Aviation Safety

So, there I was droning happily along at 11,000 feet. My airplane was covering ground at the rate of 170 nm per hour, the weather was good and the ride was smooth. I had little to do on this fine Friday afternoon but monitor the autopilot and engine instruments, look for traffic and think ahead to my arrival in Lynchburg, Va. (LYH), to pick up my son.

I had been aloft and on an IFR flight plan for some three hours after launching from Floridas west coast and was creeping up on the Charlotte, N.C., area on a direct leg from the Savannah, Ga., Vortac to LYH. Another hour or so and I would be on the ground at LYH.

About this time, the Jacksonville Center controller who had been working m…

The following information is derived from the FAAs Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts.

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Cessna 172S
Stall Warning Horn Failure
During the students first stall practice, the warning horn failed to operate through the full stall and the CFI halted the maneuver. Troubleshooting confirmed the warning horn assembly (p/n 0713348-1) was defective. The failed unit was replaced with a new (assembly), and a maintenance operational check and test flight were completed. A second 172 aircraft (of three) had the identical problem…at 491.5 hours. The part was replaced twice because the first new part failed during testing. A third aircraft has 417….

Miles And Mics
In Octobers Accident Probe, Miles To Go, you note, The pilot was cleared for the ILS approach to Runway 5 at SPA and released to the local advisory frequency. Oh goodie: Another frequency change from ATC at low altitude, low speed, in actual IMC at 10:00 p.m. Another dead pilot.

Controllers and the ATC system have been killing pilots for generations with frequency changes and clearance deliveries at the most awkward possible times.

Just as the nosewheel lifts off the pavement, they give me a frequency change. As the aircraft is handed off from one controller to another, the frequency should be handed off also. Let the controllers change frequencies.If th…

The airplane was substantially damaged at about 1110 Eastern time when its right main landing gear caught fire after an aborted takeoff. Visual conditions prevailed. The Commercial pilot reported no injuries. The pilot later stated he experienced an intermittent loss of airspeed indication during the takeoff roll and elected to abort the takeoff. He exited the airplane to check if the pitot-static tube cover was removed then noticed smoke from the right main gear skirt, followed by flames. He communicated with the tower about the situation, secured the airplane and evacuated the area. Moments later, the airport fire department arrived to the airplane and extinguished the fire….

At about 1130 Pacific time, the airplane collided with terrain while maneuvering for landing. Visual conditions prevailed. The aircraft was substantially damaged; the Private pilot and his passenger were fatally injured. Witnesses reported the aircraft was at about 300 feet agl in the pattern for landing and close to the runway during the downwind leg. The airplane then made a steep banking 180-degree left turn to final when it descended left wing low, colliding with trees and the terrain about 200 yards short of the runway. Witnesses reported hearing the engine during the entire maneuver….

The airplane was substantially damaged at 1045 Central time when it collided with the ground shortly after takeoff. Visual conditions prevailed. The Commercial pilot was fatally injured; the pilot-rated passenger received serious injuries. According to witnesses, the airplane was about 100 to 150 feet above a tree line near the crash site. The airplane appeared to be nose-high and slow, and no engine sound was reported. Witnesses stated that the airplane nosed up slightly, rolled left, then pitched nose down and then collided with the ground….

At 1305 Pacific time, the airplane made a hard right turn while in the landing flare and impacted terrain. The Private pilot and one passenger were fatally injured; the other passenger was seriously injured. The airplane was destroyed. Visual conditions prevailed. Witnesses reported that they observed the airplane make a normal landing approach and flare. The engine suddenly went to full power, the nose pitched up and then the plane abruptly turned to the right. It then rolled to the right and impacted the ground inverted….

The airplane was presumed destroyed at about 2115 Eastern time when radar contact was lost over Lake Erie. The Commercial pilot and two passengers were presumed fatally injured. Night visual conditions prevailed. According to FAA radar and communication records, the airplane approached Niagara Falls from the south at about 2050. The airplane then completed four 360-degree turns in the vicinity of the falls. Shortly, the pilot requested flight following services to Pennsylvania and was established on an approximate 210-degree ground track. Soon, the airplane began a sharp turn to the left. Over the next 70 seconds through 270 degrees of turn, its altitude varied between 4700 and 4400 feet bef…

August 1, 2005, in Willard, Mo.
Piper PA-28-181 Archer
At 1830 Central time, the aircraft sustained substantial damage when in veered off the end of the runway, impacted a utility pole and nosed over while landing. The Private pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot reported the airplane touched down in the first third of the runway, but the end of the runway was coming at me very fast…so I applied a burst of power to initiate a go-around. I noted power lines off the end of the runway that would be an obstacle to a successful go-around. I was not yet airborne so I rejected the go-around and initiated heavy braking. The airplane wen…

At 1830 Central time, the aircraft sustained substantial damage when in veered off the end of the runway, impacted a utility pole and nosed over while landing. The Private pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot reported the airplane touched down in the first third of the runway, but the end of the runway was coming at me very fast…so I applied a burst of power to initiate a go-around. I noted power lines off the end of the runway that would be an obstacle to a successful go-around. I was not yet airborne so I rejected the go-around and initiated heavy braking. The airplane went off the end of the runway and veered to the right, impacting a utility…