NTSB News Talk – Aviation Accidents, Safety Investigations & Pilot Lessons

Max Trescott and Rob Mark examine the July 20, 2024 runway excursion of Hawker 900XP N526FC at Telluride Regional Airport. The crew planned a Runway 27 departure from an airport elevation of 9,069 feet, with density altitude above 11,200 feet and takeoff calculations using nearly all of the 7,111-foot runway. But the jet began its takeoff with the flaps retracted instead of set to the planned 15 degrees, while a gusty tailwind exceeded the airplane’s operating limitation. Here are Takeoff Videos One and Two.
The aircraft never became airborne. After the crew rejected the takeoff, it ran through the engineered material arresting system and stopped beyond the runway. Both pilots escaped without injury, though the airplane sustained substantial damage and its engines continued running after impact.
Max and Rob analyze the cockpit voice recorder summary, the absence of audible checklist use or takeoff briefing, the missed opportunities to verify flap position, and the hazards of operating with almost no performance margin. They also discuss fuel-loading decisions at mountain airports, the unusual arrival hold on Telluride’s RNAV approach, unofficial instrument procedures, discrepancies in the pilots’ NTSB forms, and the lesson: disciplined checklist use, crew communication, and attention to detail are essential when conditions leave no room for error.

Max Trescott and Rob Mark review a mysterious Boeing 737 cargo crash, several fuel-related accidents, loss of control, and a dangerous carb-ice misconception. K2 Airways Flight KTA1732, Boeing 737-400F AP-BOI, reported a navigation problem before plunging into the Arabian Sea. The hosts analyze Beechcraft 95-A55 Baron N7501S after an apparent dual-engine failure near Lancaster, South Carolina, following an 18-hour flying day, raising questions about fuel endurance, fatigue, and nighttime hypoxia.
Preliminary reports include Cessna 150L N156KA, where the instructor tried to select a nonexistent right-tank position and investigators found a striking fuel imbalance; Cessna P210N N54CC, which stalled and spun above a 9,550-foot runway; Pacific Aerospace 750XL N221BN, whose engine was producing power before a fatal skydiving crash; and experimental Piper PA-20 N7635K, which struck mountainous terrain while flying toward instrument conditions with a suspended certificate and expired medical.
Final reports cover Cessna 172M N4464R, whose seat slid aft during takeoff, and Cessna 182 N8580T, which lost power on final after the left tank ran dry despite fuel remaining in the right tank. Listener Sam Dawson closes with a warning that no carbureted airplane should be assumed immune from carb ice or what its POH may imply alone.

Max Trescott and Rob Mark review a packed week of aviation safety events, beginning with two runway close calls. At Boston Logan, Delta Air Lines Flight 2351 went around after American Airlines Flight 3161 delayed its takeoff roll on an intersecting runway. At Miami, American Airlines Flight AA308, an Airbus A319, rejected takeoff after spotting NetJets Flight EJA434, an Embraer Phenom 300, N434QS, on the runway after an apparent clearance misunderstanding.
The episode then turns to recent accidents, including the fatal Pilatus PC-6/B2-H4 Turbo Porter skydiving crash of D-FIPS in France, a fatal propeller accident involving a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX, N593EX, at Marana, AZ and the crash of a NetJets Cessna 680A Citation Latitude, N523QS, near Laredo after a reported emergency. Max also discusses a fatal night Piper Archer, N249WF, near Bowie, Maryland, where possible factors include engine failure, fuel exhaustion, or carburetor ice.
Rob covers a float-equipped Cessna 195, N3877V, that struck unmarked power lines near Pasco, Washington. Final reports include a Cirrus SR22T, N285AH, seat-slide takeoff accident and a Cirrus SR20, N619AV, icing encounter that ended with a CAPS parachute deployment.

Max Trescott and Rob Mark review major recent aviation accidents and newly released NTSB reports, beginning with two breaking accidents: a U.S. Air Force B-52 crash shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base in California, and a fatal skydiving aircraft crash near Butler, Missouri, involving N221BN, a Pacific Aerospace 750XL/P-750 operated for Skydive Kansas City. That accident killed the pilot and 11 skydiving passengers and raises early questions about takeoff performance, low-altitude options, and the unique operational risks of jump aircraft.
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They also discuss N318JF, a fatal Gulfstream G200 crash at La Romana in the Dominican Republic and N858SD, a Cirrus SR20 crash in Ohio, along with the pilot’s previous icing accident in in N406SR, a 2006 SR22.
The preliminary report segment focuses on United Flight 169, a Boeing 767 arriving at Newark from Venice. After multiple runway changes, the crew flew the RNAV W Runway 29 approach, descended below the intended visual path, struck a light pole near the New Jersey Turnpike, and landed safely.
Final reports include N4167G, a Cessna 402B in Puerto Rico with serious maintenance discrepancies, N18BG, a Lancair ES stall while maneuvering for spacing at Oshkosh AirVenture, N3464D, a Champion 7GCBC accident near Eatonville, N14137, a 1934 WACO that entered unexpected IMC, and N6310N, a Citabria training accident in California.

Max Trescott and Rob Mark review a new NTSB recommendations for the FAA’s Runway Condition Assessment Matrix after wet-runway overruns showed that heavy rain can sharply reduce braking effectiveness.
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The episode then turns to several recent and preliminary accidents, including a Piper PA-28 N7188W loss-of-control crash at Akron-Fulton Airport, a Piper PA-32 Saratoga N5802N accident southwest of Empire, Nevada, a Diamond DA40 N787PV crash west of Elko, Nevada, and a North American AT-6 N29678 formation-flight crash near Bronson, Florida.
The final reports include three major lessons. In a Piper PA-28 N8438B crash at Muncie, Indiana, an instrument flight in an airplane not properly inspected for IFR ended in spatial disorientation after off-course maneuvering in IMC. In the IAI Westwind N1125A crash at Hot Springs, Virginia, the crew continued an unstabilized approach with altimeter, FMS, automation, and crew resource management problems. Finally, the Piper PA-46 N85PG in-flight breakup near Trout Creek, New York, shows the danger of continuing into convective weather, turbulence, and IMC while hand-flying.