Aviation Safety

The airplane was destroyed during a forced landing at about 1300 Eastern time following an in-flight fire. The Commercial pilot was seriously injured; visual conditions prevailed.While in cruise flight, the pilot smelled what seemed like electrical smoke. He responded by opening the canopy to vent the cabin, and fire came out from under the instrument panel. He subsequently closed the canopy, and the fire appeared to diminish. He then chose to attempt a forced landing on top of the Kittatinny Ridge in Stokes State Forest. After the airplane came to rest, the pilot exited un-eventfully despite back injuries, and noticed that the airplane and surrounding foliage was on fire. He then realized t…

At about 1236 Eastern time, the airplanes nose landing gear collapsed while landing. Visual conditions prevailed; the Commercial pilot was not injured. While on final approach, the pilot confirmed the landing gear was down and locked. When the flight was approximately 10 to 15 feet agl, he reduced power and applied nose-up trim using the electric pitch trim system. The pitch trim kept running in the nose-up direction, which he corrected by applying power and forward pressure on the control yoke. The airplane touched down on the runway on all three landing gear, bounced and then landed on the nose landing gear, which collapsed approximately one second later. Postaccident examination reveale…

The airplane was substantially damaged during a loss of control following an aborted landing at about 1626 Central time. The Commercial pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, sustained fatal injuries. Visual conditions prevailed for the IFR flight from Austin, Texas. Witnesses observed the accident airplane descending at an approximate 40-degree nose-down angle with the right wing angled towards the ground, as if correcting for a crosswind. The nosewheel hit the ground first and then the right main wheel slammed very hard onto the runway. The airplane bounced back into the air, and subsequently flew into the terminal buildings roof. Witnesses reported that both engines were running at ful…

At about 0950 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged while landing; the Commercial pilot and three passengers were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. About five minutes after takeoff, the pilot noticed a high oil temperature indication for one of the engines. The pilot elected to return to the departure airport. During touchdown, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane veered right. The airplane traveled off the right side of the runway, struck a ditch and came to rest upright….

The airplane sustained substantial damage during landing when it impacted terrain at a private airstrip at approximately 0915 Mountain time. The Private pilot sustained minor injuries; visual conditions prevailed. According to the pilot, he took off with the intention of practicing touch-and-go landings. He performed one landing with 20 degrees of flaps. During the second landing approach, he came in with 30 degrees of flaps. The pilot said that the flaps retracted to zero, and the aircraft experienced a loss of lift. He added full power, but the aircraft fell short of the runway. The landing gear struck a canal, and the airplane nosed over….

At 1020 Central time, the airplane collided with terrain following loss of engine power on takeoff.The Airline Transport pilot was seriously injured and the airplane was substantially damaged. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot reported experiencing a total loss of engine power on takeoff. He banked to the left to avoid a 30-foot dike off the end of the runway and the left wing contacted the ground. The airplane then rocked to the right and the right wing contacted the ground prior to the airplane coming to rest….

The glider was substantially damaged during a forced landing following an aborted aero tow at 1245 Mountain time. The Private pilot and passenger were not injured; visual conditions prevailed. The glider pilot said the tow started normally. He said the towplane started pulling up and then touched back down and the glider pilot saw a puff of smoke. He elected to release and perform an emergency landing at an altitude of approximately 75-100 feet. The pilot said that after turning 90 degrees right, the glider was close to the ground so he leveled the wings and tried to flare and the glider impacted terrain and ground looped. The right wing was severed from the aircraft and the fuselage…

The airplane was substantially damaged at 0907 Central time during an impact with terrain after takeoff. The Commercial pilot and two passengers were fatally injured; a third passenger was seriously injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The surviving passenger later stated the airplane seemed sluggish and wasnt picking up speed during the takeoff roll. After liftoff, the airplanes stall warning sounded and the pilot slightly leveled the airplane, silencing the warning. The passenger stated that the right wingtip went up high and the nose went down simultaneously when the stall warning horn sounded for the second time….

The airplane sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain while maneuvering at approximately 1215 Central time, killing the Private pilot and two passengers. Visual conditions prevailed. A pilot-rated witness reported seeing the airplane on final approach with its landing gear retracted. He then observed the airplane make a shallow left turn, followed by a second left turn, but with a 60-70 degree bank angle. The witness stated that during the second turn the airplane did a knife-edge drop. Before losing sight of the airplane behind a row of hangars, it appeared that the airplane was leveling off. The airplane came to rest upright in the backyard of a residential area. All compone…

At 1437 Eastern time, the airplane collided with the ground after takeoff. Visual conditions prevailed; a post-crash fire destroyed the airplane. The Private pilot was fatally injured and one passenger received serious injuries. A witness observed the preflight inspection, engine start and taxi. A short time later the witness observed the airplane on its takeoff roll. The airplane did not seem to be going very fast, nor did it sound like the airplane was developing full power. The witnesss attention was diverted and, when he looked back, the airplane had disappeared from view. He then observed black smoke off the departure end of the runway….