It was the day after Christmas, a calm North Texas evening with clear skies and a big, bright moon overhead. A Cirrus SR22, N858RC, was

The midair at Reno Stead on September 17, 2023 unfolded not on the racecourse, but in the pattern—where things should have been winding down. After

This one was a classic ag-turn accident with a modern data trail behind it. On July 22, 2024, Air Tractor AT-602 N602WR went down near

If you’ve been around airshows long enough, you know the energy of a fast-jet demo. The pass is planned, the cadence is rehearsed, and the

I covered a Christmas Day landing accident that, on paper, looked simple: bright sun, short-field grass strip, and a go-around that happened just a few

Dawn at Cable Airport (CCB) in Upland, California. Light winds from the east, 4 knots, clear skies, and good visibility. A Beechcraft P35 Bonanza, N8572M,

Setting the StageOn March 3, 2010, a routine ferry flight across Puerto Rico ended in tragedy at Eugenio Maria de Hostos Airport in Mayaguez. The

A Routine Flight Turns FatalOn the morning of February 25, 2010, a Hawker Beechcraft C23, tail number N180ED, lined up for departure at Winter Haven’s

Setting the Stage On February 28, 2010, a Sunday afternoon in Bristow, Oklahoma, two friends took to the sky in a Hawker Beechcraft C24R Sierra,

The SetupOn a late February afternoon in 2010, a Beechcraft P35 Bonanza, tail number N1521S, was returning to its home field at Lee Airport (ANP)

Setting the Stage It’s the early hours of February 23, 2010. A Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee, tail number N7778W, is on the final stretch of a

An Ordinary Training Flight Begins It was a clear, dry California morning—typical for July. The skies over Murrieta were blue, the winds calm, and conditions

A Routine Day in the Fields It was a clear, calm Monday afternoon on July 31, 2023. The skies above southern Illinois offered perfect flying

A Beautiful Day Ends in Tragedy The day started like many others for the 73-year-old private pilot, who had logged over 400 total flight hours,

The Flight That Wasn’t Meant to Be It was a clear afternoon on March 8, 2024, when a Cirrus SR22 took off from Shelter Cove

On a quiet spring evening in April 2023, a routine dinner flight turned tragic off the coast of Venice, Florida. A seasoned pilot, his friends,

On a clear spring morning over the Gulf of Mexico, a routine fish-spotting flight ended in heartbreak. What began as a standard aerial observation mission

On a calm summer morning in June 2023, a sightseeing flight over the scenic waters near Beaver Island, Michigan, ended in heartbreak. What began as

On the evening of April 2, 2023, what began as a routine medical mission ended in tragedy near Chelsea, Alabama. An Airbus EC130 T2 helicopter,

On a sunny afternoon in Palm City, Florida, what should have been a routine personal flight ended in tragedy. The pilot of a Commander 114TC,

The Morning Flight That Never Reached the Coast On the quiet morning of June 17, 2023, a seasoned pilot and his passenger set out from

In the world of aviation, it’s often the routine flights that sneak up with unexpected surprises. On April 30, 2025, in Bethany, Oklahoma, one such

On a quiet summer morning in Mooresburg, Tennessee, the stillness of dawn was broken by the low hum of a vintage airplane. It was August

An Island Tour Turned Tragic On the idyllic island of Kauai, Hawaii, what began as a scenic helicopter tour ended in a tragic in-flight breakup

The Final Flight On a hot summer afternoon in Southport, North Carolina, a seasoned pilot took off in his beloved Mooney M20R for what was

A Beautiful Morning in Mulberry April 2, 2024, dawned clear and calm in central Florida. Over at South Lakeland Airport in Mulberry, a quiet hum

A Routine Night Flight in Unforgiving Conditions On February 24, 2023, a Guardian Flight Pilatus PC-12 lifted off from Reno-Tahoe International Airport just after 9

Setting the Scene On April 26, 2023, a seemingly routine personal flight from Leesburg, Florida to Winder, Georgia ended in tragedy. A Cessna 177B, tail

The Morning Departure It was an early summer morning on June 2, 2023, when a 69-year-old private pilot prepared his bright red Van’s Aircraft RV-7,

A beautiful morning over Montana turned tense in an instant for one experienced pilot when his newly purchased twin-engine Cessna P337H suffered a partial engine

On a clear June afternoon in 2024, a twin-engine Cessna 421C was soaring westward over the Colorado Rockies. Its destination: Ogden-Hinckley Airport in Utah. But

It was supposed to be a solemn and memorable tribute. A flight over Wyoming’s Shoshone National Forest to honor a departed loved one, ashes to

The Charter That Shouldn’t Have Flown On a chilly February evening in 2024, a routine on-demand charter flight turned fatal over the desolate terrain of

A Clear Day for Flying It was a bright September afternoon in the desert skies over Borrego Springs, California. A sleek, single-seat aerobatic airplane, tail

On a warm September afternoon in Tennessee, a pilot’s passion for flight and precision led him into the skies over the Cumberland River. What began

Departure with a Routine Rhythm It was a routine cargo run over the vast Alaskan expanse—just another flight for a young but qualified commercial pilot

A Familiar Plane, an Unfamiliar Night It started as a laid-back Saturday plan. The 38-year-old private pilot, who had just completed a flight review two

On a sunny August morning in 2022, the skies over Bealeton, Virginia, were alive with the hum of vintage aircraft. It was a day like