Search Results for: Lear 45

ELTs are there to aid rescuers, but false alarms are compounded by the fact that ELTs usually dont work when they should.

In a little airplane, a final longer than a half-mile is a gross waste of national resources. Tighter patterns are better and more fun.

Old airplane and twin-engine psychology take Apache pilot down the wrong road toward emergency landing.

The following briefs were selected from the 130 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in October 2001. Statements in quotes were taken directly from the NTSB documents. The information is subject to change as the investigations are completed.

Oct. 01, Lindsay, Mont.
Cessna Skyhawk
At about 17:00 mountain time, a Cessna 172 crashed into terrain while in cruise flight near Lindsay. The pilot, who was seriously injured, had opened a VFR flight plan about 35 minutes earlier. The aircraft was in cruise flight at 300 feet agl when the pilot was distracted by tuning a radio.

Oct. 02, Hudson, N.H.
Beech C-45H (Military Twin Beech)
At about 13:10 easter…

On a coast-to-coast cross country in my 160-hp Warrior, my wife and I made a planned stop at Grand Canyon (GCN) while enroute to Camarillo, Calif., via Las Vegas. We arrived in the late afternoon, intending to leave the next morning for LAS. Instead, we decided it would be fun to see the canyon in mornings light, and we decided to remain overnight an additional night and leave at 6 a.m. local time since the density altitude was reaching over 8,500 feet msl by mid-morning at the airports 6,600 ft elevation.

Having experienced the Warriors abysmal climb in high density altitude conditions the previous day at El Paso, I was anxious to be in the air no later than 6:30.

We arrived at G…

The following briefs were selected from the 121 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in December 2001. Statements in quotes were taken directly from the NTSB documents. The information is subject to change as the investigations are completed.

Nov. 02, Argyle, N.Y.
Cessna Skyhawk
At about 14:10 eastern time, a Cessna 172D crashed while returning to land at Argyle Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said the oil access door popped open shortly after takeoff when he was at about 150 feet agl. He decided to return for a landing and made a left turn toward the airport. He said the airplane then lost lift because of strong wind and the airplane struck the…

[IMGCAP(1)]Aviation training is often bashed for having a tombstone mentality. We tend to ignore certain shortcomings until an accident or incident instills new religion. Emergency descent training is a prime example of this.

Throughout my private, commercial and ATP courses, I dont remember getting instruction in emergency descents. Yet after the ValuJet, Swiss Air and FedEx accidents-each of which involved fire in flight-every checkride Ive had has included an emergency descent.

Whats the big deal with emergency descents? And is this skill worth your attention? Take one look at the burned wreckage of the FedEx DC-10 at Newburgh, New York in 1996 for your answer. That crew had…

The following briefs were selected from the 121 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in December 2001. Statements in quotes were taken directly from the NTSB documents. The information is subject to change as the investigations are completed.

December 01, Prescott, Ariz.
Piper Comanche
At about 19:30 mountain time, a Piper PA-24-250 suffered fuel exhaustion while on final approach to runway 21R at Love Field and crashed about 450 feet short of the runway. The two occupants, both of whom were flight instructors, suffered minor injuries. The engine failed on approach with the fuel selector was positioned to the right auxiliary fuel tank and the pilot restored powe…

[IMGCAP(1)]Like the speed of light and the fact that the best parking spaces are already taken, one of the constants in the universe is this imponderable question: Is a twin safer than a single? Does having two motors really add measurably to the safety margin or is it, like so much else in GA, undiluted marketing hype?

If we could answer this question, we could also turn lead to gold and all of our computer hardware would actually play when plugged. In the end, however, we think there are too many variables to say with assurance that an extra engine really does improve the safety margin for the average owner-pilot. We emphasize average as a means of noting that not all owners pursue th…

Click here for January accident totals.

January 01, Hollywood, Fla.
Piper Navajo
At about 18:02 eastern time, a Piper PA-31-250 operating as a Part 135 air taxi flight ditched into the Atlantic Ocean about 300 yards from shore. The pilot and three passengers were seriously injured and a fourth passenger died. The aircraft originated from the Bahamas at about 16:35. The pilot initially declared a minimum fuel status to Miami Center, then told the tower controller he would have to ditch short of the coastline.

January 02, Boise, Idaho
Beech Baron
At 10:45 mountain time, a Beech 58P on a post-maintenance te…