Cessna Safety Record

the pilot's improper planning/decision, which resulted in fuel exhaustion, loss of engine power, and subsequent ditching at sea. Darkness and the high sea condition (rough water) were related factors.

THE STUDENT PILOT'S INADVERTENT VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC) AND FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CLEARANCE (OR ALTITUDE) FROM THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.

The student pilot's misjudgment of distance/speed during the approach to land, and her failure to go around while there was still sufficient runway remaining. Factors related to the accident were: inadequate supervision by the flight instructor, the student's lack of recent flying experience, and the student pilot becaming lost or disoriented during the solo cross-country flight.

the pilot's continued flight into known adverse weather (icing conditions), and his delay in executing a course reversal to exit those conditions, which resulted in airframe ice accumulation and loss of control. A factor was the icing conditions.

airplane control was not maintained by the pilot during the his turn to an emergency landing area. Factors associated with this accident were the pilot not complying with the manufacturer's mandatory service bulletin, and an excessive fuel flow caused by the partial failure of the carburetor's float system.

THE PILOT'S IMPAIRMENT OF JUDGMENT AND PERFORMANCE DUE TO A DRUG, VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, AND FAILURE TO REMAIN CLEAR OF THE OBSTACLE (TOWERING SMOKE STACK). FACTORS RELATING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS.

the pilot's failure to abort the takeoff during an excessive takeoff roll. Factors were the loss of power on the number two engine which occurred for an undetermined reason, the pilot's disregard of the takeoff checklist, and the 25 degree flap setting.

the pilot's improper in-flight decision to continue the daytime flight into known adverse weather conditions at an inadequate altitude to clear mountainous terrain.

the pilot's continued flight into known adverse weather, and his improper use of carburetor heat. Factors include: weather conditions conducive to carburetor icing and airframe icing, airframe ice, and mountainous/hilly terrain in the area of the forced descent.

the failure to replace the deteriorated deicing boots, and the failure of the boots to operate when the airplane encountered icing condition. An additional causes were the pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed and the excessive pullup performed by the pilot during the uncontrolled descent.

A loss of engine power for an undetermined reason. Factors relating to the accident were: lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing in mountains, low ambient temperatures that contributed to hypothermia, the lack of survival equipment, an erratic ELT signal due to a faulty tuning crystal, and the lack of discrete transponder data to assist in the search.

THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN PROPER AIRSPEED. FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT WERE THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO REMOVE CARBURETOR HEAT DURING THE GO-AROUND AND THE PRESENCE OF A TAILWIND.

THE PILOT'S VFR FLIGHT INTO IMC CONDITIONS AND THE ENSUING SPATIAL DISORIENTATION. FACTORS WERE THE PILOT'S SELF-INDUCED PRESSURE TO REACH HIS DESTINATION, HIS FAILURE TO OBTAIN A WEATHER BRIEFING FOR THE FLIGHT, AND THE WEATHER CONDITIONS.

The pilot's continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions. Factors contributing to the accident were: the night conditions, fog, low ceiling, and hilly terrain.

INTENTIONAL VFR FLIGHT INTO IMC BY THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND, FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN AIRCRAFT CONTROL, SPATIAL DISORIENTATION, AND ALTITUDE INADEQUATE FOR RECOVERY FOLLOWING THE IN FLIGHT LOSS OF CONTROL.