In Episode 25 of NTSB News Talk, Max Trescott and Rob Mark break down seven NTSB reports with a common theme: The accident often starts long before the impact.
They begin with an experimental Carbon Cub (N126C) that appears to have struck power lines during very low flight along the Payette River near Montour, Idaho—another reminder that wires are nearly invisible until they aren’t. Next is a Cessna 310R (N252DL) that descended into terrain on an IFR flight after the pilot stopped responding to air traffic control (ATC).
Max and Rob then tackle the TNFlyGirl Beech 35-C33 Debonair crash (N5891J) near Pulaski, Tennessee, where ADS-B data showed worsening pitch oscillations, and they discuss why these occurred. Two more reports highlight night risk: A Zenith CH 701 (N4209W) lost to spatial disorientation after VFR flight into deteriorating conditions, and a Cozy Mk IV (N656TE) that departed Half Moon Bay into night IMC and went into the ocean.
Finally, they cover a Cirrus SR22 (N253BC) takeoff with distraction and a Piper Saratoga (N4187Q) engine power loss at night.
