Safety

Learning from real accidents

11 real general aviation accidents and incidents, each from an official National Transportation Safety Board report, matched to the lesson that could have changed the outcome.

Why study accidents? Almost every kind of accident has happened before. Reading what happened, and what would have helped, is one of the best ways pilots build judgment. These summaries are written in our own words from the NTSB's final reports; follow the link on each one to read the full official report. The people involved aren't named, out of respect.

Engine and systems

Carburetor ice on final approach

Date: February 8, 2019
Aircraft: Piper PA-28-161
Pilot: Private pilot
Outcome: No injuries; airplane substantially damaged

What happened

The pilot was practicing touch-and-go landings on a mild, humid afternoon (23°C, dewpoint 17°C). Asked by the tower to extend his downwind, he flew a longer stretch at reduced power. On final, the RPM dropped and the airplane began to sink. Adding throttle brought back power only briefly, and the engine quit at about 500 to 600 feet. He hadn't used carburetor heat. He landed on a gravel road, hitting a utility pole and trees. A later engine run found nothing wrong.

What the NTSB found

The pilot didn't use carburetor heat in weather and at power settings that favored carburetor ice, leading to a loss of engine power and a forced landing.

What would have helped

A small temperature-dewpoint spread plus low power (extended downwinds, descents) is classic carb ice territory, even on a warm day.
An RPM drop is the first sign in a fixed-pitch airplane. Apply full carb heat right away and leave it on.
Follow your POH on carb heat before reducing power in the pattern.

Read NTSB report ERA19LA097 ↗ · Vero Beach, Florida

Learn the skill: Ignition, fuel and carburetor ice

Human factors

Carbon monoxide from a cracked muffler

Date: February 2, 2017
Aircraft: Mooney M20C
Pilot: Commercial pilot
Outcome: Pilot seriously injured; airplane substantially damaged

What happened

On a cold winter day the pilot flew three flights with the cabin heat on, and mentioned headaches and 'butterflies.' On the third flight he stopped answering air traffic control shortly after takeoff. The airplane kept climbing above 12,000 feet, drifted off course, ran out of fuel and came down in a field. The pilot woke up only after the impact. Tested hours later, his carbon monoxide level was still 13.8%; the NTSB estimated it was at least 28% during the flight. The exhaust muffler had cracks with soot on them. No CO detector was installed.

What the NTSB found

The pilot was incapacitated by carbon monoxide poisoning from cracks in the exhaust muffler, and the airplane flew on until it ran out of fuel.

What would have helped

Headache and drowsiness with the cabin heat on are warning signs. Turn the heat off, open the vents, and land.
Carbon monoxide is odorless. A small CO detector in the cockpit is cheap insurance.
Cabin heat in many airplanes comes from air warmed around the exhaust, so an exhaust crack can reach the cabin.

Read NTSB report CEN17LA101 ↗ · Ellendale, Minnesota

Learn the skill: Aeromedical factors

Human factors

Spatial disorientation over water at night

Date: July 16, 1999
Aircraft: Piper PA-32R-301 Saratoga
Pilot: Private pilot, not instrument rated, about 310 hours
Outcome: Three people killed

What happened

The flight left New Jersey after dark for Martha's Vineyard. Weather was technically VFR, with reported visibilities of 4 to 10 miles, but there was haze, and other pilots over the water that night said there was no visible horizon. Descending over about 30 miles of open water, the airplane made a series of turns with changing climb and descent rates. Its descent rate eventually exceeded 4,700 feet per minute before it hit the water. Investigators found no mechanical problem.

What the NTSB found

The pilot didn't maintain control during a descent over water at night because of spatial disorientation. Haze and the dark night were factors.

What would have helped

'Legal VFR' at night over water or dark terrain can be the same as flying in clouds if there's no horizon.
Without instrument skills, the inner ear wins. Avoid conditions with no visible horizon until you're trained for them.
Get instrument training (even beyond the private requirement) and set conservative night personal minimums.

Read NTSB report NYC99MA178 ↗ · Atlantic Ocean near Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts

Learn the skill: Aeromedical factors · Night flying and vision

Weather and decisions

Continuing VFR into clouds at night

Date: September 4, 2020
Aircraft: Cirrus SR22
Pilot: Private pilot, not instrument rated
Outcome: Four people killed

What happened

The pilot got a weather briefing just after midnight for a flight planned for late afternoon, and didn't update it. The flight actually left around 8:30 p.m., in dark night conditions, with three passengers. Air traffic control suggested a turn to avoid precipitation ahead; the pilot turned into it instead. He said he was returning to the departure airport but didn't head toward it, then the airplane entered a turning descent and radar contact was lost. No mechanical problems were found.

What the NTSB found

The noninstrument-rated pilot continued into dark night instrument conditions, leading to spatial disorientation and loss of control.

What would have helped

A briefing goes stale. Get an update right before departure, especially if your timing changes by hours.
Use ATC's help: when a controller offers a deviation around weather, take it.
Decide your turn-back point before you go, and turn around while you can still see.

Read NTSB report CEN20LA379 ↗ · Near Chester, Arkansas

Learn the skill: Getting a weather briefing and making the go/no-go call · Aeronautical decision-making and risk management

Human factors

Loss of pressurization without oxygen

Date: October 25, 1999
Aircraft: Learjet 35
Pilot: Two professional pilots
Outcome: Six people killed

What happened

Shortly after being cleared to climb to 39,000 feet, the crew stopped responding to air traffic control. Military pilots who intercepted the jet saw frosted or fogged windshields and no movement. The airplane flew on its own for hours across several states until it ran out of fuel and crashed in South Dakota.

What the NTSB found

The flight crew was incapacitated because they didn't get supplemental oxygen after the cabin lost pressurization, for reasons that couldn't be determined.

What would have helped

Hypoxia doesn't hurt. It feels fine, or even good, while your judgment disappears.
If you ever suspect hypoxia, use oxygen first and think second.
Know the oxygen rules in 91.211 and how your airplane's oxygen system works before you fly high.

Read NTSB report DCA00MA005 ↗ · Departed Orlando, Florida; crashed near Aberdeen, South Dakota

Learn the skill: Alcohol, oxygen and accident reporting · Aeromedical factors

Performance

High density altitude on a short grass strip

Date: August 27, 2019
Aircraft: Cessna 172
Pilot: Private pilot, about 69 hours, no mountain airport experience logged
Outcome: Two people killed

What happened

On a 98°F evening, the density altitude at the 1,620-foot airport was about 4,481 feet. The runway was 2,600 feet of grass, rising toward tall trees at the departure end. Witnesses saw the airplane only about 5 feet off the ground, slow, with its wings rocking. It began a slow climb, hit the treetops and crashed about 615 feet past the end of the runway.

What the NTSB found

The pilot delayed the climb and misjudged the airplane's performance and the runway needed to clear obstacles. His limited experience at mountain airports contributed.

What would have helped

Compute density altitude and use the POH's takeoff chart for over a 50-foot obstacle, with grass and slope corrections.
Pick an abort point before the roll. If you're not climbing by then, stop while you still can.
Get instruction before flying into short, high or hot airports for the first time.

Read NTSB report WPR19FA244 ↗ · McKenzie Bridge State Airport, Oregon

Learn the skill: Density altitude · Takeoff and landing performance charts

Performance

Overweight and aft CG on takeoff

Date: September 12, 2013
Aircraft: Pilatus PC-12
Pilot: Airline transport pilot
Outcome: One minor injury; airplane minor damage

What happened

The pilot's weight calculation left out about 490 pounds of carry-on bags. The airplane was actually above its maximum weight and about 4 inches aft of its aft CG limit. After rotation, the airspeed stopped increasing, the stall warning and stick shaker kept activating, and the nose pitched up and down near the runway. The pilot aborted the takeoff and stopped on the remaining runway.

What the NTSB found

Improper weight and balance calculations led to exceeding the weight and CG limits and a loss of pitch control on takeoff. The operator also hadn't gotten the required passenger and baggage weights.

What would have helped

Use real weights for people and bags, not guesses. Everything aboard counts.
An aft CG makes the airplane less stable in pitch and harder to control near a stall.
If the airplane doesn't feel right after rotation and runway remains, abort.

Read NTSB report CEN13IA563 ↗ · Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Texas

Learn the skill: Weight and balance · Stability and center of gravity

Aerodynamics

Stall in a slipping base-to-final turn

Date: June 29, 2014
Aircraft: Modified Cessna 182Q
Pilot: Commercial pilot, about 1,267 hours
Outcome: Pilot seriously injured

What happened

Arriving last in a group at a backcountry fly-in, the pilot found himself higher and closer to the runway than he expected on base. He started a slip and kept slipping as he turned toward final. The airplane stalled almost immediately and hit trees about 800 feet short of the runway. The flaps were at 15°, though he thought he'd set 40°.

What the NTSB found

The pilot's traffic pattern didn't set up a normal final approach, and he continued instead of going around, stalling too low to recover. The steep, uncoordinated turn contributed.

What would have helped

If the approach isn't working out, go around. It's always an option.
Uncoordinated, steep turns close to the ground supply both ingredients of a spin: high angle of attack and yaw.
Fly a consistent pattern so base and final look the same every time.

Read NTSB report WPR14LA271 ↗ · Big Creek Airport, Idaho

Learn the skill: Stalls and spins · The traffic pattern

Emergencies

Turning back after an engine problem on takeoff

Date: November 18, 2014
Aircraft: Aero Commander 500B (twin-engine)
Pilot: Commercial pilot and flight instructor
Outcome: Pilot killed

What happened

Shortly after a night takeoff, the pilot reported trouble with the left engine and told the tower he wanted to come back and land. The airplane reached only about 340 feet above the ground. During a left turn back toward the runway, its airspeed decayed to an estimated 45 knots, well below its 59-knot stall speed, and it stalled and crashed into a house. Testing didn't find what was wrong with the engine.

What the NTSB found

The pilot didn't maintain adequate airspeed while trying to return to the airport after a reported engine problem, leading to a stall and spin.

What would have helped

Airspeed is life. Fly the airplane first, no matter what's happening with the engine.
Turning back at low altitude is dangerous because a turn raises stall speed and loses altitude.
Brief yourself before every takeoff: below a certain altitude, land mostly straight ahead.

Read NTSB report CEN15FA048 ↗ · Chicago Midway Airport, Illinois

Learn the skill: Emergency procedures

Airports

Wake turbulence behind an airliner on final

Date: December 16, 2021
Aircraft: Cirrus SR22
Pilot: Private pilot, about 75 hours
Outcome: One person killed, one seriously injured

What happened

Cleared to follow an Airbus A320 to land, the pilot turned onto base about 1.8 miles behind it. On final, the airplane hit the airliner's wake and rolled about 135° to the left in under a second. The passenger, also a pilot, deployed the airplane's parachute; it came down and caught fire after hitting the ground. The NTSB also found that air traffic control didn't give the wake turbulence caution that FAA guidance called for.

What the NTSB found

The airplane encountered the wake of a preceding airplane and rolled upset too low to recover. ATC's missing wake turbulence advisory contributed.

What would have helped

Behind a larger airplane, stay at or above its flight path and land beyond its touchdown point.
You're allowed to ask for more spacing, or to extend and follow farther behind.
Don't depend on ATC to warn you. Wake avoidance is the pilot's job too.

Read NTSB report ERA22LA089 ↗ · McGhee Tyson Airport, Knoxville, Tennessee

Learn the skill: Wake turbulence, collision avoidance and runway safety

Fuel and planning

Fuel exhaustion on the way home

Date: January 12, 2016
Aircraft: Cessna 172N
Pilot: Private pilot, about 259 hours
Outcome: Pilot killed

What happened

The pilot flew to another airport and started home after dark without refueling. Investigators couldn't determine how much fuel was aboard at the start; the tanks had been filled days earlier from gas cans. On final approach to his home airport the engine lost all power, and the airplane hit trees. No usable fuel was left in the wing tanks. He was also flying lower and farther out than a normal pattern, which may have kept him from gliding to the runway.

What the NTSB found

Inadequate preflight planning and inspection led to fuel exhaustion and a total loss of power. Flying the pattern too low and too far out contributed.

What would have helped

Know exactly how much fuel is aboard: look in the tanks and measure, don't assume.
Plan fuel for the whole trip plus reserves, and refuel when you can.
A normal pattern altitude and distance keep the runway within gliding range.

Read NTSB report CEN16FA083 ↗ · Gilmer, Texas

Learn the skill: Fuel, right-of-way and minimum altitudes · The preflight inspection