Aviation Safety

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Cirrus vs. Cessna
I thought your article Has Cirrus Delivered? [Safety Review, March] was particularly interesting because it so happens that I owned a Cessna 182S and a Cirrus 20. When I checked the statistics and fleet size of the two airplanes, I discovered to my amazement that the 182S had a higher accident rate than Cirrus.

I am somewhat confused by the statistics in the chart that indicate that the 182S and 182T have suffered seven fatal accidents. When I checked the NTSB database, 10 fatal accidents are recorded, eight for the 182S [mine included] and two to the 182T. The conclusion that I reached that for the period of 1999 to 2002, was that Cessna had more accide…

At approximately 1515 central time, a Mooney M20R lost engine power and was damaged in a forced landing while diverting to Sheridan Municipal Airport. The private pilot and his passenger received minor injuries. The flight was headed IFR from Walnut Ridge, Ark., Brownsville, Texas, when the pilot reported the engine was running rough. He diverted toward Sheridan and reported the airport in sight, but ended up in a field about 2.5 miles short of the runway. Examination of the airplane found that the fuel selector was on the left tank, the left tank was empty, and the right tank contained 25 gallons of fuel….

At 1004 central time, a Bellanca 17-30A crashed shortly after takeoff from runway 15 at Addison Airport, killing the pilot and passenger. Four minutes after the flight departed IFR for Amarillo the pilot reported he had lost his panel. The aircraft crashed into two houses, destroying them in the ensuing fire. No one on the ground was injured. Weather at the time of takeoff included a ceiling of 100 feet overcast, temperature and dewpoint at 17 degrees C, visibility of 7/8ths of a mile….

At about 1400 Pacific time, a Cessna 172N nosed over during the landing roll after encountering snow at Hayfork Airport. The pilot was not injured. The flight had originated at Cottwood, Calif., earlier in the day and had most recently departed Hyampom, Calif., about 15 minutes earlier. The pilot said he was attempting a short-field landing to the snow-covered runway, but during the landing roll, snow accumulated in front of the nose wheel and caused the nose over. The pilot also said he saw tire tracks on the approach end of the runway prior to landing, but did not realize they were from a vehicle instead of an airplane until afterward….

At about 1200 Pacific time, a Cessna 172F struck a light post while attempting to go around at Redlands Municipal Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot departed Riverside and was planning to land on runway 26 at Redlands. He received weather information from the Unicom operator, who reported winds at 15 knots with gusts to 27 knots, windshear and a strong crosswind. During the landing roll, the airplane encountered a gust of wind the pilot estimated in excess of 30 knots. The airplane veered off the runway into the adjacent gravel area. The pilot applied full power to go around but the left wing collided with a light post, damaging the aileron. The pilot then elected to return to Riv…

At 1530 mountain time, a Cessna 421C landed hard in gusty wind conditions at the Window Rock airport. The pilot and four passengers were not injured. The Part 135 flight departed Flagstaff, Ariz., at 1443 and made a VOR/DME-A circling approach to runway 02 in gusty wind conditions. He reported icing conditions with possible airframe icing as a contributor to the premature landing stall. Prior to the flights departure from Flagstaff, the destination weather was reported as 1,200-foot ceiling and 1-mile visibility, with a 900-foot ceiling and 1-mile visibility as the landing minimums. During the approach the local Automated Surface Observing System was reporting less than the weather briefin…

At approximately 1445 central time, a Mooney M20C crashed near Amarillo, Texas, after the pilot reported having chest pains. The pilot was killed. The pilot departed Amarillo and requested flight following for a VFR cross-country trip. A few minutes later, he reported chest pains and advised he was returning to Amarillo. Witnesses and the recorded radar track showed the airplane entered a steep descending right turn….

At about 1427 central time, a Beech E-90 was damaged when the cabin door opened in flight and struck the empennage. The pilot and six passengers were not injured. The flight had originated about seven minutes earlier….

At about 1830 Pacific time, a Cessna 140 struck trees during a forced landing near Vacaville. The pilot and passenger were seriously injured. The flight had departed 15 minutes earlier on an 18-mile flight from Napa. While the airplane was airborne, fog closed in over the area. The pilot looked for a hole so he could descend. He contacted Travis Approach on the emergency frequency and was given vectors to the nearest airport. While en route, the airplane apparently ran out of fuel….