Aviation Safety

At about 1115 mountain time, a Mooney 252 lost engine power and was damaged in a forced landing at Eagle County Airport. The two occupants were not injured. The pilot said the airplane had lifted off and climbed to 50 feet when the engine lost power. He attempted to land on the 2,000 feet of runway remaining, but the airplane slid off the icy runway, traveled across a 600-foot overrun, and collided with a ditch. Airport emergency personnel who responded to the scene reported finding cowl plugs still in place….

At about 1430 Pacific time, a Piper PA-24-250 crashed into several homes in Anaheim Hills following the in-flight separation of the left wing and horizontal stabilizer. The pilot and passenger were killed. The pilot was flying from Prescott, Ariz., to Orange County, Calif., and filed an IFR flight plan in flight near Palm Springs. The flight was level at 3,000 and cleared to intercept the localizer for the ILS approach to runway 19R at John Wayne when the controller noticed the airplane make an unusually hard right turn. The airplane then disappeared from radar. Debris from the airplane was strewn along a path about a quarter mile long. The first piece located in the path was a 6-foot sectio…

At 2105 eastern time, a Piper PA-32R-301T crashed shortly after the pilot reported an in-flight fire while in cruise flight. The pilot and passenger were killed. The airplane was cruising from Rutland, Vt., to Farmingdale, N.Y., when the pilot reported the fire. The controller vectored the pilot toward Waterbury-Oxford Airport. It was five miles out descending out of 5,500 feet. The approach controller cleared it to land on any runway. The pilot entered a close-in downwind for runway 36 and the tower controller noted the engine compartment engulfed in flames. Witnesses on the ground also reported flames coming from the airplane….

At 1137 mountain time, a Robinson R22 Beta struck power lines and crashed near Dolan Springs. The pilot and passenger were killed. The flight originated from Las Vegas, Nev., at an unknown time. A witness said the helicopter was flying over his lane on Interstate 93 about 30 miles north of Kingman when it struck the power lines. Indications are that the wires were about 30 feet agl at their lowest point between poles….

At approximately 1430 Pacific time, a Grumman American AA-1 crashed into a pond about a quarter-mile short of runway 33 at Chehalis-Centralia Airport. The pilot was seriously injured and his passenger received minor injuries. The pilot and his passenger took off hoping to look at some land in the local area, but soon after becoming airborne found that the subject area was covered by dense low-level fog. They returned to the airport and, because of fog to the north and west of the field, made a straight-in VFR approach to runway 33. During the last part of the approach, the pilot reduced the power to near idle and, when he advanced the throttle, there was no response from the engine. As the p…

At 1130 eastern time, a Beech F-35 Bonanza experienced an airframe vibration while descending out of 3,500 feet 25 miles west of Hollywood North Perry Airport. The pilot slowed the airplane and landed without further incident. The pilot said he was descending from 3,500 feet at 180 knots indicated when he felt the tail flutter. He reduced power, slowed the airplane and landed successfully. A post-landing inspection found the empennage aft of the rear bulkhead had substantial wrinkling near the horizontal stabilizers….

At about 1200 eastern time, a Socata TB 9 overran the runway after aborting takeoff at Huntingdon County Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot reported he was departing on runway 22, a 3,120 feet-by-80 feet gravel and turf runway. The pilot said the runway was too soft and the airplane did not accelerate properly. He was able to lift the nose gear off the ground, but the airplane would not become airborne. The pilot then aborted the takeoff and the airplane overran the runway into a ditch….

Handhelds can save your bacon, right? Were not so sure thats the right assumption

On the same dark and stormy night, one pilot found a way, another stayed, the outcome determined by equipment, timing and geography

Medications – whether over-the-counter, prescription or recreational – have found their place in the aviation accident record