WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is preparing short videos about five safety alerts for general aviation covering the most frequent types of GA accidents. The videos will be available this spring and feature regional air safety investigators sharing their experiences and observations of the various accidents they investigate. The NTSB investigates […]
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Off-airport landing for Cessna 150
Aircraft: Cessna 150. Injuries: None. Location: Maury City, Tenn. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: During a local flight at 500 feet AGL and about 10 miles from the departure airport, the pilot reported hearing a “pop” sound from the rear of the airplane. Concerned about whether further flight was safe, he elected to perform […]
NTSB to consider new safety alerts for GA
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Transportation Safety Board will meet today to consider five Safety Alerts aimed at reducing the number of general aviation accidents. A Safety Alert is a brief information sheet that pinpoints a particular safety issue and offers practical remedies to address the hazard. Each year the NTSB investigates about 1,500 GA […]
Student mistake puts plane off runway
Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: None. Location: Appleton, Wis. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The student pilot was practicing takeoffs. During an attempted short field takeoff, he accelerated the airplane to about 58 knots indicated airspeed when the airplane veered left. He reduced the power and applied right rudder to keep the airplane on the […]
Anti-authority attitude kills two
Aircraft: Cessna 150. Injuries: 2 Fatal. Location: Baraboo, Wis. Aircraft damage: Destroyed. What reportedly happened: The non-instrument-rated student pilot departed on a 108-nautical-mile cross-country flight. He did not have an instructor’s endorsement to conduct the cross-country flight and was carrying a passenger, contrary to regulations. He had only accumulated 0.5 hours of simulated instrument training. […]
Ground loop for Luscombe
Aircraft: Luscombe 8E. Injuries: None. Location: Taunton, Mass. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: At the time of landing the wind was reported as variable from 30° to 300° gusting from 12 knots to 22 knots. The touchdown was uneventful, however, on the landing roll, at taxi speed, a strong crosswind gust exceeded rudder authority, […]
Landing gets away from pilot
Aircraft: Cessna 182. Injuries: None. Location: Waynesburg, Pa. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot checked the wind conditions prior to landing and calculated the maximum crosswind component to be 15 knots, which included wind gusts. On final approach he was able to maintain runway alignment, but after touchdown, the airplane veered to the […]
Inexperience with autopilot fatal for Cessna pilots
Aircraft: Cessna 310. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Smyrna, Tenn. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: According to the technician who performed the autopilot installation and troubleshooting work on the airplane, when he accompanied the pilot on the first flight that day the pilot seemed to be unfamiliar with the autopilot operation. The pilot worked the […]
In-flight break up for experimental
Aircraft: KR2. Injuries: 1 Fatal. Location: Newberry Springs, Calif. Aircraft damage: Substantial. What reportedly happened: The pilot had no previous experience in the experimental airplane, although he did have the last registered owner of the airplane give him a one-hour overview of the airplane, including a demonstration of the flight controls. The previous owner stated […]