Accident Probes

May 2, 2020, Palmyra, Ill. Yakovlev Yak-52 At about 1600 Central time, the airplane was destroyed when it struck terrain during an impromptu aerobatic maneuver. The solo pilot was fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed. A pilot-rated witness observed the airplane make a low pass down the runway toward the south at 20-30 feet agl. He […]

The thing about airborne emergencies is that there are not that many scenarios in which using the radio will help. Sure, getting lost or trying to find better weather come to mind, but most emergencies depend on the pilot or crew to resolve them without external help. Failure of a single-engine airplane’s powerplant is an […]

It’s always been curious to me how the lion’s share of GA training emphasizes landings over takeoffs. Smoothly returning to Earth certainly requires some skill and practice, and often serves as a common yardstick for non-pilots of how good the pilot is. But takeoffs also require skill and practice, and come with some different challenges. […]

April 1, 2020, Sequin, Texas Beechcraft M35 Bonanza At about 1340 Central time, the airplane sustained substantial damage during a precautionary landing. The pilot and passenger were uninjured. According to the pilot, after the initial power reduction following takeoff, he heard a continuous “loud exhaust popping” noise. The pilot decided to return to the airport […]

March 3, 2020, Hill City, Minn. Cessna P206 Super Skylane During a flight review, the instructor asked the pilot to fly a visual approach and execute a go-around. However, the airplane became “too low and too slow.” The landing gear contacted the snow-covered runway as engine power was being added and the airplane nosed over. […]

Maneuvering speed is something fledgling airplane pilots learn about early in their training. It’s one of the more important details to know about any airplane because it has implications for structural integrity. It’s also relevant to operating in turbulence and performing maneuvers, although its value isn’t on an airspeed indicator, mainly because it varies with […]

February 2, 2020, Florence, Colo. Piper PA-28-150 Cherokee 150 At about 1355 Mountain time, the airplane collided with terrain shortly after takeoff. The flight instructor and student pilot were both seriously injured; the passenger was fatally injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. Visual conditions prevailed. An eyewitness watched the airplane’s takeoff roll on Runway 29 […]

Some mentor, long ago, explained aviation weather to me: “There are two kinds of weather you never want to fly in no matter the aircraft,” he said. “Icing and thunderstorms.” He wasn’t wrong. But until we gain some experience, sometimes it’s hard to tell when we’ve gotten too close to either weather situation. Put another […]

January 1, 2020, Ada, Okla. Cessna T210L Turbo Centurion At about 1545 Central time, the airplane was substantially damaged during an off-field forced landing following a loss of engine power. The pilot and passenger sustained minor injuries. Visual conditions prevailed for the flight, which originated in Denver, Colo., with Shreveport, La., as its destination. At […]

If the primary yardstick determining what constitutes a “bad” landing is the number and magnitude of its bounces, my worst landing ever was in a Cessna 182 at a beachside airport in North Carolina, with all the seats filled. I dropped it in pretty good, and the airplane’s eloquent reflection of my ineptitude resulted in […]