Search Results for: Cessna 172

Since purchasing our plane, my partner and I have been doing a great deal of flying together. We live in Minnesota, which means that for a significant part of the year, the days are very short. As a consequence, this winter we did a lot of night flying.

On one of our first trips – Minneapolis to Ely, Minn., on a lovely clear winter night – my non-instrument rated partner was at the controls. As we approached Ely from the southeast, we realized that we would be a bit high for the approach. Since we had the place to ourselves, we decided to simply execute a right 360-degree standard-rate turn to give him time to descend to a more comfortable altitude.

As we turned away from the airport,…

When used airplanes turn into vintage airplanes, theyre easier on the budget but harder to own

The following briefs were selected from the 224 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in July 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, July.”

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July 02, Houston, Texas
McDonnell Douglas MD-88
At 0922 central time, a McDonnell Douglas MD-88 operated by Delta Air Lines collided with parked construction trucks at Houston Hobby Airport. There were no injuries. The flight had been cleared to cross runway 22 and taxi to the gate. The pilot taxied on taxiway Zulu, which is paralle…

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

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The crew of a Beech E90 King Air experienced a loss of empennage flight controls, which resulted in total loss of aircraft control, and the airplane crashed into a building during an instrument approach. The six occupants sustained only minor injuries.

Investigators looking into the crash found the problem may have begun under the floor at a heater register forward of the lavatory.

Two inches from the heat ducting is a tubing that supplies pneumatic pressure to the deice boots on the empennage. The heater register was at fuselage station 277. The pneumatic tu…

The following briefs were selected from the 184 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in June 1999. 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, June.”

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June 1, Little Rock, Ark.
McDonnell Douglas MD-82
American Airlines Flight 1420 crashed after landing at Little Rock. There were thunderstorms and heavy rain in the area at the time of the accident. The airplane departed the end of runway, went down an embankment and struck approach light structures. There was a crew of six and 139…

Safe flying depends on sound judgment. This was a concept that was drummed into my head when I was training to become a private pilot. I earned my pilots license early last year, a couple of months before John Kennedy earned his.

As far as I can tell from the news accounts, I probably have about 50 flying hours more than he did, and I do have 20 hours of training toward my instrument certification, which he apparently didnt have. But, for the most part, we could be considered on par as pilots in terms of experience.

Given the conditions that existed for his last flight, would I have made the same flight? Absolutely not! In fact, since earning my license 15 months ago, I have cance…

When I was a new flyer, an old instructor named Tony Stubby Azzetti taught me how to hand-prop an airplane. Despite the lack of three fingers on one hand, he made it look easy, as though hed been swinging props to start airplane engines for decades. Always remember, he said as I took the propeller blade for the first time, that propeller cant see you and wont feel a thing if your melon gets in the way. Old Stubby sure knew how to teach.

Safety-conscious pilots will shake their heads in disbelief that anyone would intentionally grab a propeller and swing it. Good. Keep that attitude and youll live to be an old pilot. But some day, when your guard is down, you may be tempted to tw…

The following briefs were selected from the 224 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in August 1999. 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, August.”

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Aug. 3, Tusayan, Ariz.
Cessna 177B Cardinal
At 14:07 PDT, a Cessna Cardinal crashed shortly after takeoff from Grand Canyon National Park Airport, killing the pilot and one passenger and seriously injuring another passenger. Several pilot witnesses stated that the airplane appeared slow and did not climb much above the trees. Ab…

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

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Virtually any aircraft may be subject to fuel contamination following the discovery that certain filters used in fuel farms and fuel trucks may deteriorate.

Velcon Filters Inc., maker of Aquacon and CDF cartridges, has determined that some of its filters would, under some circumstances, allow some of the gelatinous water-absorbing media to pass with the fuel.

As water is absorbed by the water-absorbing media, similar to whats used in baby diapers, the differential press…

If you fly much over the water – even over wide bays and rivers – youve had to quell the uneasiness that arises when the engine goes into auto rough mode the instant youre beyond gliding range of shore. Not to worry; its not just you.

The prospect of going into the water in an airplane terrifies most pilots, chiefly because few prepare for it and, in general, instructors dont know enough about the relevant risks to make well-informed judgments about overwater flying.

As a result, certain myths and half-truths about ditching seem to persist, handed down from one pilot to the next who read something or knows someone who knew someone who vanished without a trace in Lake Michigan…