June 2006
April 19, 2006, Arkansas, Kan. / Cessna T210N
Subscribers Only The airplane was destroyed when it struck power lines and then impacted terrain near Arkansas, Kan., at approximately 2035 Central time. A post-impact fire ensued. Visual conditions prevailed; the Private pilot and passenger sustained serious injuries. Local law enforcement at the accident scene reported that the pilot may have been flying low, taking pictures, when the airplane struck the power lines. A power line was observed being down at the site. The deputy said that a post-crash fire consumed most of the airplane. He also said that the power was out in the area....
April 16, 2006, Avondale, Penn. / Piper PA-28-140
Subscribers Only The airplane was destroyed during a forced landing following a loss of engine power at 1318 Eastern time. The Private pilot was fatally injured and the passenger, his son, was seriously injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The surviving passenger subsequently stated there were no anomalies noted during the preflight, engine start, run-up or during taxi. The takeoff was “normal,” and the airplane climbed to about 1500 feet. At that point, without warning, there was a loud metallic-sounding explosion, and oil sprayed onto the windscreen. At the same time, a section of the propeller departed the airplane. The airplane struck trees, burst into flames, and then collided with terrain. It was dest...
April 16, 2006 in Lady Smith, B.C., Canada / Lake LA-4-200
Subscribers Only At approximately 1350 Pacific time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted water while landing. The Private pilot and sole occupant of the airplane was not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. According to the Canadian authorities, while conducting touch-and-go landings, the airplane’s left float “dug” into the water, followed by the left wing impacting the water. The airplane cart-wheeled, nosed over and sank....
April 14, 2006, Klamath Falls, Ore. / Cessna 180
Subscribers Only The Cessna’s wing contacted the runway during the landing roll at approximately 1200 Pacific time. The Private pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured, but the aircraft’s wing structure sustained substantial damage. Visual conditions prevailed. According to the pilot, the touchdown was uneventful, but during the landing roll a gust of wind lifted the left wing, and the aircraft began to veer from the runway heading. During her attempt to realign the aircraft, it turned sharply to the left, and the right wing and right elevator came in contact with the runway. ...
April 14, 2006, Belgrade, Mon. / Lancair IV-P Experimental
Subscribers Only At approximately 2040 Mountain time, the airplane impacted the terrain during an off-field forced landing about one and one-half miles northwest of the approach end of Runway 12 at Gallatin Field, Belgrade, Mon. The Commercial pilot and two passengers were not injured, but the aircraft was destroyed by the post-crash fire. According to the pilot, when the aircraft was about three miles from the approach end of the runway, the engine suddenly developed a loud howling sound, the torque became very erratic and the exhaust gas temperature (EGT) exceeded its normal limits. Soon thereafter the engine lost all power, and the pilot executed a forced landing. Although the touchdown was successful, af...
April 14, 2006, Lubbock, Texas / Cessna 210F
Subscribers Only The airplane was destroyed following an inflight fire and subsequent emergency landing at approximately 1455 Central time. The Private pilot, the sole occupant, sustained minor injuries; visual conditions prevailed for the local flight. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot heard a “poof” come from behind the instrument panel, smelled an odor consistent with an electrical fire, and observed dark gray smoke and flames around his feet. The pilot turned off the master switch; no change was noted. The pilot performed an emergency landing to a cotton field. Shortly after touchdown the airplane nosed over and came to rest in an inverted position....
April 14, 2006, Stilesville, Ind. / Dassault Aviation Falcon 2000
Subscribers Only At 1830 Eastern time, the business jet received substantial damage when the left engine cowl separated and impacted the horizontal stabilizer during cruise at flight level 250 near Stilesville, Ind. Visual conditions prevailed; the pilot and copilot were uninjured. The flight originated from Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport (SPI), Springfield, Ill., at 1700 Central time and was en route to Dayton, Ohio. The flight diverted to SPI where it landed without incident....
April 13, 2006, Hope, N.M. / Piper PA-46-350P
Subscribers Only The airplane was substantially damaged when it struck a road sign at about 1607 Mountain time during a forced landing. Visual conditions prevailed; the solo Private pilot was not injured. The pilot subsequently reported that, while in cruise flight, the engine manifold pressure dropped followed by a loss of oil pressure. The pilot elected to divert to Artesia, N.M., when the airplane’s engine seized. The pilot performed a forced landing to a highway. During the emergency landing, the airplane’s right wing struck a road sign, causing substantial damage to the airplane....
April 12, 2006, Pearce, Ariz. / Velocity Aircraft XL-RG Experimental
Subscribers Only At about 1515 Mountain time, the airplane collided with desert terrain. The Airline Transport pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries; the airplane was destroyed. Visual conditions prevailed. The operator recently purchased the airplane, outfitting it with numerous recording devices in an effort to obtain aerodynamic information of the airplane. The accident flight’s test protocol encompassed standard banks and maneuvers. The airplane wreckage was situated on level desert terrain, comprised of dirt and brush. The airplane sustained extensive thermal damage from a post-impact ground fire....
April 12, 2006, Smith Center, Kan. / Piper PA-25-235
Subscribers Only The airplane sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain at about 1142 Central time. Visual conditions prevailed for the aerial application flight; the pilot reported no injuries. The pilot was on his first pass over a field when he noted that the airplane would not climb and initiated a left turn. The airplane descended, striking the ground and coming to rest in a ditch beside a highway....
April 10, 2006, Passadumkeag, Maine / Cessna 150M
Subscribers Only At 1727 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power. The Flight Instructor and the Student pilot sustained minor injuries. Visual conditions prevailed. The instructor later said that the airplane was in cruise flight at 1500 feet when the engine lost power. At that time, he noted that the fuel quantity indicator for the right tank showed one-quarter full, and the left tank indicator showed three-quarters full. The engine would not restart, but when the primer was pumped, the engine produced short bursts of power. The instructor gave control of the primer to the student, and used the short bursts of power to help the airplane r...
April 10, 2006, Fort Wayne, Ind. / Cessna 182 RG
Subscribers Only The single-engine retractable sustained substantial damage when it impacted the runway after a gear-up landing. The pilot reported that he had performed four practice instrument approaches. After the final approach, the pilot was cleared to circle to land on Runway 23. The pilot reported that he failed to lower the landing gear prior to landing, and the airplane touched down about 300 feet from the threshold in a gear-up configuration. The pilot reported that the landing gear warning horn did not sound prior to touchdown....
April 9, 2006, Philadelphia, Penn. / Piper PA-28RT-201
Subscribers Only At about 1030 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged during a forced landing shortly after takeoff. The Private pilot was not injured; visual conditions prevailed. The pilot subsequently reported completing a preflight inspection and an engine run-up, both per the checklist, and noting no anomalies. After the takeoff, as the landing gear retracted, there was a loud noise and the engine began to vibrate “severely.” The pilot immediately checked the engine gauges and cycled the landing gear back to the down and locked position. The pilot elected to land straight ahead, and completed an emergency-landing checklist. The airplane came to rest approximately 500-700 feet beyond the de...
April 7, 2006, in Kerrville, TX / Cirrus Design Corp. SR20
Subscribers Only The airplane was substantially damaged during a forced landing to a field at approximately 1430 Central time following a loss of engine power. The Private pilot and sole occupant was not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot, who received a Private pilot’s certificate on February 7, 2006, reported to authorities that soon after leveling off at 5500 feet, the engine lost power and then stopped. An engine restart was unsuccessful. During the emergency landing, the airplane rolled through a wire fence while striking several steel posts....
April 5, 2006, in Denver, Colo. / Swearingen SA226TC
Subscribers Only At 0623 Mountain time, a Swearingen SA226TC twin-engine turbo-prop sustained an in-flight failure of an elevator control cable during initial takeoff climb. Visual conditions prevailed; the Airline Transport pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. At rotation speed, the pilot pulled back on the yoke and the aircraft left the ground. At this point, yoke came back all the way back and the aircraft quickly began to pitch upward. The pilot reported that moving the yoke forward had no effect and it felt disconnected from the elevators. The pilot quickly began to trim nose down and reduced power to stop excessive upward pitch. The pilot executed a gradual descent to the runway and lande...
April 2, 2006, Grayslake, Ill. / Piper PA-32-301
Subscribers Only The single-engine airplane veered off the left side of Runway 9 during landing and sustained substantial damage. The reported winds were 120 degrees at 11 knots gusting to 21 knots at a nearby station. The pilot entered a left downwind and confirmed a right crosswind condition by observing the windsock. The airspeed was 90 knots with a right crab on final approach to landing. The pilot reported, “Prior to touchdown the wind calmed to the point that the crab was not needed.” He reported the airplane touched down on the centerline of the dry runway. He reported, “Almost immediately after touchdown, the plane started moving left.” He reacted by putting in full right aileron and applying right r...
April 1, 2006, Hudson, Colo. / Rans S-7 Experimental
Subscribers Only At 1625 Mountain time, the aircraft was substantially damaged when it impacted an oil tank while landing. Visual conditions prevailed; the Airline Transport pilot and pilot-rated passenger sustained serious injuries. The pilot subsequently stated they were attempting to land on Runway 15 when the airplane impacted the oil tank on the left side of the runway. The right wing separated, and the right horizontal stabilizer was bent up and wrinkled. The closest official weather observation at the time of the accident included winds from 340 degrees at 21 knots, gusting to 27 knots. A peak wind recorded at 29 minutes past the hour was from 230 degrees at 29 knots....
Squawk Box: 06/06
Subscribers Only The following information is derived from the FAA’s Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts. ---------- Sonerai Model II LT Experimental Failed Canopy Latch Mechanism During the investigation into an accident involving a Sonerai II Experimental aircraft, it was discovered that the canopy latch had no positive or over-center latch mechanism to prevent the canopy from coming open during flight. According to a post-accident interview with the pilot/builder, the canopy inadvertently came open in flight, causing loss of control—one factor contributing to the accident. This aircraft was substantially damaged and the pilot was seriously injured. The FAA admon...
Learning Experiences: 06/06
Subscribers Only It was an August afternoon in 1980 and I had my wife and two business associates in the back of our Cessna 182. We had just spent a successful yet exhausting week at Chicago’s McCormick Place for an annual trade show. We were on our way back to Eugene, Ore., and I had a raging head cold. My wonderful wife had been flying the leg from Iowa to Wyoming, but she elbowed me as we approached Billings, Mon. She said it was IFR ahead and that I needed to take over. I was sound asleep but rallied to her call. I filed with Salt Lake Center and entered the clouds near Billings. Understand that we had been in the air for five hours and had emptied our bladders into the onboard containers. In th...
NTSB Preliminary Reports
Subscribers Only April 1, 2006, Hudson, Colo. Rans S-7 Experimental At 1625 Mountain time, the aircraft was substantially damaged when it impacted an oil tank while landing. Visual conditions prevailed; the Airline Transport pilot and pilot-rated passenger sustained serious injuries. The pilot subsequently stated they were attempting to land on Runway 15 when the airplane impacted the oil tank on the left side of the runway. The right wing separated, and the right horizontal stabilizer was bent up and wrinkled. The closest official weather observation at the time of the accident included winds from 340 degrees at 21 knots, gusting to 27 knots. A peak wind recorded at 29 minutes past the hou...
Lucky, Or Good?
Subscribers Only You might be good enough to bend rules, but it could just be luck. What happens when the luck runs out?
After The Crash
Subscribers Only You and your passengers are okay, but the airplane will need some work before it flies again. How will you secure it and handle what comes next?
Soft Touch
Subscribers Only Operating off pavement requires a different, perhaps rusty technique to extract maximum performance. A little finesse on the grass goes a long way.
Bad Attitude
Subscribers Only Is the attitude indicator itself to blame for loss-of-control accidents in IMC? It’s all in the way pilots perceive information the instrument is presenting.
Weather’s Risk
Subscribers Only The NTSB recently took a close look at weather-related accidents to see how different pilots manage risk. The results provide clues on avoiding weather-related mishaps.
Coming Up Short
Subscribers Only Ferrying a Cessna Pressurized Centurion to its new home should not have been a great challenge. So why did two pilots manage to run it out of gas?
Unicom: 06/06
Questions And Answers In “Cross-Coordinated” (April 2006), David St. George talks about the stall break being more subtle in a turning stall due to the offset of the elevator force. Why is the elevator force offset? I’ve done some research and can’t find out why this is so. I’d like to add this explanation in my stall instruction but want to make sure I fully understand the aerodynamics behind it. Thanks for the great article. Jeff Frye Pensacola, Fla. The author responds: “I can refer pilots to some of the literature, but a detailed description is hard to come by. Basically, in the turn the elevator force we are creating is offset increasingly from...
Editor's Log: 06/06
[IMGCAP(1)] Crossfield As most in the aviation community know by now, legendary test pilot Scott Crossfield died April 19 when his Cessna 210A “rapidly descended into remote mountainous terrain near Ludville, Ga., after entering an area of thunderstorms,” as the NTSB put it. According to the safety board, his airplane entered a Level 6 thunderstorm just prior to ATC losing radar contact. “The wreckage distribution was consistent with a low altitude in-flight breakup.” So ended the story of one of aviation’s most accomplished yet undemanding and innocuous personalities. I knew Scott barely well enough to be on a first-name basis with him. We first met back in the mid-1980s...