August 2001
May 31, Albuquerque, N.M. / Piper Arrow
Subscribers Only At 20:34 mountain time, a Piper PA-28R-180 was destroyed during a forced landing two miles south of Albuquerque International Sunport. The pilot suffered minor injuries. The airplane took off from runway 21 and, as it climbed to 150 to 200 feet, the engine “lurched” and “began sputtering.” The pilot reported his situation to the control tower and he was cleared to land on any runway. As he turned around, the right wing struck a power line and was torn off, and the airplane crashed on a mesa. Inspection revealed the No. 1 cylinder head had blown off at the barrel....
May 30, Victoria, Texas / Cessna Skylane
Subscribers Only At 07:20 central time, a Cessna 182 struck trees during takeoff from a private grass airstrip near Victoria. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said the left seat “slid back” about the time the airplane rotated. Subsequently, the airplane veered off the airstrip and struck trees near the departure end of the runway. The inspector reported that the seat track pin holes were within the manufacturer’s limits. The pilot said he did not have the safety lock installed on the seat track....
May 28, Georgetown, Texas / Cessna Skyhawk
Subscribers Only At 17:22 central time, a Cessna 172N struck trees during an emergency landing at Georgetown Municipal Airport. The pilot and his two passengers received minor injuries. The flight departed Hutchinson, Kan., at 12:50, with a planned destination of Austin, Texas. The pilot said he had flown from Austin to Hutchinson a few days earlier without refueling and planned to make the return trip without a fuel stop. The fuel gauges read “empty” as the flight passed Georgetown, but the pilot “did not believe the gauges” and continued the flight. When the airplane was four miles past Georgetown, the pilot reported the airplane was out of fuel. The pilot tried to return to Georgetown but crashed short of...
May 27, Temecula, Calif. / Cessna Skymaster
Subscribers Only At 12:55 Pacific time, a Cessna 337G struck power lines about five miles south of Temecula. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The flight had departed San Diego about 20 minutes earlier and was destined for French Valley Airport. The airplane struck power lines approximately 120 feet agl while over Interstate 15. The airplane’s windshield was broken out, doorposts were bent, and wing struts were damaged, but the pilot continued the flight to his intended destination, which was the nearest airport....
May 27, Spartanburg, S.C. / Piper Pawnee
Subscribers Only At about 16:35 eastern time, a Piper PA-25-235 operating as a glider tow flight lost engine power and crashed in the ensuing forced landing. The pilot said he was towing a glider at 2,500 to 2,800 feet when the engine failed. He released the glider and made for a forced landing at Spartanburg Downtown Memorial Airport. He declared an emergency on the Unicom frequency but then heard a Learjet pilot state that he was going to take the active runway. He immediately asked the Learjet pilot to hold his position, but got no response. The Learjet taxied onto runway 23. The accident pilot then turned toward a closed runway and crossed over the centerline of runway 05/23 at about 1,000 feet. He then...
May 27, Pauma Valley, Calif. / Cessna Cardinal RG
Subscribers Only At 15:35 Pacific time, a Cessna 177RG struck mountainous terrain during approach to Pauma Valley Airport. The pilot and passenger suffered minor injuries. The pilot said he was descending VFR and was on an extended downwind when he intentionally flew into what appeared to be an isolated cloud. The cloud was larger than he anticipated and eventually he saw vegetation on a mountainside a short distance in front of them. The airplane crashed on upsloping terrain....
May 24, Wichita Falls, Texas / KR-2S
Subscribers Only At 19:05 central time, an experimental KR-2S crashed following a loss of engine power and spin while maneuvering near Wichita Falls. The pilot and passenger were killed. A witness said the airplane was in a climbing turn when the engine sputtered and quit. It nosed over and spiraled to the ground. The airplane struck the ground relatively flat. The cockpit was crushed flat and each main landing gear was shoved up into the respective wing. The wreckage showed no evidence there was fuel on board at the time of impact....
May 20, Woodrow, Colo. / Starduster Too
Subscribers Only At 18:00 mountain time, a Starduster Too SA300 was damaged in a precautionary landing near Woodrow when weather deteriorated. The pilot was not injured. The pilot planned a flight from Saint Francis, Kan., to Watkins, Colo. Her weather briefing did not make any mention of precipitation. When she was near Woodrow the visibility deteriorated rapidly due to snow, and ice began to form on the windshield. The pilot chose to land in a field, which was rough and uneven, and the aircraft ground-looped....
May 18, Tucson, Ariz. / Piper Super Cub
Subscribers Only At 10:30 mountain time, a Piper PA-18-150 lost power on takeoff and struck the perimeter fence at El Tiro Gliderport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said he was making a flight prior to towing gliders to make sure that the airplane was working properly. He conducted a preflight and saw the fuel selector pointing toward the left. The pilot said he had been flying a Cessna 120 that has a similar looking fuel selector but operates opposite the Super Cub. In the 120, the left position is fuel on, in the Cub it’s fuel off. The engine sputtered on takeoff and the pilot tried to slip the airplane back to the runway, but the engine momentarily caught again and pushed him into the fence....
May 17, St. Cloud, Minn. / Beech Baron
Subscribers Only At about 11:48 central time, a Beech 95-C55 lost engine power and crashed on initial climb from runway 31 at St. Cloud Regional Airport. The pilot was seriously injured. A witness said he saw the plane taking off and climbing to about 200 feet agl when it banked steeply to the right and began to go inverted. The pilot said he was at about 150 feet when the right engine lost power. No cause for the power loss could immediately be determined....
May 16, Paulden, Ariz. / Piper Turbo Lance II
Subscribers Only At about 18:30 mountain time, a Piper PA-32RT-300T was damaged after an off-airport precautionary landing. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said an engine vibration developed that led him to shut down the engine and land. Examination of the engine revealed the oil filter gasket was pinched at the base of the oil filter, which allowed the engine oil to escape and resulted in a catastrophic internal failure....
May 15, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. / Cessna Skymaster
Subscribers Only At 13:37 eastern time, a Cessna P337H struck the ground a half-mile west of Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. The pilot and passenger suffered minor injuries. When the pilot departed on the local flight, the airplane contained about 38 gallons of fuel. The pilot said he planned to fly only about 45 minutes and declined to add fuel. The pilot conducted multiple approaches and landings and the airplane was reported down an hour and 45 minutes after initial takeoff. The left tank was dry and about 4.5 gallons were recovered from the right tank. The POH specifies that dual engine stoppage is possible if fuel is allowed to drop below 8.3 gallons....
May 15, Stebbins, Alaska / Cessna Stationair
Subscribers Only At about 15:00 Alaska time, a Cessna 206 was damaged during an emergency landing at Stebbins Airport. The pilot was not injured. The intended routing of scheduled Part 135 commuter flight was from Unalakleet to St. Michael to Stebbins to Unalakleet. The pilot said the first leg was uneventful. She offloaded her passenger and took off on the next leg. On initial climb, the yoke showed only limited movement. She maintained control using trim and rudder and attempted to declare an emergency, but the push-to-talk switch had become inoperative. She was able to make shallow turns and control the airplane’s altitude and pitch using a combination of flaps, trim and power. She was able to line up for...
May 13, South Lake Tahoe, Calif. / Beech Bonanza
Subscribers Only At about 16:50 Pacific time, a Beech E33A landed gear-up during an aborted takeoff from the Lake Tahoe Airport. The four occupants were uninjured. The pilot said he took off from runway 18 and the airplane accelerated normally. He rotated and raised the landing gear. The airplane refused to climb, however, with witnesses saying it was only about 30 feet high by midfield. The pilot reduced power and selected gear down, but the airplane settled before the gear extended. The density altitude at the time was about 7,700 feet....
May 13, Jackson Township, Pa. / Cessna 150
Subscribers Only At 07:43 eastern time, a Cessna 150A crashed while maneuvering near Jackson Township, killing the pilot and passenger. The flight originated from Johnstown Airport at 07:37. The wreckage was located about six miles north, underneath transmission lines. The transmission lines were approximately 300 feet above the ground. An examination of the wires by helicopter showed visible damage to two static lines that ran above the 500-kilovolt transmission lines, but the transmission lines themselves appeared to be undamaged. The airplane showed evidence of electrical arcing as well as wire impact damage. A power company representative said the current could arc to an aircraft that came within 12 feet...
May 12, McMinnville, Ore. / Cessna Skyhawk
Subscribers Only At about 13:30 Pacific time, a Cessna 172 was damaged during a touch-and-go landing at McMinnville Municipal Airport. The student pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The round robin cross-country flight originated at Troutdale, Ore., with intermediate stops at Corvallis, and McMinnville. During a touch-and-go landing at McMinnville, the aircraft’s left wing struck the runway. The pilot was unaware of the contact and continued the flight to Troutdale, the final destination. The wing skin, spar and flight controls were all damaged....
May 12, San Diego, Calif. / Gulfstream G-IV and Bell 206B
Subscribers Only At about 17:00 Pacific time, a Bell 206B and Gulfstream G-IV collided in a non-movement area of the San Diego International-Lindbergh Field. The pilot of the helicopter and his three passengers were uninjured and the eight occupants of the Gulfstream were uninjured. The helicopter was on the ground and the Gulfstream was taxiing past it with the assistance of line personnel. As the jet approached the helicopter, a wing walker signaled there was sufficient clearance to pass. But as the jet passed, the helicopter pilot started the engine and the rotor blades struck the jet’s right winglet. The rotors then struck the helicopter’s tailboom....
May 12, Dunlap, Tenn. / Cessna 150
Subscribers Only At approximately 10:25 central time, a Cessna 150G struck trees while maneuvering over mountainous terrain near Dunlap. The pilot was killed. The flight departed John C. Tune Airport in Nashville at 09:30, reportedly en route to Copperhill. After takeoff, the pilot established radio and radar contact with Nashville Approach Control, but radio contact was not maintained. Radar contact was maintained and the airplane was observed maneuvering in the vicinity of the accident site. The airplane was reported missing when it did not arrive at its destination, but searchers did not find the wreckage for 14 days. The airplane struck the trees at a 45-degree angle....
May 12, Ithaca, N.Y. / Piper Turbo Lance II
Subscribers Only At 09:36 eastern time, a Piper PA-32RT-300 struck the ground during an instrument approach to Tompkins County Airport. The pilot and two passengers suffered minor injuries. While being vectored for the ILS Runway 32 approach, the pilot had the autopilot engaged in the heading and altitude mode. Once cleared for the approach, the pilot canceled the altitude mode and started a descent. He intercepted the final approach course using the heading mode and autopilot. As he passed the final approach fix, the pilot disengaged the autopilot. At that point he was on course and above glide slope. Published minimums for the approach are 1,349 feet msl, but the pilot said his personal minimum was 2,000 f...
May 11, Gunnison, Colo. / Beech Duchess
Subscribers Only At approximately 19:40 mountain time, a Beech 76 struck power lines and crashed into Blue Mesa Reservoir approximately 17 miles west of Gunnison. The two occupants, both flight instructors, were killed. Witnesses said the airplane was burning after it struck the power lines and a fire continued on the surface of the water for about five minutes. The airplane sank in 130 to 150 feet of water....
May 08, Greeley, Colo. / Beech King Air
Subscribers Only At 13:03 mountain time, a Beech 200 made an intentional wheels-up landing at Greeley-Weld County Airport. The pilot and five passengers were not injured. After takeoff from Broomfield, Colo., the pilot heard a noise while retracting the landing gear and noticed a gear in-transit indication. He attempted to cycle the landing gear, but had no success. Attempts to extend the gear manually also failed. The pilot circled the area for nearly five hours to burn off fuel, then diverted to Greeley for the wheels-up landing. Damage was confined to the landing gear doors, antennae, and one propeller tip....
May 06, Brewer, Maine / Aeronca 11AC
Subscribers Only At 13:45 eastern time, an Aeronca 11AC lost power shortly after takeoff from Brewer Airport and was damaged during the ensuing forced landing. The pilot suffered minor injuries. The pilot said he had “onboard fuel approx. 2.5 hours.” The pilot hand-propped the engine and conducted two engine runups before taking off on runway 01. The engine quit at about 150 to 200 feet and the pilot landed to the right of the runway. An inspection revealed the fuel system had not been compromised. The forward fuel tank was empty and an aft-mounted fuel tank, which was used for level flight only, contained an unknown quantity of fuel. Nine days later the airplane was again examined in a salvage yard. The gas...
May 06, Wichita, Kan. / Cessna Skyhawk
Subscribers Only At 15:40 central time, a Cessna 172N struck a power line and crashed five miles north of the Wichita Mid-Continent Airport. The CFI and student pilot were killed. The two were practicing ground reference maneuvers in a designated practice area when they reported to Wichita controllers they would be operating in the traffic pattern at Maize Airport for a few minutes. No further radio contact was recorded, but about 35 minutes later witnesses heard a low-flying airplane in the vicinity of Wichita International Raceway. One witness reported the airplane was traveling north-northwest at 150 to 200 feet and descending slightly. The witness said the engine speed was high, but sounded normal, and t...
May 06, Nahant, Mass. / Piper Navajo
Subscribers Only At about 20:15 eastern time, a Piper PA-31-350 lost power on both engines and was ditched in Massachusetts Bay. The pilot and eight passengers sustained minor injuries. The pilot said the engines “surged” slightly on takeoff from Nantucket about 30 minutes earlier. He described the surges as “minor but still noticeable.” The airplane had descended to 1,500 feet when the “right aux fuel pump” light flashed intermittently, followed by a total loss of power on the right engine. The pilot could not restore power and feathered the right propeller. The airplane was not able to maintain altitude on one engine. Shortly thereafter, the left engine began surging. The pilot was not able to restore powe...
May 06, Yamhill, Ore. / Cessna Stationair
Subscribers Only At approximately 13:00 Pacific time, a Cessna U206 suffered a collapsed nose gear after a hard landing at Flying M Airstrip. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said he encountered variable, gusty winds while he was on final for the turf runway. Just about the time he was going to start his flare, he said he encountered an area of rapidly sinking air and the aircraft suddenly fell onto the runway surface. The nose gear fork sheared, allowing the nose gear strut to dig into the ground....
May 05, Arlington, Wash. / Let L-23
Subscribers Only At approximately 13:00 Pacific time, a Let L-23 glider struck a taxiway sign during its landing roll at Arlington Municipal Airport. The instructor and student were not injured. The instructor said the student was just about to land at the north end of the grass landing area when the instructor decided it would be best to land farther down the runway. Without advising the student, the instructor partially retracted the spoilers so the aircraft would float farther before touching down. The glider drifted long, touched down on the wet grass and departed the end of the landing area....
May 05, Imnaha, Ore. / Cessna Stationair
Subscribers Only At approximately 07:30 Pacific time, a Cessna U206F on a Part 135 flight nosed over during the landing roll at a private airstrip about 13 nm northeast of Imnaha. The pilot said he circled the airstrip, located in a canyon, three or four times to determine the wind direction. He then set up for an approach to the southeast. He said the wind sock was limp during the approach, but shortly after touchdown a gust of wind picked the aircraft up and dropped it. The pilot opted to continue the landing instead of going around, but didn’t have enough room to stop. He tried to ground loop the aircraft, but the nose gear separated and the airplane flipped inverted....
May 04, Factoryville, Pa. / Piper Saratoga
Subscribers Only At 15:00 eastern time, a Piper PA-32-301 overran the runway after touching down fast at Seamans Field Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said he was a little high on final and dove toward the runway, nearing the threshold at 95 knots. Witnesses said he landed about 1,500 feet down the 2,500-foot runway. The airplane almost stopped on the grass at the end of the runway, but the nosewheel went over an embankment and the airplane slid down a hill. The nearest weather report, from an airport 19 miles away, measured the winds as variable at 4 knots....
May 03, Washington, Okla. / Cessna Cutlass
Subscribers Only At 13:15 central time, a Cessna 172RG was damaged during a precautionary landing near Washington after the pilots encountered smoke in the cockpit. The pilot and the CFI suffered minor injuries. The pilots were practicing commercial flight maneuvers when they smelled an electrical fire. They immediately began to return to the airport, but two minutes later the cockpit filled with smoke. The pilots secured all electrical equipment and landed in a field, where the airplane nosed over. An investigation showed chafing of electrical wires between the engine firewall and cockpit instrument panel. A plastic hydraulic reservoir was found melted and laying on the cockpit floor....
May 02, Watkins, Colo. / Cessna Turbo Stationair
Subscribers Only At approximately 13:30 mountain time, a Cessna T206H was damaged during landing at Front Range Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot was en route IFR from Tea, S.D., to Centennial Airport in Englewood, Colo., when he encountered icing conditions. He requested various altitudes in an attempt to get out of the icing, but was unable to maintain altitude and diverted to Front Range. The airplane landed hard, departed the runway and struck a taxiway sign....
May 02, Lake Wales, Fla. / Cessna Skylane
Subscribers Only At 10:30 eastern time, a Cessna 182P flipped over during a crosswind landing on the grass strip at Chalet Suzanne. The four occupants suffered minor injuries. The pilot said he was landing on runway 36 when he experienced a strong crosswind, and the airplane porpoised halfway down the runway. The nose wheel struck the ground and the airplane flipped inverted....
May 01, The Woodlands, Texas / Mitsubishi MU-2B
Subscribers Only At approximately 12:41 central time, a Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 crashed after an uncontrolled descent near The Woodlands, killing the pilot and passenger. VMC prevailed but scattered thunderstorms were reported in the vicinity of the departure airport. Witnesses reported hearing an engine surging noise and observed the airplane in a “flat” spin until it struck the ground in a near-vertical attitude. Witnesses said the airplane appeared to be missing part of one wing as it descended and the right wing fuel tip tank has not been located....
Severe Signs
Subscribers Only Severe turbulence on a clear day...or what my glider rating should have taught me. I fly a Cessna 340 mostly for business on the West Coast. The weather in southern California was fairly typical on this early June day, with fog along the coast and clear inland. I hadn’t flown for several weeks, so I thought I would fly up to Tehachapi from my home base of Palomar Airport near San Diego for my $400 hamburger. The instrument departure was uneventful as I canceled IFR and continued on the 35 minute flight VFR with flight following. The air was smooth at 12,500 feet, even though the winds were reported at 25-30 knots almost directly on the nose. I started my descent for Tehachapi and...
A Hero to Whom?
As the Airport Director of the DeKalb Peachtree Airport, I must take great umbrage with “The Clock Runs Out” [Accident Probe, June]. It is apparent and unfortunate that Mr. Ibold either did not read the final NTSB report, or, at the very least, took great literary license in his interpretation of the report. To intimate the fire response crew did anything wrong is totally without merit. Because PDK is the second-busiest airport in Georgia, our ARFF crew gets to “practice” responding to many alerts throughout the year in all types of weather conditions. Responding to this specific alert was almost second nature to them in communicating with the tower and in responding to a staging locat...
Gyro Legacy
Subscribers Only The following information is derived from the FAA’s Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts. ---------- The FAA has issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin that warns of possible AD action requiring gyro backups for IFR flight. The SAIB cautions pilots to conduct a condition check of the vacuum or pressure system prior to each IFR flight. Last fall’s crash of a Cessna 335 carrying Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan prompted a review of service difficulty reports of vacuum system components. In the past 27 years, mechanics have filed 2,003 reports – 18 in the 12 months prior to the bulletin. Parker Hannifin (Airborne) has acknowledged a potential late...
NTSB Preliminary Reports
Subscribers Only The following briefs were selected from the 170 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in May 2001. 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, May." ---------- May 01, The Woodlands, Texas Mitsubishi MU-2B At approximately 12:41 central time, a Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 crashed after an uncontrolled descent near The Woodlands, killing the pilot and passenger. VMC prevailed but scattered thunderstorms were reported in the vicinity of the departure airport. Witnesses reported hearing an engine...
Boiling Trouble
Subscribers Only Take an 80-degree summer afternoon, clear skies, high pressure and light winds. Add an airplane, a friend or spouse, and pick a destination a few hours away. While you’re at it, throw in the family dog. This is a scenario many general aviation pilots would consider the ultimate in personal aviation – the perfect time to embark on what may be the perfect trip. For one Colorado pilot, however, the prognosis wasn’t so sunny. The pilot had accumulated more than 14,500 hours, many of them as a Part 135 helicopter pilot. He had single and multi ratings and instrument ratings for both airplanes and helicopters. He had once been a flight instructor. Even though he was retired, he still held a...
Crash and Crash Again
Subscribers Only At a recent international symposium on aviation human factors, one of the interesting sessions described an FAA study attempting to answer what traits might predict accident prone pilots. A number of large aviation organizations – airframe manufacturers, airlines, pilot organizations and the NASA Ames human factors directorate – sent representatives to engage in what turned out to be a lively and interesting discussion. In the study, more than 4,000 pilots were asked to answer various questions about their background, training and attitudes. Among those who answered the survey, about half had experienced an official accident. The survey was structured to obtain a fairly representative s...
Looks Can Deceive
Subscribers Only It’s every motorist’s nightmare, breaking down in an Audi in a rural town where the only mechanic knows only tractors, Fords and Chevys. Surely, pilots reason, the same thing can’t happen to airplanes. The technology is usually more familiar and the mechanics are more worldly. Besides, the FAA makes sure mechanics know how to fix airplanes, right? If you believe that, you’d better stick to a factory-standard 1978 Cessna 172. The fact is that modifications done to airplanes through supplemental type certificates and even Form 337s can give mechanics headaches. Although the vast majority are straightforward installations that are intuitive to remove, service and replace, there are en...
Neglected Pit Stops
Subscribers Only Among the most avoidable mishaps are those caused by fuel exhaustion. Most of them seem inexcusable, yet virtually every pilot has flirted with this danger at one time or another. You may pass up refueling at a major metropolitan airport because of the price. Or you’re in a hurry and rationalize that you can make it with good leaning or tail winds – especially if you’ve made the same trip before. If the winds are not as forecast or your leaning is a bit off, you could be in for trouble. Ditto if you fail to recheck the weather en route and arrive to find it below minimums. According to the AOPA Air Safety Foundation’s Nall Report there were 95 accidents due to fuel exhaustion in 1998...
Just Say (Definitely) No
Subscribers Only A friend assures me that he has developed a sure-fire method to duck out of jury duty. When the defense poses the first voir dire question, merely reply: “Well, the police wouldn’t have arrested him if he wasn’t guilty.” If the judge doesn’t threaten contempt, the defense attorney will immediately conclude that no one could possibly be that dumb. On the other hand, on the off chance that someone could, using up a challenge is cheap insurance. Next juror, please. The irony of this absurdity is that in such life-and-death matters as jury trials, we’re spring-loaded to doubt the government’s pronouncements. Yet as pilots, most of us react in the opposite way when confronted with ATC clear...
Spinner to Spinner
It’s easy to feel like you have a guardian angel when you’re flying into an airport with a functioning control tower, especially one that’s equipped with DBRITE and well-trained controllers. But there still is no substitute for peeled eyeballs and an awareness of what other airplanes are actually doing (as opposed to what they’re supposed to be doing). Recently I was nearing a busy controlled airport just as controllers were switching from one runway to the opposite one. There were multiple airplanes on instrument approaches, several waiting to take off, a couple in the pattern and a few more approaching pattern entry. I was cleared to enter a right base for the new runway, but by the tim...
Tech Trap
Subscribers Only So there you are, sitting in your airplane, gazing dreamily at the new GPS, MFD, and autopilot on which you’ve just spent almost as much as you originally paid for the plane. Now you’re faced with an IFR approach-certified GPS interconnected to a two-axis autopilot with ILS coupling and a moving map the size of a portable TV screen. Maybe you’re about to check out in a brand-new C-172 or Piper Archer with a whole pile of ultra-modern avionics, and all the FBO’s other airplanes have a pair of Narco MK 12s or King KX-175s. You can’t even find the on-off switch, much less tune the comm radio. How do you learn to use all that stuff? If it’s your airplane, you might call your friendly loca...