot was conducting a local aerobatic flight with a pilot-rated passenger occupying the rear seat of the Yak 52, which was equipped with flight controls. The pilot’s son was flying another airplane, returning to the home airport after a local sightseeing flight near Alpine, Wyoming. The airport was at the southeast corner of a […]

Shortly after departure on a local flight, the private pilot observed that the Velocity’s engine temperature was higher than it had been on the previous day’s flight. After reducing power, the engine began to surge, which prompted him to return to the airport in Rosamond, California. Unable to maintain altitude, he elected to land in […]

The purpose of the flight was to break in the engine and to evaluate the systems and flight characteristics of the newly-built RV-8A. During the flight, the private pilot observed an elevated cylinder head temperature, which he controlled with airspeed, altitude, fuel mixture and engine power settings. He returned to the airport in Salem, Oregon, and, […]