July 2002
April 27, Oak Shores, Calif. / Beech Musketeer
Subscribers Only At about 1745 Pacific time, a Beech C23 lost engine power and crashed near Oak Shores, killing the flight instructor, student pilot and one passenger. An additional passenger was seriously injured. The surviving passenger said the pilots reported over the intercom that there was an engine problem and that they were headed for a gravel landing strip a few miles away. The airplane cleared a ridge top, but collided with trees about a quarter-mile from the strip. An Alert Notice and an ELT signal led rescuers to the crash site. Initial inspection showed an exhaust valve apparently broke off....
April 27, Alpine, Utah / Piper Seneca
Subscribers Only At approximately 1100 mountain time, a Piper PA-34-200T crashed in cruise flight near Alpine. The pilot and passenger were killed. The flight was IFR from Cal Black Memorial Airport to Provo Municipal Airport. After breaking out into VFR conditions, the pilot cancelled the IFR flight plan and proceeded under VFR to Salt Lake City Municipal Airport #2. Witnesses saw the airplane flying at 500 to 1,000 feet agl until it disappeared into a fog-shrouded area of higher terrain....
April 25, Viburnum, Mo. / Piper Lance
Subscribers Only At 1545 central time, a Piper 32RT-300 overran the runway while aborting a takeoff from Viburnum Airport. The pilot and three passengers were not injured. The pilot said he was attempting to take off from the 3,195-foot runway with the airplane about 80 pounds overgross. He used an “informal short field takeoff procedure” but realized after takeoff that the airplane would not clear a church along the climb path. He landed on the remaining runway and the airplane overran the runway....
April 24, Parish, N.Y. / Cirrus SR-22
Subscribers Only At 1906 eastern time, a Cirrus SR-22 crashed while maneuvering near Parish, killing the two pilots aboard. The two pilots had taken delivery of the airplane six days earlier and were flying from Syracuse to Rochester to show a friend. Radar data showed the airplane in cruise flight when it made what appeared to be clearing turns, followed by a 360-degree turn in each direction. Four witnesses reported what may have been several engine-out practice sequences, but on the last one the airplane pulled up sharply after power was restored, then spun to the ground. Each witness reported the spin beginning sharply nose down then flattening at the end. The airplane is not spin-certified and the manuf...
April 23, Louisville, Ky. / Piper Cherokee Six
Subscribers Only At about 1724 eastern time, a Piper PA-32-260 crashed after takeoff from Bowman Field. The pilot suffered minor injuries. The pilot said the wing tip tanks were empty because maintenance on one of them was pending and that he took off with the left main tank selected. Investigators found the left tip tank selected. The pilot had recently purchased an interest in the airplane, and this was his first flight solo....
April 22, Hillsdale, Wisc. / Beech King Air
Subscribers Only At 1725 central time, a Beech 200 suffered minor damage when the airstair entrance door departed the airplane during cruise at flight level 190 near Hillsdale. The airplane made an emergency landing in Eau Claire. None of the nine aboard were injured. The door was found in a field. Inspection of the door revealed it to be locked....
April 21, Creswell, Ore. / Coot
Subscribers Only At approximately 1305 Pacific time, a Coot amateur-built airplane crashed after losing power on takeoff near Creswell. The pilot was killed. Records show the pilot had recently bought the airplane and replaced the IO-360 aviation engine with a Mazda 13B rotary automotive engine. The accident was the owner’s first flight in the airplane. The engine failed 1 minute, 15 seconds into the flight. Examination of the engine showed it had been installed without a drive on its metering oil pump and that the oil injection nozzles associated with the metering pump were missing from the combustion chambers. The nozzle holes were plugged with a non-metallic substance....
April 21, Canton, Miss. / Cessna 180
Subscribers Only At about 1420 central time, a Cessna 180 struck a ditch during the landing roll at a private airstrip near Canton. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot said the airplane touched down about 400 feet from the threshold of a 2,000-foot runway. He had rolled about 1,000 feet when the airplane drifted to the right and struck the ditch....
April 21, Prescott, Ariz. / Piper Comanche
Subscribers Only At 1900 mountain time, a Piper PA-24-250 veered off the runway and struck obstacles while landing at the Prescott Airport. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot flew for TWA until he lost his medical in 1972. He recently reacquired his medical and reported 15 hours since returning to flying. He said he had just recently bought the airplane....
April 19, Troy, Ala. / Aircam
Subscribers Only About 1804 central time, an Aircam amateur-built airplane struck power lines and crashed in a lake while maneuvering near Troy. The pilot was seriously injured. Witnesses said the airplane had been flying around the area at a low level for about 30 minutes, when it struck power lines about 70 feet above a lake. The crash site was located about one mile southeast of the airport. A witness, who happened to have military training in underwater rescue, jumped into the lake and rescued the pilot from the submerged wreckage....
April 19, Sedona, Ariz. / Cessna Stationair
Subscribers Only At 1250 mountain time, a Cessna T206H porpoised after a bounced landing at the Sedona Airport. Neither the private pilot nor the three passengers were injured. The airplane was landing on runway 21, and the winds were from 170 degrees at 19 knots gusting to 26. The pilot was issued his private pilot certificate 20 days earlier....
April 18, Petaluma, Calif. / Beech Duchess
Subscribers Only At 1910 Pacific time, a Beech 76 suffered a collapsed landing gear during a practice single-engine go-around at Petaluma Airport. The flight instructor, the commercial-licensed multiengine student, and one additional passenger were not injured. The instructor said they were performing a single-engine VOR approach in VFR conditions when he decided to have the student do a single-engine go-around. However, he issued the go-around instruction too late and the airplane touched down with full power on the left engine, causing the pilots to lose control. The instructor said neither he nor the student were making aggressive enough control inputs to correct the situation in the early stages and he m...
April 16, Maple Lake, Minn. / Cessna 152
Subscribers Only At 0855 central time, a Cessna 152 crash-landed at Maple Lake Municipal Airport. The student pilot was not injured. The pilot reported a total flight time of 51.2 hours, including 4.4 in the past 30 days. Winds at the time were from 180 at 15 knots, and the student was landing on runway 10....
April 15, Carolina, Puerto Rico / Mitsubishi MU-2B-35
Subscribers Only At about 1503 Atlantic time, a Mitsubishi MU-2B-35 went out of control while holding and crashed into a car dealership near Carolina. The pilot and one person on the ground were killed, and two people on the ground were injured. The pilot was advised to hold VFR over the area because a military are was hot. Radar data showed the airplane began descending during the second trip around the holding pattern. Witnesses at the scene reported a ceiling of 300 feet in light rain, but no thunderstorms....
April 14, Carrollton, Ga. / Piper Cub
Subscribers Only At 1915 eastern time, a Piper J-3 crashed while making a precautionary landing immediately after takeoff. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said he noticed smoke in the cockpit during the takeoff and elected to return to the airport. He then a hard left bank and reduced power, and the airplane stalled and crashed....
April 12, Amarillo, Texas / Cessna Turbo Skylane
Subscribers Only At 0946 central time, a Cessna T182 crashed into a power plant near Amarillo while flying 100-200 feet agl on a cross-country trip in foggy conditions. The pilot and passenger were killed. The pilot had contacted Amarillo Approach, reporting 19 miles out at 3,700 feet. The airplane did not appear on the controller’s screen. At six miles out, the controller gave the pilot the current altimeter setting and told him to plan a left downwind for runway 4. The airplane flew between two 300-foot cooling towers and crashed into the power plane at 154 feet agl....
April 12, Oxford, Conn. / Piper Seneca
Subscribers Only At 2135 eastern time, a Piper PA-34-200T crashed while executing the ILS/DME RWY 36 approach into Waterbury-Oxford Airport, killing the pilot. Witnesses reported hearing the engines at moderate power, then the power decreased for a few seconds before revving to full power. The crash site was about 2,000 feet southeast of runway 36. Weather reported at the time included wind from 210 degrees at 5 knots, gusting to 15 visibility 2˝-3 miles, ceiling 200-300 feet overcast, temperature 54 degrees F, dewpoint 51 degrees F....
April 11, Willows, Calif. / Beech Bonanza
Subscribers Only At approximately 1006 Pacific time, a Beech G35 broke up in flight four miles west of Willows, killing the pilot and passenger. Witnesses said the airplane was approaching Thunderhill Park from the southwest at 1500 feet agl and a high speed. It banked sharply and began to circle the park when suddenly the tail began to shake violently. The tail separated and the airplane broke apart as it came down....
April 10, Juneau, Alaska / Beech Twin Beech
Subscribers Only At about 1625 Alaska time, a Beech 18 crashed into shallow water in a tidal mud flat about one-half mile south of the Juneau International Airport, killing the pilot. The pilot was delivering building materials to a remote lodge. On the first flight, the airplane apparently was loaded with 73 bundles of wooden roof shakes. On the second flight, the airplane apparently was loaded with the remainder of the order, 77 bundles of roof shakes. Each bundle weighed about 56 pounds. Several witnesses consistently reported that the airplane departed runway 08 and climbed to about 200 to 300 feet above the ground. As the airplane approached the departure end of the runway, the nose of the airplane abru...
April 06, Lakeland, Fla. / Extra 300 and Navion
Subscribers Only At 1554 eastern time, an Extra 300L and a Navion B collided while landing on runway 09 right at Lakeland-Linder Regional Airport during Sun n Fun. The pilot in the Extra and the two occupants of the Navion were uninjured. The Extra pilot said he entered a left downwind for runway 09 right and followed other traffic. He initially saw the Navion ahead of him but, during the landing, landed on top of the Navion’s left wing....
April 06, Minden, La. / Beech D-45
Subscribers Only At approximately 1533 central time, a Beech D-45 crashed during a go-around from runway 01 at the Minden-Webster Airport, killing both aboard. Both pilots were in the process of relocating to the area and had only recently met. Witnesses said the airplane took off about 30 minutes before the accident. It returned, performed a roll over the runway and then executed a series of touch and goes. During the fourth approach, the airplane did not touch down. Subsequently, the airplane entered a left turn and descended uncontrolled to the ground....
April 05, Saline Valley, Calif. / Cessna 180
Subscribers Only At about 1135 Pacific time, a Cessna 180J nosed over during landing rollout at a backcountry airstrip in Death Valley National Park. Neither occupant was injured. The airstrip’s existence is not depicted on aeronautical charts and it is not maintained. The runway is only usable in a single direction. The airstrip is locally known as the “Chicken Strip.” The pilot said a wheel caught in a hole in the runway’s surface and the airplane departed the runway. The pilot said he had landed at the airstrip a “half-dozen times” in the previous 90 days....
April 05, Lakeland, Fla. / Piper Clipper and RV-6A
Subscribers Only At 1505 eastern time, a Piper PA-16 a Betts RV-6A collided in mid-air while on approach to runway 27R at Lakeland-Linder Regional Airport during Sun n Fun. The Piper pilot was seriously injured and the RV-6 pilot was killed. The local controller said the RV-6 was in front of the PA-16 on the downwind and on base. He saw the PA-16 overtaking the RV-6 and twice instructed the RV-6 to sidestep to runway 27 left, but the pilot did not respond to his instructions. He then told the PA-16 pilot to climb and he did not respond to the instructions....
April 04, Pensacola, Fla. / Cessna 172
Subscribers Only At 1730 central time, a Cessna 172P crashed while trying to land at Ferguson Airport. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot reportedly attempted several approaches to runway 18 without landing, then stalled over the runway on his final attempt. Winds at the time were reported from 330 degrees at 12 knots....
April 04, Uvalde, Texas / North American T-28
Subscribers Only At approximately 1610 central time, a North American T-28B crashed near Uvalde, killing the pilot. Witnesses observed the airplane flying inverted at about 800 feet agl prior to impact....
April 03, Medford, N.J. / Cessna 310
Subscribers Only At 1624 eastern time, a Cessna 310R struck the runway and terrain during an aborted landing at Mount Holly Airport. The pilot and passenger received minor injuries. The pilot said the accident occurred during the second landing attempt to Runway 26. He was late in putting the gear down and the props struck the runway. He went around and returned for landing, but in the flare the airplane stalled and crashed nosewheel first. Several witnesses said that, on the second landing, the airplane hit hard and the pilot tried to go around again but stalled in the process. Winds at the time were from 330 at 20 knots, gusting to 26....
April 02, Lawrenceville, Ga. / Cessna 150
Subscribers Only At about 1601 eastern time, a Cessna 150L crashed while attempting to land at Gwinnett County-Briscoe Field. The pilot, who held an airline transport rating, suffered minor injuries. The pilot said he abandoned his first attempt to land on runway 25 he could not properly line up with the runway due to a crosswind. He was making his second go-around when the left wing dropped and the aircraft struck terrain. Winds at the time were from 170 degrees at 8 knots....
Destination Unknown
Subscribers Only I have been a flight instructor for a few years at Orange County Airport in Montgomery, N.Y. During that time, it’s become crystal clear why pilots should be extra careful when flying into uncontrolled airports. Some pilots neglect to use current charts, ignore the Airport/Facility Directory, and don’t bother to check Notams before flying to another airport. Here are some perfect examples of what I am talking about. In January 2001, Orange County Airport started to use a new CTAF because of radio congestion with other uncontrolled airports in the area. We all thought this would be great. I quickly changed my mind the first time I had an aircraft starting to flare at the same time...
Water Over Trees
After reading your article on ditching vs. going into the trees [Risk Management, May], I got to thinking about the choice I had over Bull Shoals Lake a few years ago. I was on an extended approach to Gastons’ Resort in Lakeview, Ark., from the north in our Cessna 140 when the carb began to ice up a couple of miles out at about 500 feet above water level. Those 60-foot oak trees to the left looked pretty unforgiving compared to a ditching, and I remembered my answer a couple of years prior to the instructor at Arlington, Wash., during a C-172 checkride from Boeing Field. He pulled the plug over the bay, after all hope of a return to Boeing was gone, smiled at me and said, “What are y...
Separation Anxiety
Subscribers Only The following information is derived from the FAA’s Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts. ---------- Witnesses in the airport traffic pattern heard the pilot of a Cessna 172M announce on the radio that he had lost all aileron control. The airplane crashed, and while investigating the accident, an NTSB investigator discovered that two flight control cables were broken. He found that the left aileron control cable separated in the area of the top pulley located at the right doorpost. The cable was severely frayed for several inches on each side of the failure point and there was evidence of heavy corrosion on the cable and inside the pulley track. When the pu...
NTSB Preliminary Reports
Subscribers Only The following briefs were selected from the 142 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in April 2002. 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, April." ---------- April 02, Lawrenceville, Ga. Cessna 150 At about 1601 eastern time, a Cessna 150L crashed while attempting to land at Gwinnett County-Briscoe Field. The pilot, who held an airline transport rating, suffered minor injuries. The pilot said he abandoned his first attempt to land on runway 25 he could not properly line up with the runw...
Trouble Times Two
Subscribers Only Mooney proves up to the challenge of a huge cabin and fuel load, but the ice in the clouds was the icing on the cake.
B is for Busted
Subscribers Only Class B airspace can be complex and unforgiving, even to experienced pilots who think they know the ropes.
Engine Out on Takeoff
Subscribers Only An engine failure on takeoff will take you by surprise, so be spring-loaded for action.
Recovery Room
Subscribers Only Understanding spins takes far more training than a one-shot exposure to a one-turn spin.
With Help Like This
File this one under “Pilot as good guy, sometimes to a fault.” I like to help out controllers when I can. If the departure end of the airport is stacked with departures while I’m making a leisurely VFR approach, I’m quick to volunteer to extend downwind to let a couple of airplanes out. If I’m in a slow airplane approaching final in front of a fast one, I’ll offer to take a vector or turn to put me behind the other airplane. While there are a lot of pilots who share this attitude, some take helpfulness to counterproductive extremes. I was transitioning some busy airspace recently when a pilot called the tower, reporting “inbound from the southwest.” The controller asked his positi...
Ready to Rumble
Subscribers Only Assessing your skills and your judgment are crucial, particularly when the weather refuses to cooperate