Aircraft: Piper Cherokee. Injuries: None. Location: Chester, Conn. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot was trying to land. The first two approaches terminated in go-arounds. On the third approach he felt that the airplane was high and fast, but decided to try to land anyway. The Cherokee touched down and overran the runway, going off the […]
NTSB Accidents
Downwind landing goes bad
Aircraft: Cessna 206. Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Minor. Location: Homer, Alaska. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The accident happened during an approach to a lake. Just as the airplane touched down, a gust of wind lifted the left wing and the right wing struck the water. The airplane nosed over abruptly, and the cabin immediately filled with […]
Open canopy leads to loss of control
Aircraft: Evektor Sportstar Injuries: None. Location: Lancaster, Pa. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: According to the pilot, as the airplane lifted off, the canopy opened. He simultaneously attempted to close the canopy while attempting to fly the airplane, but lost control of the airplane. The Sportstar landed hard on the runway. Probable cause: The pilot’s attempt to secure […]
Wrong lever results in bad landing
Aircraft: Beech Baron. Injuries: None. Location: Atlanta, Ga. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot was practicing touch-and-go landings. After touchdown, he intended to retract the flaps, but inadvertently selected the landing gear control lever. The landing gear partially retracted, and the plane settled onto the runway, resulting in substantial damage to a nose section bulkhead. Probable […]
Non-certified pilot runs out of fuel
Aircraft: Bellanca Scout Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Zahl, N.D. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot, 33, did not have a valid pilot certificate or medical certificate. His last aviation medical exam was dated April 27, 1997. At that time, he reported a total flight time of 15 hours. The airplane belonged to his father. Witnesses saw […]
VFR flight into IFR kills one
Aircraft: Piper Cherokee. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Mountain Home, Idaho. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The non-instrument-rated pilot was on a VFR cross-country flight over mountainous terrain. Weather radar for the area at the time of the flight showed rain/snow showers. There was an AIRMET in the area for mountain obscuration and the reported freezing level was […]
Poor inspection results in crash
Aircraft: Remos GX. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Westminister, Md. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The pilot was also a mechanic. He disassembled the airplane for storage during the winter. The Remos is designed with foldable wings and a removable tail to facilitate storage and transportation. He subsequently reassembled the Remos and inspected it with the intent of […]
C-170 goes off runway
Aircraft: Cessna 170. Injuries: None. Location: Pullman, Wash. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: A CFI was providing tailwheel instruction to a pilot who intended to purchase the airplane. They had completed 10.7 hours of training, which included 56 landings. The CFI said he felt pressured to complete the training since the pilot planned to depart the following […]
Failure to maintain airspeed proves fatal
Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: 4 Fatal. Location: Veneta, Ore. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: According to several people at the airport, shortly after the airplane took off from the grass runway, the sound of the engine stopped. One witness reported that he saw the airplane fly over 100-foot-tall trees north of him at an altitude of about […]