Accident Probes

At 17:55 EDT, a Cessna 172N and a Cessna 152 collided while on approach to runway 29 at the Gilbert Airport. The flight instructor and passenger of the 172 sustained serious injuries and the student pilot of the 152 sustained minor injuries. Witnesses said the 152 had been practicing full-stop landings and had remained in the pattern. The 172 had departed Kissimmee, Fla., about 15 minutes before the accident. The witnesses heard the pilot of the 152 announce his left downwind, base and final approach positions on the Unicom. The 172 was observed making a right downwind approach and an abbreviated base to final to runway 29 above the 152. A witness who was in his aircraft at the hold short li…

At approximately 13:30 MST, a Piper Dakota and a Diamond Katana were destroyed when they collided on the ground at the Provo Municipal Airport. The Piper was on its takeoff roll on runway 18 and the Katana was doing touch and go landings on runway 31. The three occupants of the Piper escaped injury, but the flight instructor aboard the Katana was seriously injured and his student pilot received minor injuries. The pilot of the Piper said he heard the pilot of one airplane announce that he was turning onto the base leg for runway 31. Another pilot announced, Ill follow you in. The pilot of the Piper announced that he would be taking off on runway 18 as soon as the other two airplanes had l…

At 17:25 MST, a Piper Archer and a Rockwell Sabreliner collided on taxiway A while taxing to their respective parking locations at the Scottsdale airport. No one was injured on either airplane. The Archer was substantially damaged and the Sabreliner suffered minor damage. Both aircraft had just landed on runway 21 and were in contact with the tower. The Archer landed first and the pilot was told by the ground controller to proceed southbound on taxiway A to parking. As she approached turnoff A5, the Sabreliner exited the runway in front of her. When it became apparent that the Rockwell was not stopping she was too close and tried to turn to the right to avoid the collision. The Pipers left…

About 12:30 EDT, two Piper Cubs in a flight of three crashed near Dawson. One passenger was killed, the two pilots and another passenger were seriously injured. At about 09:30, a flight of four Cubs left Lock Haven, Pa., where the pilots and passengers had been attending a Piper Cub fly-in. The four airplanes arrived at High Rock Airport in Dawson at about 11:20. One airplane remained at High Rock, and the other three were fueled with auto fuel. The airport owner briefed the pilots on the airport departure procedures, and the pilots elected to depart to the north. The first airplane to depart was a Cub powered by a 65 hp engine and carried only the pilot. The second airplane to depart, a Pip…

At about 13:34 EDT, a Cessna 305A and a Burkhart Grob G-103 glider collided in mid-air near the Philadelphia Gliderport, killing the pilot in the Cessna as well as the instructor and student in the glider. The Cessna was in a climb towing a glider, while the Grob was maneuvering. The pilot who had towed the Grob aloft said they had taken off at 13:25 and the Grob released at 2,500 feet agl. He returned to the gliderport and landed without seeing the Cessna. The pilot of a single seat glider that was being towed aloft by the Cessna said that they were climbing through 1,000 feet when he spotted the Grob at his 11 oclock position, about 1,500 feet away, and about 100 feet above his position….

At approximately 09:05 MDT, a Cessna 172Q and a Cessna T210N collided while on approach four miles west of the Greeley-Weld County Airport. Each plane contained a rated pilot receiving flight instruction. None of the four pilots were injured and both airplanes landed safely at Greeley. VMC prevailed and both airplanes were on IFR flight plans. The instructor in the 172 requested radar vectors for an ILS approach to runway 9 and canceled his IFR flight plan after turning onto the final approach. During that time he said he heard the controller clear the 210 for a VOR-A approach. The 172 instructor changed to the Unicom frequency and reported he was on a four-mile final to runway 9. Shortly af…

At 08:54 MST, a Cessna 172P collided with a HOAC 36R Super Dimona while both aircraft were on landing approach at Falcon Field. Both pilots were able to land their aircraft. The pilot of the sailplane reported that they had just departed on runway 4R and intended to remain in the pattern to practice touch-and-go landings. He said the tower told him to expect to follow a Cessna taking off on runway 4L and to continue upwind and the tower would call his crosswind leg. He recalled seeing another Cessna which entered downwind from the 45 and recalled following that aircraft but doesnt recall ever seeing a Cessna departing off 4L or the tower directing his attention to that aircraft after takeof…

At 10:45 CDT, a Beech B19 on approach for landing at Haerr Field was struck by a Robinson R-22 Beta helicopter. Both aircraft landed safely and there were no injuries. The Beech pilot said he was turning base to final when he heard a thud and felt a bump, then noticed the helicopter at his 10 oclock position and just below. The helicopter pilot said he had heard the airplanes transmissions and thought the airplane was already on the ground. The helicopter pilot said he never saw the airplane before it came right over the top of the helicopter….

Just as how we dress and what we drive help define who we are, so, too, does what we fly.

The practical ones drive sedans and fly Skyhawks; the rowdy ones lean toward sports cars and stunt planes. Somewhere in the mix is the large group of people whose wheels of choice are sport utility vehicles and pick-up trucks.

These load-haulers may be working, they may be playing, but theyre doing it hard. For them, a utility airplane is a natural.

The Cessna U206 has, over the years, gained a well-deserved reputation for its load-hauling ability. With its big rear doors and spacious cabin, it has found work as a cargo hauler, bush plane and jump plane. As an airplane for campers, hunters an…

Roy Rogers had Trigger; the Lone Ranger had Silver. And each of them knew they could count on their horse to help them out of a jam. They knew the horse would always be up to snuff. They knew if the horse could jump that ravine or catch that steaming locomotive. Of course, it always would.

Similarly, pilots put a lot of faith into their trusted steeds. After a while flying the same airplane, rotation comes by feel and sound, with sometimes only a cursory glance at the airspeed indicator. Landings at familiar fields are made without second thought.

While that may not be unsafe, sometimes the shortcuts can be more onerous. Some pilots have virtually abandoned weight and balance calcula…