aviation accidents

While practicing an emergency descent during a dual training flight, the pilot receiving instruction entered the Lancair IV-P into a steep dive, which resulted in a 0.5-G load factor for about five seconds and a transient drop in engine oil pressure of about 15 psi. As the descent continued, engine speed steadily increased beyond the […]

According to the pilot of the amphibious Lake LA-4, during the takeoff run on a lake near Morganton, N.C., with choppy water, the plane encountered about a 6-inch-high wave and water looped. When it encountered the wave, the airplane’s nose pitched up, the airplane ascended momentarily, then settled to the water. The right sponson and […]

According to the pilot of the Piper J-3C, which he was operating from the rear seat, while taxiing to the runway at the airport in Greeley, Colorado, his forward visibility was diminished by his airplane’s nose, requiring the use of “S” turns in order to clear the area in front of the airplane. He reported […]

The private pilot was beginning a cross-country flight and was instructed by the ground controller to remain clear of Class B airspace. After an uneventful takeoff, while in Class B airspace, he was instructed by the local controller to remain outside the Class B airspace, and the pilot advised the controller that the flight was […]

The pilot reported that during final approach he observed “prairie dog holes” on the private grass runway in Fort Morgan, Colorado. The touchdown was “normal,” but during the rollout he observed additional prairie dog holes ahead and applied the brakes. Subsequently, the Backcountry SuperCub skidded for about 50 feet on the “soft and sandy” area […]

The non-instrument-rated private pilot departed on a cross-country flight in night visual meteorological conditions in the Flight Design CTLS. After takeoff, the pilot leveled the airplane at an altitude about 1,400 feet mean sea level (msl) and continued toward the destination airport for about 30 minutes until he requested and was cleared by air traffic […]

The private pilot, who was also the builder of the experimental, amateur-built Sonex, reported that, during initial climb for the local flight, about 3,000 feet mean sea level, the propeller separated from the airplane and fell to the ground. He turned the airplane toward an airport in Morganton, N.C., that had a longer runway than […]

The pilot reported that he had filled the Rans S6S fuel tanks the day before the cross-country flight, but did not visually check the fuel level in the tanks during the preflight inspection. He estimated the flight would take about 1.5 hours, and full fuel tanks would have given him more than three hours of […]