Aviation Safety

The following information is derived from the FAAs Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts.

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Sparring Over Spars
The FAA has reopened public input for a pair of proposed airworthiness directives aimed at preventing wing spar failure in Cessna 401, 402, 411 and 414 series airplanes.The proposed ADs would require repetitive inspections on the wing spar caps and to incorporate a spar strap modification on each wing spar of certain airplanes. Owners groups are concerned that the cost of the required repairs will be economically unviable.The FAA plans to hear public comments in early March to debate the issue and to explore alternative solutions…

Casting Aspersions
To say that I am outraged would be a gross understatement! For the first time in my many years of reading the NTSB reports section of your periodical I noted that you identified the pilot by name in the report on the October 2 accident in Clayton, Ga.

In my opinion, you callously insulted perhaps the greatest aviator in aviation history, bar none. I have followed the career of Gen. Yeager since my Air Force days with SAC in the mid-50s and have always had the greatest of respect and admiration for the man.

His work as a test pilot in the 40s, 50s and 60s probably saved the lives of more pilots in the Air Force (and general aviation, for that matter…

At about 2200 central time, a Saab AB 340 operated by Mesaba Airlines Inc. received substantial damage during a bird strike on approach to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The two pilots, one flight attendant, and 22 passengers were uninjured. The flight departed from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and was en route to Minneapolis where it landed without incident. The airplane was descending through 4,000 feet msl at 245 knots indicated airspeed when an unknown number of geese struck the vertical stabilizer….

At 0647 mountain time, a Cessna 208B was damaged after being blown over by a Bombardier CL-600-2024 while taxiing to the active runway at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The pilot of the Cessna and the maintenance crew on the CL-600 were not injured. The pilot of the Cessna stated that he crossed behind the tail end of the jet after looking for and not seeing a red beacon light blinking to indicate that the engines on the jet were running. The cargo area is considered a nonmovement area, and therefore is not under the authority of the control tower. He also reported that there were no signs concerning jet blast in the accident area….

A Piper PA-32-300 was reported missing after departure at about 0700 from Staniel Cay, Bahamas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane has not been located, and the whereabouts of the airplane and pilot are unknown. A witness reporting seeing the pilot board the airplane and depart to the southeast. Inquiries as well as subsequent searches did not reveal any information as to the whereabouts of the pilot or the airplane….

At about 1930 Pacific time, a passenger was seriously injured by walking into a moving propeller while disembarking from an OMF-100-160 at Van Nuys Airport. The passengers arm was broken in two places and the pilot was not injured. The airplane sustained minor damage. The pilot taxied the airplane to the base of the tower after landing. The passenger got out of the airplane and walked into the propeller. The operator of the aircraft reported that he was not informed of the accident by the pilot, but discovered a nick on the propeller the day following the accident and could not determined its origination. The accident pilot began his training at the flight school, but then changed schools….

At about 1020 eastern time, a Cessna 152 was substantially damaged in a hard landing at Ormond Beach Airport. The student pilot, who was on her first unsupervised solo, was not injured. The pilot said she had flown the traffic pattern twice, and had made two uneventful landings. During preparations for her third landing, another pilot suggested on the Unicom frequency that all aircraft switch to a different runway. The student pilot said that switching runways in flight caused confusion for her. The airplane porpoised as she was executing the landing flare and touchdown of her third landing, and she was unable to gain control. The nose gear collapsed, the propeller contacted the runway, and…

At 1330 eastern time, a Cessna 180 and a Piper PA-28-181 collided at the Westerly Airport while the Cessna was attempting to take off and the Piper was attempting to land on the same runway. Both flight instructors aboard the Cessna were killed, while the pilot and two passengers aboard the Piper were not injured. The Cessna was substantially damaged and the Piper received minor damage in the ensuing ground impact. The pilot of the Piper had made a previous attempt to land but was too high, so he elected to go around and make a second attempt. He remained in the pattern and announced his positions on the CTAF. A witness reported hearing these transmissions. On his second final approach, the…

At about 1005 eastern time, a flight instructor preparing a Beech BE-76 for flight suffered serious injuries after being struck by the propeller. The student pilot and one passenger were not injured and the airplane was not damaged. The student pilot stated that he was seated in the right seat and the flight instructor boarded the airplane and sat in the left seat. He said the flight instructor then said something about the starter, and before saying anything else, stepped out of the cockpit and went to the left propeller. The student said he then saw the flight instructor move the propeller, and the next thing he saw was that the flight instructor was lying on the ground….

At approximately 1830 mountain time, a Cessna T210N was destroyed after impacting mountainous terrain about five miles from the intended destination of Hailey, Idaho. The pilot was killed. The pilot was communicating with the tower at Hailey in preparation for landing. He requested and received approval for a 360-degree turn to lose altitude, and five minutes later reported that he was about five miles south of the airport at 7,500 feet msl. The tower cleared him to land but the clearance was not acknowledged, and subsequent requests for position reports were unanswered. Search and rescue was initiated and the wreckage was found 100 feet below a ridgeline of a 7,539 foot msl mountain. 5 1/2…