Aviation Safety

At about 19:00 EST, a Mooney M20M crashed while making an instrument approach to East Cooper Airport, killing the pilot. The pilot was planning to make a visual approach first, then come back for an instrument approach if necessary. The pilot passed over the airport without seeing it, and then asked for the instrument approach. The controller vectored him to the approach course and cleared him for the approach. Shortly after that contact was lost. Two witnesses at the East Cooper Airport said it was very foggy and they could not see the airplane as it flew over the airport. A short time later, Charleston Approach called the airport and wanted to know if the Mooney had landed. Two witnesses n…

At 12:07 PDT, a Beech B36TC struck utility lines and a house while returning to land following takeoff. The pilot was killed. The controller reported that the pilot radioed that the aircraft door had come open and that he was requesting permission to return for landing. The pilot was cleared for a left downwind approach to runway 24. The pilot said he had no emergency at first, then the same voice said emergency, I got … There were no further transmissions from the pilot. Witnesses reported the aircraft was trailing dark smoke immediately after takeoff, which lightened to gray. Another witness said the engine sounds stopped prior to the crash. The smoke apparently was traced to having…

At 12:00 CST, a Cessna 152 nosed over during a forced landing in a field southeast of Butler. The CFI and student pilot on board were not injured. The CFI reported that he inadvertently pulled the mixture control back instead of the throttle when practicing a simulated loss of engine power. The airplane struck a hole in the ground and nosed over during the subsequent forced landing….

At approximately 12:30 MST, the pilot of a Piper PA-24-250 was seriously injured while hand propping the airplane. The aircrafts battery was dead and the pilot was attempting to hand start the airplane. He stumbled on loose gravel when the engine started, and the propeller struck the pilot in the face. The passenger was uninjured….

At approximately 10:09 PDT, a Cessna 182P suffered a flight control interference while on final approach to a private airstrip. The pilot diverted to Tacoma and landed without incident. No one was injured. The operator reported the left flap restricted movement of the aileron while the aircraft was on final approach to Port Orchard. An inspector found the inboard left side flap track was cracked and broken. The flap deformed and contacted the aileron, restricting its movement….

At 17:30 CST, an Aeronca 11AC and an EAA Biplane P2 collided on runway 15 at Sherman AFB. No one was injured. The Aeronca had originally departed from Platte City, Mo., and was practicing touch and go landings at Sherman AFB. The Biplane departed St. Joseph, Mo., around 17:00 cst and was landing at Sherman AFB. The Aeronca had touched down and was in the process of transitioning for takeoff when the Biplane landed and struck the tail of the Aeronca, which was not equipped with a radio….

At about 07:15 EST, A Piper PA-46-310P crashed after trying to take off from Bradford Regional Airport. None of the four aboard was injured. The pilot said there was a light snowfall when he arrived at the airport. He applied anti-ice to the boot areas of the wings before starting the engine. As he taxied to runway 23, the snowfall increased. On takeoff, the airplane ascended a few feet, …then stalled back onto the runway. It overran the runway, and the right wing struck a mound of dirt, separated from the airplane and caught fire. The left wing struck a fence post. Two of the passengers said snow blew off the outboard sections of the wings during the takeoff roll but adhered to the inbo…

At approximately 22:00 CDT, a Piper PA-32R-301 crashed on approach to Edwards Airport, but the two occupants were not injured. The pilot said he diverted around weather and entered dark night IFR conditions. He then contacted Houston Center and requested directions to the nearest airport. Houston Center directed the IFR flight toward Sonora, but the pilot reported encountering moderate turbulence and asked for a closer airport. Houston Center directed him toward Edwards. While on approach to runway 14, the pilot lost visual contact with the runway, and elected to go around. He applied full power, raised the landing gear, and selected 10 degrees of flaps. The airplane struck trees, crashed…

At about 18:13 CST, a Piper PA-24-260 crashed into West Bay approximately three miles from Panama City-Bay County International Airport, killing the pilot. IMC prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The flight was en route from Luverne, Ala., and the pilot contacted the Panama City control tower when he was six miles out. The controller advised him to enter a left downwind to runway 32, then advised him that the weather conditions at the airport were below VFR minimums. The pilot said he did not have the field in sight and was at 900 feet. He said he would fly north and was told to contact Jacksonville Center, which he did. Radar data showed that, in the five minutes before the accident, th…

At 13:18 MST, a Pilatus PC-7 being delivered from the factory in Switzerland crashed after a low approach at Jefferson County Airport. The Swiss-registered pilot, the sole occupant aboard, was killed. The pilot initiated the five-day trip on Jan. 10, with a final destination of Broomfield, where the company has a corporate office. The pilot asked the Tower for permission to perform a low go-around on runway 29R. The pilot was cleared for an optional approach and was instructed to continue in right traffic. Several witnesses observed the aircraft at approximately 100 to 150 feet agl at the midfield point of the runway perform two 360-degree rolls to the right, followed by one 360-degree ro…