Aviation Safety

At 19:51 PDT, a Cessna 210 collided with an electrical transmission line and an apartment building in Hayward, killing the two passengers and leaving the pilot with serious injuries. The pilot radioed that he was running low on fuel and did not think he would be able to reach the airport. He also reported that he was switching tanks. A witness on a hill about 1 mile east of the crash site reported that she saw the aircraft gliding toward her window. She said that the propeller was turning but that there was no engine sound. The aircraft proceeded westbound, paralleling the south side of transmission lines that run east to west until reaching a point about 3 miles southeast of the airport. As…

At about 15:20 EDT, a Cessna 172 struck trees at the departure end of runway 30 while attempting a go-around at the Hodges Airpark. The pilot sustained serious injuries and the passenger was killed. According to witnesses, the pilot had departed on runway 30, and at the time of departure the winds were calm. The witnesses stated that when the airplane returned 50 minutes later the winds had increased to about 15 knots, and were favoring runway 12. Witnesses said they saw the airplane approach on runway 30 and attempt to make a downwind landing. When the airplane was about mid-field, it was 10 to 15 feet above the ground and the engine went to full power. A few seconds later witnesses said th…

At about 21:30 PDT, a Globe Swift crashed near Trona, killing both occupants. The pilot and a friend had flown to Trona for an overnight visit. After dinner that evening, a group from the airport decided to visit a large group camped near the airport. A female member of the camping group asked for an airplane ride; this pilot volunteered. Witnesses at the campground related to sheriffs deputies that the aircraft had flown over the campground earlier in the day at a very low altitude and they admonished the pilot to not fly that low again. The witnesses observed the lights of the aircraft as it departed Trona and began flying over the dry lakebed where they were camped. They said the aircraf…

At 09:16 CDT, a Cessna 402C broke up during cruise flight, killing the pilot. The flight was operating as a Part 135 on-demand cargo flight from Dallas to Oklahoma City. The airplane was level at 6,000 feet msl and the pilot had visual contact with traffic that was going to pass him. He was cleared to descend from 6,000 feet msl to 4,000 feet msl. The pilot acknowledged the clearance and said he was beginning the descent. Witnesses reported that the airplane was level at approximately 1,000 feet agl, when the wing departed the aircraft. They also reported that they did not see any other airplanes in the area at the time of the wing separation….

At about 07:55 MDT, a Cessna 172I and a Cessna 172N collided during landing at Las Cruces International Airport. The pilot aboard one aircraft and the flight instructor and his student on board the other were not injured. The pilot of one Cessna said the aircraft experienced an electrical failure shortly after takeoff from runway 26. He turned 180 degrees, and entered the downwind to return for landing. Just prior to touching down on the runway, he landed on top of the other Cessna, which was performing touch and go landings….

At 17:55 EDT, a Cessna 172N and a Cessna 152 collided while on approach to runway 29 at the Gilbert Airport. The flight instructor and passenger of the 172 sustained serious injuries and the student pilot of the 152 sustained minor injuries. Witnesses said the 152 had been practicing full-stop landings and had remained in the pattern. The 172 had departed Kissimmee, Fla., about 15 minutes before the accident. The witnesses heard the pilot of the 152 announce his left downwind, base and final approach positions on the Unicom. The 172 was observed making a right downwind approach and an abbreviated base to final to runway 29 above the 152. A witness who was in his aircraft at the hold short li…

At about 15:30 EST, a homebuilt Fisher Celebrity struck a light pole while descending for a forced landing, but the pilot was not injured. The flight originated about 30 minutes earlier from Flight World airstrip, near Greenville, to deliver the airplane to the new owner. After takeoff the pilot circled the departure airport for about 10 minutes then proceeded on the flight. About 10-15 minutes later, while flying at 1,100 feet agl, he noticed that the cylinder head temperature was high. Shortly thereafter the engine quit. While descending for a forced landing onto an off ramp of a highway, the right wing of the airplane collided with a light pole. The airplane then rolled inverted and struc…

At about 13:30 EST, a Piper Aerostar overran the runway on landing at the Statesville Airport. The airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot reported minor injuries and two passengers were uninjured. On the second localizer approach to the 5,004-foot runway 10, the airplane touched down about 500 to 1,000 feet from the approach end. The runway was wet, and the plane did not stop. As the airplane reached the departure end of the runway, the pilot veered the airplane to right to avoid radio antennas. The airplane went over a ditch, the terrain then dropped off, and the airplane struck a fence. The reported winds at the time were from 310 degrees, at 15 knots, with gusts to 31 knots….

At about 11:00 EST, a Piper Cherokee Six ditched in the Atlantic Ocean after an engine failure. The airplane sank in 8,000 feet of water; the pilot was uninjured. The flight had originated at 10:30, from Cat Island, Bahamas, en route to Nassau, Bahamas. The flight was cruising at 4,500 feet when the pilot reported the engine oil temperature rose rapidly to the red line. Shortly thereafter the oil pressure dropped, the engine ran rough, and the pilot could not maintain altitude. He elected to ditch near a boat….

At approximately 16:30 PST, a Piper PA-12 was substantially damaged when the aircraft struck up-sloping terrain just short of the runway threshold at the pilots personal landing strip near Salem. The pilot suffered minor injuries. The pilot reported that he was attempting to execute a short field landing near the approach end of the 900-foot runway when the aircraft began to settle on short final….