Aircraft: Cessna 182. Injuries: 1 Serious. Location: Newberry, Mich. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The airplane was in cruise flight when the pilot detected a “hot electrical” odor in the cockpit. He decided to return to the airport. While on short final, a large puff of smoke was emitted from under the right side of the instrument panel […]
aviation accidents
Rollout goes bad
Aircraft: Zenith CH 750. Injuries: None. Location: Colfax, Wis. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot was attempting to land the airplane on a grass runway. The airplane touched down on the centerline of the runway and was slowing down when it encountered a strong gust of wind from the right. The pilot was unable to correct […]
Piper fails to climb
Aircraft: Piper Cherokee. Injuries: None. Location: Marysville, Tenn. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot was attempting to takeoff from his private airstrip. Despite the application of full power, the airplane did not climb at a normal rate, and he was unable to avoid trees at the end of the grass runway. The left wing and landing gear collided […]
Hard landing for Cessna
Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: None. Location: Richmond, Ky. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The accident happened during touch and go practice on a training flight. According to the flight instructor, the approach was “stabilized” with an increase in engine power due to a strong headwind. The student pilot flared the airplane high, and it descended rapidly. The […]
Running out of fuel proves fatal
Aircraft: Buccaneer II. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Granite Quarry, N.C. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot added about five gallons of automotive gasoline to the airplane’s fuel tank before departing on a local flight. Witnesses saw the airplane flying at a low altitude when the engine lost power. The plane struck power lines and crashed in […]
Short field takeoff goes awry
Aircraft: Cessna 182. Injuries: 4 Minor. Location: Tiskilwa, Ill. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot and three passengers was attempting to takeoff from a 1,600-foot private airfield. The C-182 had been modified for short takeoff and landing (STOL) operations. The pilot reported he was doing a short field, maximum performance takeoff when the plane encountered two […]
Gust front catches Cessna
Aircraft: Cessna 180. Injuries: None. Location: Huntington, Utah. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The commercial pilot was using his high-wing, tailwheel-equipped airplane to participate in an Experimental Aircraft Association Young Eagles event at a non-towered airport. The airport was situated in high desert terrain at an elevation of about 6,000 feet. About 1 p.m., when the pilot […]
Drunk pilot crashes
Aircraft: Cessna 150. Injuries: 2 Fatal. Location: Fredericksburg, Va. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: During takeoff in good visibility and calm wind, about 100 feet above ground level, the airplane banked 90° to the left and descended in a spiral until hitting the ground. The wreckage was located in a residential area, about 1,000 feet from the […]
Crosswind catches Cessna
Aircraft: Cessna 150. Injuries: None. Location: St. Johns, Ariz. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot was landing at a private dirt airstrip in gusting crosswind conditions. He reported that when he flared to land, the wind shifted. The airplane swerved and hit a dirt berm. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing […]