What lessons can we learn from a pilot who crashes while landing at the wrong airport?
NTSB
Hydraulic fluid leak leads to landing gear collapsing
Probable Cause: A landing gear collapse due to a hydraulic fluid leak in the landing gear system.
Mooney pilot loses control while landing
Probable Cause: The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack while on final approach to land, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall, a loss of airplane control, and impact with terrain.
Piper bent during hard landing
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the approach, which resulted in a hard landing.
Leaking fuel drain leads to fuel starvation and forced landing
Probable Cause: Loss of engine power due to fuel starvation that was the result of a leaking fuel drain.
Lancair hits car
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to attain the proper touchdown point during landing, which resulted in a runway excursion and collision with terrain and a vehicle.
Piper hits deer while landing
Probable Cause: The collision with deer during the landing rollout.
Piper pilot runs out of fuel one mile from airport
Probable Cause: The pilot’s inadequate fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Human Factors: Finesse required
So one takeaway from this accident is to concentrate on deliberate, smooth application of throttle — of any lever, dial, or knob on the flight deck, for that matter. We really don’t have anything in our play book that needs to be done at the speed of light and the strength of Superman.