The airline transport pilot, 64, who had logged more than 24,000 hours, volunteered to deliver the Pipistrel Alpha trainer from an airport in Indiana to a maintenance facility. He made the arrangements for the flight, including preflight planning. A commercial pilot, 22, who had logged 388 hours, chose to ride along to gain flight experience and […]
aviation accidents
Off-runway takeoff damages Cessna
The pilot of the Cessna 180 attempted to takeoff from the grass area between the taxiway and runway at Nervino, Calif. The plane was equipped with large bush wheels. During the takeoff roll, a rock was thrown up by the wheels and it struck the left horizontal stabilizer, which resulted in substantial damage. The pilot […]
Contaminated fuel leads to forced landing
The pilot of the Cub Crafters CCK was on approach to landing at an airport in Cookson, Okla., when the engine lost power. His attempt to restart the engine were unsuccessful, and he lacked enough altitude to glide to the runway, so he attempted to make a forced landing on a narrow gravel road. The left […]
Low altitude stall kills two
The pilot of the Piper Comanche, who had approximately 1,500 hours, including 689 in Piper Comanches, was attempting to land in La Pointe, Wis., after a cross-country flight. A witness heard what he described as a squealing noise. He looked toward the runway and saw the plane bouncing out of control. He reported that the […]
Cirrus caught by gust of wind
The pilot of the Cirrus SR22 was attempting to land at the airport in Truckee, Calif. As the plane touched down, a gust of wind lifted the right wing. The pilot attempted to abort the landing by adding power, but realized he wouldn’t be able to clear the trees at the end of the runway. […]
Bad first solo for student pilot
The flight instructor had the non-certified student pilot performing touch-and go-landings in Morrilton, Ark. The student had applied for, but not received, a student pilot certificate. She told investigators that she studied Gleim FAA Test Preparation since her first flight and believed that her flight instructor’s “diligent” flight training, along with the Gleim material, prepared […]
Unfamiliar airplane, poor takeoff
The pilot of the Beechcraft Sierra was attempting to takeoff from the airport in Peyton, Colo. He had logged 71.4 hours, of which 6.1 were in the Beech Sierra.When the plane reached the rotation speed, he applied back pressure and the plane lifted off. When it reached an altitude about 50 feet AGL, the stall […]
Continued flight into IMC kills one
The former Air Force pilot, 75, had logged more than 16,560 hours at the time of the accident. He took off from Fort Lauderdale in the Cessna 340 on an IFR flight plan.Four minutes after takeoff during an assigned climb to 4,000 feet, he advised the departure air traffic controller that the airplane was having […]
Poor approach, poor landing
The accident happened during an approach to the airport in Chiloquin, Ore. The pilot, who told investigators he had landed at the airport more than 100 times, maneuvered the airplane on a higher-than-normal approach to avoid tall trees on the runway’s approach path. The plane touched down at an excessive ground speed and began to […]