Aircraft: Cirrus SR20. Injuries: 1 Minor. Location: New Orleans. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: Shortly after takeoff in IFR conditions over water, the pilot noted a rapid increase in the temperature of the No. 2 cylinder head, followed by a drop in oil pressure. He declared an emergency and attempted to return to the airport. The engine failed […]
aviation accidents
Poor fuel management brings down Beech
Aircraft: Beech Bonanza. Injuries: None. Location: Elkhart Lake, Wis. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot departed for the planned 1 hour and 40 minute flight with 58 total gallons of fuel on board. While in cruise flight at 2,500 feet MSL, the engine lost power. After switching fuel tanks and several unsuccessful engine restart attempts, he made […]
Night landing goes bad
Aircraft: Cessna 182. Injuries: None. Location: Alexandria, Minn. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot was attempting to land at night when the airplane lost electrical power. During the landing flare, the pilot lost sight of the runway lights on the right side of the airplane. The airplane went off the runway and hit a runway sign. Probable […]
Pilot gets lost at night
Aircraft: Cessna 180. Injuries: None. Location: Eau Claire, Wis. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: During a personal sightseeing flight in the late afternoon, the pilot landed the airplane at a controlled airport without contacting the control tower. According to the manager of an FBO at the airport, the pilot didn’t know what airport he was at, and was […]
Get-home-itis kills three
Aircraft: Cessna 182. Injuries: 3 Fatal. Location: Lake Havasu, Ariz. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The non-instrument-rated pilot was flying two friends home after a football game. He had flown the same route at night on four previous occasions, the most recent of which was two weeks before the accident. On both occasion the skies were clear and […]
Crosswind crimps experimental airplane
Aircraft: CX4. Injuries: None. Location: San Carlos, Ariz. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot reported that, during takeoff from an asphalt runway, the tailwheel-equipped airplane experienced a gust of wind from the left. The pilot corrected for it and maintained directional control until the plane encountered a second gust of wind from the left and, despite the […]
Poor maintenance brings down Cessna
Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: 2 Minor. Location: Pompano Beach, Fla. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: According to the pilot, the airplane was descending on final approach when the throttle control became stuck on idle. Attempts to restore power were unsuccessful and the pilot made a forced landing on a road. The airplane hit a lightpost. The post-accident examination […]
Student forgets to raise flaps
Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Sturgis, S.D. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The accident happened while the student pilot was practicing supervised solo takeoffs and landings. The flight instructor stated that after the second solo landing, the student did not retract the airplane’s flaps before beginning the next takeoff. After takeoff, the airplane entered a half-turn […]
Showing off kills two
Aircraft: Beech Mentor. Injuries: 2 Fatal. Location: Williston, Fla. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot, a CFI, took off from a turf runway surrounded by trees. Witnesses said the airplane became airborne within a couple of hundred feet, ballooned up, then leveled off just above the runway and accelerated. When the airplane passed abeam the witnesses, […]