Aviation Safety

The airplane was destroyed at 2127 Eastern time when it impacted a taxiway after takeoff. The commercial pilot was seriously injured. Night visual conditions prevailed and an IFR flight plan was filed for the Part 135 non-scheduled cargo flight. After reaching about 200 feet agl, the airplane descended and impacted a taxiway parallel to the departure runway.

At 0853 Pacific time, the airplane sustained substantial damage following loss of control and impact with a hangar door. The private pilot received minor injuries and his passenger received serious injuries. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot was practicing a touch-and-go landing-and was high, and close to a stall-so he applied power.

The airplane was substantially damaged at about 0830 Central time when it impacted terrain shortly after takeoff. The solo private pilot was fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed. According to a witness, the airplane was an estimated 300 to 500 feet in the air when its engines sounded like they were cutting out.

At about 0900 Mountain time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain following a touch-and-go landing. The solo private pilot received minor injuries. Visual conditions prevailed.During the descent for landing, the pilot enrichened the mixture and entered the traffic pattern for a touch-and-go landing. After the touchdown, he retracted the flaps, added power and lifted off. The airplane was under-performing on climbout, so he enrichened the mixture, which did not rectify the problem, and he heard the engine make “popping” sounds.

The airplane was destroyed following a collision with terrain about 2146 Eastern time. The private pilot was fatally injured. Night instrument conditions prevailed; an IFR flight plan was filed. The flight originated in Winchester, Va., at about 1956. About an hour before the accident, the pilot requested an ILS approach at Lynchburg, Va. (LYH). He was provided vectors to the ILS final approach course and handed off to the LYH tower. He executed a missed approach, citing problems with his engine monitoring system.

An aspiring pilot hanging out with other pilots will, from time to time, find him or herself riding shotgun with another, similarly afflicted individual. This is as it should be, since misery loves company. Since the person in the left seat for these flights often has more hours and experience than us, well often defer in-flight decisions or fail to speak up when we notice something amiss. Thats the wrong reaction. My first learning experience as a right-seater came shortly after earning my private. Suddenly, I was a senior member of the local Civil Air Patrol (CAP) composite squadron and there was a for-real search-and-rescue mission on.

Out of concerns about chafing or corrosion, a technician was motivated to closely inspect the right fuel-flow pressure gauge line where it crosses the defrost duct. He was right, finding extensive corrosion at the point of contact. After the line was removed, slight bending pressure cracked the area wide open and it was seen that the corrosion had actually penetrated to the inside of the line, yet the line was not leaking. If a leak started, the only way to stop it would be to shut down the right engine.

At 1545 Eastern time, the airplane incurred substantial damage to its fuselage after the nosegear collapsed during landing rollout. The flight instructor (CFI) and his student were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The CFI later reported a loud “bang” was heard while retracting the landing gear after takeoff. The gear-up light illuminated, indicating the landing gear was retracted and the doors were closed.

At about 1535 Atlantic time, the airplane experienced a loss of engine power and force-landed on a closed airfield. The airplane was substantially damaged. Visual conditions prevailed. The commercial pilot and two passengers were not injured.

The airplane was substantially damaged at about 0934 Mountain time when it impacted terrain during takeoff. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot, co-pilot and two technical crewmembers were fatally injured. The airplane was operating as an experimental during certification flight tests and was performing a takeoff with a simulated engine failure to determine take-off distance requirements at minimum flap setting.