We live on a small airport and many of our neighbors own vintage aircraft. Even our primary airplane is 50 years old. The last two fatal crashes here happened after the airplanes suffered power loss or engine failure on takeoff. Both pilots tried to make a 180 and return to the airport and both stalled in the turn and ironically crashed through the roof of the same house. The lady who lived there sold the house after the second crash.
We have a friend who had a loss of power on takeoff and destroyed his beautiful late 40s era Navion, but he landed straight ahead off the airport and he and his wife walked away uninjured.
Both pilots tried to make a 180 and return to the airport and both stalled in the turn and ironically crashed through the roof of the same house.
I was always taught never to turn back under 5000 ft.
“Kevin Dillon, the executive director for the Connecticut Airport Authority, said the plane took off at Bradley International Airport around 9:45 a.m. ET. At 9:50 a.m., the aircraft indicated that it was experiencing a problem.
The aircraft was not gaining altitude, he said.
The plane tried return to the runway, and upon touchdown, it lost control and hit what’s known as the de-icing facility — tanks that contain de-icing fluid as well as maintenance facility associated with it.”
https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/world-war-ii-plane-crash-connecticut/index.html
The coverage that I have found so far is totally typical for this type of tragedy with news commentators blathering about stuff they have absolutely no knowledge of.
“We have a friend who had a loss of power on takeoff and destroyed his beautiful late 40s era Navion, but he landed straight ahead off the airport and he and his wife walked away uninjured.”
This guy’s name didn’t happen to begin with Mc, did it?
Sad. One of the very first things I learned upon taking flying lessons was forget trying to turn back if you lose power on takeoff. Look for a place to put it down and try to hit the softest cheapest thing if space is tight.