Aviation Safety

At about 12:41 eastern time, an Embraer EMB-120RT operated by Comair Inc., had an in-flight fire in the right engine shortly after takeoff from Orlando International Airport. There were no injuries. The flight had just departed runway 17 in Orlando, en route to Fort Myers, when the right engine lost power and caught fire. The pilot made a teardrop maneuver and returned to MCO, landing without further incident on runway 35. After landing, the flight taxied onto a taxiway and the passengers and crew evacuated. Preliminary inspections of the engine revealed an internal failure of the No. 6 bearing, and subsequent failure of a fuel line, which resulted in an engine fire….

At 13:45 Pacific time, a Piper PA-28-180 lost power in flight and was damaged during the ensuing off-airport landing. The four occupants received minor injuries. The flight originated from Concord, Calif., two hours earlier. The Santa Maria tower reported the pilot declared an emergency due to low fuel. The airplane landed on city streets about 1 mile from the airport, hitting a tree and residence….

At 01:24 central time, a Cessna 152 crashed near Navasota, killing the pilot and passenger. VMC prevailed and the airplane was on an IFR flight plan. The pilot told controllers he was having a problem with the vacuum system and was disoriented. The controller provided vectors to the pilot so he could return to College Station. During this time the pilot reported that he was in a left turn, although the controllers radar scope indicated the airplane was in a right turn. Subsequently, the airplane disappeared from radar….

At approximately 20:40 mountain time, a Cessna 150E struck a tree while making a low pass over a summer camp about six miles northeast of Ashton. The unlicensed pilot and two passengers were killed. Witnesses said the aircraft was flying wings-level toward the camp at a low altitude. The aircraft then overflew the camp very close to the tree tops. After the first pass, the aircraft gained altitude, reversed course to the south, and then descended toward the camp again. During the second pass, which was lower than the first, someone in the aircraft dropped a written note to one of the campers on the ground. The aircraft then flew about 280 feet past the center of the camp before impacting a…

At 14:09 mountain time, a Cessna 152 crashed near Karval, killing the pilot. The flight originated from Ellicott, Colo., approximately one hour before the accident. Denver Center reported the pilot began squawking 7700 moments before the airplane disappeared from their radar screen. Flight Watch reported the pilot radioed them saying that he was in some clouds and was having difficulty flying the airplane. VMC prevailed in the area….

At 17:16 eastern time, a Beech B200 crashed 7.9 miles south of Rangeley Municipal Airport. The pilot and passenger were killed. The flight was en route from Portland and was cleared for the GPS A approach. At nine miles the pilot reported the airport in sight and canceled his IFR clearance. The pilot then radioed his wife, who was waiting at the airport, and told her he was on a base for Runway 32. Bad weather hindered the search, and the airplane was located the next morning on the southwest side of a 3,125-foot mountain, about 100 feet from the top….

At approximately 09:51 Pacific time, a Cessna 208B operating as a FedEx cargo flight crashed in the woods on Lummi Island, killing the pilot. The flight had departed Bellingham on a Special VFR clearance bound for Orcas Island approximately eight minutes prior to the accident. Weather at the time was ceiling 500 feet broken, two miles visibility in mist. The company reported the flight was a VFR flight because no instrument approach is published for Orcas Island. Mode C returns put the airplanes altitude at about 600 feet throughout the flight. A witness reported seeing the airplane over the water at 50 to 100 feet, going in and out of the clouds. The accident site was about 220 feet msl….

At 11:16 mountain time, a Cessna P210N lost power on final approach to Deer Valley Airport and crashed during the ensuing forced landing. The pilot and passenger were killed. The pilot and passenger were returning from Puerto Penasco, Mexico, and had reentered the United States at Nogales. The pilot contacted the Deer Valley Tower southeast of the airport for landing and was given a five-minute hold for landing sequence. The pilot reported a loss of engine power about 1 miles from the runway on final approach, and said he was uncertain whether he could reach the runway. The landing gear and flaps were found extended….

At 13:00 Pacific time, a Piper PA-38-112 lost power while conducting a go-around after a simulated engine-out procedure at the Selma Airport. The airplane crashed in a vineyard, but the student and flight instructor were not injured. The instructor told investigators company procedure called for switching to the fullest tank prior to takeoff after a touch-and-go. On the touch-and-go takeoff, the fuel tank was switched and the engine quit at 200 feet agl. The CFI took control and made an unsuccessful attempt to restart the engine. Inspectors found the fuel valve to be in between the left and right port openings, and the fuel valve control rod did not turn. The plastic fuel selector handle was…

At 20:30 central time, a Mooney M20R was damaged during a forced landing right after takeoff at the Talihina Municipal Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot told investigators he took off from runway 1 and was three-quarters of the way down the runway when the engine started to cough. He attempted to land the airplane on the remaining runway but the airplane overran the runway and struck a ditch and bushes. The pilot said the airplane was only a few weeks old and, a week prior to the accident the engine had exhibited the same problem. The manufacturer and the pilots mechanic replaced the fuel pump as a corrective measure….