Aviation Safety

At 17:30 CST, a Beech 95-B55 crashed while maneuvering in the traffic pattern at Limestone County Airport. The pilot was killed. Two witnesses said the pilot radioed that he was on downwind and then on base for runway 18. The pilot then said he didnt have a green gear light but that the mechanical indicator was showing the nose gear extended position. The pilot asked the witnesses to examine the gear as he flew by. He passed over the runway at about 200 feet and a very slow airspeed. The pilot then added power and began to climb, but did not add much power. Another witness saw the Baron make a very steep turn to the left and spin to the ground 1.5 miles southeast of the airport….

At 16:33 CDT, a Mooney M20F lost engine power near Tomball and was damaged in the forced landing. The pilot suffered a minor injury and the passenger was not injured. The airplane was climbing through 4,000 feet on an IFR flight plan from Conroe to San Marcos, Texas, when the engine rpm increased and the engine oil pressure dropped to zero. The pilot was vectored toward Hooks Airport but landed in a field short of the runway. Examination of the engine revealed the No. 4 connecting rod sticking out of the crankcase….

At 15:45 EDT, a Piper PA-31-350 suffered an in-flight fire on the right engine while on approach to land at Branch Field. The two occupants were not injured. The flight landed after a 45-minute flight from Summerville, S.C., and the pilot of another airplane waiting for takeoff radioed the pilot of the accident airplane and told him that there was a fire on the right engine. The pilot of the accident airplane confirmed the fire and shut down the right engine….

At 09:50 PST, an amateur-built Questair Venture and a Bellanca 8GCBC collided near Sylmar, The Questair was maneuvering to land at Van Nuys, and the Bellanca was operating as a pipeline patrol flight and was orbiting over a construction site near the point of the collision. Both aircraft were in contact with the Van Nuys Air Traffic Control Tower. The pilot and passenger on each plane were killed. The Bellanca pilot contacted the Van Nuys control tower at 09:42, saying, Newhall Pass. Well be here for about five minutes. The tower approved the request and assigned a transponder code, which the pilot verified. The airplane was orbiting in left turns at 2,000 feet msl over a construction sit…

At about 09:43 EST, the pilot of a Piper PA-28-181 lost directional control and struck trees while taxiing at Ocean Reef Club Airport. There were no injuries. The pilot said that, while he was on the downwind leg for runway 04, he was advised by Unicom that the wind was gusting to 18 knots from 330 degrees. He continued the approach and heard the crew of a Falcon announce that they were 10 miles out and would advise when they were on the downwind leg. The Piper landed uneventfully and rolled of the way down the runway. The pilot veered to the right near the right edge of the runway then made a 90-degree turn to the left and stopped. He looked for the Falcon airplane but did not see it, and…

At about 11:45 EDT, a Mooney M20J on an IFR flight plan struck terrain in Norton, killing the pilot and four passengers. The airplane was cruising at 9,000 feet when the pilot reported he was riding in the tops of the clouds and requested a climb to 11,000 feet. He was cleared to climb to 11,000 and given a frequency change. He reported in on the new frequency at 9,000 feet and was asked if he was going to climb to 11,000. He replied, Roger. No further communications were made and radar contact was lost four minutes later. Wreckage revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunction or fuel exhaustion….

At 08:36 MST, a Cessna 310R crashed while maneuvering after a missed approach at Glacier International Airport. The pilot suffered hypothermia before being rescued about nine miles northeast of the airport. The pilot reported being in the clouds and suddenly seeing vegetation on upsloping terrain. He applied full aft elevator but could not avoid the collision with the terrain….

At 12:20 EST, a Cessna 150 was damaged while making a forced landing shortly after takeoff from Wiscasset Airport. The pilot was not injured, The pilot told investigators the engine quit about 150 feet above the ground. He tried to turn back to the runway but landed about 100 feet short. The pilot stated that he thought the fuel vents had been clogged with ice. He also stated that during the preflight, he did not sump the wing fuel tanks because the drains were frozen, and that he found water when he drained the fuel strainer….

At 10:19 MST, an Air Tractor 502A lost its left wing in flight near Queen Creek, killing the pilot. The airplane was spraying chemicals on crops when the left wing separated during a level spray pass. No unusual meteorological phenomena were observed in the area and the airplane was not observed to have performed any unusual maneuvers prior to the failure. The lower spar cap was observed to have fractured at a point just outboard of the fuselage attach fitting….

At about 12:35 EDT, a Beech N35 broke up in flight and crashed near Conicville, killing the pilot and passenger. The IFR flight was en route from Caro, Mich., to Newport News, Va., at 9,000 feet when the pilot reported an electrical failure. The pilot then radioed the controller again and stated that he had experienced a gyro failure. The controller then observed the airplane enter into a high rate of descent on the radar screen. The alternator belt was found loose about the alternator housing and the pulley wheel attached to the engine accessory drive case. The vacuum pump had a sheared drive shaft….