Search Results for: Cessna 172

Recently I had my own almost accident, which reminded me of a problem that is only going to get worse.

It was Thanksgiving Day and the traffic going into Denver International was normal for any holiday. Our Boeing 727 was cleared for the visual approach and landing behind an Airbus 319. Since the 727 is heavier than the Airbus, and since we had sufficient separation distance, the thought of a wake vortex encounter didnt enter my mind.

Just as I started to flare, we hit the Airbus wake and suddenly my wing dropped. It only takes 12 degrees of wing dip to strike an outboard flap during a normal landing in the 727. For a few moments, that wake had more control over the aircraft than…

The following briefs were selected from the 112 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in November 2000. 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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Nov. 1, Millersburg, Ohio
Beech Bonanza
At about 10:15 eastern time, a Beech A-36 was damaged during a forced landing at Holmes County Airport. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. The pilot reported the power failure to ATC approximately 6 miles northwest of Millersburg and was given radar vectors. The airplane str…

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

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The FAA has issued a reminder to pilots operating aircraft equipped with carburetors that gascolator problems are common and generally result in engine failure in flight.

Gascolator inspection during preflight can easily detect and prevent the most common gascolator problems.

The gascolator contains a fuel filter screen and a sediment bowl that serves as a water separator. Usually a gascolator has a wire bail holding a glass or metal bowl in place. There are three primary gascolator malfunctions, each of which can lead to a loss of power due to interruption…

A student of mine was one week from taking (and passing) his private check ride in a Cessna 152. He was doing solo practice at a nearby uncontrolled airport. On one circuit, he reported turning from crosswind to downwind for runway 32 when a Malibu announced it was on a right 45 to enter the downwind for the same runway.

The student spotted the Malibu, told the other pilot he had them in sight, and said he would follow the faster Malibu. The Malibu pilot acknowledged and entered a wide downwind leg. An airplane on base for the same runway announced it was on base.

Just before the airplane on base turned final, the Malibu turned base and then quickly turned final. The other airplane on…

Most pilots would agree that collision avoidance is desirable. The FAA agrees, and long ago made the desirable mandatory. FAR 91.113 states that all pilots have the responsibility to see and avoid each other regardless of flight plan or aircraft type, when weather conditions permit.

IFR and VFR pilots in VMC have the same responsibility to ensure that no two aircraft occupy the same space at the same time. No excuse will suffice if metal meets metal when visual meteorological conditions prevail. The FAAs logic is similar to that expressed in signs common on Texas ranches that proclaim that trespassers will be shot, and survivors prosecuted.

With this heavy burden upon all pilots, loo…

A safe flight is a puzzle. Put all the pieces together correctly and you can get a pretty picture indeed. If one piece is missing, you can still see the picture, usually. But sometimes, if the wrong piece is missing, the puzzle is ruined. Unfortunately, when a piece is missing from the safety of flight, the price is higher than merely sighing and putting the puzzle box back in the closet.

Pilots love to talk about accident scenarios in terms of chains. Break one link and the chain fails, sending all of the airplanes occupants home to have dinner with their loved ones. Its a nice story. It has closure and finality. Its also a myth.

An accident can also be caused by something as smal…

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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Mechanics participating in the FAAs Service Difficulty Reporting Program have filed a number of reports that aircraft are still flying with improper seat belts.The belts, manufactured by Indiana Mills and Manufacturing, are subject to an AD issued in 1979 because they failed to meet specifications outlined by the technical standards order governing seat belts. Although the AD required the seat belts to be removed within 120 days of the effective date of the AD, mechanics are…

Many pilots consider takeoff to be almost a no-brainer. Point the airplane down the runway and advance the power. A little footwork keeps the prop pointed in the right direction, then lift the nose.

Yet from an operational viewpoint, takeoff has proven to be one of the most critical phases of flight. NTSB accident statistics from 1998 – the latest available at this writing – show that general aviation airplanes of less than 12,500 pounds operated non-commercially suffered 262 takeoff accidents, 35 of which were fatal. That year, like each year in the five previous years, general aviation pilots averaged about 22 total and 3 fatal takeoff accidents per month, with no improvement as time p…

Jeff Schweitzers article Beyond See and Avoid [Instrument Check, January] is a good start.

I have been flying just shy of 30 years, but 500-plus hours in the Northeast in a Skywatch-equipped Bonanza over the past 22 months have shocked me. We are fooling ourselves if we think see and avoid is much more than a snare and a delusion in congested airspace.

The new boxes give you a fair chance when an intruder is coming from behind or climbing rapidly from below, offer a second chance for distracted pilots in rapid-convergence situations, expand the circle of safety for pilots (IFR or VFR) in marginal VMC, could have prevented a number of multiple-fatality midairs involving high-perf…

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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Every Champion CF0100 and CF0101 oil filter is packaged with a gasket kit that contains a copper gasket, a square rubber gasket and a flat rubber gasket – all of which are used to prevent the oil filter housing assembly from leaking. Some of the square gaskets may have been manufactured thicker than called for in the manufacturers specifications. The square gasket, supplied in the kit, should be 0.180 inch thick. Some gaskets were found with a thickness of 0.25-inch. The manuf…