Aviation Safety

At 0914 Pacific time, the aircraft was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain short of Runway 12R at the North Las Vegas Airport. The Airline Transport pilot experienced an incapacitation event during the flight and was the only fatality. The two passengers received minor injuries. Visual conditions prevailed. After takeoff, the pilot started feeling ill and became incapacitated. The passenger in the cockpits right seat took over flying the airplane and flew it to the North Las Vegas airport where it impacted terrain while on final approach to land….

The aircraft ground looped during the landing roll at about 0800 Pacific time. Visual conditions prevailed. The aircraft was substantially damaged but the Private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The pilot later reported that he was landing on Runway 17. During the landing roll, he failed to maintain directional control and the aircraft ground looped. The propeller as well as the left wing contacted the surface, damaging the wing tip and outboard section of the aileron. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the aircraft at the time of the accident. The pilot reported that the weather was clear and the winds were calm….

At about 1240 Central time, the Experimental airplane collided with the ground during approach to the General Dewitt Spain Airport. Visual conditions prevailed; the Private pilot received fatal injuries, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The seller of the airplane later reported the pilot purchased the one-seat airplane that day and wanted to fly it home. A witness standing at the airports midfield stated the airplane appeared to be about 200 feet above the ground on the downwind. The witness stated the airplane turned base and was very slow with the nose high. He stated that when the airplane turned final, it spun about half a turn to the left and dove straight into the ground….

The airplane lost engine power during takeoff and made a forced landing at the Tucson International Airport at 0901 Mountain time. The Private pilot sustained minor injuries; the airplane was substantially damaged. According to the pilot, the airplane was about 400 feet agl and turning the left crosswind leg when the engine lost all power. He made a forced landing between a taxiway and the perimeter fence on the airport. During the forced landing, the left main landing gear was sheared from the airplane and the left wing was folded at its center. The last maintenance performed on the airplane was an oil change. The accident flight was the first flight since the maintenance was performed. The…

At 1637 Mountain time, the airplane settled back to the ground after takeoff in a field about one mile south of the Grand Canyon National Park Airport. The Private pilot and two passengers sustained minor injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual conditions prevailed; the flight was originating at the time of the accident. According to witnesses, the airplane departed Runway 21 but when the main gear lifted from the runways surface, the airplane flew in ground effect and did not climb. It proceeded down the runway before settling into the ground. The pilot reported that prior to the flight he performed performance calculations for the airplane to ensure that it was capable…

The airplane collided with mountainous terrain at about 1000 Pacific time and sustained substantial damage; the Private pilot and one passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane departed the Santa Ynez Airport, Santa Ynez, Calif., at about 0900, and the pilot was planning to fly over a remote area located near the accident site. Visual conditions prevailed. The airplane was reported as missing on May 9 and an Alert Notice (ALNOT) was issued. Later that day, the airplane wreckage and its occupants were located. According to search-and-rescue personnel, the pilot reported engine problems. The pilot force-landed the airplane in the rough, mountainous terrain….

At about 2135 Alaska time, the wheel-equipped airplane was substantially damaged when it veered off the runway and collided with a ditch during the landing roll at the Homer Airport. The airplane was operated by the Student pilot/owner, who was accompanied by a flight instructor, neither of whom was injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The flight instructor later reported the student was practicing touch-and-go landings on Runway 21 at Homer; the wind was from 230 degrees at 11 knots. As the airplane touched down, it veered slightly and the student corrected for the swerve. A gust of wind from the right then lifted the right wing, and the airplane began to veer to the left. The student appl…

At about 1915 Eastern time, the Experimental airplane lost engine power while in cruise flight, and was substantially damaged during a forced landing. The Private pilot was not injured; visual conditions prevailed. The pilot reported that the airplane was descending through 2000 feet at 160 knots when the engine lost power. He turned toward a nearby airport, switched fuel tanks, placed the mixture control to full rich, and confirmed that the fuel boost pump was in the on position. The airplane continued to descend and the pilot performed a forced landing to a field. During the landing, the airplane struck a ditch and flipped over….

The aircraft experienced a loss of engine throttle control at about 0955 Eastern time, resulting in a forced landing short of Runway 31 at the St. Augustine Airport. Visual conditions prevailed for the flight from Green Cove Springs, Fla., to St. Augustine. The airplane was substantially damaged; the Private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. On final approach, the pilot reported the throttle …was just loose in my hand (like it completely disconnected from the carburetor). Unable to increase power, he ditched the aircraft in a marsh short of the runway. The airplane flipped inverted during touchdown. The engine throttle control was found separated from the throttle control arm of…

At approximately 1745 Pacific time, the airplane was substantially damaged on impacting terrain during initial climb after taking off. The Commercial pilot received serious injuries, while the sole passenger received fatal injuries. Visual conditions prevailed; the flights destination was the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Airport in Lewiston, Idaho. After taking off, witnesses observed the airplane was below a ridgeline south of the airstrip, but then began a left climbing turn in an attempt to clear trees to the east. Witnesses reported that as the aircraft continued its slow ascent, its nose continued to rise until the airplanes left wing clipped a tree top. The airplane subsequently impacte…