Cessna Safety Record

The student pilot's excessive application of the brakes during the landing roll and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action, which resulted in a nose-over.

The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action that resulted in a runway excursion.

The partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because the postaccident examination of the engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. .

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from trees during takeoff from a soft field and to abort the landing when the airplane reached the runway’s midpoint at a low airspeed.

***This report was modified on August 18, 2015. Please see the docket for this accident to view the original report.*** The operator's improper installation of a supplemental electrical power supply, which caused a short circuit due to inadequate vibration and abrasion protection, which resulted in chafing of the wires, which contacted one another, short-circuited, and caused an onboard fire. Contributing to the accident were the installation of the supplemental electrical power supply system without the supervision of an FAA-certified mechanic, the lack of an onboard means for fire suppression, and the pilot's inability to see the low-conspicuity power lines across the landing approach path until it was too late to take evasive action.

Loss of engine power from the rear engine for reasons that could not be determined because of the postimpact thermal damage to the engine. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's decision to continue flight with a known deficiency, his failure to abort the takeoff during the ground roll, his failure to follow the correct emergency procedures following the loss of power, and his lack of experience in multiengine airplanes and the specific airplane make and model.

The pilot’s delayed decision to abort the takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight planning and a high density altitude, which resulted in a runway excursion and collision with terrain.

The pilot's failure to retract the wing flaps before attempting to take off, due to his lack of familiarity with the airplane make and model, which prevented the airplane from maintaining adequate altitude for takeoff.

The pilot's improper turn down an airport access road while attempting to taxi to a runway. Contributing to the accident was the airport management's failure to install proper signage indicating that an airport access road was prohibited to aircraft.

A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because neither postaccident visual examinations nor test runs of the engine revealed any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot’s failure to identify the water contamination of the fuel system during his preflight inspection, which resulted in a total loss of engine power during the airplane’s initial climb.

A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot’s inadequate fuel planning. Contributing to the severity of the front passenger’s injuries was the pilot’s decision to depart with more passengers than available seats, which resulted in an adult and a child passenger sharing a seatbelt. Contributing to the severity of the rear passenger’s injuries was the failure of the unapproved modified seat installation.

A hydraulic fluid leak in the nose landing gear actuator rod seal, which prevented the hydraulic system from building up sufficient pressure to fully retract or extend the main landing gear.

The pilot's failure to set the correct flap position before takeoff and his inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in the operation of the airplane over the maximum allowable gross weight, both of which led to an aerodynamic stall at too low an altitude at which to recover.

The student pilot's failure to increase engine power during the descent for landing when instructed to do so by the flight instructor and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action, which resulted in collision with a static wire. Contributing to the accident was the student pilot's failure to use hearing amplification as required by his Federal Aviation Administration medical certificate.

The flight instructor's inadequate training and oversight of the student pilot, which resulted in the noncertificated student pilot's loss of control during landing.

The pilot’s overflight of the landing runway during a forced landing after a loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadequate preflight which resulted in his failure to detect water contamination of the fuel system.