The pilot reported that he was conducting a high-speed taxi test of a Buhl LA 1 at an airport in Cottage Grove, Oregon, during which he did not intend to fly, when the plane encountered a wind gust and then unexpectedly became airborne. Insufficient runway was available to abort the takeoff, so he decided to continue […]
aviation accidents
182 hits airport building
According to the pilot, following his preflight inspection he attempted to start the engine with the electrical starter, but was unable to get the engine to turn over. He turned the magnetos to the off position and then got out of the Cessna 182 to “turn the prop through,” but was not attempting to hand prop […]
Microburst brings down GlaStar
While maneuvering in mountainous terrain about 700 feet above ground level near Moriarty, N.M., the GlaStar encountered “an extreme clear-air [sic] microburst.” The pilot was unable to control the descent rate and executed an off-airport landing. During the landing, the nose gear collapsed and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical […]
Pilots school ATC trainees
A Cessna 162 Skycatcher appeared to be slowly floating right to left across my windscreen directly in front of me, half a wingspan above me, about 40 feet away. Tower had just vectored me into the Skycatcher’s path by amending one instruction with another to proceed “direct to the numbers” of Runway 34L. I banked […]
Midget Mustang cartwheels
The Midget Mustang hit the runway in Longmont, Colorado, during takeoff after it prematurely lifted off and cartwheeled to a stop facing in the opposite direction. The pilot said he knew the airplane was not at flying speed when it lifted off, so he moved the control stick forward to return it to the runway surface, but the […]
Balloon hits building
The pilot of the AX8 105 hot air balloon reported “a gust of wind created a false lift effect on the balloon” during takeoff near Intercourse, Pennsylvania. Heat application to increase lift was insufficient to avoid colliding with a building. During the collision the hot air balloon sustained substantial damage to 44 of the 384 balloon […]
Tailwind landing goes awry
After completing one landing at the airport in Portland, Tennessee, the pilot decided he wanted to practice landing with a tailwind. After departure he maneuvered to perform a circling power-off landing on the opposite end of the runway. During the landing he touched down fast, about 500 feet from the departure end of the runway, […]
Piper pilot encounters extreme turbulence
During a cross-country flight under instrument flight rules (IFR), the Piper PA-32R-300 pilot was cleared from 9,000 feet to 7,000 feet over mountainous terrain. In the descent, he reported encountering instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and extreme turbulence, which caused a loss of control, resulting in inverted flight. He was able to recover from the loss of […]
Wind gusts nose Piper over
The pilot performed stop and go landings, at a private dirt airstrip in Drexel, Missouri. After his third landing, while taxiing to the east for takeoff, he reported encountering several wind gusts that nosed the Piper PA 22-135 over. The airstrip is located between two weather reporting stations. Winds for the area were out of the south at […]