February 2001
Nov. 30, Taos, N.M. / Cessna Skylane
Subscribers Only At 09:30 mountain time, a Cessna 182P crashed at the 11,000-foot level of Frazier Mountain, 15 miles northeast of Taos. The pilot and his passenger were killed. Witnesses at the Taos ski area said the airplane turned up a canyon across the valley from the ski area and disappeared from view. Winds in the area at the time of the accident were reportedly about 50 knots....
Nov. 30, Clifton, Ariz. / Beech Baron
Subscribers Only At 19:44 mountain time, a Beech D55 struck a power pole and crashed while on final for runway 7 at Greenlee County Airport. The pilot was killed and a passenger was seriously injured. A witness said he was at the airport to pick up the pilot and passenger for an Amway meeting in Clifton. The airplane made three attempts to land and on the fourth attempt he saw the airplane veer to the left and burst into flames. The main wreckage was located approximately 600 feet from the approach end of the runway. An investigator noted that, because of hills, the top of the pole was lower than the approach end of the runway....
Nov. 28, Tyler, Texas / Christen Eagle
Subscribers Only At 16:24 central time, an amateur-built Christen Eagle II crashed while maneuvering near Tyler. The owner and a pilot-rated passenger were killed. A witness, an aerobatic flight instructor and former Navy pilot, said the airplane had completed about four hammerhead stalls and was conducting its fifth when the accident occurred. The witness said the pilot was maneuvering below a layer of scattered clouds he estimated to be at 3,000 feet agl. During each of the hammerhead stalls the pilot was recovering from the dive at approximately 200 to 300 feet agl. The witness stated that, on the last maneuver, the airplane flew “dangerously low.”...
Nov. 26, Gainesville, Texas / Piper Malibu
Subscribers Only At 23:22 central time, a Piper PA-46-310P made a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Gainesville. The pilot was not injured. The pilot told investigators that when he was approximately 15 to 20 miles north of Gainesville the airplane experienced a “severe” vibration. The engine oil pressure began to rise, then dropped, and the engine lost power. The pilot declared an emergency to Gainesville Municipal Airport Tower and attempted to land at GLE. The airplane came to rest in a grassy field approximately 200 yards from the runway threshold. Investigators found a large hole in the engine crankcase between the #3 and #5 cylinders....
Nov. 26, Preston, Minn. / Smith Aerostar
Subscribers Only At 10:00 central time, a Smith 60-601P struck trees during initial climb from runway 28 at Fillmore County Airport. The pilot and passenger reported no injuries. The pilot reported, “I initiated the takeoff on runway 28, accelerated to 100 MPH, rotated & lifted off. The gear and flaps were raised, and the aircraft stopped accelerating at about 112-115 MPH. I lowered the nose to pick up some speed, but it still wouldn’t accelerate. I could see the trees approaching west of the airport and knew I didn’t have climb speed, but also knew there was no choice but to pull up & hope I didn’t stall. I pulled up sharply, but clipped the tops of the trees, the airspeed was still at 115 MPH IAS with 12+...
Nov. 26, Katy, Texas / Cessna 172 and Cessna 150
Subscribers Only At 17:10 central time, a Cessna 150E and a Cessna 172N collided in cruise flight near Katy. The pilot of the 150 was killed and the two occupants of the 172 were uninjured. Both airplanes were on VFR cross-country flights without flight plans. The pilot of the 172 said the airplane was in level flight at 2,000 feet approximately 10 miles west of the West Houston Airport when she dialed in the CTAF to make a position report. She said she was scanning the area when she noticed an airplane approaching her airplane from the left side at a 90-degree angle. She stated that the airplane was flying at an altitude slightly below her airplane’s altitude. She initiated a climb and right turn but the tw...
Nov. 23, Stillwater, Okla. / Piper Cherokee 180
Subscribers Only At about 03:15 central time, a Piper PA-28-180 crashed about ½-mile north of runway 17 during an instrument approach to Stillwater Municipal Airport. The non-instrument rated pilot was killed and the passenger was seriously injured. An IFR flight plan was filed for the cross-country flight that departed Hays, Kan., at 01:10 en route to Stillwater. The pilot had flown to Stillwater from Cullman, Ala., with his wife, arriving Nov. 22 at about 18:30. At about 21:45 he left alone, flew to Hays and picked up his daughter. He refueled and filed an IFR flight plan back to Stillman, departing Nov. 23 at about 01:10. When he arrived at Stillman, visibility was 4 miles in light rain and mist, ceiling...
Nov. 21, Wewahitchka, Fla / Piper Turbo Lance
Subscribers Only At about 09:30 central time, a Piper PA-32RT-300 lost engine power and landed in rough terrain near Wewahitchka. The three occupants reported no injuries. The pilot said he smelled something and when he checked the instruments he noticed that the oil pressure had decreased. He felt that he could not make it to an airport so he decided to land in rough terrain. Examination of the engine revealed no visible oil on top of the engine, but oil was observed at the lower portion of the firewall. The engine had not been examined at the time this report was released....
Nov. 20, Miami, Fla. / Airbus A300
Subscribers Only At about 12:22 eastern time, an Airbus A300B4-605R operated by American Airlines as flight 1291 had a flight attendant receive fatal injuries during an emergency evacuation after the flight returned to Miami. In addition, one passenger was seriously injured and 15 suffered minor injuries. The captain stated both automatic cabin pressurization controllers would not control cabin pressure while climbing through 16,000 feet and that the forward outflow valve went to the full open position. He told controllers he was unable to control the pressurization and that he would need to return to Miami. During the return, the flight attendant call chime continually chimed erratically and the forward lav...
Nov. 18, Minot, N.D. / Cessna 150
Subscribers Only At 16:05 central time, a Cessna 150K flipped over in a crosswind while taxiing to runway 31 at Minot International Airport. The instructor and student were not injured. The instructor said they were taxiing the airplane when “slush was encountered on the left side. That, coupled with a sudden increase in wind speed - gust, made the airplane skid to the left. The nose sank into a snow bank.” As they were preparing to exit the airplane, the instructor pilot said, “The nose submerged in further and the tail moved upwards progressively till the aircraft laid upside down.” Winds were reported at 24 knots....
Nov. 17, Hagerstown, Md. / Cessna Skyhawk
Subscribers Only At about 09:58 eastern time, a Cessna 172K was damaged during takeoff from Hagerstown Airport. The pilot and three passengers were not injured. The pilot said the purpose of the flight was to introduce several passengers to the Young Eagles Program. He performed a pre-flight inspection, and explained to the passengers the function of each component as he checked it. He then taxied the airplane to Runway 27 and applied full power for takeoff. The airplane rotated on its own and the pilot noted the gust lock was still connected to the control yoke. The airplane climbed to about 20 feet and stalled, crashing to the runway....
Nov. 17, Ontario, Ore. / Piper Tri-Pacer
Subscribers Only At 13:18 mountain time, a Piper PA-22-135 experienced an in-flight breakup shortly after takeoff from Ontario Airport. The pilot was killed. Investigators said the left side forward wing lift strut separated from the aircraft in flight and the wing tip section outboard of the lift strut attachment folded up. The aircraft then descended to an open field and was consumed by fire....
Nov. 16, Oxnard, Calif. / Cessna Centurion
Subscribers Only At 15:40 Pacific time, a Cessna 210K lost engine power and made a forced landing near Oxnard. The pilot, his passenger and two dogs were not injured. The flight had been airborne for about 30 minutes when the pilot noted an abnormal vibration that increased despite his attempts to correct the problem. He declared an emergency and was given vectors to the nearest airport, but the engine quit entirely. He spotted an open area and made a forced landing off-airport, where the airplane hit trees and a fence. The original Continental IO-520 engine had been replaced 57 hours earlier by a Continental IO-550 under an STC....
Nov. 16, Missing in Oregon/Idaho / Cessna Stationair
Subscribers Only A Cessna U206F operating on a Part 135 aerial survey flight was reported missing. The aircraft was monitoring deer migration along the Snake River, first by homing in on radio collars while flying at 2,000 feet agl and then spiraling down to 500 feet agl to visually identify the herd. The aircraft took off at about 11:45 and was last heard from at about 12:00. When it did not land as scheduled at 15:00, a search was begun. The search was suspended after six days and the pilot is presumed dead....
Nov. 16, Bradenton, Fla. / Lockheed-Martin F-16 and Cessna Skyhawk
Subscribers Only At about 15:48 eastern time, an Air Force F-16CG and a Cessna 172 collided in flight near Bradenton. The pilot of the F-16 ejected and was unhurt. The pilot of the 172 was killed. The F-16 was one of two airplanes operating on a low altitude training mission, and had filed a composite military IFR/VFR flight plan. The 172 had just taken off from Sarasota Bradenton International Airport en route to St. Petersburg and was in radio contact with Tampa Approach. Tampa cleared the pilot to climb from 1,600 to 3,500, which he acknowledged. The controller alerted the Cessna pilot to the fighter traffic 55 seconds later, but the pilot did not respond. The two F-16s had departed Moody Air Force Base a...
Nov. 15, Everglades City, Fla. / Beech Musketeer
Subscribers Only At 12:06 eastern time, a Beech BE-23 struck water while attempting a go-around on runway 33 at Everglades Airpark. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. The pilot said he experienced strong gusty winds that caused the airplane to bounce on the runway. The pilot said he began to execute a go-around with full power but the airplane would not gain flying speed and settled into the bay at the end of the runway....
Nov. 15, Temecula, Calif. / Glasair 1 RG
Subscribers Only At 10:50 Pacific time, an experimental Glasair 1 RG struck utility lines and crashed south of Temecula. The pilot and his passenger were killed. A witness said the aircraft was performing a series of aerobatic maneuvers. He described the airplane as pulling up, rolling and then diving until out of sight. At the bottom of each dive he heard the engine accelerate and the airplane would begin another climb. During the final maneuver, he did not hear the engine accelerate nor did he see the airplane climb again following the descent....
Nov. 13, Winchester, Va. / Cessna Skyhawk
Subscribers Only At about 08:00 eastern time, a Cessna 172L ran out of fuel and crashed near Winchester Airport. The pilot received minor injuries. The pilot said he departed Bangor, Maine, on November 12 and stopped in Oxford, Conn., where the airplane was refueled. The pilot then flew to Doylestown, Pa., and arrived after dark. Due to the lack of ground transportation, he spent the night in the airplane and departed about 04:30 the following morning for Front Royal, Va. At Front Royal, he encountered low clouds and flew to his planned alternate of Luray Caverns, Va. Again, he encountered low clouds and proceeded toward New Market, Virginia, where low clouds were also present. The pilot returned to the Fron...
Nov. 12, Hanksville, Utah / Cessna 175
Subscribers Only At approximately 09:30 mountain time, a Cessna 175 crashed while maneuvering about 17 miles east of Hanksville, killing the pilot and seriously injuring the two passengers. One passenger said the airplane approached a bluff where several cowboys waited. The intention was to drop a message to them, indicating the whereabouts of stray cattle. The airplane suddenly sank, “like we hit a downdraft,” and the pilot banked right to avoid the bluff. The airplane encountered another downdraft and collided with terrain....
Nov. 11, Lake Elsinore, Calif. / Schweizer SGS 1
Subscribers Only At about 15:08 Pacific time, a Schweizer SGS 1-36 struck trees while approaching Skylark Field. The student pilot was seriously injured. The student was returning to land when he misread the altimeter and initiated a circle to lose altitude. Midway through the turn the student realized his error and headed directly back toward the airstrip. The glider continued to descend and crashed about a half-mile from the airstrip....
Nov. 10, Idaho Falls, Idaho / Cessna 425
Subscribers Only At approximately 12:15 mountain time, a Cessna 425 crashed about two miles north of Fanning Field. The two occupants on board for the maintenance test flight were killed. The aircraft had recently had maintenance work performed on its autofeather system after reports of the left engine not autofeathering properly in flight. The maintenance work was performed and the purpose of the accident flight was to verify proper inflight operation of the system. Two witnesses described the aircraft as entering a spiral from a banked turn about five minutes after takeoff. One said he first observed the aircraft flying south 200 to 300 feet agl. He said the aircraft entered a left turn and began a “skiddi...
Nov. 9, Tucson, Ariz. / Cessna Skylane
Subscribers Only At 10:33 mountain time, a Cessna 182P nosed over during landing rollout on runway 11R at the Tucson International Airport. The pilot and passenger received minor injuries. The tower controller said the airplane’s approach looked “a little steep.” The airplane appeared to have passed over the landing threshold, then it bounced on the runway and porpoised before veering off the runway and nosing over in the dirt shoulder. The airplane’s nose wheel assembly was found about 300 feet from the main wreckage....
Nov. 6, Roswell, N.M. / Cessna 152
Subscribers Only At 17:48 mountain time, a Cessna 152 lost power and was damaged in a forced landing near Roswell. The flight instructor and student pilot were not injured. The flight instructor said the engine stopped producing power and he performed a night forced landing to a “dark area.” During the forced landing the airplane struck a wire and then the ground....
Nov. 6, Selma, Calif. / Cessna 340
Subscribers Only At about 04:00 Pacific time, a Cessna 340A crashed while on approach to land at Selma, killing the pilot and seriously injuring the passenger. The airplane departed the Part 135 air taxi company’s base at San Luis Obispo about 02:35 and picked up a passenger at Paso Robles at about 02:50. En route to Selma, the pilot was receiving VFR flight following but reported the airport in sight and canceled the service. Witnesses said the airplane made two attempts to land on runway 28 and the final approach to runway 10. Ground fog was obscuring the airport and there was an estimated 500 feet of horizontal visibility. The airplane crashed into an embankment 176 feet from the runway 10 threshold. Ther...
Nov. 5, Teec Nos Pos, Ariz. / Piper Arrow
Subscribers Only At about 14:55 mountain time, a Piper PA-28-200 suffered an in-flight structural failure near Teec Nos Pos and crashed, killing the pilot and passenger. The airplane was operated by a flying club in Broomfield, Colo., and had departed on Nov. 3. A notepad found in the wreckage documented a flight from Jeffco Airport in Broomfield to Monarch Pass, Blue Mesa, Dove Creek, Page and Las Vegas. The wreckage was found at 8,600 feet in the Carrizo Mountains after an ELT beacon alerted the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center....
Nov. 4, Livermore, Calif. / Piper Cherokee
Subscribers Only At 12:01 Pacific time, a Piper PA-28-140 was damaged while landing in a field after losing engine power five miles east of Livermore Municipal Airport. The CFI was seriously injured and the pilot-rated student was not injured. The student said he was shooting approaches into Livermore and, while on the ILS Runway 25R approach, he intended to switch from the right tank to the left tank, but moved the fuel selector handle to the off position. When he and the CFI attempted to move the fuel selector handle back to the left tank, it jammed....
Nov. 3, Des Moines, Iowa / Luscombe 8A
Subscribers Only At 16:48 central time, a Luscombe 8A crashed on approach to runway 31R at Des Moines International Airport, killing the pilot. The pilot was being vectored for a landing on runway 31L when he asked if he could use 31R. The tower controller told the pilot to keep the turn tight and asked the pilot if he could turn base from where he was. The pilot said that he could. A witness on the ground said the airplane made a tight turn in toward the runway and immediately turned to final with a bank angle approaching 90 degrees. The witness said that at impact the airplane’s wings were perpendicular to the ground and the nose was pitched down approximately 20 degrees. A Boeing 737 had landed on runway...
Nov. 2, Ridgefield, Conn. / Cessna 172
Subscribers Only At about 19:00 eastern time, a Cessna 172N crashed and burned after takeoff from Danbury Municipal Airport. The pilot suffered minor injuries. The pilot said the fuel tanks were full and free from contamination. She said she started the engine with the fuel selector positioned to the left wing fuel tank and switched to the right wing fuel tank just prior to taxi. She performed an engine run-up which included a check of the carburetor heat system and then taxied to runway 26. After the run-up she switched the fuel selector to the “both” position. When the airplane was about 450 feet agl the engine ran rough and lost power. The airplane descended into treetops and came to rest about 12 to 15 f...
Nov. 1, Millersburg, Ohio / Beech Bonanza
Subscribers Only At about 10:15 eastern time, a Beech A-36 was damaged during a forced landing at Holmes County Airport. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. The pilot reported the power failure to ATC approximately 6 miles northwest of Millersburg and was given radar vectors. The airplane struck the trees and crashed next to the runway. The right fuel tank was full, the left fuel tank was empty and the fuel selector was set on the left tank....
Round and Round
Subscribers Only A student of mine was one week from taking (and passing) his private check ride in a Cessna 152. He was doing solo practice at a nearby uncontrolled airport. On one circuit, he reported turning from crosswind to downwind for runway 32 when a Malibu announced it was on a right 45 to enter the downwind for the same runway. The student spotted the Malibu, told the other pilot he had them in sight, and said he would follow the faster Malibu. The Malibu pilot acknowledged and entered a wide downwind leg. An airplane on base for the same runway announced it was on base. Just before the airplane on base turned final, the Malibu turned base and then quickly turned final. The other airplane on...
Young & In Charge
Great job! Thanks for stereotyping all young CFIs as unprofessional, lazy and undedicated [Editor’s Log, November]. I work on a community college instructor staff and can assure you that all of us have worked very hard to reach and maintain a high professional standard. I guarantee that you would never catch any of us “with our headset tap-tap-tapping against the right side window.” I would also like to point out that your implication that any older experienced pilot can “teach the CFI a couple of new tricks” is exactly the opposite from what I normally see when flying with the average non-professional airman. Most of them have a hard time remembering how to perform a stall correctly (to...
Bowled Over
Subscribers Only The following information is derived from the FAA’s Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts. ---------- The FAA has issued a reminder to pilots operating aircraft equipped with carburetors that gascolator problems are common and generally result in engine failure in flight. Gascolator inspection during preflight can easily detect and prevent the most common gascolator problems. The gascolator contains a fuel filter screen and a sediment bowl that serves as a water separator. Usually a gascolator has a wire bail holding a glass or metal bowl in place. There are three primary gascolator malfunctions, each of which can lead to a loss of power due to interruption...
NTSB Preliminary Reports
Subscribers Only The following briefs were selected from the 112 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in November 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, November." ---------- Nov. 1, Millersburg, Ohio Beech Bonanza At about 10:15 eastern time, a Beech A-36 was damaged during a forced landing at Holmes County Airport. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. The pilot reported the power failure to ATC approximately 6 miles northwest of Millersburg and was given radar vectors. The airplane str...
Dog-Eat-Dog World
Subscribers Only There isn’t a pilot out there who doesn’t harbor a flying fantasy of some sort. Some dream of bouncing around the country in a J-3 Cub. Others want to fly the biggest jet or the hottest stunt plane or fly every kind of aircraft that can still stretch the chains of gravity. For a relatively large number, nothing gets the blood pumping like the prospect of manhandling a warbird through tortured paces, drawing a bead on some unlucky prey like the ultimate computer game come to life. It is for these people that an entire segment of the aviation industry was born. Fighter fantasy flights have been offered in various locations around the country for years. Usually staffed by ex-fighter pilot...
Smile, if You Dare
Subscribers Only In March 1997, our unit was going through recurrent ground school and reassembling from the lunchtime break when the former chief pilot walked in with a pale face and grimly announced to the room, “Hey guys, the factory just had an accident. They were taking pictures and collided. They lost both aircraft and everyone on board.” The news hit us in the stomach. We all looked at each other with dismay. The aircraft collided during a photo shoot. Given the beauty of the DC-3’s turboprop conversion, I could hardly blame them for wanting to take some airborne promotional pictures. Witnesses saw the aircraft at approximately 500 feet to 700 feet agl flying close together headed north. The D...
Moment of Truth
Subscribers Only Editor’s Note: The December 2000 issue featured a discussion of the planning and decision factors necessary for a safe takeoff. Here, we’ll look at gauging and using the proper technique. Takeoff is the moment of truth when the pilot is called upon to apply his or her aeronautical knowledge and exhibit the right flying skills. The skill level of a pilot depends on recency of experience, practice and the performance standards of the pilot or instructor. In short, knowing what to do is not adequate if you are unable to perform properly. Determining your aircraft’s takeoff performance is the intellectual side of the start to your flight. The other side is deciding what typ...
Graveyard Shift
Subscribers Only The pilot reported for work as scheduled at 2 a.m. for a Part 135 light cargo flight, flying a Piper Lance from Burbank, Calif., to Phoenix, Ariz. He arrived at Phoenix and managed to get about five hours of sleep, waking at about noon local time. On the next leg of the flight – the return to Burbank – he took off at 20:55 local. Several hours later, while maintaining a constant altitude, heading and airspeed, he collided with a mountain near Palm Springs –about 10 nautical miles south of his usual course. The investigators could find no evidence that indicated that the pilot had attempted to avoid the collision. Investigators could find no mechanical reasons for the crash. After exam...
Sitting on the Hot Seat
I just didn’t have time. Yeah, that was it. I didn’t have time in the last few weeks to go practice any approaches or any of the maneuvers research shows could save my life someday – including go-arounds and aborted takeoffs. OK, well there were a few days when I putzed around the house, not really doing anything constructive. And I did watch a few football games that I really had no interest in. So maybe I did have time. But the weather was too nasty. Um, except for those few days when I went outside, drew in a deep breath of the crisp air and thought, “What a fabulous day!” Let’s see, what other excuses might I have come up with? Didn’t have the money to fly because of holid...
Horizontal Tornadoes
Subscribers Only Recently I had my own “almost accident,” which reminded me of a problem that is only going to get worse. It was Thanksgiving Day and the traffic going into Denver International was normal for any holiday. Our Boeing 727 was cleared for the visual approach and landing behind an Airbus 319. Since the 727 is heavier than the Airbus, and since we had sufficient separation distance, the thought of a wake vortex encounter didn’t enter my mind. Just as I started to flare, we hit the Airbus’ wake and suddenly my wing dropped. It only takes 12 degrees of wing dip to strike an outboard flap during a normal landing in the 727. For a few moments, that wake had more control over the aircraft than...