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

An Amazon Prime Air Boeing 767 crashes after overrunning Runway 30 at Miami International Airport—and ADS-B data contains an important clue about how the approach became unstable.
In this episode, we analyze the September 6 crash of Prime Air Flight 7598, operated by 21 Air with Boeing 767 N1997A. The flight from San Juan initially followed an almost perfect three-degree approach toward Miami. But approximately five miles from the runway, the aircraft unexpectedly leveled near 1,600 feet.
The ADS-B data shows that 1,600 feet had been entered as the selected altitude much earlier in the descent. That raises the possibility of an automation surprise, although another possibility is that the crew leveled inadvertently after disconnecting the autopilot to hand-fly.
The crew then attempted to recover using a descent approaching twice the normal glide angle. The 767 crossed the displaced threshold around 175 knots, apparently touched down near 160 knots, and was still traveling about 110 knots when it left the runway.
We also examine a fatal PC-12 spatial-disorientation accident, new evidence of helicopter wake turbulence in a Cessna 150 collision, and a troubling student-pilot night CFIT accident involving a CFI cross-country endorsement.
FAA No Go Over the Counter Medications List

In Episode 37 of NTSB News Talk, Max Trescott and Rob Mark examine new evidence from the fatal Learjet 55 air ambulance crash in Philadelphia and several other accidents with important lessons for pilots.
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The Learjet 55 departed Northeast Philadelphia Airport at night into a roughly 400-foot overcast. Newly released NTSB docket material shows the aircraft initially beginning its assigned right turn before slowly rolling left. The exceptionally gradual roll raises the possibility of somatogyral illusion—a form of spatial disorientation in which the inner ear may fail to detect slow rotational movement. Investigators also examined somatogravic illusion, cockpit workload, pitch trim, and the captain’s previous training history. Both engines appeared to be producing takeoff power, making an engine failure less likely.
Max and Rob also discuss two wrong-runway landings near Chicago that illustrate continuation bias and task saturation.
Other accidents include a Cirrus Vision Jet striking a pipe across a closed portion of a runway at Driggs, Idaho; a fatal Cessna 150 collision with a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter; N1850N a Beechcraft Duchess accident during simulated single-engine training; and a photographer fatally struck by the wing of glider N8217W. Also, two wrong-runway landings near Chicago, N772MR (Envoy 3936) and N1128M Learjet 60.
Those final incidents highlight a recurring human-factors problem: once pilots commit mentally to a plan, contradictory evidence can become surprisingly difficult to recognize.

In Episode 36 of NTSB News Talk, Max Trescott and Rob Mark examine a series of accidents that illustrate how quickly routine flights can unravel when pilots continue after the warning signs begin to accumulate.
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Support Rob and Max by making a donation at Patreon.com
A Cessna 172, N1166F, crashes at night at Blackfoot, Idaho, after what appears to have been a go-around. A Cirrus SR22T, N625LK, crashes near Bend, Oregon, after remaining airborne for more than five hours in an unusual flight that authorities say ended intentionally. An Aerostar 601P, N800AA, barely climbs after a nighttime departure from Adirondack Regional Airport, raising the possibility of somatogravic illusion.
They also discuss a Beech Baron, N202DK, lost after apparently continuing VFR into instrument weather, and a Piper Twin Comanche, N8154Y, that rolls inverted during a go-around following an earlier engine abnormality.
Final reports include a Diamond DA42, N705JP, that lands long with a tailwind and insufficient runway remaining; an unregistered Piper PA-18 that stalls during a low-altitude predator-control flight; a Cirrus SR22T, N778WT damaged on an unfamiliar grass runway; and a Gulfstream G600, N600WE, that loses visual reference in heavy rain during landing.
Plus, Rob reflects on the 45th anniversary of the PATCO strike and the warning he published shortly before it began. He talks about it on his Stories About Flying podcast.

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.