During a solo cross-country flight the student pilot had attempted to land twice at the airport in Redlands, Calif., but due to the gusty wind conditions he had aborted the attempts. On the third attempt, the gusty wind conditions had not changed. The student pilot reported that his approach speed was never low enough to extend […]
NTSB
Cessna 140 hits fence after bounced landing
The pilot reported that the Cessna 140 bounced on landing at the airport in Jonesboro, Ark., and encountered a wind gust after it ascended above the corn crop that bordered the runway. He aborted the landing attempt when he realized he was unable to regain control of the airplane with enough runway remaining to ensure […]
Retracting flaperons too early brings down floatplane
The pilot reported that he took off from the surface of the lake in Wurtsboro, N.Y., in an FPNA A-22 Valor into a 9-knot wind. Once the light-sport floatplane climbed above the treetops, the pilot initiated a left turn and retracted the flaperons “simultaneously.” At that time, the control wheel rotated left, and the pilot […]
Fatigue failure brings down ag plane
The pilot reported that the Grumman G164A aerial-application airplane experienced a partial loss of engine power while en route to the field to be sprayed near Monte Vista, Colo. He jettisoned the plane’s chemical load following the loss of engine power, but it was unable to maintain altitude and he made a forced landing in […]
Cardiac event leads to crash
The RV-6A was one of a group of five airplanes traveling to a fly-in. The group planned to land at an interim stop before continuing to the fly-in the following day. The RV was the fourth to land at the airport in Knox, Ind. During the approach, it hit the ground about where a base-to-final […]
Maintenance mishap leads to Mooney accident
The pilot was practicing instrument maneuvers about 1,500 feet mean sea level in a Mooney M20J near Leonardtown, Maryland, with a CFI on board, when the engine stopped responding to throttle control inputs and producing enough power to maintain level flight. The CFI unsuccessfully attempted to restore engine power, and the pilots chose to conduct […]
Kitfox’s degraded fuel line results in loss of engine power
The Kitfox III was about 1,000 feet above ground level when the engine experienced a loss of power. The pilot was able to momentarily regain engine power twice before the engine lost total power. He performed a forced landing in a field near Oshkosh, Wis. The nose hit the ground, which pushed the engine rearward and […]
Pilot ground loops Cessna 175
The private pilot was landing the tailwheel-equipped Cessna 175 on a paved runway in Willimantic, Conn. During the landing roll, a ground witness heard a “shimmy” when the tailwheel made contact with the paved surface. The plane departed the right side of the runway into grass, where it ground-looped. A post-accident examination revealed that the […]
Improper elevator trim configuration leads to loss of control
The pilot reported to an FAA inspector that, after completing a preflight inspection of the Cessna 210M and an engine run up, he taxied the airplane for departure from the airport in Shirley, N.Y. As the plane rotated off the runway, he noted that the control yoke felt “heavy.” Approximately 25 feet above the ground, […]