This one took place on a dark January evening over Auburn, Nebraska. A Cessna 150H, N22859, departed Lincoln for some pattern work at a quiet

This one started like a lot of springtime cross-countries: a long push southbound to Sun ’n Fun, a stubborn headwind, and a pilot trying to

This one started as a simple Saturday hop: Aero Country (T31) up to Sherman Municipal (SWI) in a well-worn Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche. Weather was

The first lesson in a new airplane is supposed to be simple: learn the machine, feel the controls, and keep the stakes low. On October

It started like a lot of proficiency flights do: a clear day, a long runway, and a plan to shoot a practice instrument approach to

If you’ve watched Pilot Debrief for a while, you know I like to walk through accidents the way we’d talk about them in a ready

On a hot June afternoon in Gulf Shores, Alabama, a 2004 Cirrus SR22—registration N432CD—lined up on Runway 27 for its first flight after an annual

Let’s walk through a tough one from Gage, Oklahoma. A 1952 Cessna 170B, tailwheel, 180-horse Lycoming up front, ended up inverted along the edge of

This one started out like a quick turn. A Beechcraft Baron 58P, tail number N2061K, came into Lubbock Executive Airpark (F82) late morning on March

The Setup This one started out like a straightforward reposition flight. A Cessna 414, N4765G, had just come out of an annual at Modesto City–County

If you’ve flown twin-engine training, you know the rhythm: simulate the failure, secure the engine, configure for OEI, and fly the airplane. On May 9,

The Flight That MorningOn June 28, 2022, a Beechcraft V35B Bonanza, tail number N444PM, lifted off from Pearson Field (VUO) in Vancouver, Washington, just after

This one started out as a straightforward familiarization flight in a newly purchased Cirrus SR22, registration N227BD. A private pilot sat left seat, a Cirrus-experienced

Setup and CrewThis one took place on a hot June afternoon over South Texas. The airplane was a 1964 Cessna 182G—solid, simple, and usually forgiving.

Setting the SceneThis one happened on a clear June morning near Colonial Beach, Virginia. A Van’s RV-6, N835BC, lifted from a small private grass strip

It was a warm summer night in East Texas when a Piper PA-32-300, N1403X, lined up for runway 17 at Mount Pleasant Regional. The weather

What HappenedThis one was a hometown return that ended in the worst way. A Piper PA-32-260, N44588, came back to Sebastian Municipal (X26) on a

If you’ve flown at night with weather moving in, you know how quickly a routine training hop can get complicated. This one started as a

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,