By AMELIA REIHELD. “Oh, $%*@# !….” Waking up to the news that he had lost another friend to an aviation accident was not a good way to start the day for Tom Bush (CDR, USN, ret.) This latest tragic mishap claimed pilot number 21 in his own necrology of civilian and military pilots he had […]
aviation accidents
Bellanca hits VASI
The pilot and a pilot-rated passenger were conducting a personal flight near West Yellowstone, Mont., in the tailwheel-equipped Bellanca 7GCBC. The pilot was in the rear seat, and the passenger was in the front seat. The passenger did not have a tailwheel endorsement, but he planned to follow the pilot on the controls during the […]
Carb ice brings down Flight Design CTLS
The pilot reported that as the Flight Design CTLS was descending through about 4,700 feet mean sea level, the engine began to run rough and eventually lost complete power. He noted that the engine monitoring system indicated that there was no fuel flow, despite the airplane having about 16 gallons of automobile fuel still available. Several […]
Crosswind catches student pilot
The student pilot said there was a mild crosswind on final approach to the airport in Mesquite, Texas. The crosswind “picked up” before the Cessna 172 as it touched down left of centerline. He retracted the flaps and advanced the throttle to continue the touch-and-go. The airplane continued to drift to the left and the […]
Pilot loses control on takeoff roll
The pilot reported that he lost directional control of the Luscombe 8A during the takeoff roll at the airport in Ellinwood, Kansas. The plane encountered soft ground conditions when it reached the shoulder of the runway. It went into the adjoining field and nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage. The […]
Pilots hits lights after landing in displaced threshold
According to the pilot, he was completing a short cross-country flight in a Beech 58 and planned a practice short field landing at the airport in New Bedford, Mass. He landed on his planned touchdown point, but did not take the height of the runway threshold lights into consideration. During the final approach, the plane […]
Hard landing dents 172
During the student pilot’s first approach for landing at the airport in Santa Barbara, Calif., she felt she was too high and did a go-around. On the second approach the Cessna 172S landed hard, and the propeller struck the runway. A post-accident examination of the airframe revealed a damaged propeller, and substantial damage to the […]
Bounced landing ends in drainage ditch
During a solo cross-country flight the student pilot had attempted to land twice at the airport in Redlands, Calif., but due to the gusty wind conditions he had aborted the attempts. On the third attempt, the gusty wind conditions had not changed. The student pilot reported that his approach speed was never low enough to extend […]
Cessna 140 hits fence after bounced landing
The pilot reported that the Cessna 140 bounced on landing at the airport in Jonesboro, Ark., and encountered a wind gust after it ascended above the corn crop that bordered the runway. He aborted the landing attempt when he realized he was unable to regain control of the airplane with enough runway remaining to ensure […]