The pilot was practicing instrument maneuvers about 1,500 feet mean sea level in a Mooney M20J near Leonardtown, Maryland, with a CFI on board, when the engine stopped responding to throttle control inputs and producing enough power to maintain level flight. The CFI unsuccessfully attempted to restore engine power, and the pilots chose to conduct […]
aviation accidents
Kitfox’s degraded fuel line results in loss of engine power
The Kitfox III was about 1,000 feet above ground level when the engine experienced a loss of power. The pilot was able to momentarily regain engine power twice before the engine lost total power. He performed a forced landing in a field near Oshkosh, Wis. The nose hit the ground, which pushed the engine rearward and […]
Pilot ground loops Cessna 175
The private pilot was landing the tailwheel-equipped Cessna 175 on a paved runway in Willimantic, Conn. During the landing roll, a ground witness heard a “shimmy” when the tailwheel made contact with the paved surface. The plane departed the right side of the runway into grass, where it ground-looped. A post-accident examination revealed that the […]
Improper elevator trim configuration leads to loss of control
The pilot reported to an FAA inspector that, after completing a preflight inspection of the Cessna 210M and an engine run up, he taxied the airplane for departure from the airport in Shirley, N.Y. As the plane rotated off the runway, he noted that the control yoke felt “heavy.” Approximately 25 feet above the ground, […]
Pilot loses control after encountering jet blast
The Cessna 180A pilot had been cleared to land long on the runway at Anchorage, Alaska, as requested. However, he became aware of a faster airplane that would be landing behind his plane, so he decided to land closer to the approach end so that he could exit the runway about midfield instead. He reported […]
Stall proves fatal
The fatal flight was an instructional flight in Flushing, Mich., with a student pilot and a flight instructor onboard. Video evidence from a ground-based source indicated that the Taylorcraft BC12-65 was in a nose-high left turn at a moderate bank angle. As the turn progressed, the plane appeared to pitch down, and the left bank […]
Density altitude, rough terrain bad combination for Aviat pilot
The pilot, who was conducting a wildlife survey flight in the Aviat A-1B, had been airborne about 2.5 hours, when the observer said he would like to take a break. At that time, the flight was over a high mesa covered in short grass near Fort Smith, Mont., which the pilot decided was a suitable […]
Cessna 152 hits power line
The student pilot stated that immediately after becoming airborne from the airport in Kamiah, Idaho, the Cessna 152 began to bank to the left. Despite her attempts to regain directional control by applying right rudder and forward pressure on the control yoke, the airplane continued to bank to the left and hit a powerline, which […]
Improper taxiing results in Cirrus SR22 fire
Following a full-stop landing at an airport in Houston, the Cirrus SR22 pilot taxied the airplane from the runway toward an FBO and then reported to the FBO that the brakes were hot before getting to his parking spot. Several FBO personnel reported to the control tower operator that the airplane appeared to be on […]