Other

June 16, 2005, Coral Springs, Fla. / Goodyear Blimp

The airship was substantially damaged when it collided with trees, power lines and the ground at 1842 Eastern time in visual conditions. The Commercial pilot and the passenger reported no injuries. As the pilot headed the airship toward the Pompano Beach Airpark for landing, he saw numerous cloud-to-ground lighting strikes and decided not to land. The pilot flew the airship out of the area to wait for the storms to pass but the weather deteriorated rapidly, and he encountered heavy rain, lightning, and severe outflow and downdrafts. The pilot stated the airship became unable to climb, make headway, or maintain directional control with full power on the engines. He stated he attempted to…

Read More »

June 18, 2005, Sarasota, Fla. / Seawind 3000 Experimental

At 1807 Eastern time, the airplane crashed into an unoccupied elementary school and burst into flames shortly after takeoff. Visual conditions prevailed; the Airline Transport pilot received fatal injuries and the airplane sustained substantial damage. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot requested a return to the Sarasota Airport and subsequently made a mayday call and declared that he was making a crash landing. There was no further communication. Witnesses stated the airplane was flying slowly with erratic lateral and pitch excursions; they did not hearf engine sounds before the airplane first contacted the building….

Read More »

June 4, 2005, Rittman, Ohio / de Havilland DHC-6

The airplane was substantially damaged at 1830 Eastern time while landing. The Airline Transport pilot received serious injuries, and the second pilot, also a certificated Airline Transport pilot, received minor injuries. Visual conditions prevailed for the local parachuting flight, which also involved an evaluation of the first pilot. Following a passenger drop, the pilots discussed single-engine operations. The first pilot subsequently reduced the right engines power to flight idle, and feathered the propeller. During the final leg of the traffic pattern, the airplane crossed over a fence near the runway threshold, and the first pilot pitched the airplane downward. The nose landing gear t…

Read More »

June 8, 2005, Aurora, Ore. / Micco MAC-145A

The airplane was substantially damaged during a hard landing at at approximately 1740 Pacific time. The Commercial pilot and his pilot certificated passenger were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed for the sales-demonstration flight. The pilot later reported that the passenger flew most of the flight to get used to the flight characteristics of the airplane. On their final landing, the passenger got the airplane into a high rate of descent on final. The pilot took control of the airplane, added power for a go-around, but impacted the runway hard, bouncing back into the air and continued the go-around. Once aloft, a witness on the ground reported by radio that the left main landing gear…

Read More »

June 12, 2005, Gloucester, Va. / Maxair Drifter Experimental

The homebuilt airplane was substantially damaged at 1930 Eastern time, when it impacted terrain; the Private pilot received fatal injuries. Visual conditions prevailed. According to witnesses, the pilot flew over a large picnic at an altitude of about 200 feet. Several seconds later, the witnesses observed the tail section of the airplane wobble, and then break off. The airplane then pitched nose down and impacted the ground. Subsequent examination revealed corrosion in the tail boom attachment points, as well as in numerous other critical areas of the aircraft. The aircraft was equipped with floats, and was often operated in a salt-water environment….

Read More »

June 13, 2005, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. / Douglas R4D-8

The airplane was destroyed at about 1550 Eastern time when it impacted a residential area following a loss of engine power after takeoff. Visual conditions prevailed. The two Airline Transport pilots and the passenger reported serious injuries; two persons on the ground reported minor injuries. The pilot later reported, as the landing gear was being retracted, he felt a slight hesitation and mild backfire from the left engine. He saw that the engines cowling was covered with oil. The crew attempted to secure the left engine, but its propeller never went into the feathered position. At that time, the decision was made to put the airplane down on a road….

Read More »

May 6, 2005, Memphis, Tenn. / Jodel D-9 Experimental

At about 1240 Central time, the Experimental airplane collided with the ground during approach to the General Dewitt Spain Airport. Visual conditions prevailed; the Private pilot received fatal injuries, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The seller of the airplane later reported the pilot purchased the one-seat airplane that day and wanted to fly it home. A witness standing at the airports midfield stated the airplane appeared to be about 200 feet above the ground on the downwind. The witness stated the airplane turned base and was very slow with the nose high. He stated that when the airplane turned final, it spun about half a turn to the left and dove straight into the ground….

Read More »

May 15, 2005, Boca Raton, Fla. / BAC 167 Strikemaster MK83

The aircraft collided with a fence at about 0916 Eastern time during an aborted takeoff from the Boca Raton Airport. Visual conditions prevailed. The airplane was substantially damaged; the Commercial pilot and the pilot-rated passenger were not injured. The pilot stated he performed a flight control continuity check before taxiing onto the runway for takeoff. During the takeoff roll and at the calculated rotation speed (70 knots), he applied back pressure to the control column but the elevator control stuck in position. The takeoff roll continued and he performed trim adjustments, and moved the flap selector without any effect. He then aborted the takeoff by applying maximum braking and the…

Read More »

May 9, 2005 in Kissimmee, Fla. / North American SNJ-6

The airplane broke up in flight at 1620 Eastern time while performing aerobatics during a mock combat operation. Visual conditions prevailed; the airplane was substantially damaged. The flight instructor and the Commercial pilot/student were fatally injured. Witnesses on ground reported seeing the airplane conducting a series of aerobatic maneuvers when the right wing separated from the airplane. The airplane then entered a spin, descended rapidly and collided with the ground….

Read More »

May 13, 2005, Harrisonburg, Va. / Aeronca 65-TAC

The airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain at about 1130 Eastern time; the Commercial pilot and the passenger were fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed for the flight, which departed the Winchester Regional Airport in Winchester, Va. The airplane came to rest on rural, hilly terrain, owned by a relative of the pilot and who witnessed the accident. He heard the engine sputter, and specifically recalled hearing the engine increase in power, followed by a sudden, total silence. About two to three seconds later, he heard the sounds of an impact, and responded to the accident scene. The witness also noted that on several previous occasions, the pilot had flown past…

Read More »
Pilot in aircraft
Sign-up for newsletters & special offers!

Get the latest stories & special offers delivered directly to your inbox.

SUBSCRIBE