The pilot of the Cessna 140 stated that before he departed for a local flight from the airport at Lancaster, S.C., the wind was “squirrelly and swapping around.” He thought the wind at the time of takeoff favored Runway 21. After flying for about 15 to 20 minutes, he returned to the airport and flew […]
aviation accidents
Fuel starvation during approach for Beech
The pilot of the Beech Debonair intended to land at the airport in San Manuel, Ariz., in order to refuel. He performed a 360° descending left turn to join the downwind leg of the pattern. As he began the turn to final he attempted to add power, but the engine did not respond. He turned […]
Brake locks during roll-out
The pilot of the Beech Baron reported the landing at Santa Monica Airport (SMO) in California was normal, but as the airplane decelerated and began to exit the runway, the left brake locked up and the tire went flat. This was followed by a collapse of the left main landing gear and substantial damage to […]
Delayed go-around bends Cherokee
During a night cross-country flight in VFR conditions, the pilot of the Piper Cherokee decided to make a landing at the airport in Livingston, Texas, prior to continuing to his final destination. He over-flew the airport, then entered a standard left-hand traffic pattern. He said everything was normal until nearing his flare to land on […]
Loss of control kills two
The pilot of the Mooney M20J and passenger were on the return leg of a cross-country flight originating from Tulsa International Airport (TUL) in Oklahoma. Before departing from his home airfield, the pilot filed the outbound and return legs for the instrument flight rules flight as “GPS direct.” At the time of takeoff the surface […]
VFR into IFR kills one
The pilot of the Cessna 182 had recently received his private pilot certificate. He had a total of 93 hours of total flight time, of which 27 were in the 182. He did not have an instrument rating. He took off in VFR conditions from a private airstrip near Lustre, Mont., then headed south for […]
Fuel starvation brings down Cessna
The Cessna 172 was in cruise flight near Wonewoc, Wis., drawing fuel from the right tank when the engine began running rough. Unable to resolve the issue by applying carburetor heat, the commercial pilot made a precautionary landing on a grass airstrip. When he loosened the right fuel tank cap, he heard a “whoosh” sound […]
Slippery runway catches Tri-Pacer
The accident happened when the pilot attempted to land the Piper Tri-Pacer on the plowed surface of an icy runway in Baraga, Mich. As he was taxiing, he lost directional control and the airplane slid nose-first into a snow bank on the edge of the runway. The nose gear collapsed, and the engine mount and […]
Cessna rear-ended on taxiway
The pilot of a Cessna was waiting in the run-up area to the runway in Nampa, Idaho. Before he could move onto the runway, he heard a loud noise and felt his airplane move. He shut down the engine and, after getting out of the airplane, saw that the left wing of a Piper had […]