Aviation Safety

The following briefs were selected from the 118 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in January 2003. Statements in quotes were taken directly from the NTSB documents. The information is subject to change as the investigations are completed. Click here to view “Accident Totals, January.”

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January 01, Milford, Utah
AMD CH2000
At approximately 2200 mountain time, an AMD CH2000 crashed 7.1 miles southeast of Milford, seriously injuring the instrument student and instructor. The airplane was flying from Cedar City to Salt Lake City and had filed an IFR flight plan to be activated at Delta, Utah. VMC prevailed at the…

Gear mishaps are the plague of retracts – and the problem is even more severe than you probably suspect

Weather info delivered right to your cockpit is finally here, but the system has a few warts

Crosswinds plague even experienced pilots. The secrets to success: consistent patterns, proper procedure and a modicum of skill

During my training, I quickly realized that the majority of flight training involved what to do in emergencies. I quickly caught on. I read everything I could get my hands on regarding engine-outs, snow blizzards, bird strikes, short field problems and so on. A few months after passing my checkride, I realized I was afraid to leave my home airport and paranoid of flying outside visual sight of any object that could lead me back home.

I knew I had to conquer my fears and decided that a trip from Atlantic City, N.J., to Key West would force me to become a real pilot and do the kind of flying Id always dreamed of doing. With an instructor and a student pilot friend, we set off. The plan was…

The arrival of spring heralds an important change in the attitudes of pilots. No, were not talking about the sudden and uncontrollable urge to wax wings and fuselage, but the start of airshow season.

Airshows are great. You can gawk at airplanes youll never be able to afford. Check out some youd never be allowed to fly. Watch pilots demonstrate things that in any other context would only be described as foolish.

Yet for all their wonder, airshows often hold an attribute most attendees routinely ignore: education.

A pilgrimage to Sun n Fun this month or AirVenture this summer cannot be considered complete unless you check out the wide variety of seminars and presentations put on…

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

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The FAA is advising operators of Cessna 310s to verify during preflight checks and maintenance inspections that the manual emergency gear extension handle is properly stowed.

Its possible for the handle not to be stowed correctly, which can present a danger in flight. If the handle is not properly seated, operating the primary gear motor may rotate the handle in such a way that it strikes the left engine fuel selector and drives the fuel selector to the off position. At the same time, the unseated handle will prevent the gear from retracting, leaving the pilot…

I read your article, Simple Stack IFR [Instrument Check, February], with great interest.

Although I have been flying for more than 35 years, I have never gotten my IFR rating. I am working on it, and right now with real incentive. Seems we are running out of insurance carriers who are willing to underwrite a non-IFR pilot flying a complex, high-performance single. The couple that are left are surcharging for the lack of the IFR rating.

My partner has his IFR rating, but has not had a proficiency check for years. The latest pre-policy data sheet sent by our insurance broker is, for the first time, asking the date of each pilots instrument currency. So the encouragement is there.

U…

The following briefs were selected from the 117 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in November 2002. Statements in quotes were taken directly from the NTSB documents. The information is subject to change as the investigations are completed. Click here to view “Accident Totals, December.”

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December 01, Brevard, N.C.
Cessna 182
At about 1025 eastern time, a Cessna 182J struck a ditch during an aborted takeoff at Transylvania County Airport. The pilot and two passengers reported serious injuries. The pilot said he was on the takeoff roll on runway 27 and ready to rotate when he discovered the flight controls woul…

At about 1025 eastern time, a Cessna 182J struck a ditch during an aborted takeoff at Transylvania County Airport. The pilot and two passengers reported serious injuries. The pilot said he was on the takeoff roll on runway 27 and ready to rotate when he discovered the flight controls would not move. He was about two-thirds of the way down the 2,903-foot runway when he retarded the power and applied the brakes. The airplane overran the departure end of the runway….