Aviation Safety

At about 0952 Mountain time the airplane was destroyed upon impacting terrain while on final approach for landing. The private pilot and four passengers were fatally injured; two passengers sustained serious injuries. Visual conditions prevailed.

At about 1830 Pacific time, the pilot attempted to make an emergency landing on a highway following a flight-control malfunction. During the attempt, the left main landing gear was sheared off after it struck the top of a moving truck and the left wing was damaged when it struck a fence pole. The solo commercial pilot and the two occupants in the moving truck were not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual conditions prevailed.

The aircraft collided with terrain and was substantially damaged at 0227 Arizona time. The solo commercial pilot was killed. Night visual conditions prevailed. According to a family member, the pilot was under emotional distress and had departed without providing details on his destination.

In a recent ferry flight, I encountered a sudden and very irrational electrical and avionics failure as I entered IMC conditions. I was in a Cirrus SR22 with an Avidyne MFD, an Aspen PFD and a full set of steam gauges to boot. Within about one minute of entering the clouds for a descent, instruments began to fail and then come back on. They often came back with confusing data. The twin Garmin 430s also failed and came back-and then failed again-and so it went for what seemed like hours.

The control yoke was binding when turned left approximately 45 degrees. Upon inspecting the aileron control system, a screw was found lodged in a pulley groove and the cable (p/n 106-524044-19) was damaged. The aircraft had flown 2.0 hours since its last annual inspection. The screw appeared to be a floor panel screw.

At 1705 Alaska time, the airplane crashed one mile west of its departure airport. A post-impact fire ensued. Visual conditions prevailed. The commercial pilot and three passengers were seriously injured. One passenger, a four-year-old child, was fatally injured.

The airplane sustained substantial damaged at about 1932 Eastern time during a forced landing following a loss of engine power. The pilot later stated the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power about of a mile from the approach end of Runway 9R at the Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL). The private pilot and passenger received minor injuries. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot and passenger reported taking off from a refueling stop at 1608.

At about 1034 Pacific time, the airplane collided with wires, sustaining substantial damage. The private pilot suffered minor injuries. Visual conditions prevailed.

The airplane, registered to and operated by the FAA, was substantially damaged at approximately 1430 Central time when the nose landing gear collapsed on landing. Visual conditions prevailed for the training and proficiency flight. The two pilots aboard the airplane were not injured.

At about 1500 Mountain time, the airplane was substantially damaged following a forced landing after a loss of engine power. The flight instructor and two student pilots were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed.