Aviation Safety

At about 1128 eastern time, a Cessna 402C on a post-maintenance test flight experienced a separation of the upper and lower link assemblies of the left main landing gear while landing at Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. The airplane was landing after a five-minute flight when it veered to the left and came to rest at the edge of the runway. The left main landing gear wheel assembly had rotated 15-20 degrees to the left from the normally installed position. The upper and lower link assemblies were not connected to each other. The airplane was towed to the ramp where the landing gear was repaired before NTSB or FAA inspection….

At 2153 mountain time, a Mooney M20K struck the ground while landing at Colorado Springs Municipal Airport. The pilot and two passengers sustained minor injuries. The pilot attempted to land on runway 35R with a 90-degree, 15-knot crosswind from the right but the airplane drifted to the left and he was worried about striking the wing on the runway. He added full power to go around, but the engine hesitated abnormally and the airplane continued to descend. He then raised the landing gear and the flaps and shut off the fuel flow. The aircraft came to rest a third of a mile northwest of the runway….

At approximately 2136 central time, a Boeing 737-300 struck runway lights during a loss of control on landing on runway 04 at the Amarillo International Airport. The five crewmembers and 63 passengers were not injured. During the instrument approach into the field, the crew reported being on the edge of a thunderstorm and said visibility was starting to deteriorate. Just before landing, the controller reported the wind from 220 at 9 knots. The airplane touched down with no perceptible drift, but then veered to the left side of the runway. The airplanes nose gear collapsed aft into the forward navigation/electronics bay, damaging the fuselage and the pressure bulkhead….

At approximately 1530 mountain time, an Engineering and Research Corporation 415D struck power lines and crashed a half mile west of Mid-Valley Airpark. The pilot and passenger were killed. Witnesses said the airplane entered a left traffic pattern for runway 36, but strong easterly crosswinds had the airplanes wings wobbling. One witness called the pilot on the radio and suggested he land on a closed runway that is normally used as a taxiway. The pilot acknowledged and made a tight turn toward the downwind leg, striking power lines with the left wing….

At 1428 eastern time, a Cessna 414 ditched into Long Island Sound about six miles north of Port Jefferson. The pilot was not injured. The flight had departed Orlando, Fla., about four hours earlier with an estimated 5.5 hours of fuel on board. As the pilot neared his destination of Westchester County Airport, he encountered air traffic control delays. He became concerned about his fuel status and informed the controller that he had minimum fuel. He was vectored to Bridgeport, Conn., but during the descent the engines stopped. The pilot informed the controller he was going to ditch and made a soft water landing. After exiting the airplane, the pilot said he got hit in the face with a wave tha…

At 1914 Pacific time, an Aero Vodochody L-39 crashed while performing team aerobatic maneuvers in the vicinity of Tracy. The pilot was killed. A flight of three Aero Vodochody L-39s were practicing low-level team aerobatics in a designated aerobatic box area. Witnesses said the airplane had completed a series of aileron rolls at an altitude of approximately 1,300 to 1,700 feet agl when the accident airplane appeared to level off, then start to descend and wander to the left, eventually crashing at approximately a 60-degree nose down angle….

At 1105 Pacific time, a Piper PA-44-180 struck the ground during an instrument departure from Livermore Municipal Airport. The flight instructor and instrument-rated student were not injured. The flight departed on a standard instrument departure and were cleared to 4,000 feet. The instructor said they then responded to a call to maintain 2,000 feet, and continued with the SID. While intersecting the OAK 060 radial, the instructor saw terrain through the clouds and took evasive action. They struck something, but the airplane was still controllable so they proceeded to their destination of Sacramento Executive Airport. A review of the tapes of radio calls found that the pilots apparently thou…

At about 1545 central time, a Beech 95-B55 landed gear-up at G.V. Montgomery Airport and slid about 1,000 feet to a stop. The airplane was substantially damaged, but the two occupants were not injured. The pilot said he simply forgot to lower the landing gear….

At 1415 central time, a North American T-28A was damaged while landing at West Houston Airport. The pilot was not injured. The flight had left Tulsa, Okla., about two hours earlier. At Tulsa the aircrafts nose gear shimmy damper was serviced prior to departure. Upon landing, the shimmy was so bad that, even at 20 knots, the airplane was vibrating so badly the pilot said he couldnt see. Examination of the airplane revealed damage to the nose gear box, lower engine cowlings and nose gear doors. In addition, the forward firewall was bent….

At about 1012 Pacific time, a Glasair SH-2 crashed following a loss of control just after takeoff from Riverside Airport. The pilot was killed. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and a special visual flight rules flight plan was filed. Witnesses said the airplane took off from runway 9, made a sharp left banking turn going almost inverted, then nose-dived into the ground. Witnesses also said that the engine appeared to be sputtering….