Aviation Safety

At 1705 eastern time, a Beech A23-34 was damaged substantially after running off the end of runway 14 and colliding with a ditch at Michael J. Smith Field in Beaufort. The pilot and passenger were not injured. Witnesses observed the airplane touching down in the last half of the 4,000-foot runway. One witness estimated that the airplane touched down 100 yards from the departure end of the runway. The airplane porpoised before exiting the runway into a ditch. Post-crash inspection showed crush damage to the nose and right wing, displacement of the right wing and nose gear, and propeller damage….

At about 1817 central time, a WWII vintage General Motors FM-2 Wildcat warbird airplane was destroyed following an in-flight loss of control near Ellington Field while participating in the Wings Over Houston air show. The pilot was killed. Witnesses observed the accident airplane at approximately 200 feet agl, trailing a twin-engine bomber on approach to the airport. The Wildcat had executed a series of 360-degree steep turns for spacing. During its last turn the aircraft pitched up, then descended in a partial spin before colliding with the ground about a quarter-mile from the approach end of the runway. A witness reported that the propeller was turning and the engine did not appear to have…

At about 1045 eastern time, a homebuilt Preiss Vans RV-9A was substantially damaged after a loss of control on landing. The pilot received serious injuries and the passenger received minor injuries. The pilot stated that as he landed, he realized that he had inadvertently lined up on the shorter runway, that he was too fast, and that he had forgotten to lower the flaps. After his first contact with the turf runway he lowered the flaps. The airplane porpoised and on the fourth touchdown the propeller hit the ground and the airplane nosed over. The pilot remarked that the 1,725-foot runway would have been long enough if he had slowed down sufficiently prior to landing….

At about 1130 eastern time, a Cessna 172N was damaged when it ran off the end of the runway during an attempted take off from Everglades Airport. The pilot received minor injuries. The pilot reported that he reached an airspeed of 60 knots but could not rotate to take off. He stated what I did was that I did not remove the control lock from the yoke. The airplane overran the runway as the pilot attempted to brake to a stop….

At about 1545 Pacific time, a Beech A36 was destroyed after colliding with trees after takeoff from Seaside Municipal Airport. The pilot was killed. Witnesses observed the aircraft flying to the airport at a low altitude beneath clouds. The airplane performed a touch and go on runway 16 then made a 180 degree left turn at a low level before colliding with trees east of the departure end of the runway. According to the Sheriffs department, which responded to the scene, the ceiling appeared to be about 500 to 600 feet agl and the wind was blowing from the southwest at 25 to 35 knots. A log entry for a wind gauge at the Seaside Police Department measured the wind at 1500 from the south at 20.2…

At 1618 mountain time, a Piper PA-28-235 was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain during an attempt to return to Falcon Field Airport in Mesa. The pilot and one passenger sustained serious injuries. The flight had just originated when the pilot reported a loose panel. Witnesses observed a partially latched top cowl blocking a portion of the windshield….

At about 1130 eastern time, a Cessna 152 on an instructional flight was substantially damaged following a bird strike and the subsequent emergency landing into a field near Pierson. The flight instructor and student pilot sustained minor injuries. The pilots were practicing ground reference maneuvers at about 1,000 feet when a bird later identified as a Black Vulture collided with and destroyed the windshield. The CFI applied full throttle but could not maintain altitude, so he declared an emergency and secured the engine. The airplane landed nose first, breaking the nose gear and main landing gears, and came to rest inverted….

At 0347 Pacific time, a Piper PA-28R-200 was damaged after it collided with a power line while attempting to land at Whiteman Airport in Pacoima, Los Angeles County. The pilot was seriously injured. The flight had departed the same airport approximately 17 minutes earlier. The airport lights were illuminated at that time. The pilot noted that the lights were still on while he was about 10 miles out on his return flight, but by the time he reached the airport only the taxiway lights were illuminated. The aircraft struck a power line when the pilot applied power to depart after unsuccessfully searching for the threshold with his landing light. Whiteman Airport does not have pilot-controlled li…

At 2210 eastern time, a Piper PA-30 crashed during an instrument approach to Spartanburg Downtown Memorial Airport. The pilot was killed. The business flight had originated earlier in the day at Spartanburg and had made stops in several states before returning to Spartanburg. The flight was cleared for the ILS Rwy 5 approach. The airplane collided with trees before crashing 0.7 nm from the runway 5 threshold and 0.2 nm from the runway 5 localizer course. A witness in a home near the accident site heard the airplane close overhead, followed by the sound of the engines revving up and lastly the noise of the crash. The witness then went outside and saw the airplane burning on the ground….

At about 1541 Pacific time, a Piper PA-32R-301T crashed near Corona Municipal Airport after the pilot declared an in-flight fire emergency shortly after takeoff. The pilot and passenger were killed. After departing Corona on an IFR flight plan in visual conditions, the pilot contacted SoCal Tracon while climbing through 1,300 feet. He then declared an emergency, saying he thought he had a fire. Another pilot who was practicing IFR approaches at a nearby airport witnessed the accident airplane trailing black smoke but could not determine the origin of the smoke. The airborne witness reported that the accident airplane was in level flight before turning to the left and making one spiral turn…