General Aviation Accident Bulletin

Recent general aviation and air carrier accidents.

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AVweb’s General Aviation Accident Bulletin is taken from the pages of our sister publication, Aviation Safety magazine. All the reports listed here are preliminary and include only initial factual findings about crashes. You can learn more about the final probable cause on the NTSB’s website at www.ntsb.gov. Final reports appear about a year after the accident, although some take longer. Find out more about Aviation Safety at www.aviationsafetymagazine.com.


August 3, 2021, Jeffersonville, Ind.

Piper PA-28-181 Archer II/III

At about 1115 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged during a runway excursion while landing. The flight instructor and student pilot were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed.

While performing touch-and-goes, the sixth approach and landing were normal, with the airplane touching down on the main landing gear with the engine at idle. The airplane was slightly left of centerline and began drifting right. The student and flight instructor both attempted to correct for the right drift without success. The airplane went off of the right side of the runway, with the right main landing gear striking a runway light and separating from the airplane.


August 3, 2021, Iron Mountain, Mich.

Cessna 172

The airplane was substantially damaged at about 1120 Central time when it taxied behind a regional jet undergoing an engine test. The pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed.

At the end of a local flight, the pilot taxied toward parking. As the Cessna passed about 200 feet behind a parked Bombardier CRJ-200, mechanics aboard the CRJ-200 were not aware of the Cessna and increased engine power during a maintenance test. The jet blast from the CRJ-200 lifted the Cessna’s tail, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing and strut.


August 4, 2021, Starkville, Miss.

North American T-6G Texan

At about 1520 Central time, the airplane was destroyed when it impacted terrain under unknown circumstances. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed.

Radar data show the airplane engaging in a series of maneuvers after it took off and flew to the south-southwest. The final radar return was recorded at 1518 about 0.15 mile west of the accident site. A witness saw the airplane, which was low, disappear behind some trees before an impact was heard. Ground scars and wreckage were consistent with a steep angle through trees before impact with terrain.


August 5, 2021, Ketchikan, Alaska

de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

The float-equipped airplane was destroyed at about 1050 Alaska time when it collided with terrain. The airline transport pilot and five passengers were fatally injured. Visual conditions for the FAR Part 135 on-demand sightseeing flight were reported nearby.

The airplane departed on the accident flight at about 0939 with 55 gallons of fuel. According to a satellite-based tracking system, it landed on a lake at about 1018, and then took off again at 1027, en route to its base. The last satellite tracking system transmission from the airplane was at 1048; the airplane was at 1730 feet MSL on a ground track of 261 degrees true. At about 1050, the airplane’s emergency locator transmitter signal was heard, and the accident side was located at about 1120.

The airplane initially impacted a tree about 435 feet from the main wreckage location; the left wing’s outboard section was located at the base of the tree. All other major components were located in the vicinity of the main wreckage. Flight control continuity was confirmed from the cockpit to remaining flight control surfaces. Fuel was noted in the line from the firewall to the engine. The propeller blades exhibited bending and chordwise scratching in several locations.

Other pilots flying in the area on the morning of the accident stated there were low clouds—600-800 feet AGL—in the valley where the accident occurred. Pilots assisting with the search and rescue efforts reported that the weather was overcast and the mountain tops were obscured.


This article originally appeared in the November 2021 issue of Aviation Safety magazine.

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