Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: None. Location: Cortez, Colo. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot made three prior attempts to land, but aborted each landing due to gusty crosswind conditions. On the fourth attempt, the airplane “ballooned” and encountered a strong wind gust. The pilot was unable to maintain control and the airplane landed […]
aviation accidents
Fuel selector mix up for Cessna
Aircraft: Cessna 140. Injuries: 1 Serious. Location: Burlington, Wis. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot took off with the fuel selector set to the right fuel tank, which was full of fuel. About 30 minutes after departure, he made a touch-and-go landing at his destination airport. During the climb out when the airplane […]
Cessna pilot encounters microburst
Aircraft: Cessna 182. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Thornton, Colo. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot, 41, had logged more than 18,000 hours, including 8,200 in the Cessna 182. There was no record of him obtaining a weather briefing prior to the accident flight. Weather forecasts predicted fast moving thunderstorms with high wind gusts […]
Night flight, night crash
Aircraft: Piper Cherokee 6. Injuries: 2 Serious. Location: Bridgeport, Conn. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The purpose of the flight was for the pilot to regain night currency, which had lapsed two weeks before. The pilot, who was familiar with the airport, said he intended to perform three full stop landings. According to the […]
Ignoring published MAP proves fatal for two
Aircraft: Beech A36. Injuries: 2 Fatal, 1 Serious. Location: Charlevoix, Mich. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The accident happened during an instrument approach in low IFR conditions. According to the pilot’s logbook, his most recent instrument proficiency check was completed on June 25, 2010, and at the time of the accident, the pilot had […]
Poor flare, bad bounce for Mooney
Aircraft: Mooney M20R. Injuries: None. Location: Lake in the Hills, Ill. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot had recently purchased the airplane and was receiving instruction to become more comfortable flying it. The accident occurred as he performed a simulated forced landing at the end of an instructional flight. The airplane stalled as […]
Delayed decision bends Cardinal
Aircraft: Cessna 177. Injuries: None. Location: Boone, N.C. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot, who was attempting to land, overflew the runway to determine the wind direction and velocity. He entered the traffic pattern on the downwind leg, extended the flaps and maintained an airspeed of 80 mph. His approach was a little […]
Poor planning proves fatal
Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: 4 Fatal. Location: Wendover, Utah. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The private pilot, 57, who had logged more than 186 hours, rented the airplane from an FBO to fly himself and three passengers to a business meeting. According to the FBO’s records, the pilot’s last flight in one of its […]
Fatigue failure brings down Cessna
Aircraft: Cessna 421B. Injuries: 3 Uninjured. Location: Truckee, Calif. Aircraft Damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The airplane entered the downwind leg of the traffic pattern high, and, in an effort to descend, the pilot extended the landing gear and deployed full flaps. About the time the flaps reached their maximum extension, the right flap experienced […]