According to the pilot, the Piper PA-18A departed the runway and climbed to 3,000′ above ground level. She reported that while maneuvering, the airplane lost engine power. After several attempts to restart the engine, she made a forced landing on a highway bridge in Girdwood, Alaska. During the landing roll, the right wing hit a sign […]
aviation accidents
Improperly installed part leads to crash
The pilot of the experimental amateur-built Minicoupe reported that during the takeoff roll at the airport in Middle River, Maryland, the airplane veered to the left. As it neared the left edge of the runway, the pilot rotated the airplane in an attempt to become airborne, but the plane aerodynamically stalled three feet above the […]
Equipment failure brings down Globe
The private pilot reported that, before departure, he performed an engine run-up with carburetor heat applied, and no anomalies were noted. He departed for the personal local flight, and when the Globe GC1B reached about 100′ above ground level, the engine power decreased from 2,400 to 1,600 rpm, so he executed a forced landing to […]
Two die when pilot on meth crashes
The non-instrument-rated pilot and one passenger departed at an unknown time from an unknown location into dark night conditions that were forecast to be marginal visual flight rules to instrument flight rules conditions. A witness observed the Cessna 140 circling overhead, and stated that the appearance of the airplane’s exterior lights suggested that it was […]
Cessna 310’s landing gear malfunctions
The private pilot was landing his Cessna 310 at the airport in Kennesaw, Georgia, after conducting a local flight. He reported that, during the landing roll, after a normal touchdown on the concrete runway, the left main landing gear (MLG) collapsed. The airplane then veered left off of the runway onto grass. The airplane sustained […]
Lack of maintenance leads to forced landing
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 […]
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 […]