Aviation Safety

At about 10:00 EST, a Piper Archer struck trees and crashed near Haines City. The two occupants were seriously injured. The flight was en route from Crystal River, Fla., to Opa Locka and was not operating on a flight plan, although IMC prevailed along the route of flight. The pilot had received a weather briefing from the Gainesville Flight Service Station and was told VFR flight was not recommended. The pilot told line personnel at Crystal River that he would fly to the east around bad weather and then proceed south to Opa Locka….

At about 10:15 CST, a D-IX amateur-built experimental airplane crashed after an uncontrolled descent near Santa Fe. The pilot, who built the single-seat biplane, was killed. The flight originated from Hitchcock, Texas, about 10:00. One witness reported that he heard a weird sound, turned around and noticed the left wing break off and the plane flying like a rock. Another witness stated that she heard the sounds of engine trouble, looked up, [and] heard a pop. She further reported that the wing was off and the plane was going straight down. The left upper and lower wings of the biplane were found approximately 200 yards from the main wreckage. The fuselage with both right wings and the…

At about 14:36 EST, a Piper Archer crashed while making a forced landing following loss of engine power. The two occupants were seriously injured and the aircraft received substantial damage. The flight originated from Orlando, Fla., at about 10:00. While approaching to land at McGhee-Tyson Airport, the pilot told controllers that he was low on fuel. A short time later the pilot reported the engine had quit. The aircraft crashed about 1 mile northeast of the airport. Postcrash examination showed the aircraft contained no usable fuel….

At 17:05 CST, a Cessna 421C was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Shelbyville. The pilot was not injured but his four passengers sustained minor injuries. The flight was enroute from New Orleans to Omaha, Neb. During cruise flight at 14,000 feet the aircraft encountered icing. The pilot activated the propeller anti-ice system and observed that the right propeller anti-icing circuit breaker was popped out. He reset the circuit breaker and the airplane experienced a total electrical failure. He initiated an emergency descent, and entered into VFR conditions at about 1,500 feet. The pilot said he flew around for about 30 minutes trying to locate an airport. It was getting dark…

At about 16:30 PST, a Piper J3 struck the elevator and horizontal stabilizer of a Cessna TR182 in the run-up area of the North Las Vegas airport. The Cub sustained minor damage and the Cessna was substantially damaged. The pilots were not injured. The Piper J3 was taxiing into the run-up area and the Cessna TR182 was stationary, conducting pretakeoff checks….

At 15:47 PST, a Velocity 173E-RG veered off runway 28L on landing at Montgomery Field and collided with a parked Cessna 340. Both aircraft suffered substantial damage. The private pilot and the two passengers of the Velocity were not injured; the Cessna was unoccupied. This was the last leg of a cross country that originated the day before in Tampa, Fla….

At about 16:18 EST, a Piper Seneca crashed during an emergency landing near Hogansville, but the four occupants were not injured. As the flight neared its destination of Columbus, Ga., weather was at minimums and there was a thunderstorm over the airport. The pilot declared a low fuel state and diverted to another airport. The pilot could not get stabilized on the ILS, however, and overshot the airport. He was then cleared to a third airport with visual conditions. On the way, the left engine quit and the prop was feathered. The airplane descended into visual conditions at 400 feet and flew parallel to some power lines in search of a suitable landing site. The pilot landed in the power line…

At approximately 06:40 CST, the pilot of a Piper Lance was killed when the airplane crashed while maneuvering near Smackover. The flight originated about 40 minutes earlier, enroute from Arkadelphia to El Dorado, Ark. The pilot attempted a visual approach into the Downtown Airport in El Dorado but could not land and was vectored to the ILS runway 22 approach at South Arkansas Regional Airport. The pilot never reported a missed approach or IFR flight plan cancellation and a search was begun. Witnesses reported hearing an airplane fly over their houses numerous times at low altitudes. The wreckage was located two days later in a heavily wooded area six miles northeast of South Arkansas Regio…

At 15:05 MST, a Piper Cherokee Six was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power. The pilot and three passengers were not injured, and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The flight originated from Hooks Airport near Houston for Fabens about 5 hours and 13 minutes prior to the accident. The pilot reported to the El Paso approach controller that he was low on fuel and the engine was running rough. Subsequently, the engine lost power. During the ensuing landing, the airplanes left wing struck a sand dune. The person recovering the aircraft told investigators that he drained all fuel tanks. Eight ounces of fuel was recovered from the right outboard tank…

About 17:12 EST, a Cessna 177 struck a bridge during a forced landing near Fort Lauderdale. The airplane was substantially damaged but the pilot and passenger were not injured. The flight originated about 14:35, from the Moss Town Airport, Exuma Island, Bahamas. The pilot said that the flight was uneventful and while on final approach to his destination airport he was advised that customs was closed. He then proceeded toward Fort Lauderdale International Airport and, while flying about 1,500 feet, the engine quit. He noted that the fuel pressure was zero. He applied carburetor heat but this did not restore engine power. He maneuvered the airplane for a forced landing on the westbound lanes o…