Search Results for: Lear 45

This experience took me years to admit because of how close to disaster I came and how easily it could have been avoided.

So here goes. I was a newly rated IFR multi-engine pilot ready for the excitement and challenge on a beautiful fall day for a trip from Toronto to Venice, Fla. We headed to the airport with all the weather briefings complete, notams checked and IFR flight plan filed. We planned a stop at Charlotte, N.C., to clear Customs and refuel, with the next stop Venice.

I made a thorough walkaround, carefully checking the fuel tanks, both mains and auxiliaries via eye-balling them because everyone knows you cant trust fuel gauges. Our Seneca was ready to go.

Off we went…

At about 18:30 Pacific time, a Cessna 182S crashed about 2 miles from Little River Airport, killing the pilot. The flight left Palo Alto at about 17:00, about the same time a fog layer moved into Little River. Within an hour, the fog layer was reported to be several hundred feet thick, with visibility 1 mile and the sky 80 percent dark. A witness said he heard an airplane approach about 17:45, with no unusual sounds. About 10 minutes later he heard the engine throttle back, so he got his handheld radio and contacted the pilot. The pilot asked conditions at the airport. The pilot reported he saw the airport as he passed over it but lost sight as he flew the traffic pattern. The witness said…

At 11:26 Pacific time, an Aero Commander 500S struck mountainous terrain on Eagle Peak, killing the four occupants. The flight departed Reno, Nev., about 10:45 on an IFR flight to Wenatchee, Wash. The pilot requested 12,500 feet msl as a cruise altitude and the sector controller informed the pilot that he was unable to clear the flight to that altitude because the minimum enroute altitude for the route segment was 14,000 feet. The pilot then canceled his instrument flight plan and stated that he was VFR on top at 10,500 feet. At 11:26, the controller lost radio and radar contact….

Situational awareness is more than knowing where you are; it means knowing how the flights history affects its future.

How to pick a forced landing site so your field of dreams doesnt turn into a nightmare. Hint: Altitude matters.

At 1545 central time, a Piper 32RT-300 overran the runway while aborting a takeoff from Viburnum Airport. The pilot and three passengers were not injured. The pilot said he was attempting to take off from the 3,195-foot runway with the airplane about 80 pounds overgross. He used an informal short field takeoff procedure but realized after takeoff that the airplane would not clear a church along the climb path. He landed on the remaining runway and the airplane overran the runway….

At about 1745 Pacific time, a Beech C23 lost engine power and crashed near Oak Shores, killing the flight instructor, student pilot and one passenger. An additional passenger was seriously injured. The surviving passenger said the pilots reported over the intercom that there was an engine problem and that they were headed for a gravel landing strip a few miles away. The airplane cleared a ridge top, but collided with trees about a quarter-mile from the strip. An Alert Notice and an ELT signal led rescuers to the crash site. Initial inspection showed an exhaust valve apparently broke off….

At about 17:45 Pacific time, an unoccupied Aeronca 7AC crashed in the mountains near Winters. The airplane took off from a private airstrip near Petaluma with no one aboard after the pilot started the airplane by hand propping the propeller. The airplane was not equipped with an electric starter and the pilot routinely started it by pulling the propeller through by hand. Prior to the accident, the pilot concluded the engine was flooded, so he turned off the mags and applied full throttle. He propped the engine backward to clear the fuel, then turned the mag switches back on for a normal start. He forgot to retard the throttle. The engine started a maximum power and took off. The crash site w…

About 1752 eastern time, a Rockwell 500S crashed while on approach to Quonset State Airport, killing the pilot. The flight was inbound to Newport State Airport and cleared for the Localizer Runway 22 approach, circle to runway 34. However, the pilot flew through the localizer and reported he was having all sorts of problems. The controller said the weather was better at Green State Airport, and the pilot requested vectors there. The pilot was unable to get established on the approach, again reporting, I have problems. The controller asked what kinds of problems he was having, and the pilot replied, Im all over the place. I think Im iced up. The controller suggested heading for Quonse…

Confidence is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, confidence eliminates the uncertainties that make decisions harder. On the other, confidence can lead you into believing bad things only happen to other people.

Sometimes, bad things happen to skilled people. Confidence can be a magic cloak that wards off disaster, but it can also be an inviting smell that brings misfortune in for a closer look.

On a relatively balmy November morning last year, a pilot and two members of his family said goodbye to a fourth family member. It was the Friday after Thanksgiving, and the family had been together for the holiday.

The pilot had flown his 1964 Bonanza S35 from his home in Bethesda, Md.,…