Aviation Safety

About two minutes after an 0808 Pacific time departure from the airport at Ukiah, Calif., the Piper Saratoga SP II collided with terrain. The private pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries and the airplane was destroyed. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed but no flight plan had been filed. An instrument-rated air ambulance helicopter pilot attempting to return to Ukiah heard a pilot on the Unicom frequency say he was in a Saratoga and preparing to depart Runway 33. The Saratoga pilot told him that there were no holes in the clouds, and that the 100-foot ceiling looked about right. A few minutes later, the air ambulance helicopter pilot heard the Saratoga pilot say tha…

At about 1609 Eastern time, a Piper PA-30 crashed shortly after takeoff from the Fernandina Beach (Fla.)Municipal Airport. The airplane was substantially damaged and the commercial-rated pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. A witness reported the airplane was airborne with the landing gear retracted before reaching the intersection of Runways 04/22 and 08/26. He believed the airplane climbed to approximately 250-300 feet. Just before the airplane flew past a hangar, he heard a brief sputtering sound, then observed the airplane bank to the left. He then lost sight of the airplane for a short time as it passed behind the hangar. When he saw it again, the airplane was in a 25-30 degree…

At 1526 Eastern time, a Smith Aerostar 601P crashed during its initial climb after takeoff from the Charleston Executive Airport, Johns Island, S.C. The commercial pilot and the airline transport pilot-rated passenger received fatal injuries, and the airplane was destroyed. Before the takeoff, the pilot reportedly requested maintenance on the airplane. A witness stated the pilot told him he wanted to fly the airplane to another airport to have the problem looked at before returning to Florida. Later, another witness watched the takeoff, noting that the aircraft appeared to rotate really late, using approximately 4000 feet of runway. He stated the airplane climbed to about 400 or 500 feet,…

At about 0956 Eastern time, the Cirrus SR22 collided with trees after the pilot intentionally activated the airplanes parachute system. The flight originated about six minutes earlier from the Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Executive Airport. Shortly after takeoff, the flight encountered IMC at 400 feet. The pilot later reported the vertical speed indicator suddenly decreased to zero, then increased to 2000 FPM, then went back to zero. He reported there was no turbulence. At that point, the altimeter began large deflections. Subsequently, the attitude indicator did not agree with the turn coordinator. After requesting vectors for an ILS approach at the departure airport, the pilot advised the contr…

At 1007 Eastern time, the Cessna collided with trees and the ground near North Augusta, S.C. The private pilot and two passengers received fatal injuries, and the airplane was destroyed. The flight had departed the Aiken (S.C.) Municipal Airport less than 30 minutes earlier, with an intended destination of Greenville, Miss. A preliminary review of radar data revealed that the airplanes flight path exhibited constantly fluctuating altitude, heading and groundspeed and was not following its filed course. As the flight neared the Augusta Regional Airport at Bush Field in Augusta, Ga., the pilot elected to proceed to that airport for landing. An air traffic controller provided the pilot a headi…

At about 1728 Central time, the Aeronica collided with wires while maneuvering in VMC and was substantially damaged. The private pilot and one passenger reported minor injuries. The pilot stated he was flying at 1500 feet in the vicinity of a river. He started a turn when his passenger stated, Watch the wires. The airplane collided with two of four wires and the water in Defeated Creek. The pilot later stated he should have been more alert about his surroundings. The pilot did not report a mechanical problem with the airplane before it collided with the wires and the water….

The Experimental airplane was substantially damaged during an attempted landing on a private airfield at about 1745 Eastern time; the Private pilot was seriously injured. According to the pilot, he performed a touch-and-go landing at his private airfield and, during the climbout, observed fuel venting from the right wing. He then switched the fuel tank selector from the left tank to the right tank. He then flew the downwind leg of the traffic pattern. Subsequently, while turning onto the base leg, the engine lost power. The pilot was able to restart the engine; however, it lost power again shortly after the restart. The pilot then set up for a forced landing, during which the airplane impact…

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