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 […]
NTSB
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 […]
General aviation accidents decrease in 2013
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Transportation Safety Board released preliminary aviation accident statistics Sept. 15, which show an overall decline in the number of US registered civil aviation accidents, from 1,539 in 2012 to 1,297 in 2013. Although there has been a decrease in accidents involving scheduled Part 121 operations (commercial air transport), the first fatal […]
NTSB study on drug use criticized by GA groups
A new study on pilot drug use released by the National Transportation Safety Board is “incomplete and its conclusions should be regarded with caution,” according to officials with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. The study of more than 6,600 cases reviewed toxicology tests performed on pilots killed in aviation accidents from 1990 through 2012. 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 […]
Delayed go-around leads to crash
Aircraft: Cessna 175. Injuries: None. Location: Spearfish, S.D. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot thought the airplane was too fast and too high on the first approach to the private airstrip, so he elected to perform a go-around. During the second approach, the plane encountered a crosswind, and he decided to abort the landing. He applied […]