The sport pilot was conducting a cross-country flight in the light-sport airplane, a Rans S12XL, when, after about an hour of flight, the engine first experienced a partial loss of power, followed shortly by a total loss of power. The pilot twice unsuccessfully attempted to restart the engine using the emergency checklist before performing a […]
aviation accidents
Drone operator errors caused drone, helicopter collision
The National Transportation Safety Board determined Dec. 13, 2017, that the operator of a drone that collided with an U.S. Army helicopter failed to see and avoid the helicopter because he was intentionally flying the drone out of visual range and did not have adequate knowledge of regulations and safe operating practices. The incident took […]
Flight into IMC fatal for two
The airline transport pilot, who was a US Navy flight instructor and newly certificated civilian flight instructor, was flying his cousin to his home base in his RV-4 where he planned to provide her with initial flight training. He received a weather briefing earlier in the day, and the briefer indicated that visual flight rules […]
Mooney’s first flight after new paint job ends in trees
The private pilot reported that the accident flight was the Mooney M20E’s first flight after being painted. After completing a preflight inspection, he started the engine and observed a decrease in power. He leaned the mixture slightly, and the engine rpm returned to normal idle speed. He reported that during the engine run-up, he noticed […]
Ash-spreading ceremony goes awry
The pilot was participating in an ash spreading ceremony and planned to do a low pass over the runway at the airport in Reidsville, N.C. As the Aeronca 7BCM approached 50 feet above ground level and 70 knots, the pilot reported that the bag containing the ashes began to break and he “momentarily” let go […]
First flight after annual fatal
The private pilot was conducting a short flight to his home airport after picking up his Cessna 182C following an annual inspection. There were no recorded communications between the pilot and air traffic control services. Radar data first showed the 182 about 20 miles east of the departure airport. The radar targets indicated that the […]
Skydiving pilot crashes during precautionary landing
The commercial pilot of the Pacific Aerospace 750XL reported he was preparing to release skydivers when he noticed that the engine torque indication was in the red arc. The gauge was indicating a torque of 70 pounds per square inch (psi) when it should have been indicating about 25 psi. The maximum allowed torque indication […]
Spatial disorientation fatal for Piper pilot
The instrument-rated private pilot was operating the Piper PA-32-R on an instrument flight rules flight in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). As the plane neared the destination airport, the controller cleared the pilot for the instrument landing system (ILS) approach, instructed him to descend to 3,400′ mean sea level (msl), and provided him with a heading […]
Pilot dies in crash on golf course
The private pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight in Beech C24R. He last fueled the plane 10 days before the accident. Review of GPS data and fueling records revealed that between the last fueling and the accident, the airplane had been operated for nearly four hours. Several witnesses observed the airplane flying overhead as it […]