Accident Probes

Remember departure stalls? According to the FAA’s Airplane Flying Handbook, they’re a power-on stall demonstration, typically begun at liftoff speed. The pilot then adds climb power, raises the nose and coordinates the flight controls “until the full stall occurs.” The FAA’s private pilot airmen certification standards publication wants the pilot to acknowledge “cues of the […]

February 4, 2023, Austin, Texas Boeing 737-700/Boeing 767-300 At about 0640 Central time, a Federal Express Boeing 767 and a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 “were involved in a runway incursion with overflight that resulted in a loss of separation,” the NTSB reported. There were no injuries in the incident. Both flights operated under FAR 121 […]

Primary students often encounter a number of plateaus in their training. It might be stall recoveries, landings, cross-country navigation or something as simple as “mic fright,” a fear of using the radio to talk with ATC. Often, however, it’s crosswind landings and takeoffs. The reasons for difficulty with certain maneuvers and/or curriculum stages vary, but […]

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, […]