Aviation Safety

Pulling The Rug
One of the really neat technologies that has filtered down to personal aircraft in recent years is the FAAs Traffic Information Service (TIS). The TIS is a Mode S Data Link service that delivers automatic traffic advisories to pilots. According to the FAA, TIS provides an affordable means to assist the GA pilot in visual acquisition of surrounding air traffic. The TIS data stream includes location, direction, altitude and climb/descent information of nearby aircraft. The result is improved communication between aircraft and air traffic control (ATC), providing U.S. pilots with greater traffic awareness in busy terminal areas, says the company. All good stuf…

June 1, 2005, Van Nuys, Calif.
Mooney M20C
At 2306 Pacific time, the airplane collided with mountainous terrain while executing an approach to the Van Nuys (Calif.) Airport. The Private pilot was the sole occupant and was fatally injured; the airplane was destroyed. Instrument conditions prevailed, but no flight plan had been filed for the flight that originated in Santa Ana, Calif. After receiving a pop-up IFR clearance for the ILS approach to Runway 16R at Van Nuys, the airplane made a sudden diversion to the right, off the localizer course. He was then directed to climb to 5000 feet on a southerly heading. The pilot acknowledged the instructions, stating he had a problem…

At 2306 Pacific time, the airplane collided with mountainous terrain while executing an approach to the Van Nuys (Calif.) Airport. The Private pilot was the sole occupant and was fatally injured; the airplane was destroyed. Instrument conditions prevailed, but no flight plan had been filed for the flight that originated in Santa Ana, Calif. After receiving a pop-up IFR clearance for the ILS approach to Runway 16R at Van Nuys, the airplane made a sudden diversion to the right, off the localizer course. He was then directed to climb to 5000 feet on a southerly heading. The pilot acknowledged the instructions, stating he had a problem and was climbing. The pilot made no further transmissions be…

At approximately 0730 Central time the airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain following a loss of control during takeoff initial climb from the Le Maire Memorial Airport (2R1) near Jeanerette, La. The foreign-certificated Private pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries. Visual conditions prevailed for the 411-nm flight destined for Point Lookout, Mo. A witness heard the airplanes engines pop several times during pre-takeoff taxi operations before clearing up. At the south end of the runway, the witness heard the engine noise increase for five to ten minutes before the noise decreased. The airplane then taxied in three complete circles before lining up on the runw…

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…

At approximately 1300 Central time the airplane sustained substantial damage during a hard landing. The Private pilot and sole occupant of the airplane received minor injuries. Visual conditions prevailed. During the hard landing, the airplane lost its main landing gear. As a result, the airplane departed off the side of the runway and flipped over, coming to rest in the inverted position….

The airplane was substantially damaged at approximately 1725 Mountain time when it impacted terrain off the departure end of the runway. Visual conditions prevailed; the Private pilot sustained minor injuries. Several witnesses reported that, during the takeoff roll, the airplane appeared to take off, settle back to the runway and then take off again. One witness stated that the pilot appeared to abort the takeoff. The aircraft departed the end of the runway, rolled down the embankment and nosed over, coming to rest 1287 feet from the departure end of the runway….

At approximately 1015 Central time the airplane landed in a field during a forced landing following a total loss of engine power. The Airline Transport pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. Visual conditions prevailed for the IFR positioning flight. According to the 7500-hour pilot, an unusual whining/hissing noise was heard from the engine at 6000 feet msl. As the airplane climbed through 8000 feet msl, the noise got louder and the inlet turbine temperature gauge fluctuated. Suddenly, a bang was heard and the engine quit. An in-flight restart was unsuccessful. The pilot then made an uneventful landing in a grass field. Examination revealed no structural damage to the ai…

The airplane impacted the ramp area during an aborted landing attempt at about 1355 Pacific time, sustaining substantial damage. The Private pilot and two passengers were seriously injured; visual conditions prevailed. The airport manager witnessed the accident and later stated that, during the initial climb from Runway 26, at about 100 feet agl, the airplane began to pitch into a nose-high attitude. The airplanes nose then dropped into a nose-low configuration and impacted the ramp tie-down area just north of the runway. The pilot later reported that, while attempting to land, the airplane began to drift to the right and the nose pitched up. He opted to abort the landing and applied full p…

At about 1230 Eastern time the airplane was substantially damaged during an aborted takeoff. Neither the CFI nor the Student pilot were injured; visual conditions prevailed. The pilots were attempting a short-field takeoff, during which the CFI simulated an engine failure. The Student pilot reduced power on the good engine and began braking. The CFI then instructed the Student pilot to resume the takeoff. The Student advanced both throttles and attempted to rotate the airplane at an airspeed of 63 knots but it did not climb. The flight instructor then reduced the throttles and began braking. The airplane rolled off the end of the runway, through a ditch, and came to rest in a field….