Aviation Safety

At 1645 central time, a Beech 58P struck the ground 120 feet short of runway 28 at Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport. The pilot and two passengers reported no injuries. The pilot said he did not realize there was a hill at the approach end of runway 28. During approach, the nose gear of the airplane collided with the hill short of the runway….

At 1235 eastern time, an American Champion 7GCAA registered to the factory was damaged while landing at Frederick Municipal Airport. The flight instructor and private pilot were not injured. The pilot was executing his first landing in the airplane in an effort to obtain a tailwheel endorsement. After the airplane touched down on runway 23, it veered to the left at a 45-degree angle. The instructor assumed the controls and added full power. The airplane climbed back into the air and the CFI tried to realign it with the runway centerline. The airplane descended back to the ground and touched down hard on the left main landing gear, shearing the landing gear assembly from the fuselage. The air…

At about 1630 eastern time, a Cessna 210E caught fire while standing after engine start at the Tallahassee Regional Airport. No one was injured. The pilot said he started the engine and was reading back an instrument clearance when fire was observed coming from the engine compartment. The pilot and two passengers evacuated safely. Moments later, the fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. Examination revealed there was a fuel leak in the engine compartment….

At 1555 Pacific time, a Beech A36TC descended into a three-story apartment building in the Fairfax District. The pilot and three passengers were killed. One person in the apartment building was killed and seven people were seriously injured. The flight had departed Santa Monica Municipal Airport about 10 minutes earlier and was en route to Las Vegas and then Sun Valley, Idaho. Witness accounts said the airplane was flying straight and level, then climbed into the clouds. Shortly after that, it came spinning toward the ground. The pilot had discussed with the tower controller the fact that there was cloud cover in the area and said he would try to pop through the broken stuff….

At 1530 mountain time, a Helio H800 struck the ground 200 feet from the approach end of runway 22 at the Yellowstone Regional Airport. The pilot sustained minor injuries and the three passengers reported no injuries. The airport manager said the airplane took off on runway 04 and started spitting oil. The airplane got to about 300 feet agl when the pilot returned for landing. The witness said he noticed the oil cap was off the engine and the oil stick was out….

At about 0930 Pacific time, a Piper PA-24-250 lost engine power during cruise and crashed during a forced landing on a highway near Fallon. The pilot was not injured. The local flight departed Fallon Municipal Airport about 0815 and the pilot flew to Lovelock, Nev., to practice takeoffs and landings. He was returning to Fallon when the engine lost power. The pilot said the accident was due to fuel exhaustion….

At approximately 1000 mountain time, the captain of a Boeing 757-200 was rendered incapacitated when he was hit on the head by the cockpit doors upper blow-out panel. The airplane was cruising 34 nautical miles southwest of Dodge City when the incident occurred. A flight attendant was attempting to secure the door after delivering a tray of refreshments. The first officer diverted to Denver and landed uneventfully….

The following briefs were selected from the preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in June 2003. Statements in quotes were taken directly from the NTSB documents. Click here to view “Accident Totals, June.”

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June 02, Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Beech Baron
At 1645 central time, a Beech 58P struck the ground 120 feet short of runway 28 at Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport. The pilot and two passengers reported no injuries. The pilot said he did not realize there was a hill at the approach end of runway 28. During approach, the nose gear of the airplane collided with the hill short of the runway.

June 03, Frederick, Md.<...