Accident Probes

January 23, 2023, Provo, Utah Embraer EMB-505 Phenom 300 At about 1135 Mountain time, the airplane was substantially damaged during an attempted takeoff. The pilot sustained fatal injuries, two passengers were seriously injured and one passenger sustained minor injuries. Instrument conditions prevailed. A witness reported the accident airplane was hangared until 1055, when it was […]

One of the truisms in aviation is that there’s weather no airplane should tackle. The addendum is that if you want to go shoot approaches in your Cessna 150 through relatively benign IMC, there’s probably not that much that can go wrong. But even a 747 likely won’t tolerate extreme icing. And we all (should) […]

December 2, 2022, Falmouth, Mass. Mooney M20J 201 At about 1504 Eastern time, the airplane was destroyed when it contacted terrain short of the intended runway. The private pilot was fatally injured; the commercial pilot in the right seat was seriously injured. Visual conditions prevailed. According to the NTSB, the commercial pilot “was not the […]

Outside of large training organizations or fleet operations, there is little standardization of equipment, systems or procedures within general aviation. Toss in a few years among different owners and identical airplanes that rolled off an assembly line together 10 or 20 years earlier will vary wildly in their equipment, maintenance history and wear and tear. […]

November 3, 2022, Mesa, Ariz. Eclipse Aerospace EA500 At about 1915 Mountain time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it departed the runway while landing. The pilot and co-pilot were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed for the post-maintenance positioning flight, which operated on an IFR flight plan. Both pilots later reported they touched down in […]

As new aircraft and avionics become more sophisticated and capable, a pilot’s learning curve becomes more complicated. Understanding how and why things work the way they do is a critical part of our training and study. Brian Sagi’s article beginning on page 12, “Automation Misbehavior,” explores some of the ramifications and remedial actions pilots should […]

October 1, 2022, Hermantown, Minn. Cessna 172S Skyhawk SP At 2317 Central time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain after an apparent loss of control in instrument conditions. The instrument-rated commercial pilot and two passengers sustained fatal injuries. An IFR flight plan had been filed. As the flight taxied for takeoff, […]

Owning an aircraft is an empowering experience. Winged assets in your hip pocket can open up all kinds of opportunities and adventures free of many concerns associated with traditional clubs and aircraft rental operations. It’s also an awesome responsibility, often isn’t kind to your wallet and can bring many new and unanticipated challenges. For one […]

New data from the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) show that fatal accidents involving experimental aircraft—homebuilts and others—were up sharply during the federal fiscal year ending September 30, to 56. In FY2021, the number of fatals was 42. The new numbers come from the FAA’s ongoing data tracking. “The fatal accident totals, for both amateur-builts and […]

September 1, 2022, Orlando, Fla. Diamond Aircraft DA42 NG Twin Star At about 1700 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it flipped over in high winds and came to rest inverted. The private pilot was fatally injured and the flight instructor was seriously injured. Instrument conditions prevailed as the intended instructional flight waited […]