Search Results for: Cessna 172

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

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Some operators of aircraft with Lycoming -540 series engines who were hit by a pair of crankshaft bolt ADs last year got another letter from the FAA: Never mind.

The emergency AD and the superceding AD issued in December required owners of Lycomings big six-cylinder engines to replace the crankshaft gear retention bolt. The AD cut across applications, applying to aerobatic engines, turbos, left-turning engines and for airplanes and helicopters. Although it applied only to those engines with a Lycoming part number STD-2209 retaining bolt, many people didnt mak…

The article Alternate Realities [Airmanship, January] left out probably the most important and least understood criteria for alternate airport selection. Mr. Veillette starts out talking about the ceiling and visibility requirement of 600 and 2 for precision approach and 800 and 2 for non-precision approach equipped airports, and goes on to say that there is more to it than that. Unfortunately, he then goes on to only explain half of the remaining equation – the most important and most overlooked part.

In the authors explanation he is referring to the government charts, not Jeppesen. The government charts use the A in the triangle to define IFR Alternate Minimums. First, you must c…

I have approximately 1,600 hours as a private pilot, with about 400 hours IFR. I was still a little concerned about a recent IFR flight from the East Coast to Nashville in my Saratoga.

The weather at point of departure was overcast and windy, with no Pireps of tops, and a front was rapidly passing through the area. The western Carolina Mountains can pose some interesting and difficult problems for low-level flight, VFR or IFR. The forecast for later in the evening was clear.

I departed IFR in the early afternoon and broke out into the clear above 7,000 as I climbed to 10,000. The winds were strong and out of the west, but I encountered no significant turbulence en route to Nashville….

Accidents on go-arounds reflect poor approaches, delayed decisions, lousy control and incorrect procedures

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, November.”

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November 01, New Braunfels, Texas
Rockwell Turbo Commander
At approximately 1550 central time, a Rockwell 690B suffered the loss of the top portion of its rudder while in cruise flight at 16,000 feet near New Braunfels. The flight landed without further incident and none of the three aboard was injured. The plot reported that…

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

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A recent fatal accident of a single-engine aircraft involved the apparent separation of the tailpipe assembly from the turbocharger, which allowed hot exhaust gases to be expelled into the engine compartment.

The pilot reported smoke and fire in the cockpit before the aircraft crashed short of the airport, killing both aboard. The NTSB investigation is targeting an exhaust clamp failure due to fatigue cracks found in the turbocharger to tailpipe clamp. A review of the FAA Service Difficulty Report (SDR) database reveals similar incidents involving this clamp as…

Are the $100 hamburgers getting old? Have you visited every airport restaurant within 100 miles so many times that the staff greets you by name and has your favorite meal ready? Did you already give all your friends rides, so that you are now reduced to approaching people on the street, like the press gangs […]

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…

The following information is derived from the FAAs Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts. Click here to view “Flight Control Hardware.”

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During an aircraft accident investigation, an investigator discovered that the starter and the generator 6-gauge wires had numerous lateral splits in the wire insulation. The accident was not related to the defective wire insulation.

Splitting of the wire insulation appears as small, fine dark scratches on the outer covering of the wires and runs lengthwise along the wire. In some cases, the wire insulation splitting has penetrated the covering and exposed the center elec…

Runway overruns boil down to poor energy management during the approach. Excess speed is most often the culprit