Accident Probes

It’s an article of faith in aviation and other endeavors that having more experience with a specific machine is less risky than having less. In aviation, we measure this by the number of hours accrued in a specific aircraft type. A corollary is that pilots with relatively few hours in-type are at greater risk of […]

When one pores over the number of accident reports I have over the years, a few things stand out. One is there are a lot of engine failures resulting in the NTSB’s definition of an accident. Another is that post-accident investigation frequently fails to identify a reason for the failure; the engine runs fine when […]

August 1, 2022, Wauchula, Fla. Beech 35 Bonanza At about 1100 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged when its landing gear collapsed following emergency extension after an electrical failure. The pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot later reported the airplane experienced a total loss of electrical power while in […]

July 2, 2022, Oklahoma City, Okla. Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee 140 At about 0829 Central time, the airplane sustained substantial damage when it failed to gain altitude after takeoff and apparently stalled before contacting terrain. The pilot sustained serious injuries; the passenger was fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot reported the airplane did not perform […]

Airframe icing can be found year-round, depending on geography and altitude. In North America, we’re heading into the season when pilots of personal airplanes, which generally don’t fly high enough to worry about ice most of the year, need to factor it into their planning and execution. Even if you’re flying something with a form […]

June 1, 2022, River Falls, Wis. Grumman AA-1B Trainer/TR-2 At about 1215 Central time, the airplane was substantially damaged in an off-airport landing shortly after takeoff following engine failure. The student pilot received minor injuries and the flight instructor received serious injuries. Visual conditions prevailed. The student pilot reported that, as the airplane was about […]

Even before I started taking flying lessons, I was exposed to aviation. Without a formal frame of reference, I absorbed what little I could from other pilots’ stories, reading about flying in books and magazines like this one and, tragically, learning how some of them came to grief. That usually involved poor weather. It took […]

May 1, 2022, Huntsville, Ala. Van’s RV-7A Experimental At about 1705 Central time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain short of the intended runway. The pilot was seriously injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The airplane departed Dallas, Texas, at 1328 and climbed to about 10,500 feet msl on an easterly course. Two […]

That aviation is a highly regulated activity should come as no surprise to readers. Many other applicable rules are unwritten, developed by pilots after a mishap or mistake, which not necessarily resulted in an accident or incident. How we tackle becoming comfortable with new avionics aboard a familiar airplane is a question FAA regulations don’t […]

April 2, 2022, Morristown, N.J. Learjet 45 At 1119 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it departed the runway during landing. The two airline transport pilots and two passengers sustained minor injuries. Visual conditions prevailed; an IFR flight plan had been filed. The jet made a visual approach to Runway 23, with reported […]