October 2005
July 26, 2005, Georgetown, Del. / Piper PA-28-181 Archer
Subscribers Only At 1552 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it struck a moving automobile while on final approach to Joseph’s Airport (DE49), Georgetown, Delaware. The driver and passenger of the automobile were fatally injured. The Private pilot and two passengers were seriously injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot subsequently stated that the airplane’s “sink rate was too high” and he must have been “too low.” Examination of the automobile revealed a vertical depression, approximately midway along the right side of the vehicle, that extended from the running board to the top of the roof. Propeller strikes measured at a 42-degree angle to the vehicle’s longitudinal axis...
July 24, 2005, Ada, Okla. / Cessna 310Q
Subscribers Only The airplane was destroyed at 1752 Central time when it collided with terrain shortly after takeoff. The Airline Transport pilot, the two passengers and a dog were fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed. A witness standing next to an under-construction highway did not hear the airplane approaching until it was almost right over him. The airplane was “extremely low,” about 60-70 feet above the ground, with the landing gear retracted, in a shallow right turn towards the north. As the airplane crossed over the highway, it made a sharp right turn to the north and the witness thought the pilot was trying to land on the highway. However, as the airplane banked to the right, the nose of the a...
July 20, 2005, Saginaw, Texas / Mooney M20J
Subscribers Only The airplane sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain while maneuvering at approximately 1215 Central time, killing the Private pilot and two passengers. Visual conditions prevailed. A pilot-rated witness reported seeing the airplane on final approach with its landing gear retracted. He then observed the airplane make a shallow left turn, followed by a second left turn, but with a 60-70 degree bank angle. The witness stated that during the second turn the airplane did a “knife-edge drop.” Before losing sight of the airplane behind a row of hangars, it appeared that the airplane was leveling off. The airplane came to rest upright in the backyard of a residential area. All compone...
July 18, 2005, Aurora, Mo. / Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche
Subscribers Only The airplane was substantially damaged at 0907 Central time during an impact with terrain after takeoff. The Commercial pilot and two passengers were fatally injured; a third passenger was seriously injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The surviving passenger later stated the airplane seemed “sluggish” and “wasn’t picking up speed” during the takeoff roll. After liftoff, the airplane’s stall warning sounded and the pilot “slightly leveled” the airplane, silencing the warning. The passenger stated that the right wingtip “went up high and the nose went down” simultaneously when the stall warning horn sounded for the second time....
July 10, 2005, Penrose, N.C. / Cessna 172N Skyhawk
Subscribers Only At 1437 Eastern time, the airplane collided with the ground after takeoff. Visual conditions prevailed; a post-crash fire destroyed the airplane. The Private pilot was fatally injured and one passenger received serious injuries. A witness observed the preflight inspection, engine start and taxi. A short time later the witness observed the airplane on its takeoff roll. The airplane did not seem to be going very fast, nor did it sound like the airplane was developing full power. The witness’s attention was diverted and, when he looked back, the airplane had disappeared from view. He then observed black smoke off the departure end of the runway. ...
July 9, 2005, Moriarty, N.M. / Grob 103
Subscribers Only The glider was substantially damaged during a forced landing following an aborted aero tow at 1245 Mountain time. The Private pilot and passenger were not injured; visual conditions prevailed. The glider pilot said the tow started normally. He said the towplane started “pulling up and then touched back down” and the glider pilot saw a “puff of smoke.” He elected to release and perform an emergency landing at an altitude of approximately 75-100 feet. The pilot said that after turning 90 degrees right, the glider was “close to the ground” so he “leveled the wings and tried to flare” and the glider impacted terrain and ground looped. The right wing was severed from the aircraft and the fuselage...
Saturday, July 9, 2005, Tarkio, Mo. / North American P-51D
Subscribers Only At 1020 Central time, the airplane collided with terrain following loss of engine power on takeoff.The Airline Transport pilot was seriously injured and the airplane was substantially damaged. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot reported experiencing a total loss of engine power on takeoff. He banked to the left to avoid a 30-foot dike off the end of the runway and the left wing contacted the ground. The airplane then rocked to the right and the right wing contacted the ground prior to the airplane coming to rest....
July 8, 2005, Rocky Ford, Colo. / Cessna 150L
Subscribers Only The airplane sustained substantial damage during landing when it impacted terrain at a private airstrip at approximately 0915 Mountain time. The Private pilot sustained minor injuries; visual conditions prevailed. According to the pilot, he took off with the intention of practicing touch-and-go landings. He performed one landing with 20 degrees of flaps. During the second landing approach, he came in with 30 degrees of flaps. The pilot said that the flaps retracted to zero, and the aircraft experienced a loss of lift. He added full power, but the aircraft fell short of the runway. The landing gear struck a canal, and the airplane nosed over....
July 7, 2005, Medina, Ohio / Cessna 421B
Subscribers Only At about 0950 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged while landing; the Commercial pilot and three passengers were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. About five minutes after takeoff, the pilot noticed a high oil temperature indication for one of the engines. The pilot elected to return to the departure airport. During touchdown, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane veered right. The airplane traveled off the right side of the runway, struck a ditch and came to rest upright....
July 6, 2005, Norman, Okla. / Piper PA-34-220T Seneca
Subscribers Only The airplane was substantially damaged during a loss of control following an aborted landing at about 1626 Central time. The Commercial pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, sustained fatal injuries. Visual conditions prevailed for the IFR flight from Austin, Texas. Witnesses observed the accident airplane descending at an approximate 40-degree nose-down angle with the right wing angled towards the ground, as if correcting for a crosswind. The nosewheel hit the ground first and then the right main wheel “slammed very hard” onto the runway. The airplane bounced back into the air, and subsequently flew into the terminal building’s roof. Witnesses reported that both engines were running at “ful...
July 5, 2005, Titusville, Fla. / Piper PA-34-220T Seneca
Subscribers Only At about 1236 Eastern time, the airplane’s nose landing gear collapsed while landing. Visual conditions prevailed; the Commercial pilot was not injured. While on final approach, the pilot confirmed the landing gear was down and locked. When the flight was approximately 10 to 15 feet agl, he reduced power and applied nose-up trim using the electric pitch trim system. The pitch trim kept running in the nose-up direction, which he corrected by applying power and forward pressure on the control yoke. The airplane touched down on the runway on all three landing gear, bounced and then landed on the nose landing gear, which collapsed approximately one second later. Postaccident examination reveale...
July 5, 2005, Branchville, N.J. / Grumman American AA-5
Subscribers Only The airplane was destroyed during a forced landing at about 1300 Eastern time following an in-flight fire. The Commercial pilot was seriously injured; visual conditions prevailed.While in cruise flight, the pilot smelled what seemed like electrical smoke. He responded by opening the canopy to vent the cabin, and fire came out from under the instrument panel. He subsequently closed the canopy, and the fire appeared to diminish. He then chose to attempt a forced landing on top of the Kittatinny Ridge in Stokes State Forest. After the airplane came to rest, the pilot exited un-eventfully despite back injuries, and noticed that the airplane and surrounding foliage was on fire. He then realized t...
July 4, 2005, Grand Rapids, Minn. / Piper PA-46-310P
Subscribers Only At about 1758 Central time, the airplane sustained substantial damage on impacting terrain during takeoff. The Private pilot sustained fatal injuries. A witness later stated that, about halfway down the runway, the airplane emitted a sound like a rapid misfire, a pop, and then no more audible engine sounds. The airplane was about 300 to 400 feet agl at that point. He said that the airplane turned right then turned left to a bank where the wing was straight down. The airplane’s wings then leveled, the airplane descended, and it impacted terrain. He stated that the time from the sounds to the impact was about two to three seconds. To date, the investigation has not discovered a reason for the...
July 3, 2005, De Funiak Springs, Fla. / Beech V35 Bonanza
Subscribers Only The airplane crashed into a swamp at about 1211 Central time; visual conditions prevailed and an IFR flight plan was in effect for the flight from Houston, Texas, to Panama City, Fla. The airplane was substantially damaged and the Private pilot was fatally injured; a passenger sustained minor injuries. While en route, the passenger was awakened by his father, the pilot, and advised to put on his seatbelt and shoulder harness. His father also advised him that the engine was running rough. The passenger reported that his father was talking with someone on the radio, and the aircraft was then in the trees....
July 2, 2005, East Hampton, N.Y. / Beech C33A Debonair
Subscribers Only At about 1430 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it landed short of the runway at the East Hampton Airport (HTO). The Commercial pilot/owner and passenger were not injured; visual conditions prevailed. According to the pilot, he was aiming to land on the “numbers” but, while on short final, the airplane’s sink rate increased. The airplane landed “a few feet” short of the runway. Reported weather included winds from 180 degrees at six knots....
Friday, July 1, 2005, Columbus, Ohio / Piper PA-28-181 Archer
Subscribers Only The airplane was substantially damaged during a landing at the Ohio State University Airport at about 2330 Eastern time. The CFI, Private pilot and passenger aboard were not injured; night visual conditions prevailed. According to the Private pilot, she had just started flying again three weeks earlier, with flight instructors, after a five-year layoff. Earlier, the Private pilot and the CFI encountered difficulties trimming the airplane in cruise; with the maximum right trim set, the CFI had to hold right rudder to maintain heading. On downwind, the CFI took over the flight controls. The airplane landed on both main landing gear, but it appeared that the airplane was “moving to the righ...
July 1, 2005, Canon City, Colo. / Piper PA46-500TP
Subscribers Only At approximately 1330 Mountain time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it encountered turbulence while approaching Runway 11 at the Fremont County Airport. Visual conditions prevailed; the IFR cross-country flight was concluding at the time of the accident. The Private pilot and his passenger reported no injuries. After one go-around and during the second attempt to land, the airplane encountered turbulence. The pilot lost control of the airplane and departed the runway to the right. Both the left and right main landing gear collapsed and the propeller struck the runway. Both the left and right landing gear actuator rods penetrated the wings, and the pressure vessel on the left...
Squawk Box: 10/05
Subscribers Only The following information is derived from the FAA’s Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts. ---------- Cessna 150 Lost Rudder Hinge Bolt The upper rudder pivot bolt backed out of its self-locking nutplate at the upper hinge while in flight. The rudder was ripped from the lower bell crank control, and departed the aircraft. The aircraft landed without incident. The rudder was found and its upper pivot bolt was retained in the rudder cap. The bolt could be inserted in the nutplate with light, finger pressure only, and removed the same way. The nutplate was worn and had lost its locking ability. At installation of a factory new rudder assembly, a drilled...
Towered Near-Miss
Subscribers Only [IMGCAP(1)] After an IFR flight of nearly four hours from our home base on the East Coast, my wife and I approached our destination. Under the overcast, where the visibility was excellent, we canceled IFR and soon reported the field in sight. We were advised to enter a left downwind for the east-west runway; I was flying our Mooney while my wife was handling the navigation and communication duties. The tower was busy with three inbounds from the southeast, at least two singles and a twin in the pattern, plus us, inbound from the east. Soon, we were advised to enter the left downwind for the northeast/southwest runway and the tower sequenced us to follow the second single, now on left b...
NTSB Preliminary Reports
Subscribers Only July 1, 2005, Canon City, Colo. Piper PA46-500TP At approximately 1330 Mountain time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it encountered turbulence while approaching Runway 11 at the Fremont County Airport. Visual conditions prevailed; the IFR cross-country flight was concluding at the time of the accident. The Private pilot and his passenger reported no injuries. After one go-around and during the second attempt to land, the airplane encountered turbulence. The pilot lost control of the airplane and departed the runway to the right. Both the left and right main landing gear collapsed and the propeller struck the runway. Both the left and right landing gear actuator...
Miles To Go: Accident Recap 10/05
Subscribers Only An experienced pilot botches a nighttime ILS to minimums. Is that all there is to it?
Deaf And Dumb?
Subscribers Only Losing the ability to communicate while IFR might mean you’re deaf, but there are smart ways to deal with the problem.
Jet Dreams
Subscribers Only If you believe the hype, thousands of very light jets are right around the corner. What will it take for pilots without jet experience to safely fly them?
Top Prop Traps
Subscribers Only Most of us fly behind or between propellers, but there’s a lot we don’t know about them. Some basic knowledge will help keep us safe.
This Isn’t Happening!
Subscribers Only Most in-flight emergencies are manageable with the proper training, preparation and mindset. Beating “brainlock” can help us react as we’ve been trained.
Tomahawk Revisited
Subscribers Only Piper’s Tomahawk has been criticized for its stall-spin behavior. How does it compare with other spins-approved airplanes?
Unicom: 10/05
How To Fly Twins While the idea of ignoring the throttles and instead grasping the propeller levers on takeoff is intriguing, such a habit may be the wrong thing to do. While it is assumed that an aircraft is at full power during takeoff, it is important to note that not all aircraft use “full power” on departure. Therefore, it is wise for pilots to continue to push up the power to squeeze as much power out of the remaining engine as possible, resulting in a superior climb rate. Another reason to test one’s selection of which engine to secure by retarding the throttle is that this action provides one extra layer of safety, one extra hoop through which pilots must jump, to...
Editor’s Log: 10/05
Stuck Mic It promised to be an easy flight—just over three hours from Wichita to Oshkosh in advance of this year’s AirVenture extravaganza. A buddy and I launched my Debonair from his home drome and soon were established in cruise, talking to Kansas City Center. Soon, an inexperienced female voice came on the frequency from her Skylane, asking for flight following. A patient controller coaxed from her the necessary information, she repeated it back and that should have been the end of it. Except her microphone’s push-to-talk switch never released. Everyone on the frequency was treated to one side of an apparent conversation between two women discussing children, boyfriends,...