Search Results for: Cessna 172

Driving the airplane to and from the runway is a piece of cake, right? Not for the dozens who prang something each year.

So there you are, sitting in your airplane, gazing dreamily at the new GPS, MFD, and autopilot on which youve just spent almost as much as you originally paid for the plane. Now youre faced with an IFR approach-certified GPS interconnected to a two-axis autopilot with ILS coupling and a moving map the size of a portable TV screen.

Maybe youre about to check out in a brand-new C-172 or Piper Archer with a whole pile of ultra-modern avionics, and all the FBOs other airplanes have a pair of Narco MK 12s or King KX-175s. You cant even find the on-off switch, much less tune the comm radio. How do you learn to use all that stuff?

If its your airplane, you might call your friendly loca…

Among the most avoidable mishaps are those caused by fuel exhaustion. Most of them seem inexcusable, yet virtually every pilot has flirted with this danger at one time or another.

You may pass up refueling at a major metropolitan airport because of the price. Or youre in a hurry and rationalize that you can make it with good leaning or tail winds – especially if youve made the same trip before. If the winds are not as forecast or your leaning is a bit off, you could be in for trouble. Ditto if you fail to recheck the weather en route and arrive to find it below minimums.

According to the AOPA Air Safety Foundations Nall Report there were 95 accidents due to fuel exhaustion in 1998…

At a recent international symposium on aviation human factors, one of the interesting sessions described an FAA study attempting to answer what traits might predict accident prone pilots.

A number of large aviation organizations – airframe manufacturers, airlines, pilot organizations and the NASA Ames human factors directorate – sent representatives to engage in what turned out to be a lively and interesting discussion. In the study, more than 4,000 pilots were asked to answer various questions about their background, training and attitudes. Among those who answered the survey, about half had experienced an official accident. The survey was structured to obtain a fairly representative s…

The following briefs were selected from the 170 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in May 2001. 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, May.”

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May 01, The Woodlands, Texas
Mitsubishi MU-2B
At approximately 12:41 central time, a Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 crashed after an uncontrolled descent near The Woodlands, killing the pilot and passenger. VMC prevailed but scattered thunderstorms were reported in the vicinity of the departure airport. Witnesses reported hearing an engine…

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

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The FAA has issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin that warns of possible AD action requiring gyro backups for IFR flight.

The SAIB cautions pilots to conduct a condition check of the vacuum or pressure system prior to each IFR flight.

Last falls crash of a Cessna 335 carrying Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan prompted a review of service difficulty reports of vacuum system components. In the past 27 years, mechanics have filed 2,003 reports – 18 in the 12 months prior to the bulletin.

Parker Hannifin (Airborne) has acknowledged a potential late…

As the Airport Director of the DeKalb Peachtree Airport, I must take great umbrage with The Clock Runs Out [Accident Probe, June]. It is apparent and unfortunate that Mr. Ibold either did not read the final NTSB report, or, at the very least, took great literary license in his interpretation of the report.

To intimate the fire response crew did anything wrong is totally without merit.

Because PDK is the second-busiest airport in Georgia, our ARFF crew gets to practice responding to many alerts throughout the year in all types of weather conditions. Responding to this specific alert was almost second nature to them in communicating with the tower and in responding to a staging locat…

The following briefs were selected from the 208 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in June 2001. Statements in quotes were taken directly from the NTSB documents. The information is subject to change as the investigations are completed.

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June 01, Ogden, Utah
Questair Venture
At 12:08 mountain time, a homebuilt Questair Venture caught fire following landing at Ogden Municipal Airport. The pilot was seriously burned. The tower controller said the pilot reported fuel fumes in the cockpit and was cleared to land on any runway. After an unstable, fast landing, the airplane groundlooped on the runway and caught fire.

June 02, Elkton, Md.
Cubby Sport T…