September 2000
June 30, Albany, Ga. / Bellanca Viking
Subscribers Only At about 15:20 eastern time, a Bellanca 17-30A lost power and crashed while attempting a forced landing near Albany. The pilot and check pilot were seriously injured. The flight had originated from Albany about five minutes earlier. The pilot stated that he was receiving a biennial flight review and that he was currently out of biennial flight review. All fuel tanks were full at departure. He said that, while climbing through 2,000 feet, he switched the fuel selector from the left main tank to the right auxiliary tank and the engine immediately quit. He said the check pilot noticed the fuel flow gauge read zero. The pilot turned toward a field to make a forced landing but struck trees 150 ya...
June 29, Chester, Calif. / Piper Cherokee Six
Subscribers Only At 20:29 Pacific time, a Piper PA-32-260 ditched into Lake Almanor after the engine lost power during initial climb from Rogers Field. The pilot and passenger received minor injuries. The pilot said the flight was his fourth flight of the day in the aircraft. He started the day in Stockton with full fuel tanks. He flew to Chester, then to Reno (Stead) and back to Chester. The total was about 2 hours and 30 minutes and the airplane was not serviced after departing Stockton. According to the pilot, full fuel is sufficient for about 5 hours flying. The pilot said the takeoff on runway 16 was routine, the engine was smooth and powerful and all the instruments were in their normal operating range...
June 29, Mayer, Ariz. / Cessna 182
Subscribers Only At 08:50 mountain time, a Cessna 182K hit obstructions while landing after a catastrophic engine failure. The pilot suffered minor injuries. The pilot said an inspection of the aircraft revealed a hole in the top of the engine case. The engine had operated about seven hours since overhaul, including two hours in a test cell....
June 27, Talihina, Okla. / Mooney Ovation
Subscribers Only At 20:30 central time, a Mooney M20R was damaged during a forced landing right after takeoff at the Talihina Municipal Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot told investigators he took off from runway 1 and was three-quarters of the way down the runway when the engine started to “cough.” He attempted to land the airplane on the remaining runway but the airplane overran the runway and struck a ditch and bushes. The pilot said the airplane was only a few weeks old and, a week prior to the accident the engine had exhibited the same problem. The manufacturer and the pilot’s mechanic replaced the fuel pump as a corrective measure....
June 27, Karval, Colo. / Cessna 152
Subscribers Only At 14:09 mountain time, a Cessna 152 crashed near Karval, killing the pilot. The flight originated from Ellicott, Colo., approximately one hour before the accident. Denver Center reported the pilot began squawking 7700 moments before the airplane disappeared from their radar screen. Flight Watch reported the pilot radioed them saying that he was in some clouds and was having difficulty flying the airplane. VMC prevailed in the area....
June 24, Gardner, Kan. / McClish Funk
Subscribers Only At 17:00 central time, a McClish Funk B85C nosed over during a forced landing following a total loss of engine power while on downwind at the Gardner Municipal Airport. The pilot received minor injuries. The pilot reported the accident occurred just after takeoff during the aircraft’s maiden flight following restoration....
June 24, Atlantic Ocean / Cessna 172
Subscribers Only At 08:15 eastern time, a Cessna 172N ditched in the Atlantic Ocean 35 miles east of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., following a loss of engine power. All four occupants escaped without injury. The pilot said the flight departed the Bahamas and he climbed to a cruise altitude of 6,500 feet. About 30 minutes into the flight the pilot descended to 2,500 feet and, when he applied throttle to level off, there was no engine response. The pilot ditched the airplane near a commercial boat....
June 23, Boca Raton, Fla. / Learjet 55 and Extra 300S
Subscribers Only At about 11:41 eastern time, a Learjet 55 and and Extra EA-300S collided in flight about 2½ miles southwest of the Boca Raton Airport. The three occupants of the Learjet were killed and the pilot of the Extra, U.S. Aerobatics Team member John Lillberg, was also killed. The Extra had departed Pompano Beach Airpark about four minutes before the collision and the Learjet departed runway 23 at Boca about 1 minute 30 seconds before impact. The Extra was cruising at 2,400 feet on a heading of 341 when the Learjet took off. As it climbed out, the Learjet turned to a heading of 269. Shortly before the collision, the Extra turned to a heading of 360. A witness said the Extra appeared to begin an evas...
June 21, Tampa, Fla. / Beech Sport
Subscribers Only At 09:15 eastern time, a Beech crashed on the runway shortly after liftoff from runway 36 at Vandenberg Airport. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot said the engine quit shortly after takeoff and he tried to put the airplane down on the remaining runway. A witness said the airplane took off in a nose high attitude, climbed to about 75 feet and stalled back onto the runway, collapsing the right main and nose landing gear....
June 20, Orchard, Colo. / Cessna 172
Subscribers Only At approximately 21:45 mountain time, a Cessna 172K crashed when it struck the water during takeoff from a beach near Orchard. The pilot was not injured. The flight originated at Greeley, Colo., at approximately 18:30. The pilot said extensive maintenance had been performed on the airplane and on two different occasions he had made off-airport precautionary landings due to smoke in the cockpit. In the first incident, wiring inside the transponder had burned. In the second incident, unsecured wires had chafed against a bus bar and short-circuited. On the accident flight, the pilot saw smoke coming from the cowling and a light smoke entered the cockpit. He elected to make a precautionary landi...
June 18, Cheswold, Del. / Piper Tomahawk
Subscribers Only At 10:40 eastern time, a Piper PA-38 landed about 200 feet short of runway 27 at Delaware Airpark. Neither occupant was injured. The airplane spun around and came to a stop about 20 feet short of the runway....
June 18, Westfield, Ind. / Bellanca Citabria
Subscribers Only At 16:36 eastern time, the pilot of a Bellanca 7ECA lost control and crashed while making a forced landing after losing engine power during initial climb from runway 36 at Westfield Airport. The pilot was killed and the passenger was seriously injured. Witnesses said the aircraft was in a shallow, slow climb when it crossed the departure end of runway 36. At about 150 feet, the engine stopped. The airplane began to turn left and apparently stalled. Examination of the aircraft revealed that the scat-ducting that provided air to the heat-muff was obstructed by two pieces of foam that were inserted into the inlets located on the lower engine cowl....
June 17, Coleville, Calif. / Piper Pawnee and Schleicher AS20
Subscribers Only At 15:00 Pacific time, a Piper PA-25-260 struck a fence while trying to tow a glider from a dirt field. The pilot was not injured. The glider had made a precautionary landing in the field when the pilot reported losing lift. He contacted a local soaring club and requested an aero-tow out of the field. The Pawnee pilot paced off 1,600 feet, which he calculated would be enough for the airplane and glider to take off. When the tow plane struck the fence, the glider released, cleared the tow plane by 2 to 4 feet, traveled across a road and collided with another fence. The glider pilot was also uninjured....
June 16, Louisville, Ky. / Cessna 210
Subscribers Only At about 13:27 eastern time, a Cessna 210 lost power and was damaged in a forced landing near Bowman Field. The pilot and passenger received minor injuries. The pilot departed Grand Rapids, Mich., with full tanks and flew to Campbellsville, Ky., a flight of about 2 hours and 10 minutes. Several hours later, the pilot loaded one passenger for a flight to Bowman Field, a flight that should have taken about 15 minutes. As he prepared to land, the pilot switched fuel tanks to the right tank, which was the fullest. Two minutes later the engine lost power. He tried several solutions but could not restore power. The airplane touched down in a field and came to rest inverted. Approximately 20 gallon...
June 16, Willows, Calif. / Maule M4
Subscribers Only About 07:55 Pacific time, a Maule M4-210C crashed while maneuvering 1 mile southwest of the Willows-Glenn County Airport, killing the pilot and passenger. The airplane was one of a group of six airplanes en route to Happy Camp, Calif., on a camping trip with an intermediate stop at Willows-Glen. The accident airplane was about seven miles behind the other five. Winds were recorded at 32 mph, gusting to 42. A witness saw the accident airplane enter two steep 360-degree turns, level off and descend, then complete two more steep 360-degree turns before falling to the ground. Antelopes were reported at the scene and the pilots from the other airplanes in the group indicated that the accident air...
June 13, Lodi, Calif. / Cessna 152
Subscribers Only At 17:45 Pacific time, a rented Cessna 152 lost power during cruise flight and subsequently landed hard at the Lodi airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot stated he had departed Corona, Calif., 3 hours and 25 minutes before the accident and was en route to Lodi. The operator said the pilot ran out of fuel short of the airport....
June 12, Las Vegas, Nev. / Airbus A320
Subscribers Only At 13:10 Pacific time, an Airbus A320-232 operated by America West was substantially damaged when the outboard engine cowl door separated and struck the horizontal stabilizer during takeoff at McCarran International Airport. No one was injured. The pilot said there had been an abnormal vibration as the aircraft accelerated through takeoff rotation speed. Several passengers alerted the flight attendants who, in turn, reported the cowling separation to the cockpit crew. The flight returned for landing at the departure airport. The cowl door latches on the inboard door were found latched, however, the hooks were intact and undamaged. Similarly, the latch receptacles on the outboard door were vi...
June 12, Wauseon, Ohio / Piper Turbo Saratoga
Subscribers Only At about 07:20 eastern time, a Piper PA-32R-301T crashed while attempting to land at Fulton County Airport. The three occupants were not injured. The pilot said he executed the NDB approach to runway 27, flew down the centerline of the runway and made a 180-degree turn to land on runway 9. While maneuvering back to the runway, the airplane stalled just above the runway and struck the ground. The airplane touched down on all three landing gear, slid sideways and came to rest in a water drainage ditch....
June 11, Englewood, Colo. / Piper Turbo Seminole and Cessna 182
Subscribers Only At 22:04 mountain time, a Piper PA-44-180T collided with a Cessna 182Q while the Piper was making a go-around and the Cessna was taxiing. No one was injured. The pilot of the Seminole apparently was making a go-around after abandoning a landing approach to runway 17L. The airplane drifted left of the runway and collided with the Cessna, which was taxiing north on taxiway Bravo. The Piper pilot then landed the airplane on the grass median between the runway and taxiway....
June 9, West Milford, N.J. / Cessna 172
Subscribers Only At about 11:20 eastern time, a Cessna 172R lost power while landing at Greenwood Lake Airport and crashed ¼-mile from the runway. The CFI and commercial pilot sustained minor injuries. The flight had originated at White Plains, N.Y., and had entered the traffic pattern for landing at Greenwood Lake. While on the base leg at 800 to 900 feet agl and with power set at 1,900 rpm, the pilot tried to apply power but the engine did not respond. No pre-impact anomalies were found and the engine was successfully run after the accident. Service Difficulty Reports for the Cessna 172R revealed 58 submissions regarding momentary engine roughness or intermittent loss of engine power, which have occurred b...
June 9, Hillsboro, Ore. / Cessna 182
Subscribers Only At approximately 13:30 Pacific time, a Cessna 182H overran the runway while trying to land at Stark’s Twin Oaks Airport. The pilot and passenger received minor injuries. The pilot said he was having trouble maintaining the correct airspeed in the pattern and executed a go-around on his first attempt to land because he was too high and fast. On his second attempt, he intentionally came in high with partial flaps in case he had to go around again. As he crossed the threshold, he was still a little high and fast, but he elected to continue his attempt to land. The aircraft did not touch down until it was about half-way down the 2,150 foot treated-gravel runway. The pilot then applied maximum br...
June 8, Erie, Pa. / Beech Baron
Subscribers Only At 22:35 eastern time, a Beechcraft BE-55 crashed two miles short of runway 24 at Erie International Airport. The pilot sustained minor injuries. That day the pilot had flown from Erie to Dunkirk, N.Y. and Concord, N.C., then flew back to Dunkirk and was returning to Erie when the accident occurred. The pilot said he did not visually check the fuel level in either tank prior to departing on the final leg and relied on the fuel gauges. As he approached Erie, the left fuel gauge was showing empty, so he positioned the fuel selector to what he thought would feed fuel from the right tank to both engines. The Baron did not have that capability, and the pilot admitted to investigators that, despit...
June 5, Indiantown, Fla. / Robinson R22
Subscribers Only At 13:01 eastern time, a Robinson R22 Beta helicopter crashed after an attempted prison break when it struck trees shortly after takeoff from the Martin County Treatment Center. The student-rated pilot and the prisoner he attempted to free were not injured in the crash and were apprehended the next day. The student was receiving instruction from a flight school in Fort Lauderdale and had been signed off for a solo flight from Fort Lauderdale to Pahokee, Fla., and Stuart, Fla. However, he diverted to the prison and hovered over the facility’s recreation yard while the prisoner climbed aboard....
June 4, Breckenridge, Texas / Aero Commander 700
Subscribers Only At 22:15 central time, an Aero Commander 700 crashed near Breckenridge during a forced landing following a loss of engine power. The pilot and his three passengers were not injured. The flight had originated about two hours and 15 minutes earlier at Ruidoso, N.M. The pilot told the FAA inspector who responded to the accident site he ran out of fuel and landed in a field one mile west of the Breckenridge Airport. The inspector found the left fuel tank dry and the right fuel tank contained only ½-inch of fuel at its deepest point....
June 4, Fort Myers, Fla. / Bell UH-1H
Subscribers Only At about 10:30 eastern time, a Bell UH-1H crashed 10 miles south of Southwest Florida International Airport during firefighting operations. The pilot was killed. The pilot had released the water from the external bucket onto the fire and was returning to the lake to pick up more water. Witnesses observed the helicopter in level flight heading toward the lake when it suddenly banked steeply and went into a nose-low attitude until it disappeared behind trees....
June 4, Prescott, Ariz. / Schweizer SGS-1
Subscribers Only At about 15:20 mountain time, a Schweizer SGS-1-26 glider crashed while landing at Coyote Run Gliderport. The student pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The pilot said she dropped the microphone in turbulence and it lodged behind the control stick, making it impossible for her to apply aft stick. The glider maintained about a 15- to 20-degree nose down attitude until it collided with the ground and a fence....
June 3, Upland, Calif. / Mooney M20F
Subscribers Only At 07:19 Pacific time, a Mooney M20F veered off the runway and came to rest in a ditch during takeoff at Cable Airport. The pilot and one passenger were not injured, two other passengers received minor injuries. The pilot reported that the cabin door came open during takeoff. He intended to continue the takeoff and return to land and close the door; however, the passenger in the right front seat panicked. In the time necessary to calm and reassure the passenger, the pilot lost directional control of the aircraft and it drifted off the runway to the left....
June 1, West Milford, N.J. / Beech Sport
Subscribers Only At 19:30 eastern time, the pilot of a Beech 19 lost control during an aborted landing at Greenwood Lake Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot was practicing touch and goes when, on the third one, the approach was steeper and faster than normal. The airplane floated in the flare, ballooned slightly and then landed hard as the pilot was attempting to make a go-around. The airplane was “partially airborne” when it exited the left side of the runway and the pilot aborted the go-around. After the pilot chopped the power, the airplane had enough speed to clear a small ditch, but the airplane nosed in on the other side....
June 1, Miamisburg, Ohio / Piper Warrior
Subscribers Only At about 21:45 eastern time, a Piper PA-28-161 was damaged when it struck approach lights while landing at Dayton/Wright Brothers Airport. The CFI and student pilot were not injured. The student was making his first night flight and, on final approach, the CFI noted the VASI was “red over red.” He heard the engine power begin to increase and assumed that the student was correcting to get back on glide path. The CFI realized the student was not adding enough power and was reaching for the throttle when he heard a bang. The airplane touched down short of the runway and came to rest in a grass area. The CFI said he was not aware there were approach lighting stanchions at the approach end of the...
June 1, Steens, Miss. / Piper Tomahawk
Subscribers Only At about 13:45 central time, a Piper PA-38-112 struck trees after landing at Hopper Field. The flight instructor was seriously injured and the student pilot reported no injuries. The airport manager, who witnessed the accident, said the airplane was high and fast on the approach to the 1,400-foot-long runway 36. He said the airplane landed about halfway down the runway, departed the end of the runway and struck trees....
June 1, Prescott Valley, Ariz. / Cessna 414
Subscribers Only At about 10:05 mountain time, a Cessna 414A suffered a reported pressurization problem and collided with obstructions after a precautionary landing in a housing development under construction. The pilot, actor Patrick Swayze, and his two dogs were not injured. The flight was en route from Van Nuys, Calif., to Las Vegas, N.M. The pilot reported that he was in cruise flight at 13,000 feet msl when he heard a loud sound. His ears “popped” and his dogs began barking. Concerned that he had lost pressurization, he looked for a suitable landing site. After seeing what he believed was an airport below him, he circled the field to the left and initiated an approach from the west. On short final, he n...
The Air Above
Subscribers Only As a 3,000-hour pilot with a CFII rating, I am reasonably comfortable in the cockpit in either the right or left side. However, when I haven’t flown in a while I like to go out and fly by myself and run through some maneuvers as well as get in some short- and soft-field takeoffs and landings before I take passengers. One day in the early summer I found myself in a situation where I needed to fly my wife from Portland, Ore., to Spokane, Wash., on a Sunday. I had not flown our Cessna 172 for about four months, so on the Saturday before I decided to go out and knock off some of the rust and enjoy the kind of sunny day that we here in Oregon hope makes up for living in the rain the other eigh...
Twice as Nice
The “Twice Bitten” article was good [Proficiency, July], but I remain curious about the accident statistics on twins. Fatalities, per the stats, are four times as high for a twin when an engine fails than for a single as you noted. Not hard to understand during takeoffs. But how do the stats include the numerous instances of engine failure in a twin that never make it into the database because the plane landed without incident? My own admittedly limited database contains many instances. When an engine fails during cruise and landing phases of flight, I bet more singles don’t land safely. What should I draw from the stats? Is my sense of “twin security” while flying over water and at nig...
Screwed by a Nut
Subscribers Only The following information is derived from the FAA’s Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts. Click here to view "Airworthiness Directives." ---------- A Van’s RV-8 made a forced landing after losing engine power immediately after takeoff. The accident investigation showed the fuel tank had 10 gallons in it, but the fuel pick-up tube was crimped just outboard of its threaded fitting, and the tube had rotated more than 180 degrees. This resulted in the pick-up intake end of the pick-up tube being positioned midway between the top and bottom of the tank. The pilot/builder reported that several weeks previous to the e...
NTSB Preliminary Reports
Subscribers Only The following briefs were selected from the 173 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in June 2000. Statements in quotes were taken directly from the NTSB documents. The information is subject to change as the investigations are completed. Click here to view "Accident Totals, June." ---------- June 1, Prescott Valley, Ariz. Cessna 414 At about 10:05 mountain time, a Cessna 414A suffered a reported pressurization problem and collided with obstructions after a precautionary landing in a housing development under construction. The pilot, actor Patrick Swayze, and his two dogs were not injured. The flight was en route from Van...
Unnatural Reaction
Subscribers Only The anniversary of one of the most publicized general aviation accidents ever came and went, and almost on cue the NTSB released its official report on the crash that killed John F. Kennedy Jr. Together, they made a powerful reminder that one of the earliest identifiable pitfalls of flying is still with us today. Aptly named the graveyard spiral, it has taken its toll of lives since the invention of the airplane. Like its cousin the tailspin, the entry is insidious – resulting from spatial disorientation – and the conclusion is often fatal. The entry pattern associated with either maneuver is similar, but the resultant maneuvering track quite different. Real-life testing and experience,...
Beacon in the Dark
Subscribers Only Put yourself in this situation, for a moment. You are cranking along on a cross-country, an IFR cross-country. For the moment you are VFR on top with a thick solid layer below. You are flying single pilot IFR with no VFR alternates within range. Things are going along fairly smoothly, then trouble starts. The first indication on your ammeter/loadmeter goes unnoticed. You make a radio call to ATC they report as fading badly. The VOR pegs to one side of the instrument. The alternator warning light comes on. Electrical failure. That unplanned close-by VFR airfield would look pretty good about now. ATC does notice that your transponder reply has vanished, but they can’t call you. You hav...
Four-Letter Words
Subscribers Only Go to the index of any publication devoted to flight training and try to find the word “accident.” Hint: Don’t look between “accelerated stall” and “adverse yaw,” because you won’t find it there. This apparently dirty word is rarely used in any pilot training manual or handbook. If it does appear, it will usually be part of nebulous advice such as “safety is no accident” or a reference to the regulation that accidents must be reported promptly. In fact, accident training is not required for student pilots and, for all practical purposes, none is provided. This is the primary reason why most pilots are not familiar with the circumstances and trends that comprise the general aviation a...
This is Your Captain ...
Subscribers Only As pilot-in-command you are responsible for the safety of your passengers. Although commercial operations specify that passengers be given a safety briefing, Part 91 is considerably less specific. That leaves it up to the pilot to ensure passengers are thoroughly briefed – and that includes much more than telling them how to buckle the seat belt. The briefing should begin before entering the aircraft ramp. Have a means for positive control over your guests. Teenage boy scouts playing football on a ramp are not under positive control. You need to ensure that your guests don’t endanger themselves, nor do they block or impede other aircraft operations, nor distract other operators, nor...
Man Against Machine
Subscribers Only One of the results of poorly assessing the risk involved with flying is reflected by the number of weather-related accidents that consistently grace NTSB logs, even in the face of widely available real-time meteorological data. A study of the accident record demonstrates that the raging debate about human versus mechanical observers largely misses the point. Sure, human observers are superior in most respects and automated weather sometimes gives goofy and erroneous reports. On the other hand, automated weather stations allow observations from far more locations than was affordable for staffed stations. Both people and machines have strengths and weaknesses, but the more immediate point...
Copping a Buzz
Subscribers Only In accident reports, the NTSB may call it “maneuvering flight,” but most of the time it has a more colorful name: buzzing – or “flat hatting” to use a World War II term. Most pilots have been guilty of it. Some don’t get bitten, some learn the hard way and live to tell the story. Some find they fail the final exam. Not everyone, it appears, is as lucky as I was to survive a crash while buzzing. The AOPA Air Safety Foundation’s Nall Report says buzzing in single-engine airplanes “continues to be one of the largest producers of fatal accidents.” Furthermore, the report says, 34.5 percent of the fatal maneuvering accidents resulted from “maneuvering during low, slow flight.” That remin...
The Perfect Airplane
The quest for enjoyment while flying depends on having the right plane for the right mission. For some, a J-3 Cub and a grass strip provide the ultimate aviation experience. Others find satisfaction in a Baron at 18,000 feet or an F-16 going straight up. As this issue goes to press, the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh is in full swing. And what would the world’s greatest general aviation airshow be without thousands of pilots lusting after hardware they’d like to see in their hangar? The problem with airplanes, of course, is that the design compromises that must be made force airplanes into niches that are bound to be found wanting. A seaplane is too slow to take on those long busines...
Crazy Stunts
Subscribers Only Several years ago, two active-duty Air Force pilots (one an instructor) rented a Cessna 172 in Del Rio, Texas, so they could take their dates for a flight. The two pilots sat up front with two passengers in the back seat and a heavy load of fuel in the wings. (In case you’re thinking ahead, the aircraft was 323 pounds over its maximum allowable gross weight and 3.1 inches beyond its allowable aft C.G. limit.) They took off and proceeded to perform aerobatic maneuvers at very low altitudes while also buzzing boats on the nearby lake. They performed at least one complete aileron roll, abrupt pull-ups, very abrupt level-offs at low altitude and hammerhead type turns. The last maneuver w...