April 2006
February 17, 2006, Greeley, Colo. / Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche
Subscribers Only The aircraft sustained substantial damage during a wheels-up landing at approximately 1410 Mountain time. The solo Airline Transport pilot sustained minor injuries; instrument conditions prevailed. The pilot was cleared for an ILS approach to Runway 34 but went missed approach for “no gear indication.” The pilot subsequently performed a wheels-up landing. During the landing, the airplane’s right wing struck a runway sign. A witness that recovered the airplane following the accident reported that the airframe was covered with ice that measured approximately ¾-inch thick. Weather was reported as ceilings 400 broken, 5500 broken, 7500 overcast, 1½ mile visibility, temperature 1 degree Fahrenhei...
February 16, 2006, Lehigh Acres, Fla. / Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee
Subscribers Only At about 2012 Eastern time, the aircraft collided with brush then nosed over during a forced landing to a road, following loss of engine power. Visual conditions prevailed. The airplane was substantially damaged; the Private pilot and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The pilot stated the fuel tanks were filled prior to takeoff. After takeoff and with the fuel selector positioned to the left tank, the engine experienced a loss of engine power. He reduced throttle, turned the fuel pump on and noted there was fuel pressure, then increased throttle, placed the mixture control to the full-rich position, moved the fuel selector to the right tank, and pumped the primer but was unable to rest...
February 13, 2006, Rancho Murieta, Calif. / Piper PA-24-260 Comanche
Subscribers Only The airplane landed short of the runway at 1901 Pacific time, sustaining substantial damage. The Private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight, which originated from Colorado Springs, Colo. After takeoff, the pilot was unable to retract the landing gear. He diverted to Delta, Colo., to have the landing gear inspected. No mechanical anomalies were noted. The pilot refueled and continued to Rancho Murieta. When he arrived at Rancho Murieta, he lowered the landing gear handle but did not receive a down and locked indication inside the cockpit. He tried to manually lower the landing gear, but it did not fully extend. After flying arou...
February 11, 2006, Sacramento, Calif. / Cessna 172N and Cessna 172P
Subscribers Only At about 1510 Pacific time, a taxiing Cessna 172N collided on the ground with a standing Cessna 172P. The Private pilot and one passenger in the taxiing Cessna 172N were not injured; the airplane sustained minor damage. The CFI, the Student pilot, and one passenger in the standing Cessna 172P were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. Both aircraft were preparing to depart. Visual conditions prevailed. The Cessna 172N’s pilot subsequently stated that, while attempting to taxi around a stationary airplane in a crowded run-up area, he took his eyes off the wing area, and the wing tip of his airplane collided with the other airplane’s rudder and vertical stabilizer....
February 9, 2006, Aspen, Colo. / Canadair CL-600 Challenger
Subscribers Only The aircraft was substantially damaged while landing in visual conditions at approximately 1245 Mountain time. The Airline Transport pilot, co-pilot and passenger were uninjured. According to the pilot, he was landing on Runway 15 when the airplane encountered wake vortices from a departing BAe 146, which took off from Runway 33. At 50 feet agl, the airplane rolled hard to the left and the stall warning horn activated. The pilot added power and the airplane rolled hard to the right. The pilot was able to stop the roll; however, the nose dropped and the right main landing gear impacted the runway. The right main landing gear strut penetrated the right wing, the leading edge of the right wing...
February 8, 2006, Oakdale, Calif. / Zodiac 601XL Experimental
Subscribers Only At 1518 Pacific time, the aircraft broke up in flight and impacted terrain in a nosedown attitude. The airplane was destroyed and the Private pilot/owner and CFI aboard were fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed. Witnesses, who saw them boarding at Modesto, indicated that the CFI was seated in the left seat, and the pilot/owner was seated in the right seat. Subsequently, the airplane entered the traffic pattern for landing. Witnesses disagree on details, but all agree one wing bent up perpendicular to the fuselage and folded back. The airplane started to spin, pitched down between 60-70 degrees and impacted the ground....
February 8, 2006, El Cajon, Calif. / Cessna 172RG and Cessna 182Q
Subscribers Only The two aircraft collided in flight approximately three miles south of the Gillespie Field Airport at 1642 Pacific time. Both aircraft were destroyed in the collision sequence and post-impact fires. The CFI and pilot undergoing instruction in the Cessna 172RG and the Private pilot/sole occupant of the Cessna 182Q were fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed, and included high broken cloud cover with a visibility of 25 miles. A pilot-rated witness reported the two airplanes were flying at an estimated 1800 feet msl. One airplane was flying southwest; the other was flying east. The airplanes were in the Gillespie Field Class Delta airspace when the airplane flying eastbound impacted the a...
February 8, 2006, Philadelphia, Penn. / Douglas DC-8
Subscribers Only At about 0107 Eastern time, a DC-8 freighter operated by United Parcel Service landed at the Philadelphia International Airport after declaring an emergency due to smoke in the cockpit. The airplane was immediately engulfed in fire and the three flightcrew members evacuated the airplane via the cockpit window and L1 door slide. The flightcrew was not injured and the airplane was destroyed....
February 8, 2006 in Paris, Tenn. / Swearingen SA-226-TC
Subscribers Only The aircraft, operated as a Part 135 cargo flight, collided with the ground in a nose-down, near-vertical attitude at 1210 Central time. Visual conditions prevailed; the Airline Transport-rated pilot received fatal injuries and the airplane was destroyed. While in cruise flight at 16,000 feet, the pilot requested and was cleared to make a 360-degree turn to the left. Shortly afterward, the pilot requested a 360-degree turn to the right. The pilot then requested radar vectors to the closest airport and reported an asymmetric fuel condition. Controllers cleared the flight to 4000 feet. About a minute later the pilot transmitted “Mayday” six times and shortly after this radar and radio contact...
February 6, 2006, Wagner, S.D. / Cirrus Design Corp. SR22
Subscribers Only At about 1324 Central time the aircraft sustained substantial damage on impact with terrain following an in-flight loss of control during a climb in instrument conditions. The Instrument-rated Private pilot and passenger reported no injuries. The flight originated from the Wagner Municipal Airport, near Wagner, S.D., at about 1315, and was en route to the Schaumburg Regional Airport, near Schaumburg, Ill....
February 5, 2006, Watertown, Wis. / Short Brothers SD-360-300s
Subscribers Only The two airplanes collided in mid-air at approximately 2500 feet msl at 1653 Central time. One aircraft was destroyed by ground impact and fire; its pilot, co-pilot, and passenger were fatally injured. The other aircraft was substantially damaged but its crew made a successful emergency landing at nearby Dodge County Airport, Juneau, Wis. Visual conditions prevailed; both airplanes departed the General Mitchell International Airport. The flights were performed to verify the fuel flow rates for auxiliary fuel tanks that had been recently installed on both airplanes. Prior to departure, both flight crews decided that they would join up after departure in order to take video and still photograp...
February 3, 2006, N. Myrtle Beach, S.C. / Beech 200 Super King Air
Subscribers Only At 2045 Eastern time, the airplane crashed while on final approach to Runway 23 at the Grand Strand Airport. Visual conditions prevailed. The Airline Transport-rated pilot, and five passengers received fatal injuries; the airplane was destroyed. According to witnesses, the airplane made two approaches. During the first approach the airplane was observed “fish-tailing” while about 30 feet over the runway. The airplane appeared to regain control but continued flying over the runway until passing the control tower, at which time the airplane began a climbing left turn. The pilot told ATC that “his left engine kept power up a little too much and would not come back.” The witnesses observed the a...
February 1, 2006, Buckeye, Ariz. / Beechcraft F33A Bonanza
Subscribers Only The airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and impacted terrain at about 1500 Mountain time, killing the Student pilot, its sole occupant. The airplane was destroyed. Visual conditions prevailed. The Student pilot was flying her third solo flight of the flight training syllabus. The student was to depart, go to the Buckeye Airport, perform at least one landing, taxi back, and takeoff, then proceed to a practice area south of the departure airport, perform maneuvers and return....
February 1, 2006, Greensboro, N.C. / Cessna Model 500 Citation
Subscribers Only At 1317 Eastern time, the aircraft’s right main landing gear collapsed during the landing roll; the airplane came to rest in the mud on the right side of the runway. The Commercial pilot and copilot were uninjured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. According to the flight crew, after takeoff they could not get the right gear to fully retract. The crew declared an emergency and proceeded to land. Examination of the right main landing gear found the upper portion of the gear trunnion fractured and pulled out of the forward wing spar. Damage to the wing consisted of the forward spar, and the flap....
Squawk Box: 04/06
Subscribers Only The following information is derived from the FAA’s Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts. ---------- Cessna 170B, 172-172E, 180, 182-182D, 185s Worn Flap Handle Latch The FAA has received reports of problems associated with a tubular spacer found within Cessna flap handle latch mechanisms (p/n 0510166-0 through -5). The spacer is transfixed by a rivet with washers at each end. Continued use of this latch mechanism causes wear on the handle. Should this occur, the spacer can work itself out of the handle sufficiently to jam the latching mechanism. Wear may be evidenced by scraping marks found just below the washers on either side of the flap handle....
Learning Experiences: 04/06
Subscribers Only Lather. Rinse. Repeat. It was an average Minnesota day in April, if there is such a thing. The temperature was in the fifties on the ground, with broken to overcast skies at 8000 to 10,000 feet. I was taking my King Air E90 down to Wichita at FL 210. In IMC at around 10,000 feet I first noticed the pilot’s airspeed drop off to about 40 knots lower than what I would normally expect to see in a 1000 lb.-under gross climb. Both pilot and copilot pitot heat systems were activated. The copilot airspeed was about 160 KIAS—about right—but the pilot’s was down around 120 KIAS. I had a trace of rime ice and assumed the pilot pitot tube had burned out. Then the pilot-side VSI and altimet...
NTSB Preliminary Reports
Subscribers Only Selected recent general aviation and air carrier accidents
Known Deficiencies
Subscribers Only Pilots sometimes decide to live with some chronic mechanical problems. This time, it wasn’t a good idea.
Thunder Chicken
Subscribers Only Thunderstorm accidents are almost always fatal. What can we learn from pilots who failed to give them a wide enough berth?
Formation Flight Survival Rules
Subscribers Only Unless you’re trained for it, we don’t think it’s a good idea. But if you must—a photo mission, for example—here are some safety tips.
Cross-Coordinated
Subscribers Only Cross-controlling is often necessary to maintain coordinated flight, but it can be dangerous. It’s not whether you cross the controls, but how and when.
When Engines Fail
Subscribers Only Why engines fail is easy to understand. Getting more pilots to do their part in preventing failures is the hard part.
Spoonfeeding The Final
Subscribers Only Getting a vector to the final approach course is the norm at most airports, not the exception. But there are still a few things you need to know.
Unicom: 04/06
Battery Maintenance With reference to “It’s Not A River In Egypt” (Learning Experiences, January 2006), I do not agree with the crew’s judgment to fly the airplane with a known problem. The Baron’s batteries were in such a low state of charge they would not crank the engines. External power should never be used when the internal battery power isn’t sufficient to start the engine(s). Dead batteries require three to four hours to recharge fully from the aircraft generating system. Therefore they are not considered airworthy in a discharged state. Batteries that have enough power to crank and start the engine(s) will generally recharge to a reasonable state of charge prior t...
Editor's Log: 04/06
Risk? What Risk? Two local accidents on the same day involving singles got my attention in late February. The first occurred early in the morning as a series of snow squalls moved through the area. A Cessna 172 crashed while circling after its second GPS approach, killing two and injuring one. Late that same night, a Columbia 400 crashed at a different airport, killing the pilot and his three passengers. Early indications were that the Columbia went down while attempting an ILS. Several members of an online discussion group in which I participate took these pilots to task for even attempting to fly in poor winter weather. A newspaper report of the second crash noted the weather...