During a pilot competency checkride in Belgrade, Montana, while on downwind in the traffic pattern, the pilot reported that the examiner requested a zero flap, power off, 180° approach and landing. As the Pilatus PC-12 arrived at the threshold, the pilot noted higher than normal airspeed and a greater than normal approach angle of attack. He increased […]
aviation accidents
Sinkhole claims Cessna 182
The pilot reported that while taxiing to the active runway in Athens, Tennessee, about 50 yards ahead, he saw what appeared to be a black oval, four to five feet in diameter on the taxiway. He stated that he believed it was a wet spot or an area of new pavement, and started to steer around […]
Fuel starvation brings down C210
In preparation for a local flight, the pilot performed a preflight inspection of the Cessna 210, which included checking the fuel gauges, but he did not look into the fuel tanks to verify the fuel quantity. He recalled that both fuel gauges indicated below half full. The engine start, taxi, and run-up were performed uneventfully, […]
C188 hits power line
The Cessna 188 hit a powerline near Crawfordsville, Indiana, during an aerial application maneuver, sustaining substantial wing and fuselage damage. The pilot reported that there were no airplane mechanical malfunctions. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from the powerline during an aerial application operations. NTSB Identification: CEN15CA293 This July 2015 accident report is provided by […]
Fuel starvation brings down banner tow plane
The pilot was towing a banner along a beach in Carlsbad, California, when the Piper PA 18-150’s engine gradually lost power, and applying carburetor heat had no effect. A forced landing was initiated on the beach, and during the landing roll the plane hit a person before it nosed over into the surf. The engine mount, right […]
Plane noses over on landing
The pilot was attempting a wheel landing in the tailwheel Aviat Aircraft A-1C-180 at his private grass air strip in Comanche, Oklahoma. During the landing touchdown, the airplane bounced once, settled back to the runway, and then suddenly nosed forward and came to rest inverted. The pilot reported that he did not know why the airplane nosed […]
Malfunctioning landing gear contributes to accident
During an instructional flight in the Piper PA 24-250 near Newton, Kansas, the flight instructor reported that while on final approach at their destination airport, the landing gear did not illuminate down and locked. He tried to cycle the gear with the electric landing gear handle, but the down and locked green light would not […]
Plane hits building after aborted landing
The Zenith CH-750 pilot reported that during takeoff, the airplane’s engine was producing normal rpm, and “the aircraft lifted off about halfway down the runway, but did not climb normally.” He aborted the takeoff, landed beyond the departure end of the runway, and hit a building in Gainesville, Missouri. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall […]
Student’s landing goes awry
The student pilot reported that the high-wing airplane in which she had received her initial flight training had been sold, and she had transitioned to the low-wing Diamond DA-20. She stated that she acquired 5.9 hours of flight training in the low-wing airplane before she was authorized to solo in that airplane. During the accident […]