May 2004
February 29, Angleton, Texas / Cessna 172
Subscribers Only At approximately 0630, a Cessna 172K struck power lines and crashed near Brazoria County Airport. The airplane had been stolen by an unlicensed person who later admitted to authorities that he had been drinking heavily since the previous evening. An FAA inspector said 16 hangars were broken into and the accident airplane contained miscellaneous equipment from the hangars as well as several beer cans. Law enforcement authorities said the man had taxied another airplane around the airport for a while before parking it and getting into the 172. He said he taxied the 172 around for a while and then decided to “go for it” and took off....
February 26, Corry, Pa. / Piper Archer
Subscribers Only At about 2020 eastern time, a Piper PA-28-181 crashed during a forced landing in Corry, killing the pilot. The pilot had reported a rough running engine to controllers shortly after takeoff from Erie International Airport but made no further transmissions. Two witnesses said the airplane was headed north at a very low altitude. One said the engine was “spitting and sputtering like it was stalling or running out of gas.” An employee at the FBO in Erie said the accident arrived at the airport about 1400 and the pilot asked if a mechanic was on duty, saying he had trouble starting the engine earlier in the day. The pilot had 233 hours total flight time, including 2.6 hours in make and model....
February 25, Rifle, Colo. / Fairchild Metro
Subscribers Only At 0805 mountain time, a Fairchild, SA227-DC operated by Key Lime Air as Flight 375 slid off of the runway during the landing roll at Garfield County Regional Airport. The captain and first-officer were not injured. The pilot said he flew the instrument approach at a higher speed than usual and, as a result, the airplane touched down approximately 2,500 feet beyond the approach end of the runway 26, which was wet with rain. Despite the pilot’s attempt to stop the airplane with brakes and full reverse on the engines, the airplane began to slide sideways, and went off of the departure end of the runway, where it was substantially damaged....
February 23, Arlington, Ala. / Piper Malibu
Subscribers Only At 0849 central time, a Piper PA-46-310P broke up in flight in the vicinity of Arlington. The pilot and passenger were killed. The flight had departed Panama City, Fla., on an IFR flight plan at 0738. The pilot had asked the Atlanta Center controller for clearance to deviate to the north to get around some build-ups at 0819. The controller asked the pilot if he encountered any rime icing in his area, and the pilot stated no. The pilot was cleared to FL230 and instructed to contact another sector of Atlanta Center at 0827. The pilot made the frequency change and informed the new controller that he was climbing to FL230. The controller informed the pilot to climb to FL250 and amended the climb...
February 22, Valley Springs, Texas / Cessna 210
Subscribers Only At approximately 1045 central time, a Cessna 210N crashed while maneuvering near Valley Springs. The non-instrument-rated pilot was killed. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight from Midland to Sugarland. The pilot had obtained two weather briefings prior to departure and was informed there was an Airmet for IFR conditions in effect and that VFR was not recommended. The pilot said he would call back prior to his departure for another weather briefing. The pilot called back at 0851 but an update for the Airmet was not available. The pilot then got weather reports for airports along his route of flight. Radar data showed the accident airplane apparently made a 180 degre...
February 22, Claremore, Okla. / Cessna 182
Subscribers Only At 1600 central time, a Cessna 182A crashed when the engine lost partial power on initial climb from Sam Riggs Airpark. The pilot and two passengers were not injured; one passenger sustained minor injuries. The pilot said he departed runway 22, a 2,760-foot turf runway, after a normal runup. At approximately 500 feet agl, the engine “lost most of its power output.” The pilot banked slightly to avoid an approaching tree line and initiated an emergency landing to an open grass field. The airplane’s right wingtip struck the ground and the left main gear dug into soft ground. Examination of the airplane’s fuel system revealed water in the carburetor bowl and both wing fuel tanks....
February 16, Davis, W.Va. / Piper Seneca
Subscribers Only At 1440 eastern time, a Piper PA-34-200 was damaged while landing at Windwood Resort Airport. The pilot and three passengers were not injured. The pilot said he circled the runway twice after arriving to determine the wind direction and runway conditions. The runway appeared to look clear, with a few ice patches on the surface, and snow mounds off to the sides. After touching down on runway 06, a 3,000-foot long, 40-foot wide asphalt runway, the left landing gear assembly encountered a “low flat” snow patch, and the airplane departed the left side of the runway....
February 16, Oklahoma City, Okla. / Rockwell Turbo Commander
Subscribers Only At approximately 0730 central time, a Rockwell 690A was damaged when the pilot lost control during the takeoff roll from Wiley Post Airport. The pilot and passenger were not injured. During the takeoff roll, with approximately 1,250 feet of runway left, the left main landing gear tire failed and the airplane veered to the left and into a field. ...
February 16, Pittsburgh, Pa. / Cessna 210
Subscribers Only At 1426 eastern time, a Cessna 210E was damaged on landing at Allegheny County Airport when one main landing gear leg would not fully extend. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot said the left main landing gear would not extend into the down and locked position and he decided to land with the right main gear and nose gear down and the left main gear “hanging.” After touchdown, the airplane slid off the left side of the runway. Examination showed a crack in the left main landing gear saddle....
February 15, Casey, Ill. / Piper Apache
Subscribers Only At 1440 central time, a Piper PA-23-160 was damaged in a forced landing right after takeoff from Casey Municipal Airport. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The flight had departed Wadsworth, Ohio, and was destined for Durant, Okla., with a fuel stop in Greenville, Ill. While in cruise flight at 6,500 feet, the pilot repositioned the right fuel selector from the main tank to the auxiliary tank. At that time, the fuel selector handle was “stiff and hard to move.” After about 30 seconds, the engine began to surge. He switched the fuel back to the main tank but the fluctuations continued. He elected to crossfeed from the left tank and the power returned to normal. He then turned off the...
February 14, Riverside, Calif. / Cessna 172
Subscribers Only At about 1900 Pacific time, a Cessna 172S departed the taxiway after landing and struck a median at Riverside Municipal Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said he landed on runway 27 and was attempting to taxi to the ramp area. He was unfamiliar with the airport and requested progressive taxi instructions. In an effort to comply with what he thought the controller was telling him to do, he departed the taxiway, continued down a grassy area and collided with a median....
February 13, Sunburg, Minn. / American Champion Scout
Subscribers Only At 1400 central time, an American Champion 8GCBC struck a ditch and nosed over while landing on a gravel road near Sunburg. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said the purpose of the flight was to take aerial photographs of some Minnesota farms. While in cruise, he got the “sudden urge to use the bathroom” and selected a gravel road to land on. The pilot stated that during landing rollout he noticed a sign on the left side of the road and he maneuvered to the right to avoid it, causing the right wheel to go into the ditch....
February 11, Pensacola, Fla. / Beech Bonanza
Subscribers Only At about 2216 central time, a Beech J35 crashed when the pilot lost control during a missed approach about 14 miles north-northwest of Pensacola Regional Airport. The pilot was killed. The non-instrument-rated pilot departed New Smyrna Beach, Fla., on an IFR flight plan at about 1920 eastern time and was en route to New Orleans. The pilot contacted Pensacola Approach about three hours later and requested an amendment to his flight plan. The pilot reported he “had a fuel situation” and needed to land at Pensacola. The flight was given priority handling and the pilot reported he could not “get to” fuel in a tip tank. The pilot made three tries at an ILS approach but could not become establishe...
February 11, Alma, Ga. / Piper Cherokee 180
Subscribers Only At about 2115 eastern time, a Piper PA-28-180 struck trees and crashed while on approach to Bacon County Airport. The pilot and two passengers were killed. The flight departed Fort Lauderdale, Fla., at about 1800. The pilot picked up the two passengers in Fort Pierce, Fla., and advised controllers he was headed for Bacon County Airport as an intermediate fuel stop. The pilot was receiving flight following but descended below radar coverage about nine miles southeast of the airport. The controller advised the pilot that radar services were terminated and the pilot acknowledged. The airplane crashed less than a mile from the runway threshold about 1,100 feet left of a straight in course for ru...
February 10, Redmond, Ore. / Lancair Columbia
Subscribers Only At 0950 Pacific time, a Lancair LC42-550FG operated by Lancair as a business flight, veered off the runway during the landing roll at Roberts Field and collided with a taxi sign. The pilot, flight instructor and two passengers were not injured. The flight departed from Bend, Oregon, about 10 minutes prior to the accident. The pilot said he flared about four feet above the runway and the stall warning horn sounded. He “chopped the power” and the aircraft rapidly descended to the runway. The pilot then applied full power and the aircraft veered to the left. The flight instructor got on the controls in an attempt to regain runway heading. The flight instructor called for the pilot to reduce pow...
February 08, Mena, Ark. / Beech Sundowner
Subscribers Only Approximately 1412 central time, a Beech BE-23 lost engine power and was damaged in the forced landing that followed. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said he made a left downwind departure from runway 17 at Mena Intermountain Municipal Airport and climbed to 2,000 feet agl when the engine stopped producing power. The pilot attempted to re-start the engine, but was unsuccessful. He turned left and aligned the airplane with the runway while descending. The pilot flew along the length of the runway, but never landed. As the airplane approached the end of the runway, he aligned the airplane with a taxiway, but decided to turn and land in an open clearing, where it struck trees and power lin...
February 08, Collegeville, Pa. / Piper Cherokee Six
Subscribers Only At 1945 eastern time, a Piper PA-32-260 struck trees and a snowbank while on approach to land at Perkiomen Valley Airport. The pilot and passenger were not injured. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an IFR flight plan had been filed. The pilot said he was on final approach for runway 29 when the right wing “apparently struck one or more limbs of a tree.” The pilot continued toward the runway and struck “an object” at the end of the runway, shearing off the right landing gear. The pilot applied power and continued to fly down the runway to observe further obstructions. He then returned to land on runway 09. As the airplane touched down, it swerved off the right side of the...
February 07, Suffolk, Va. / Cessna 150
Subscribers Only At 1100 eastern time, a Cessna 150F lost power on initial climb from Suffolk Municipal Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said he had just taken off when the engine lost total power. The pilot performed a forced landing to a wooded area, where the airplane collided with trees. Examination of the engine revealed that the number four cylinder had separated at the mid-point on the barrel. The engine had been overhauled in 1994 and had accumulated about 800 hours of operation since then....
February 07, Summerville, S.C. / Piper Warrior
Subscribers Only At 1245 eastern time, a Piper PA-28-161 taxied unoccupied into a parked airplane at Summerville Airport. The pilot suffered minor injuries and both airplanes were damaged. The pilot said he was preparing to deliver the airplane to Columbia, S.C., for avionics work. When he engaged the starter it made a spinning noise but would not turn the engine over. The pilot set the parking brake and attempted to hand prop the airplane. The engine started and the airplane began to move forward. The pilot climbed onto the wing to enter the cockpit but slipped and fell to the ground. He grabbed the outside of the airplane and was dragged across the ramp as he attempted to gain access to the cockpit. When h...
February 06, Walcott, Wyo. / Cessna 206
Subscribers Only At 1123 mountain time, a Cessna T206H struck terrain during cruise flight near Walcott. The pilot was killed, but one passenger received minor injuries and one escaped uninjured. Instrument conditions prevailed at the accident site. The flight was on a VFR flight plan and the pilot had just received an IFR flight plan. The flight had originated at Broomfield, Colo., about an hour and a half earlier, and was en route to Jackson Hole, Wyo. The pilot was given an IFR clearance as the airplane neared Medicine Bow VOR, with the instruction to follow V-6, the 252 radial outbound from the VOR. However, as the airplane crossed the VOR it diverged south. An ELT signal was received 17 minutes later. O...
February 01, Goodyear, Ariz. / Cessna 210
Subscribers Only At about 1100 mountain time, a Cessna T210L lost engine power and crashed in the forced landing that followed. The pilot suffered minor injuries and three passengers sustained serious injuries. The flight had left Burbank, Calif., that morning for a sightseeing flight. The pilot stopped at Gila Bend, Ariz., for fuel, but the airport was out of fuel. The pilot then decided to go to Goodyear but the airplane lost power about a mile from the airport and landed in the plowed field....
Learning Experiences: 05/04
Subscribers Only A Lack of Control I was inbound for landing in a Cessna 172 to my home field. I checked in with the tower about six miles out and was told to report back on a left midfield downwind. The runway in use normally used right traffic. The weather was clear and visibility was unrestricted. While I continued toward the airport, the tower cleared several departures and apparently one of them was a left downwind departure, but I didn’t hear that clearance. The controller was fairly new at the airport, and she did not provide me or the airplanes departing with any traffic information. As I approached the crosswind/downwind intersection, another 172 suddenly appeared on a collision...
Squawk Box: 05/04
Subscribers Only The following information is derived from the FAA’s Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts. ---------- Lancair Fuel AD The FAA has issued an airworthiness directive for Lancair Columbias that requires operators to inspect the fuel pressure transducer for evidence of chafing. The AD is repetitive unless a compliance kit is installed as a terminating action. The AD stemmed from several reports of the fuel pressure transducer wearing through at the threads where it attached to the fuel line. Such a failure could lead to a fuel leak that could cause loss of engine power or fire. In one case, a Columbia with about 370 hours time in service suffered a failure o...
NTSB Preliminary Reports
Subscribers Only Selected recent general aviation and airline accidents
Siren’s Song
Subscribers Only As home beckons, commuting pilot slugs through storms and delays before finally meeting his match a half-hour from home
Gauging Safety
Subscribers Only Engine gauges can tell you a lot about what’s going on inside your engine – but you have to understand what they’re saying
Shopping Checklists
Subscribers Only Checklists come in a variety of flavors, and just which kind suits your taste depends on what kind of pilot you are
Storm Trackers
Subscribers Only Advancing technology puts weather downloads in the cockpit alongside the stalwart radar and sferics. The ideal setup is driven by budget
Partial Panel Paranoia
Subscribers Only Loss of your vacuum system or other flight instruments poses a challenge in training and real life, but it’s hardly a death sentence
Safety by Design
Subscribers Only Aircraft designers have put new effort into accident avoidance and crashworthiness. If only the elements could be adapted to older airplanes
Unicom: 05/04
Cirrus vs. Cessna I thought your article “Has Cirrus Delivered?” [Safety Review, March] was particularly interesting because it so happens that I owned a Cessna 182S and a Cirrus 20. When I checked the statistics and fleet size of the two airplanes, I discovered to my amazement that the 182S had a higher accident rate than Cirrus. I am somewhat confused by the statistics in the chart that indicate that the 182S and 182T have suffered seven fatal accidents. When I checked the NTSB database, 10 fatal accidents are recorded, eight for the 182S [mine included] and two to the 182T. The conclusion that I reached that for the period of 1999 to 2002, was that Cessna had more accide...
Us vs. Them
Help general aviation by making yourself a foot soldier in the PR war. You’ll just be helping yourself