Aviation Safety

At 1054 Eastern time the airplane collided with the ground and burst into flames. Instrument conditions prevailed. The airplane was substantially damaged and the Instrument-rated Private pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The personal flight had departed the DeKalb-Peachtree Airport in Chamblee, Ga., nine minutes earlier. About seven miles south of PDK, the pilot reported that he was in trouble. The departure controller immediately issued the pilot radar vector information for an eastbound heading, but the pilot never responded to the radar vector information. Shortly afterward, radio and radar contact was lost. Witnesses in the vicinity of the accident site reported seeing the airpla…

At 1327 Mountain time, the airplane was destroyed and its solo ATP-rated pilot fatally injured upon impact with terrain 500 feet west of Runway 20 at the Santa Fe (N.M.) Municipal Airport. Visual conditions prevailed for the aerobatic flight, which was the second performance in the 2004 Santa Fe Air Show. An FAA inspector witnessing the airshow later reported that the airplane was high, at approximately 1500 feet AGL, when it entered an inverted spin. The inspector said, The pilot attempted to recover but didnt make it. The airplane struck flat in an upright, nose down attitude and was engulfed in a fireball. A witness, one of the air shows performers, said the pilot was performing a tor…

The aircraft was substantially damaged when it impacted an airport hangar while attempting a go-around from Runway 17 at the Marion (Iowa) Airport at 0930 Central time. The Private pilot and passenger reported minor inuries; visual conditions prevailed. According to the pilot, on his first landing approach, he encountered turbulence and decided to go around for another attempt. During the second approach, the airplane again encountered turbulence and the pilot went around. The pilot stated, Immediately it felt like a gust of wind went under my right wing and belly and just started pushing me over, to the left. I immediately applied right rudder and aileron as hard as I could and tried to pu…

At approximately 1130 Mountain time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain and a fence following a loss of control while performing touch and go maneuvers at Jeffco Airport, Broomfield, Colo The Private pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot later stated he was performing touch-and-go landings to Runway 29L. On the approach, the pilot configured and stabilized the airplane for landing and all seemed to be in order. After crossing the runway threshold, the pilot felt the speed and sink rate were too fast. The airplane touched down and bounced twice. At that point, the pilot added power to abort the landing. The air…

The airplane was substantially damaged when it struck a fence and terrain during a forced landing at approximately 1810 Mountain time. Visual conditions prevailed; the pilot, pilot-rated passenger and three other passengers aboard were not injured. The flight originated from Bullfrog Basin, Utah, at approximately 1630. The pilot later stated the airplane was in level cruise flight at 13,500 feet msl when the engine began chugging and started losing power. All attempts to restore power were to no avail. When he turned final for the runway at Salida, he lost visual contact with the runway from the suns glare. The pilot selected a field and touched down mile off runway centerline and 1 mil…

At approximately 1100 Central time the tail-wheel equipped airplane was substantially damaged when it collided with a bale of hay at the Hearne (Texas) Municipal Airport. The Commercial pilot was not injured; the passenger sustained minor injuries. Instrument conditions prevailed; no flight plan had been filed. The pilot later reported that he made a 180-degree turn after landing on Runway 36 and was taxiing to the main ramp at a speed of approximately 30 knots with quartering eight-knot tailwind. When the ramp was approximately 500-600 feet ahead, the pilot decreased power, and the airplane began to veer to the left. The pilot applied right rudder and tapped the left brake, but the airplane…

Radio and radar contact were lost with the aircraft at 1158 Pacific time; as of October 26, 2004, the airplane had not been located and was presumed destroyed. Its occupants, a Private pilot and his passenger, are presumed to have received fatal injuries. The flight departed Boeing Field in Seattle, Wash., at 1146 and was in an area of reported instrument conditions on an IFR flight plan. Approximately nine minutes after takeoff, the pilot reported passing 8000 feet for 15,000 feet. About 70 seconds later, a controller cleared the flight to 17,000 feet. A short time later, the pilot advised ATC that he had an in-flight emergency. About 15 seconds after declaring the emergency, the pilot tran…

At 1600 Eastern time, the aircraft collided with an airport sign after veering left off of Runway 5 during an attempted landing at the Columbia (S.C.) Metropolitan Airport. The Student pilot, on his first solo flight, was not injured, although the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual conditions prevailed. The Student pilot later stated that his the first full-stop landing was routine and smooth. The second pattern and approach were normal and stabilized but, during the touchdown, the airplane abruptly bounced on the runway. The student then increased engine power in an attempt to control the descent, but his efforts failed and the airplane bounced on the runway and became more d…

The helicopter was destroyed when it crashed into Choctawhatchee Bay at about 0043 Central time; the Commercial-rated pilot, paramedic and flight nurse aboard the air ambulance flight were fatally injured. Instrument conditions prevailed; no flight plan had been filed. Earlier, at 0041, the accident pilot called his dispatcher via radio and reported airborne with three persons on board, 2 hours 20 minutes of fuel and an estimated flight time of 10 minutes. At 0043, the helicopter called via radio and reported that they were returning to base due to weather. The dispatcher did not talk with the flight after this. At 0050, the dispatcher cleared the Airheart One call, believing that they were…

At 1503 Central time the airplane collided with trees and the ground, and burst into flames during an attempted forced landing following a loss of engine power during cruise flight. Visual conditions prevailed; an IFR flight plan was filed. The Private pilot received serious injuries and the airplane sustained substantial damage. According to the pilot, the engine started running rough and then quit. There was oil on the left side of his windscreen. The pilot declared an emergency and ATC diverted him towards Guntersville, the closest airport. Shortly afterward, the pilot lost radio communications with ATC and became unsure of his position. He observed a field decided to land in it. Just pri…