The pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was to determine how much unusable fuel was in the experimental amateur-built airplane’s fuel tanks. The Fisher Classic took off with a full header tank and only 1 gallon of fuel in each wing tank. After takeoff, the pilot climbed to about 3,500 feet. About three miles from the airport, he […]
NTSB Accidents
Piper ground loops during instructional flight
During an instructional flight in the tailwheel airplane, the student pilot and flight instructor planned to stay in the traffic pattern at the airport in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, for touch and go landing practice. During the landing rollout, the Piper PA-18 started drifting to the left side of the runway. The student pilot applied a hard correction to the right […]
Cessna 206 overruns runway
The pilot made an approach for landing on Runway 35 at the airport in Kernville, California. According to airport personnel, the wind was about 170 at 25 knots, creating a tailwind component for landing. During the landing, the Cessna U206-G bounced and touched down further than normal. The airplane subsequently overran the departure end of the […]
Slush-covered windshield contributes to accident
The pilot reported that, after the cargo was loaded onto the Beech 58 for the night flight, he performed a contamination check, and the airplane was free of contamination. After performing the run-up checks, he activated the anti-ice systems and taxied onto the runway at the airport in Denver. He noted that air traffic control had […]
Pilot inadvertently retracts landing gear while landing
According to both the flight instructor and the pilot undergoing instruction, during the landing rollout at the airport in Phoenix, the pilot undergoing instruction inadvertently retracted the landing gear. The landing gear handle was immediately selected to down, however they felt the Piper PA-28R-201 sink to the left. The airplane sustained structural damage to the left wing, […]
Helicopter brought down when main drive belt fails
The pilot reported that while in cruise flight, the engine rpm of the Rotorway Executive 162F helicopter suddenly increased to the point where the rev limiter activated. At this point the helicopter was about 700 feet above ground level and the pilot performed an autorotation to a baseball field in Plymouth, Indiana. During the forced landing, […]
Engine fails due to lack of oil
The pilot reported that, during climbout on the return leg of an out-and-back flight, he noticed the engine hesitate for one or two seconds and then recover to normal operation. He continued climbing the Piper PA-28R and proceeded toward his home airport. While approaching the airport, the engine made abnormal noises, followed by a total loss of power. The […]
Jammed rudder contributes to crash
The pilot had recently purchased the Zodiac CH-650, an experimental amateur-built airplane. He was flying with a flight instructor to gain flight experience in the airplane. He reported he made a normal left hand pattern and approach to the runway at the airport in Greeley, Colorado. During the flare, he attempted to maneuver the airplane to […]
Piper ground loops during landing practice
The pilot was practicing touch-and-go takeoffs and landings at the airport in Camarillo, California. During the second landing he failed to maintain directional control. The Piper PA-18 subsequently departed the side of the runway, and ground looped, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and left lift strut. The pilot reported there were no […]