Aviation Safety

At 1250 central time, an amateur-built Vans RV-8 suffered a loss of control and crashed near Van, Texas. The pilot and passenger were killed. The airplane was one of four airplanes that departed as a formation flight from Gilmer Municipal Airport. Prior to departure, the lead pilot obtained weather and discussed formation procedures with the other pilots, including lost sight procedures. The accident airplane flew in the number two slot, 45 degrees behind the left wing of the lead airplane. The remaining two airplanes were to the right of the lead. The formation flight encountered unexpected clouds, which they elected to climb to avoid. During the climb, the visibility deteriorated and the f…

At 1945 central time, an Engineering and Research Corporation 415-D collided with a corn crop while making a low approach over a private airstrip at Harvard, Ill. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said he planned the low approach at 100 feet agl to determine if he could see the unlit airstrip well enough to land. The airplane flew into the corn crop about two-tenths of a mile from the airstrip and was substantially damaged….

At about 1145 Pacific time, an Avions Max Holste MH 1521 Broussard stalled during takeoff from Gillespie Field and was substantially damaged in the hard landing that followed. The pilot and three passengers were not injured. The pilot reported that several airplanes were waiting for takeoff. Abandoning his usual procedure of lining up on the centerline and then releasing the brakes after obtaining 2,500 rpm, he expedited his takeoff roll. When the tail wheel did not lift as expected, the pilot tried to add nose down trim but before he could do so, the airplane ballooned about eight feet into the air. Subsequently the aircraft bounced and the right wingtip collided with the ground. The left g…

At 0718 mountain time, a McDonnell Douglass DC-10-10, operated by Federal Express, suffered damaged tire and brake assemblies during a rejected takeoff at Denver International Airport, necessitating closure of one runway for over 17 hours. The captain, first officer, flight engineer, and four non-revenue passengers were not injured. During acceleration for takeoff on runway 16R, the crew received a warning horn and initiated a rejection of the takeoff. Tower personnel alerted the crew to smoke and fire coming from the left gear and alerted firefighters. The crew completed their checklists and exited the aircraft via an evacuation slide. The runway was closed until replacement parts could be…

At 1408 mountain time, a Piper PA-28-140 crashed during an attempted go-around at Las Cruces International Airport. The two occupants, one commercial pilot with a flight instructor rating and one private pilot, were not injured. The private pilot was flying from the left seat as the airplane approached Las Cruces for a planned refueling stop. After a wind gust caused the airplane to drift off the runway centerline, the private pilot elected to close the throttle and continue the landing, but the commercial pilot added power to attempt a go-around. The private pilot again closed the throttle before the commercial pilot took control of the aircraft and again added power. The airplane collided…

At 1730 eastern time, an amateur-built Velox Revolution II struck a hangar during attempted recovery from an aerobatic maneuver at Lake Norman Airpark. The pilot received minor injuries. He said he entered a flat spin at 4,000 feet but kept the airplane in the flat spin too long. When he realized he had insufficient altitude to recover the airplane normally or to bail out, he raised the nose to a vertical attitude and applied full power. The airplane then collided with a hangar and was destroyed in the post-crash fire….

At 1600 central time, the experimental, exhibition Wright Redux Association 1903 Wright Flyer stalled on takeoff about 30 feet above the runway and landed hard at Clow International Airport. The pilot was uninjured and the airplane received substantial damage….

At 1715 mountain time, a Cessna 210G was damaged in a gear-up landing at Meeker Airport following a four-hour flight from Grand Island, Neb. The private pilot and three passengers were not injured. The pilot extended flaps on final approach but did not lower the landing gear or recognize the gear warning horn. In addition to skin damage on the bottom of the fuselage, the propeller and left wing were bent by contact with the runway….

At 0805 eastern time, the pilot of a Beech 1900D aborted takeoff of a positioning flight after maintenance due to a jammed elevator control. The two pilots were not injured and the airplane was not damaged. The maintenance performed on the aircraft required removal of the elevator trim wheel. The mechanic did not index the trim wheel before removal and reinstalled it so that when the wheel was positioned to neutral, the elevator trim was actually in a nose down position….

At about 1500 Pacific time, a Luscombe 8E collided with a fence and crashed while approaching to land at Spanaway Airport. The pilot was seriously injured and the passenger received minor injuries. The pilot reported that just before touchdown the airplanes tail wheel caught the top of a chain link fence, causing the airplane to collide with terrain and nose over. The pilot stated he might have been a little low on his final approach….