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

In Episode 37 of NTSB News Talk, Max Trescott and Rob Mark examine accidents illustrating how distraction, spatial disorientation, inadequate briefings, and continuation bias can rapidly turn routine flights into emergencies.
Brought to you by AVEMCO aircraft insurance.
Support Rob and Max by making a donation at Patreon.com
The episode begins with the Cirrus Vision Jet accident at Driggs, Idaho, where a pilot attempted takeoff from a closed portion of Runway 4 and struck a water pipe suspended across the runway. They also discuss the fatal collision at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, between a landing Cessna 150 and a Pennsylvania State Police Bell 407 hovering just above the ground during training.
Rob reviews the fatal crash of Cessna 172 N9360E at Provincetown, Massachusetts, while Max analyzes newly released NTSB docket evidence from the January 2025 crash of Learjet 55 XA-UCI near Philadelphia. Flight-path data and the NTSB’s human-performance analysis raise significant questions about spatial disorientation.
Final reports include N1850N a Beechcraft Duchess accident during a simulated single-engine approach, a photographer fatally struck by glider N8217W, and 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.
Brought to you by AVEMCO aircraft insurance.
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.

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.