Language plays a greater role in aviation accidents than the industry may realize, according to a team from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, which is developing curriculum and training protocols in the hope of heightening awareness among pilots, air traffic controllers and others. One of the accidents the team studied as the January 1990 crash of Avianca Flight […]
aviation accidents
Crankshaft failure proves fatal
The airline transport pilot was departing on a personal local flight in his Mooney M20M when the engine lost total power. Review of security video at the airport in Worcester, Mass., revealed that, after takeoff, the airplane reached an altitude of about 200 feet before turning right and reversing direction. The airplane subsequently stalled, rolled to the […]
Maule driver picks wrong field for landing
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped Maule M7-260C reported that he landed in a field near Grace, Idaho, that had numerous gopher holes and mounds. During the landing roll, the main landing gear encountered a soft spot in the terrain and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing strut, rudder, […]
Loss of control, fuel starvation prove fatal to two
The commercial-rated pilot and passenger — who owned the airplane — were conducting a cross-country business flight. Several witnesses reported seeing the Beech G35 overhead. One witness stated that the engine made a “sputtering” sound like it was running out of gas. She stated the airplane was flying north and then turned west when it […]
Student pilot’s landing bends F33
According to the flight instructor, during the turn from base to final, the Beech F33’s stall warning horn sounded and the descent rate increased. The CFI reported he told the student pilot to go-around, and the student increased power, but the plane continued to descend and touched down on the runway at the airport in […]
Chain of bad decisions leads to forced landing
The private pilot was conducting a cross-country flight in a Diamond DA20-C1 without the owner’s permission. While en route, he reported to air traffic controllers that the engine had lost power and that he did not think he would be able to glide to the destination airport. He also said that it was dark and […]
Wrong turn distracts pilot
As the pilot was taxiing for takeoff, he inadvertently turned onto a vehicle service road instead of the taxiway as he was leaving the ramp area at the airport in Dallas. He then looked down to review the airport diagram on his tablet. As he was reviewing the airport diagram while still taxiing, the Beechcraft […]
Fuel starvation leads to crash
The pilot stated he had an uneventful cross-country flight and on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern at the airport in Salisbury, N.C., he switched the fuel selector from the right tank to the left tank and turned on the boost pump. While on short final approach, the engine started losing power as the […]
Distracted pilot hits fence post
The pilot reported he was taxiing on the ramp at the airport in Abilene, Texas, after landing. He looked to his left at the line serviceman who was “marshalling” him and the right wing hit a fence post. The Cessna 182R sustained substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. The line serviceman said he […]