The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Institute (ASI) has released a new video examining an accident in Lake Placid, New York, on Oct. 1, 2023, that took the lives of former NFL player Russ Francis and AOPA’s own Richard McSpadden.
aviation accidents
Improper installation of supplemental ignition system leads to total loss of engine power
Probable Cause: The improper installation of the supplemental ignition system, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.
Human Factors: Safety in numbers?
The big takeaway from this accident is clearly that flying as a crew requires good communication and a clear discussion of who is responsible for each aspect of the flight. If we really want to take a page from airline crew resource management, duties should be divided up, rather than duplicated.
Carb ice leads to forced landing in a field
Probable Cause: A total loss of engine power due to the formation of carburetor ice.
Fuel exhaustion ends flight early
Probable Cause: The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection and fuel planning and improper in-flight decision-making, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Pilot focuses too much on open engine cover and too little on flying the airplane
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control after an engine access cover opened during the initial climb.
Student crashes into windsock
Probable Cause: The student pilot’s loss of airplane control during takeoff, which resulted in a bounced landing and impact with the airport’s windsock.
Fatigue failure leads to forced landing
Probable Cause: A total loss of engine power due to the fatigue failure of a retaining circlip in one of the No. 2 crankshaft cheek counterweights, which resulted in liberation of the counterweight.
Instructional flight ends in field due to fuel starvation
Probable Cause: The flight instructor’s inadequate fuel management that resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power during an approach for landing.