aviation accidents

The purpose of the flight was to conduct low-level aerial surveying and photography. A review of air traffic radar data revealed that the Cessna 172 departed the airport in a southerly direction before turning west and then conducted two 360° turns. The airplane then proceeded northeast of the airport for about four miles before turning […]

The flight instructor was providing multiengine flight instruction to two students who were both pilots, which included simulated engine failures over the course of two flights. The Beech 76 landed at the airport in Pompano Beach, Florida, and the flight instructor told the accident pilot, who had only 2.4 hours experience in the Beech, that […]

The flight instructor reported that he and the pilot receiving instruction departed normally and climbed to an altitude of 1,000′ above ground level. The pilot completed the after-takeoff checklist and attempted to reduce engine power to a climb power setting, however the Piper PA28’s engine was unresponsive to throttle inputs. The pilots returned to the airport […]

The private pilot had owned the amphibious airplane for three weeks, and had performed about 30 water landings in the Maule M7-235B. He noted that during takeoff on the accident flight, the airplane was veering “severely” to the left, however he continued the takeoff. He said the flight was unremarkable, and he returned to the […]

The pilot departed on a cross-country flight in his experimental, amateur-built Zenair 601XL, which was equipped with an electronic ignition system. He did not detect any electrical system anomalies before departure, but, about 14 minutes into the flight, the avionics switched to internal battery power. The pilot was unable to troubleshoot the electrical system, and […]

The pilot was relocating the recently-purchased Cessna 150J, departing on the three-hour flight with full fuel tanks, which provided an endurance of about five hours. During the descent to the airport in Bixby, Oklahoma, he advanced the mixture control to full rich, applied carburetor heat, and began to retard the throttle. The engine then suddenly […]

The airline transport pilot and commercial copilot were conducting a mosquito abatement application flight near Slidell, Louisiana. Although flight controls were installed in both positions, the pilot typically operated the Beech 65. During a night, visual approach to landing at their home airfield, the airplane was on the left base leg and overshot the runway’s […]

The pilot of the tailwheel equipped Piper PA-18 reported that during the landing roll on a sandbar in Palmer, Alaska, as the sand transitioned from dry sand to wet sand, he applied brakes and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lift strut and the empennage. According to the pilot there […]

The private pilot and a passenger departed for a personal flight in a Cessna 172 to an island airport located on top of a plateau near Avalon, California. While on final approach for landing, the airplane descended below the elevation of the runway threshold. The pilot attempted to conduct a go-around, but was unable to […]