Aviation Safety

At 2045 Pacific time, an amateur-built Smith Miniplane lost engine power during cruise and crashed 14 miles north-northeast of Winnemucca. The pilot was not injured. The pilot reported he was en route to Oshkosh, Wisc., when he got lost and was running low on fuel. He landed on a road, taxied to a local gas station and filled the airplanes tanks. On takeoff, he struck a sign. An NTSB investigator said the pilot told her he would fix the dent, but she said she could not give him permission to fly the airplane. The pilot later stated to an FAA investigator that he then removed the damaged wing tip, applied duct tape to the tip and took off. He again became lost and the engine quit again. He s…

At 1054 Pacific time, a Beech V35B lost engine power and was damaged in the resulting forced landing near Livermore. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said he departed San Jose at 7 a.m. with 60 gallons of fuel on board and flew to Reno, Nev., via Freso, Calif. He then left Reno without refueling and was returning to San Jose. The engine lost power in cruise flight and he was unable to get the engine to restart using the fuel selector and boost pumps. During recovery, the airplane was found to have 7 ounces of fuel in the left tank and 9.5 gallons in the right tank. The fuel selector was found in the OFF position. The engine ran with no anomalies after recovery….

At about 1045 Pacific time, an amateur-built Lancair IV-P was damaged during takeoff from North Las Vegas Airport. The pilot suffered minor injuries and two passengers were not injured. The pilot said the airplane settled back on the runway after rotation. He continued the takeoff and the airplane again became airborne, then drifted to the right side of the runway and settled again, causing the landing gear to collapse. The pilot said he had been advised by air traffic control prior to departure of possible wake turbulence. He thought he had waited about one minute before starting the takeoff….

At about 1400 central time, an American Champion 8KCAB crashed into power lines across the Red River. The pilot and passenger were uninjured. A power company representative estimated the height of one wire to be about 60 feet above the water and the other wire to be about 56 feet above the water….

At about 2013 Alaska time, a Cessna 207 on a Part 135 trip was damaged when it struck a fence in a football complex in Anchorage. The pilot and one passenger were not injured. One passenger suffered minor injuries and one passenger was seriously injured. The flight departed Tyonek about a half-hour earlier. The pilot said he was approaching the destination airport at about 800 feet msl when the engine began running rough. He attempted to restore power, but the engine failed completely. He noted a complex of athletic fields below, but all of the baseball fields were in use, so he elected to land on a track within a football stadium. During touchdown, the airplanes left wing collided with a c…

At about 1600 eastern time, a Stinson 108 was damaged while landing at White Post Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said he had just completed an annual inspection of the airplane and had also overhauled the engine. After a normal takeoff, he returned for landing. As he added the final notch of flaps, he said he heard a ping and the airplane dove toward the ground. He was unable to arrest the descent and the airplane hit hard and nosed over. An FAA inspector found that when the control yoke was moved through its full range of motion, it struck the radio rack, which restricted its rearward motion….

At 0731 mountain time, a Cessna T210M was damaged when the gear collapsed on landing at Pitkin County Airport. The pilot and four passengers were not injured. The pilot said the landing gear would not retract after takeoff and he returned to the departure airport. He said he attempted to set the airplane down softly but the right main gear collapsed on touchdown, causing the airplane to spin around and bending the right horizontal stabilizer aft and up….

At approximately 1225 mountain time, a Lockheed 402-2 was damaged while making a precautionary landing near Headquarters. The pilot and two passengers sustained minor injuries. The pilot said he could not take on fuel at Orofino Municipal Airport before departure because there was no refueler and he thought he could make it to Missoula. He departed, and then realized he would not have enough fuel to make it to Missoula, so he decided to return to Orofino. He then discovered he had a 25-knot headwind and could not make it back to Orofino, so he elected to land on an old logging staging area. During the approach to the area he got caught in a downdraft and went between two trees that broke o…

At approximately 1400 mountain time, a Vans RV-4 suffered a propeller failure during cruise flight and was damaged in the resulting forced landing. The pilot was seriously injured. The pilot said he was cruising at 8,500 feet when the airplane began to shake violently. He shut down the engine and, when the propeller stopped, noticed the trailing edge of one blade was split longitudinally and had separated from the hub. During the landing, the airplane struck trees….

At 1245 mountain time, a Mooney, M20J was damaged when it struck the ground after takeoff from Lake County Airport. The pilot was seriously injured. The pilot said he was departing for Sedona, Ariz., but the engine was not generating enough power for takeoff and the airplane went off at the end of runway 16. The empennage separated when the airplane collided with terrain….