Aviation Safety

At about 1816 Pacific time, a Beech 19A struck terrain at the departure end of runway 14 at Harris Ranch Airport. The pilot and the passenger/owner were not injured. The pilot set 10 degrees of flaps for takeoff from the 2,820-foot runway. The aircraft was slow to climb and once the airplane was airborne, he raised the flaps. The airplane settled and collided with the ground. Additionally, the pilot said that the stall horn was operating throughout the flight….

At about 1854 eastern time, a Piper PA-32-300 crashed into terrain during cruise flight in Monterey. The pilot and three passengers were killed and three other passengers suffered serious injuries. The flight was bound IFR for Keene, N.H., when the pilot stated he did not like the weather near his destination. He canceled his IFR flight plan and requested VFR advisories to Westfield. About 10 minutes later, the airplanes radar track turned about 90 degrees to the left, apparently toward Great Barrington Airport. The airplane struck trees and terrain on the south-southeast side of Mt. Wilcox, approximately 7.5 miles east-northeast of GBR, at about 1,900 feet msl….

At 2240 central time, a Beech A36 crashed while on approach to Sparta Community Airport. The pilot and passenger were killed. The airplane was flying from Duluth, Minn., to Cape Girardeau Regional Airport when the pilot reported he had encountered icing conditions. He requested to divert to Sparta Community Airport. The airplane crashed approximately four miles south of SAR. Weather at SAR at the time included a ceiling of 500 feet and visibility of 1.5 miles, with temperature and dewpoint within one degree….

At 1317 eastern time, a Cessna 172P was damaged when it struck a snow bank during landing at the Linden Airport. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot said there was a strong crosswind and he was too far to the left during his first attempt to land on runway 27, a 4,137-foot-long, 100-foot-wide runway. During the second attempt, one main wheel touched down on the runway, followed by the other. After touchdown, the pilot encountered a strong gust of wind that pushed the airplane off the left side of the runway. Winds reported at nearby Newark International Airport were from 320 degrees at 17 knots, gusting to 22….

At 2345 eastern time, the passenger in a Cessna 172K deplaned and was killed by the rotating propeller. The pilot was not injured. The flight was preparing to depart from Richmond International Airport for Laurel, Del. The pilot had started the engine in preparation for the flight when he realized he had forgotten to remove the wheel chocks from the left main landing gear. With the engine still running, the pilot asked the passenger to exit the airplane, walk behind it and remove the chocks. The passenger agreed, exited the airplane on the right side, and shut the door. The next thing the pilot saw was the passengers arms up in the air. The pilot said the passenger may have tripped over the…

At about 1250 eastern time, a Cessna 177 struck rising terrain near Old Fort during a flight from Asheville, N.C., to Salisbury, N.C. The pilot and two passengers were killed. The pilot told Asheville controllers he intended to fly east at 4,500 feet but the controller informed the pilot of an overcast layer at 2,500 feet. The pilot acknowledged and stated he may need to deviate off course to avoid low clouds in the mountains. When the controller terminated radar service about eight minutes after takeoff, the pilot stated he was following Interstate 40 through the mountains. An air search party located the wreckage the next morning at the 2,900-foot level of Kitsuma Peak in the Pisgah Nation…

At 0440 central time, an Aero Commander 500-B lost power in both engines and was damaged during a forced landing to a dirt road about four miles south of the Mankato Regional Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot had notified air traffic control that he was low on fuel. He then attempted an instrument approach to Albert Lee but was not successful. The pilot was given vectors and a clearance for the approach to Mankato, but ran out of fuel during the approach….

At 1048 eastern time, a Cessna 172S lost its right wing while maneuvering in the vicinity of Monroe. The flight instructor and student pilot were killed. The flight had originated from Dekalb-Peachtree Airport 15 minutes earlier. A witness said she saw the airplane at about 1,500 feet in straight and level flight but was traveling very fast. She observed the nose pitch to 45 degrees nose-low and the airspeed increase more. The airplane was observed to start a spin to the right and turned about 180-degrees when a wing separated from the airplane followed by other pieces of the airplane. Another witness said she thought the pilot was performing a stunt maneuver until pieces of the airplane sta…

At about 0615 eastern time, a Beech A36 crashed during takeoff at Tavernaero Park. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger/owner received minor injuries and two other passengers received no injuries. The pilot said he was operating the flight controls during the takeoff roll when suddenly a dog appeared in front of the airplane. The next thing he remembered was that the airplane banked left and collided with trees lining the left side of the runway. The passenger/owner said he tried to rotate the airplane when the animal appeared, but the airplane veered left. He tried to straighten the airplane and keep it in ground effect so it continued flying, but the airplane struck trees that lined the lef…

Operating IFR to and from non-towered airports can lead to busted clearances, terrain encounters and run-ins with VFR traffic