Real Pilot Stories
Real Pilot Stories
Each Real Pilot Story is a true account of a good flight gone bad. Listen to pilots who really have “been there, done that” tell their harrowing tales in hopes of helping the rest of us become better pilots. All presentations contain audio. In order to view the presentations, a Flash plug-in is required.
The Impossible Turn
Dave Keller needed to land immediately—but rather than landing straight ahead or off to the side, he chose to execute the “Impossible Turn” back to the airport: a risky and often fatal maneuver. With aerial footage captured by Keller’s own video camera, this Real Pilot Story puts you in the right seat as the event develops. Learn why returning to the runway below pattern altitude is a dangerous gamble. (Approx. 9 mins)
Learn more about: Essential Aerodynamics: Stalls, Spins and Safety Online Course; Maneuvering Flight-Hazardous to Your Health? Safety Adivsor
Produced with the generous support of the Tom Davis Fund.
Pinch Hitting a King Air
Imagine being forced to take over the flight controls of a Beechcraft King Air 200 if you’d never flown anything larger than a Cessna 172.
It happened to Doug White on April 12, 2009, when he and his family were returning home from his brother’s funeral. White was a right-seat passenger in the King Air’s cockpit, with his wife and two teenage daughters in the passenger cabin, when the pilot, Joe Cabuk, became incapacitated. (Approx. 13 mins)
Learn more about: Pinch-Hitter Online Course
Say it Right: Mastering Radio Communication
Produced with the generous support of the Tom Davis Fund.
Engine Failure at Night
Loss of engine power over the Pennsylvania mountains at night.
Aircraft: Cessna 400
Running time: 10:26
Learn more about: Say it Right: Mastering Radio Communication
Vacuum Failure in IMC
Donna Wilt’s vacuum failure was in solid IMC. And thunderstorms.
Aircraft: Cessna Cardinal
Running time: 11:14
Learn more about: Say it Right: Mastering Radio Communication; Pneumatic Systems minicourse; WeatherWise: Thunderstorms and ATC; Pinch-Hitter® course
Toddler Overboard!
A three-year-old accidentally opened the door at 10,000 feet.
Aircraft: Cessna 401
Running time: 3:45
Learn more about: Say it Right: Mastering Radio Communication
Three Seconds, Three Choices
Relinquishing PIC authority is never a good idea.
Aircraft: Vans RV
Running time: 5:27
Learn more about: Weather Wise: Ceiling and Visibility, Do the Right Thing: Decision-Making for Pilots, and Emergency Procedures
Power Loss on Takeoff
When the engine quits at 200 feet, there’s not much time to decide.
Aircraft: Piper Lance
Running time: 4:44
Learn more about: Engine and Propeller
VFR in a Snowstorm
Emergency landing on a snowy, muddy road near Wooster, Ohio.
Aircraft: Cessna 172
Running time: 2:48
Learn more about: Weather
Icing Encounter
In-flight icing encounter near Bedford, Pennsylvania.
Aircraft: Cessna 172
Running time: 11:58
Learn more about: Aircraft Icing
Cemetery Crash
A catastrophic engine failure near Knoxville, Tennessee.
Aircraft: Beechcraft Bonanza
Running time: 3:03
Learn more about: Aeronautical Decision-Making
Snake in the Airplane
In-flight distraction near Gallipolis, Ohio.
Aircraft: Piper Cherokee (PA 28-140)
Running time: 2:02
Learn more about: Spring Preflight Considerations
Mountain Crash
Density altitude accident in Bonners Ferry, Idaho.
Aircraft: Cessna 172
Running time: 2:16
Learn more about: Mountain Flying
NTSB Accident Number: SEA05LA145
Prop Attack!
A hand-propping accident near Swansboro, North Carolina.
Aircraft: Cessna Cardinal (C177)
Running time: 2:12
Learn more about: Engine and Propeller Safety
Special appreciation to the Herrick Foundation for its support of safety education.
Ever had a close call in an airplane? Could others learn from your experience? Send ASF the details and we’ll consider using your story in a future edition of Real Pilot Stories!
Updated Tuesday, September 8, 2009
