aviation accidents

According to an FBO employee who was a witness to the accident in Angel Fire, N.M, the weather at the time of the accident included strong, gusting winds from the west. The employee asked the pilot of the Mooney M20E about his intention to fly. He noted the pilot seemed “confident” about his ability to […]

The student pilot was flying a Cessna 172 on his first solo cross-country flight to Bardstown, Ky. The wind at the destination airport was from 120° at 6 knots. He chose to land on Runway 20. When the airplane was abeam the intended point of landing, he reduced power, added 10° of flaps, and obtained […]

The commercial pilot and two passengers were on a cross-country flight in a Cessna 182. The trip included flying through a narrow mountain pass near Nikolai, Alaska. The typical route through the pass required making multiple turns, and the pass intersected with a box canyon. A family member reported the airplane overdue for arrival, and […]

The passenger reported that he could not remember if the pilot of the Maule M5 checked the fuel before the flight, which originated from Woodinville, Wash. The passenger told investigators that it took several tries to get the engine to start. About 30 minutes into the flight, the engine started to sputter, then stopped. The […]

According to the pilot of the Evektor Sportstar, during the takeoff from the runway in San Jose, Calif., the cockpit canopy began to open and rotate forward. The airplane had lifted off and was about 10 feet above the runway when the pilot reached up with his right hand to grab the canopy and hold […]

According to the pilot of the Glasair II, when the plane was in cruise flight near Spanish Fork, Utah, it experienced fuel flow problems. He activated the fuel system boost pump, putting it on the high-boost setting. As he neared the destination airport, the engine quit. The airplane did not have enough altitude to glide to […]

The BD-5, an experimental amateur-built airplane equipped with an automobile engine, was never certified as airworthy, therefore, it was never issued an airworthiness certificate. The pilot reported that he intended to perform a fly-by before landing at the airport in Mount Airy, N.C. As he approached the runway about 50 feet above ground level, and […]

The Piper Cheyenne had not been flown for about four months and was being prepared for export. The pilot, accompanied by two passengers, was attempting a local test flight out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., after avionics upgrades had been performed. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot transmitted that he was experiencing an emergency, but he did […]

The pilot of the Piper Saratoga was conducting a GPS instrument approach near Stafford, Virginia, with the autopilot engaged when the engine lost power. He adjusted the airplane to obtain the best-glide airspeed and tried to troubleshoot the problem, but was unable to restore engine power. He chose to land in a nearby field because […]