Aviation Safety

The following information is derived from the FAAs Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts.

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Aeronca 7AC
Cracked Wing Spar
A submitter states, The aft righthand spar has a longitudinal crack on the lower end. The crack is located at the strut attach point. (This) spar also shows signs of rotting-inboard of the crack area. No description of this crack or dimensions was provided, nor was there an included part number for the spar.Part Total Time: 4138.1 hours.

Beechcraft Model A-36 Bonanza
Imploded Tip Tank
The airplane was fitted with Osborne Inc. auxiliary fuel tip tanks. The righthand tank (p/n 55000-105) imploded, prob…

Where Are You Going?
Your recent commentary (Editors Log, December 2005) ending with …you cant count on ATC to even know who you are and where youre going is so totally true its scary.

It reminded me of an incident that happened to me a couple of years ago. I had filed from Palwaukee, Ill., to Detroit Lakes, Minn., with a direct request. The standard departure for Runway 16 out of PWK is a hard right turn to a 360-degree heading. As I rolled out on 360 and went to Departure, I was given a further turn to 040. I thought that was for traffic, as I often have to go north toward Milwaukee before going northwest toward Minneapolis.

My next instruction, however, was to p…

At 2059 Central time the airplane received substantial damage on impact with terrain during a visual approach. Night visual conditions prevailed; the pilot was fatally injured. Earlier, the on-demand cargo flight departed from Peoria, Ill., but returned without incident after the pilot reported that the airplane door came open. The flight then departed at 2031. Subsequently, the pilot reported a rough right engine but, while diverting back to Peoria, the pilot diverted to Bloomington and crashed while maneuvering to land. The pilot did not declare an emergency….

At about 0930 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted trees and terrain. The Flight Instructor and Student pilot were fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The airplane was performing touch and go landings in the airport traffic pattern. One witness observed the airplane bank left and cross in front of him. The left bank increased until the wings were straight up and down, then it just dropped straight towards the ground. Another witness observed the airplane during takeoff. She described seeing the airplane in a straight and level attitude. Then it banked left, and completed a U-turn. The airplane then pitched nose down, and descended quickly ou…

The aircraft collided with trees, fell to the ground and burst into flames at 1418 Eastern during a landing approach. Visual conditions prevailed; the Private pilot received serious injuries while the passenger was fatally injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. According to witnesses, the airplane touched down with the landing gear retracted. The airplane was observed exiting a cloud of dust and climbing to about 500 feet. Witnesses said the airplane circled the runway to the left twice, and the pilot lowered the landing gear for an approach. During the descent the airplane went into the trees and collided with the ground 500 yards from the runway threshold….

At 1403 Pacific time, the airplane impacted the Pacific Ocean and sank following a loss of control during cruise flight. The Airline Transport pilot and three passengers were fatally injured; the airplane was destroyed. Visual conditions prevailed. A witness on a sailboat approximately two miles offshore observed the airplane in a nose-low attitude spiraling toward the ocean, akin to a corkscrew pattern. He thought that the airplane was conducting aerobatic maneuvers. The airplane impacted the water in the nose-low attitude about 100 yards from the boat. The wreckage was recovered on November 22, 2005, and was transported to a salvage facility where a detailed examination will take place at…

At about 1136 Eastern time, a Cessna 172S experienced a hard landing at the Daytona Beach International Airport. Visual conditions prevailed. The airplane was substantially damaged and the Student pilot was not injured. The pilot stated that he did not apply adequate back pressure to the control yoke during the landing flare, and because of this, I bounced very roughly. He further stated that he executed a go-around after the hard landing, flew another traffic pattern and landed without further incident. Postflight examination of the airplane revealed damage to the firewall….

At 0958 Central time, the airplane was destroyed upon impacting terrain following a loss of control on takeoff. The Instrument-rated Commercial pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed. One witness later stated the aircraft appeared to have stalled during the ascent, banked to the right, crashing onto Runway 12L/30R. According to the NTSB, the passenger was employed by the pilot as a maintenance technician, and had been working on the airplane. The 1972 model airplane, serial number 004, was certified for single-pilot operation. Aircraft flight records indicate January 31, 2005, as its last previous flight….

The airplane impacted mountainous terrain at about 1834 Pacific time. The Private pilot/owner, the sole occupant, was fatally injured and the airplane was destroyed. Night visual conditions prevailed. At 1833, the pilot reported that he had the airport in sight and wanted to cancel VFR services. The controller terminated radar services, the pilot was instructed to squawk a 1200 beacon code, and the pilots frequency change was approved. No further radio transmissions were received from the pilot. Over the last minute of flight, radar data indicated that the radar target was descending from 4200 feet, through 4000 feet. The last recorded radar return at 1834 showed an altitude of 3500 feet ab…

November 1, 2005, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Cessna 172S
At about 1136 Eastern time, a Cessna 172S experienced a hard landing at the Daytona Beach International Airport. Visual conditions prevailed. The airplane was substantially damaged and the Student pilot was not injured. The pilot stated that he did not apply adequate back pressure to the control yoke during the landing flare, and because of this, I bounced very roughly. He further stated that he executed a go-around after the hard landing, flew another traffic pattern and landed without further incident. Postflight examination of the airplane revealed damage to the firewall.

November 2, 2005, Sparks, Nev.
Schleic…