January 2001
Oct. 30, Conconully, Wash. / Cessna Skyhawk
Subscribers Only At approximately 08:00 Pacific time, a Cessna 172 struck trees during low-level maneuvering about seven miles northeast of Conconully. The pilot and his passenger both received minor injuries. The Canadian pilot said he took off for a local sightseeing flight and, once airborne, decided to cross the border in order to show his passenger some of the terrain in northern Washington. At the time of the accident, he was heading back toward Canada while flying very low over the trees. He said he encountered a downdraft that made the aircraft sink and one wing collided with a tree. The aircraft then cartwheeled into the forest....
Oct. 30, Tulsa, Okla. / Beech Duchess
Subscribers Only At 18:25 central time, a Beech BE-76 crashed near the Richard Lloyd Jones Airport, killing the pilot and flight instructor. The pilot radioed Tulsa Approach and said the flight was four miles north of the Okmulgee Airport and they had an engine on fire. The pilot requested a straight in landing on runway 1L at Richard Lloyd Jones Airport. Tower controllers saw the airplane approaching fast and saw smoke coming from the right engine. The pilot then said he did not have a “green light” and that he was going around to land on 19R. The airplane began a turn, then rolled to the right and crashed. Examination of the right engine compartment revealed an oil line had separated from a fitting....
Oct. 29, French Valley, Calif. / Cessna Skylane
Subscribers Only At about 13:00 Pacific time, a Cessna 182S was damaged during takeoff at French Valley. Neither the pilot nor the flight instructor/examiner was injured. The pilot was practicing short field takeoff procedures for his trips to Mexico. He said he made a short field takeoff from runway 18 (though he described a soft field takeoff) and the instructor suggested he level off and land on the remaining runway, which they did. They then made a second takeoff from a full stop at the beginning of the runway. The pilot said the tail tie down ring and tail cone dragged the runway at rotation and the airplane pitched up so steeply that he gave control to the instructor. The instructor yelled, “I don’t ha...
Oct. 28, Santa Teresa, N.M. / Cessna Turbo Centurion
Subscribers Only At 19:55 mountain time, a Cessna T210N crashed during an attempted go-around at Santa Teresa Airport. The pilot was seriously injured. The pilot said he realized during the landing flare that he had forgotten to put the landing gear down. He applied power, but pulled the airplane’s nose up too fast. The airplane stalled and impacted the ground....
Oct. 28, Fort Collins, Colo. / Piper Seneca
Subscribers Only At 07:22 mountain time, a Piper PA-34-200T crashed approximately 800 feet east of and 1,000 feet down runway 33 at Fort Collins/Loveland Municipal Airport. The two occupants were not injured. The airplane was landing on an IFR flight plan. Weather at the time was reported as 100 foot overcast with ¼-mile visibility in fog....
Oct. 25, Sparta, Mich. / Piper Cherokee 140
Subscribers Only At about 07:17 eastern time, a Piper PA-28-140 crashed on initial climb from runway 24 at the Sparta Airport, killing the pilot and leaving the passenger seriously injured. An IFR flight plan was filed to Manassas, Va., but no departure clearance was given. Visibility at the airport was less than 1/4 to 1/8 mile. The aircraft struck trees and terrain about 300 feet left of the extended runway centerline and about 1,000 feet from the departure end of the runway....
Oct. 25, Oklahoma City, Okla. / Cessna Centurion
Subscribers Only At 19:45 central time, the pilot of a Cessna 210 lost control and crashed during the initial climb from runway 17R at Will Rogers World Airport. The pilot was killed. The pilot had filed an IFR flight plan to Spearman, Texas, and departed at 19:42:17. The controller advised him to contact Departure and he acknowledged, but he did not check in on the Departure frequency. Witness accounts were that the airplane climbed into the clouds, then descended from them in a steep left bank....
Oct. 23, White Plains, N.Y. / American AA-1A
Subscribers Only At 09:12 eastern time, an American AA-1A crash-landed at Westchester County Airport. The pilot and passenger were seriously injured. The airplane was in a right-hand traffic pattern to land on runway 29. Witnesses said the airplane entered a steep right bank, turned final, and then descended toward the runway. The airplane struck the runway while still in the right turn, bounced and departed the runway on the right side. The initial ground strike was on the centerline in the middle of the displaced threshold for runway 29 and the wreckage came to rest before the start of the landing area....
Oct. 21, Leesburg, Fla. / Cessna 150 and Pitts S-2B
Subscribers Only At about 09:45 eastern time, a Cessna 150L and a Pitts S-2B collided while taxiing at Leesburg Regional Airport. Neither pilot was injured. A witness said the Cessna had just landed and cleared the runway onto an adjoining taxiway. The Pitts was taxiing for takeoff. The witness said both pilots stopped their respective aircraft momentarily, but then proceeded to taxi and struck each other....
Oct. 21, Pulaski / Champion Citabria
Subscribers Only At 17:05 central time, a Champion 7ECA was damaged when it veered off the grass runway that is parallel to runway 12 at Carter Airport and nosed over. The pilot was not injured. The pilot told investigators he was landing and was forced to take evasive action to avoid hitting a skydiver who was standing on the runway....
Oct. 21, Georgetown, Calif. / Ryan ST3KR
Subscribers Only At 15:55 Pacific time, a Ryan ST3KR crashed into trees one minute after departing from the airport at Georgetown. The pilot was seriously injured and the passenger was killed. Witnesses told police several airplanes stopped at Georgetown after one leg of a round-robin cross-country. The accident pilot left his traveling companion on the ground while he gave a ride to a new private pilot. A mechanic who observed the accident said the airplane departed on runway 34, stayed low over the runway then pulled up steeply and banked right. It then rolled sharply to the left and the nose dropped....
Oct. 20, Kingston, Ohio / Beech Musketeer
Subscribers Only At 22:38 eastern time, a Beech BE-23-24 crashed during a forced landing near Kingston, killing the pilot and two passengers and leaving a third passenger seriously injured. The pilot had the airplane’s fuel tanks filled “to the tabs” before the first leg of his flight that evening, but expressed surprise at how little fuel it took. The pilot then flew a 0.9-hour flight and, on the return leg, reported a loss of engine power. The pilot tried to land on a four-lane highway but crashed heading north onto the southbound lanes. An examination of the wreckage showed only trace amounts of fuel in the fuel system....
Oct. 19, Concord, Calif. / Beech Super King Air
Subscribers Only At 15:38 Pacific time, a Beech BE-300 overran the runway and struck an automobile at Buchanan Field during an aborted takeoff. The pilot was not injured but the driver of the car was seriously injured. The pilot reported beginning his takeoff run when he noted the airspeed indicator reading zero. He aborted the takeoff, put the power levers to reverse and applied the brakes, but the airplane skidded off the end of the runway, through a chain link perimeter fence, and struck an automobile that was traveling on the perimeter road....
Oct. 19, Camp Springs, Md. / Cessna 172
Subscribers Only At about 14:15 eastern time, a Cessna 172M was damaged when it encountered wake turbulence from a Boeing 757-200, operated by the US Air Force, about 4 miles south of Andrews Air Force Base. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said he was cruising from Cambridge, Md., to Friendly, Md., and was passing south of Andrews AFB. Both airplanes were advised of each other and the pilot of the Cessna was given a wake turbulence advisory. As the pilot of the Cessna neared a point behind the Boeing, he climbed from 1,300 feet to 1,600 feet, at which point the airplane encountered turbulence and rolled to the left. After landing, the pilot noticed wrinkles and deformed skin on the top surface of the ri...
Oct. 17, Van Nuys, Calif. / Beech King Air and Gulfstream 1
Subscribers Only At 15:50 Pacific time, a Beech C90 collided in midair with a Gulfstream G-159 while both aircraft were on four-mile final approaches to runway 16R at Van Nuys. Both aircraft landed safely and with no injuries to any of the occupants. The Beech was flying VFR and had been cleared to make a visual approach. The Gulfstream had been cleared for an ILS approach. The Beech pilot said he was three to four miles out on final for 16R when there was a shadow over his aircraft and the nose of the Gulfstream became visible in the top of his windshield. Immediately there was a loud “bang,” his aircraft rocked violently, and he thinks it turned to the right. He looked outside and saw damage to the left wi...
Oct. 16, Hillsboro, Mo. / Cessna 335
Subscribers Only At 19:33 central time, a Cessna 335 carrying Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan crashed near Hillsboro. The governor, also a candidate for U.S. Senate, was killed, along with the pilot and another passenger. The flight had departed Cahokia, Ill., at 19:15 CDT on an IFR flight to New Madrid, Mo. The pilot told controllers he was having problems with the primary attitude indicator and he requested a climb to a higher altitude. The pilot was issued a climb to 4,000 feet. The pilot then reported that the primary attitude indicator was not “reading properly” and he was trying to fly off of the copilot’s. The pilot then stated he wanted to divert to Jefferson City, where the weather was better. The airpla...
Oct. 13, Henderson, Nev. / Navion G
Subscribers Only At 10:34 Pacific time, a Navion G crashed while trying to return to the runway in the initial climb from Henderson Airport. The pilot was killed. Controllers said the airplane taxied to runway 36 and took off without a clearance from ground or local control. Several witnesses, including an FAA airworthiness inspector saw the airplane make a tight left turn just off the departure end of the 5,000-foot-long runway. The left bank continued until the nose dropped and the airplane descended vertically to the ground about 1,000 feet from the approach end of runway 18. The FAA inspector reported a trail of smoke coming from the airplane during the initial climb....
Oct. 12, Nondalton, Alaska / Beech Bonanza
Subscribers Only At about 13:45 Alaska time, a Beech BE-A36 was damaged during the landing roll at Nondalton Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot reportedly intended to raise the flaps but inadvertently raised the landing gear handle....
Oct. 10, Wichita, Kan. / Canadair Challenger
Subscribers Only At 14:52 central time, a Canadair CL600-2B16 operating as a certification test flight crashed after takeoff from Wichita Mid-Continent Airport. The test flight was an evaluation of stick force per g of the airplane as per Joint Aviation Requirement 25.143(f). The pilot and flight test engineer were killed and the copilot sustained serious injuries. A witness reported seeing the airplane “flying sideways about 6-10 ft. off of the ground. I then saw the aircraft level out, and I thought that everything was OK. I slowed down and was watching it and it tilted sideways again.” The right wing then hit the ground and the airplane cartwheeled....
Oct. 10, Cotulla, Texas / Piper Apache
Subscribers Only At approximately 15:22 central time, a Piper PA-23-160 lost power in its left engine while en route from Hebbronville to San Antonio. The airplane crashed near Cotulla, killing the passenger and leaving the pilot with serious injuries. The pilot was cruising at 5,000 feet about 25 miles from the Cotulla airport when he reported a loss of power in the left engine. He was given vectors to Cotulla and cleared to descend to 3,000 feet, then 2,400 feet – the minimum safe altitude according to controller guidelines. The pilot reported he could not maintain altitude and was still IMC, and said he was descending to 1,000 feet. He then reported he had the airport in sight, but crashed 15 miles east o...
Oct. 9, Phoenix, Ariz. / Cessna Pressurized Ceturion
Subscribers Only At 11:16 mountain time, a Cessna P210N lost power on final approach to Deer Valley Airport and crashed during the ensuing forced landing. The pilot and passenger were killed. The pilot and passenger were returning from Puerto Penasco, Mexico, and had reentered the United States at Nogales. The pilot contacted the Deer Valley Tower southeast of the airport for landing and was given a five-minute hold for landing sequence. The pilot reported a loss of engine power about 1½ miles from the runway on final approach, and said he was uncertain whether he could reach the runway. The landing gear and flaps were found extended....
Oct. 9, Lummi Island, Wash. / Cessna Caravan
Subscribers Only At approximately 09:51 Pacific time, a Cessna 208B operating as a FedEx cargo flight crashed in the woods on Lummi Island, killing the pilot. The flight had departed Bellingham on a Special VFR clearance bound for Orcas Island approximately eight minutes prior to the accident. Weather at the time was ceiling 500 feet broken, two miles visibility in mist. The company reported the flight was a VFR flight because no instrument approach is published for Orcas Island. Mode C returns put the airplane’s altitude at about 600 feet throughout the flight. A witness reported seeing the airplane over the water at 50 to 100 feet, going in and out of the clouds. The accident site was about 220 feet msl....
Oct. 6, Port Alsworth, Alaska / Helio Courier
Subscribers Only At about 15:15 Alaska time, a float-equipped Helio H-295 was damaged during a forced landing about 35 miles northeast of Port Alsworth. The pilot received minor injuries. The flight was en route to Anchorage when the engine began to run rough and lose power. The airplane collided with trees during a subsequent forced landing. Post-crash investigations found about 10 cc of clear water in the carburetor body drain plug. A visual inspection of the airplane’s gascolator revealed the presence of about two cups of murky and silty water. The accident pilot stated that he had checked the accident airplane’s fuel system for contaminants by draining a fuel sample from the gascolator....
Oct. 6, Lincoln Park, N.J. / Beech Sundowner
Subscribers Only At about 16:30 eastern time, a Beech BE-23 was damaged while taxiing at Lincoln Park Airport. The flight instructor and student pilot were uninjured. The pilot stated that he had recently bought the airplane and was teaching his wife to taxi. He was distracted by a wasp in the cockpit and the airplane veered off to the right side of the taxiway and struck a parked airplane. The right wing of the Beech sustained substantial damage and the propeller and windscreen of the parked airplane were damaged....
Oct. 6, Sparta, Wis. / Cessna 172
Subscribers Only At 19:20 central time, a Cessna 172M was destroyed during a forced landing near Sparta. The pilot suffered minor injuries. The flight was en route from Schaumburg, Ill., to Black River Falls. There was no fuel present in the left fuel tank of the airplane. The fuel selector was positioned on the left fuel tank....
Oct. 6, Edgartown, Mass. / Mitsubishi Solitaire
Subscribers Only At about 21:58 eastern time, a Mitsubishi MU-2B-26A crashed short of the runway while making an ILS approach into Vineyard Haven Airport. The pilot and three passengers were killed. The flight had departed Trenton, N.J., without a flight plan and weather conditions deteriorated en route. The pilot then contacted Cape Approach as he neared Edgartown and asked for an ILS approach. Night IMC prevailed. He was cleared for the approach, and the tower controller later issued a low altitude warning to the pilot. He acknowledged the warning and said he would climb. The flight was cleared to land and the controller asked how long he’d be staying. The pilot responded they’d be staying overnight. No fu...
Oct. 6, San Dimas, Calif. / Piper Seneca
Subscribers Only At 19:42 Pacific time, a Piper PA-34-200 crashed while executing the VOR missed approach procedure to Brackett Field Airport. The CFI and multi student were killed. IMC prevailed and an IFR flight plan was filed. The approach controller handed off the flight to the tower controller, who asked the pilot if he had the airport in sight. The pilot reported the airport in sight but said he did not want to cancel IFR. The tower controller told the approach controller the pilot had the airport and wanted to cancel IFR. One minute later, the pilot reported the airport was not in sight. The pilot had passed the airport and was to the west, so the tower controller gave him vectors to return for anothe...
Oct. 5, Monroe, Wash. / Mooney M20K
Subscribers Only At about 18:35 Pacific time, a Mooney M20K ran off the runway at Firstair Field while making a precautionary landing following a loss of engine power. The three occupants were not injured. The pilot told police he was about 10 minutes into his flight when the propeller experienced a sudden overspeed. He reduced engine power and turned toward the Monroe airport. About two miles south of the airport, the engine lost power. The pilot said he extended flaps, landing gear and speed brakes but could not hit the approach end of the runway because of his “initial fear of giving up altitude too early and hitting fairgrounds.” The aircraft landed long, overran the runway, and struck a tree stump in a...
Oct. 4, Santa Rosa, Calif. / Cessna 182
Subscribers Only At about 09:32 Pacific time, a Cessna 182S crashed into a pond about two miles west of Sonoma County Airport, killing the pilot. The pilot was cleared to make an IFR departure, make a right climbing turn to VFR conditions on top, at which point he planned to cancel IFR. The airplane was climbing through 1,600 feet when the controller advised him the airplane’s Mode C was not being received. No further transmissions from the airplane were received. The cloud tops were reported at 1,800 feet....
Oct. 2, Rapid City, S.D. / Piper Seminole
Subscribers Only At 19:33 mountain time, the pilot of a Piper PA-44-180 operated by the University of North Dakota apparently committed suicide by crashing the airplane into runway 32 at Rapid City Regional Airport. The pilot was alone in the airplane. The aircraft had been conducting touch-and-goes when the pilot asked the tower controller to make a phone call and said, “Tell my family and friends that I love them very much.” The pilot then advised the controller to roll the equipment. The controller asked if he was declaring an emergency. The pilot responded with an expletive, then the airplane abruptly pitched up, climbed to about 1,000 feet agl, then crashed nose-down onto the runway....
Oct. 1, San Juan Bautista, Calif. / Beech Bonanza
Subscribers Only At about 20:10 Pacific time, a Beech A36TC crashed near San Juan Bautista, killing all four occupants. The flight was en route from Mammoth Lakes to Watsonville. IMC prevailed. The pilot was not instrument rated, nor did he file a flight plan. According to air traffic controllers, the airplane was cruising at 8,000 feet when the controller advised the pilot to switch frequencies to a new sector. The pilot acknowledged the frequency change and reported he was going to spiral down through a hole in the clouds. He never checked in on the new frequency. The next afternoon a rancher noticed a burned area on his property, went to investigate and discovered the wreckage, which was 12 miles from the...
Oct. 1, Seven Springs, Pa. / Piper Cherokee Six
Subscribers Only At about 12:00 eastern time, a Piper PA-32-300 crashed on landing at Seven Springs Airport, killing one passenger and leaving the pilot and two passengers seriously injured. A witness said the airplane did not seem lined up with the runway as it touched down and veered off the left side of the runway. The engine revved as if the airplane was going to take off again, but it veered to the right, touched down back onto the runway, and traveled off the right side of the runway. The engine revved again, as if the airplane was going to take off, but the airplane struck trees and came to rest in a ravine. Two tail strike marks were found on the runway and one was found in the grass off the left sid...
Phone Home
Subscribers Only Up until last week, I was one of the most “anti-cell phone” pilots around. I always thought cell phones were worthless because the reception was never consistent. It seemed as though the more cell phones and pagers a person had, the more difficult it was to reach them. More importantly, cellular phone use in flight has always been a no-no. Last week, I was in a situation that completely changed my mind. I was flying some people to Philadelphia International Airport in their Piper Chieftain. Everything about the flight was going as planned; it was a sunny VFR day, the previous legs of the trip had gone flawlessly and air traffic was at a minimum. A few miles from the airport, my co-pilot...
Sick Logic
In reference to “A Better Mousetrap” [Reality Check, November], logic fails to explain the complete prohibition on antidepressant medication for aviation. Depression is common, especially among middle-aged men and people who have given up smoking, which is why Zyban – an antidepressant – is often prescribed as an aid to smoking cessation. Depression is treatable but, as with most mental illnesses, it is prone to widespread misconception. Prozac, for example, is widely equated with Thorazine – a tranquilizer that turns agitated people into placid, happy zombies. Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, drugs that combat the most common forms of depression and anxiety disorder, are selective ser...
Belt It Out
Subscribers Only The following information is derived from the FAA’s Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts. Click here to view "Airworthiness Directives." ---------- Mechanics participating in the FAA’s Service Difficulty Reporting Program have filed a number of reports that aircraft are still flying with improper seat belts. The belts, manufactured by Indiana Mills and Manufacturing, are subject to an AD issued in 1979 because they failed to meet specifications outlined by the technical standards order governing seat belts. Although the AD required the seat belts to be removed within 120 days of the effective date of the AD, mechanics are...
NTSB Preliminary Reports
Subscribers Only The following briefs were selected from the 153 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in October 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, October." ---------- Oct. 1, Seven Springs, Pa. Piper Cherokee Six At about 12:00 eastern time, a Piper PA-32-300 crashed on landing at Seven Springs Airport, killing one passenger and leaving the pilot and two passengers seriously injured. A witness said the airplane did not seem lined up with the runway as it touched down and veered off the left...
Speck in the Windshield
Subscribers Only A safe flight is a puzzle. Put all the pieces together correctly and you can get a pretty picture indeed. If one piece is missing, you can still see the picture, usually. But sometimes, if the wrong piece is missing, the puzzle is ruined. Unfortunately, when a piece is missing from the safety of flight, the price is higher than merely sighing and putting the puzzle box back in the closet. Pilots love to talk about accident scenarios in terms of chains. Break one link and the chain fails, sending all of the airplane’s occupants home to have dinner with their loved ones. It’s a nice story. It has closure and finality. It’s also a myth. An accident can also be caused by something as smal...
Psycho Killers
Subscribers Only Pilot incapacitation? Who me? I’m in great shape! Though the greatest threats to pilots still remain alcohol, hypoxia, carbon monoxide and likely side effects of medication, these are conditions over which the pilot essentially has good control. Among causes in the “other” category, are vertigo and anxiety. Vertigo is among the most frightening and most completely incapacitating sensations a pilot can experience. Though relatively rare, it is regarded with such seriousness that some types of recurrent vertigo are grounds for denial even of a special issuance medical. Anxiety attacks are subtler but are equally incapacitating. Neither of these conditions gets much press and misinformat...
Beyond See and Avoid
Subscribers Only Most pilots would agree that collision avoidance is desirable. The FAA agrees, and long ago made the desirable mandatory. FAR 91.113 states that all pilots have the responsibility to see and avoid each other regardless of flight plan or aircraft type, when weather conditions permit. IFR and VFR pilots in VMC have the same responsibility to ensure that no two aircraft occupy the same space at the same time. No excuse will suffice if metal meets metal when visual meteorological conditions prevail. The FAA’s logic is similar to that expressed in signs common on Texas ranches that proclaim that trespassers will be shot, and survivors prosecuted. With this heavy burden upon all pilots, loo...
Great Balls 0’ Fire
Subscribers Only Have you ever had a bad air day where something comes out of left field and smacks you in your unsuspecting face? It usually starts out innocently enough. The weather’s good and your plan is to take a leisurely trip 300 miles down the pike. You’ve never really had any problems with the airplane before and nothing looks out of place during the walk-around inspection. Both wings appear to be securely bolted to the fuselage, so in you climb and fire up … so to speak. Even the tower controllers are in a good mood as they tell you to taxi to runway 13L. What could go wrong? In aviation, anything. But what are the odds something serious could go wrong on the ground in the run-up area? Usual...
When Silence Ain’t Golden
Subscribers Only Flight instructors spend hours discussing, drilling and training for handling in-flight emergencies. Things like engine failures, instrument malfunctions or electrical meltdown occupy an important part of the syllabus. But what about the nagging little (and not so little) problems that crop up on the flight deck? Problems in the avionics often pose no dire threat to the safe conclusion of the flight, but represent a hazard based on increased workload and distraction. Then again, sometimes the little problems are just an appetizer for an entree of trouble that may be just around the corner. There are many common problems with avionics that any pilot can troubleshoot and fix. Others may...
The Slippery Slope
I was planning to take a friend on a short sightseeing trip in a Citabria. We weren’t planning aerobatics, so we skipped the parachutes. I calculated how much fuel we could handle given our weights. After fueling and preflight, my friend climbed into the back of the little taildragger and I climbed into the front. I started the engine and got the ATIS from the radio. When I called Ground for a taxi clearance, nothing. No sidetone, no carrier, no transmission. We shut down the Citabria and hauled the Lance out of the hangar. Not as much fun for sightseeing, but even a disappointing day of flying is better than a good day at work. As soon as I opened the door of the Lance, I felt lik...
Thou Shalt Not
Subscribers Only Sometimes you look at an FAR and have to scratch your head. What, you ask yourself, can that possibly have to do with flight safety? The various rules, placards and limitations seem to be written more for the FAA’s lawyers than for pilots and their passengers. Sadly, many of the notes, warnings and cautions in aircraft manuals and some of the FARs are written in blood. But violation of an FAR doesn’t automatically mean that the flight was unsafe. It all seems so confusing. When I was a private pilot, a lot of the rules seemed difficult to understand. It took an instrument rating before I understood control zones. It took a flight engineer certificate and a graduate school education...