According to the pilot, before departure, the Cessna 172 contained about 24 to 26 gallons of fuel, and a pre-takeoff engine run-up detected no anomalies. Shortly after takeoff, when the airplane was about 100 to 200 feet above ground level, the engine sputtered and experienced a total loss of power.The pilot attempted to land on […]
aviation accidents
Crash into wind turbine proves fatal
During a dark night cross-country flight, the instrument-rated pilot was approaching the intended airport for landing when the Piper PA32R-300 collided with the blades of a wind turbine tower near Highmore, S.D., killing all four aboard. The weather had started to deteriorate and precipitation echoes were observed on radar. Witnesses in the area described low […]
Homebuilder’s miscalculations results in fuel starvation
During the building process of the Zenith CH-601XL, the pilot said he determined the unusable fuel amount in the fuel tanks with them uninstalled in the wings, placed on saw horses in a level attitude, but did not take into account wing dihedral, wing incidence, or pitch attitude. On the day of the accident, he […]
Fuel exhaustion brings down Beech A36
The Beech A36 departed on the accident flight, and after flying 1 hour, 18 minutes using fuel from the left tank, the pilot switched fuel tanks, and the engine lost power. A passenger reported that there was a strong headwind, so the pilot was diverting for fuel. Attempts to restore power were unsuccessful. During the […]
Failure to use carb heat while flying by glacier leads to accident
The Cessna 182 pilot was flying down a glacier near Cooper Landing, Alaska, for an extended period of time at a low power setting without the carburetor heat on. Near the toe of the glacier, he attempted to add power to level the plane, but the engine did not respond. He said that their altitude […]
Training flight ends in accident
The CFI of the Beech 76 reported that he and the student pilot had intentionally shut down and secured the right engine for training purposes, however they were unable to get it restarted. The instructor then flew the airplane back to the airport in Fort Pierce, Florida, and extended the landing gear while on a […]
Lake lost in lake after crash
The pilot of the Lake LA-4 amphibian stated that the airplane was properly configured for landing on a lake near Chapin S.C., with the landing gear retracted and the flaps extended. The approach was normal, however, he heard a loud bang immediately after touchdown and felt a lateral force in the cockpit. He then observed […]
Passenger interference contributes to crash
The pilot reported that during the takeoff run, just before liftoff from a frozen, snow-covered lake in Tanana, Alaska, the ski-equipped Piper PA-18 bounced over a snow drift. The pilot applied corrective action, however, rudder control inputs were momentarily unresponsive and the left wing tip hit the snow-covered lake. The pilot regained rudder authority and […]
Three perish in Lancair crash
Witnesses reported that the pilot/owner/builder of the experimental, amateur-built, turbine-engine-powered Lancair IVP had been troubleshooting the landing gear and electrical system on the day of the accident. After working on the airplane, he made an uneventful flight. Later that day, he departed on a flight with two other certificated pilots aboard. About 40 minutes later, […]