Aviation Safety

At 1330 eastern time, a Cessna 172N, N737TG, was substantially damaged during landing at the Lake Anna Airport when the airplane departed the side of the runway. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said he departed Fredericksburg, Va., to fly to some nearby airports and return to Fredericksburg. He flew to Tappahannock Airport and then determined that he had time for one more stop. He decided to fly to the Lake Anna Airport. The pilot said a wind gust blew him off the left side of the runway just as he was flaring to land. He blamed the accident on the narrow runway, which is 2,560 feet long and 25 feet wide. He said he had never flown into such a narrow runway before….

At about 0625 Pacific time, a Cessna 172H struck the median of Interstate 5 about a tenth of a mile from Weed Airport. The airplane was unoccupied at the time and no one on the ground was injured. The pilot said the battery was too low to start the engine, so he attempted to hand prop it. The engine started and the pilot fell to the ground, sustaining a minor injury. Thereafter, the runaway airplane departed in a northwesterly direction and flew several hundred feet until crashing into the ground and nosing over. The pilot said the airplane was not secured in any way. He also said he thought the throttle was set at idle speed but later realized he had left it at full throttle….

At about 1410 eastern time, a Piper PA-32R-301T suffered an in-flight breakup and crashed near Yeehaw Junction. The airplane was in cruise flight from Lantana to Orlando at 7,000 feet on an IFR flight plan when he requested a descent to 5,000 feet. The request was approved, but the airplane climbed to 7,500 feet. The pilot radioed he had suffered a loss of gyros and the aircraft then disappeared from radar. Calculations based on radar data showed descent rates exceeded 8,000 feet per minute. Level 4 and 5 thunderstorms were present in the area at the time….

At 1708 central time, an Aviat S-2C crashed following an aerobatic flight near Sheridan, killing the flight instructor and pilot. A witness reported observing the airplane perform aerobatic maneuvers adjacent to the accident site for approximately five minutes prior to the accident. He stated that the airplane climbed to approximately 1,500 – 2,000 feet above the ground in a pure vertical maneuver that ended in a tail slide. The airplane then fell backwards toward the ground for approximately 200 feet and began to spin inverted for approximately 6-10 turns….

About 2036 eastern time, a Cessna 310L crashed while making an instrument approach to Cortland County Chase Airport. The pilot was killed. The pilot was cleared for the VOR-A approach. Approximately 13 miles south of the airport at 3,600 feet, the pilot requested the controller to advise him when the airplane was over the final approach fix. The controller responded he would be unable due to the lack of radar coverage in the area, so the pilot cancelled his IFR clearance. About 5 minutes later, the airplane impacted trees approximately 5.5 miles south of the airport. Witnesses reported seeing the airplane at 80 to 300 feet agl shortly before the crash. One witness said visibility was approxi…

At about 1600 eastern time, a Cessna 208B was idling on the ramp when a parachutist was seriously injured by landing on the rotating propeller. The pilot said he stopped after landing and looked for parachutes still in the air. He did not see any and taxied back to the ramp. As he was loading the next group of jumpers, the pilot heard screams and saw a canopy enter the propeller. He shut down the engine and found the injured jumper. The parachutist had completed about 18 prior jumps, including four jumps at that airport. The pilot estimated that the normal parachutist landing zone was between 50 to 300 feet from the ramp area. Winds at the time of the accident were calm….

At about 1535 eastern time, a Mooney M20E struck trees after takeoff from Eagles Nest Airport, killing the pilot. Two witnesses said they heard the engine sputter and noticed the airplane was not climbing normally. The wreckage was found 176 feet west of the runway centerline and about 2,000 feet beyond the approach end of runway 14. There was no debris path and only one tree in the vicinity of the wreckage exhibited impact damage, implying a near-vertical descent. Post crash testing found traces of water in the fuel servo and fuel manifold, however investigators said that was inconclusive because the engine sat overnight before the fuel system was inspected….

The following briefs were selected from the 170 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in September 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, September.”

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September 01, Stow, Mass.
Champion Citabria
At about 1150 eastern time, a Champion 7ECA struck a parked vehicle while landing at the Minute Man Air Field. The pilot and passenger suffered minor injuries. The pilot was landing on runway 30 when the airplane began to porpoise and veer to the right. The pilot added power but…

Poor alignment with the runway during approach is the primary reason airplanes depart from the pavement after landing

Get behind the power curve and you may run out of altitude, airspeed and power all at the same time