Aviation Safety

At approximately 14:20 mountain time, a Sukhoi SU-26 crashed shortly after takeoff from Telluride Regional Airport. The pilot was killed. VMC prevailed for the aerobatic flight that was originating at the time of the accident. According to the Telluride airport manager, the airplane had departed and popped up to near vertical. The airplane then entered a spin and crashed….

At about 21:15 Hawaiian time, a Lockheed L-1011 operating as Delta Air Lines flight 219, experienced an electrical fire forward of the flight engineers station while en route from San Francisco to Honolulu. The flight continued for an uneventful landing and there were no injuries. The flight was cruising at 32,000 feet msl in clouds when it experienced Saint Elmos fire – a discharge of static electricity. This activity lasted for about 3 minutes, after which an arc was observed at the location of the windshield heat wire bundle above the first officers side window. The crew donned their smoke goggles and masks. Two of the windshield heat circuit breakers popped and the crew opened the rem…

At 19:33 central time, a Cessna 335 carrying Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan crashed near Hillsboro. The governor, also a candidate for U.S. Senate, was killed, along with the pilot and another passenger. The flight had departed Cahokia, Ill., at 19:15 CDT on an IFR flight to New Madrid, Mo. The pilot told controllers he was having problems with the primary attitude indicator and he requested a climb to a higher altitude. The pilot was issued a climb to 4,000 feet. The pilot then reported that the primary attitude indicator was not reading properly and he was trying to fly off of the copilots. The pilot then stated he wanted to divert to Jefferson City, where the weather was better. The airpla…

At about 07:00 central time, a Beech A36 struck a tree during a missed approach to runway 35 at Outlaw Field and crashed. The pilot and passenger were seriously injured. The flight had departed Atlanta at 05:30. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed. The pilot said he attempted to land on runway 35, then flew a missed approach. During the maneuver, the left wing clipped a tree, rupturing the fuel tank. The pilot maintained control, declared an emergency, and attempted to divert to Sabre Army Heliport. The engine quit before he got there, however, and the airplane crashed in a heavily wooded area….

At about 12:02 central time, a Beech 58 suffered an in-flight electrical failure and crashed into Arkabutla Lake, killing the pilot. The Park 135 cargo flight originated seven minutes earlier from Memphis, Tenn. The pilot was cleared to climb to 6,000 feet when he reported an electrical fire. The controller advised him of an airport 12 miles away, then informed him of a closer grass strip. The pilot responded by saying that the flight needed to land immediately. Several witnesses reported seeing smoke trail the airplane in flight. A fire on the water after impact lasted an estimated 4-5 minutes….

At 08:08 mountain time, a McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30 operating as Delta Air Lines flight 1147 struck approach lights while on short final to Salt Lake City International Airport. No one was injured. Preliminary reports indicate the airplane struck approach lights 400 feet short of runway 34R. The airplane then landed on the runway and taxied to the gate. Two threshold lights and one light each from the 100 foot and 200 foot approach light bars were found knocked off. The airplane sustained damage to the left main wheel splash guard, and one of the wheels was cut. A 1-inch-square piece of metal was found lodged in the left engine noise suppression material and there was damage to the left eng…

At 15:50 Pacific time, a Beech C90 collided in midair with a Gulfstream G-159 while both aircraft were on four-mile final approaches to runway 16R at Van Nuys. Both aircraft landed safely and with no injuries to any of the occupants. The Beech was flying VFR and had been cleared to make a visual approach. The Gulfstream had been cleared for an ILS approach. The Beech pilot said he was three to four miles out on final for 16R when there was a shadow over his aircraft and the nose of the Gulfstream became visible in the top of his windshield. Immediately there was a loud bang, his aircraft rocked violently, and he thinks it turned to the right. He looked outside and saw damage to the left wi…

At about 13:00 eastern time, a Piper PA-28-180 was substantially damaged while departing a private grass strip. The pilot sustained minor injuries and three passengers were not injured. The pilot reported that, while en route to Albany, the airplanes upper door latch opened and the pilot intended to perform a precautionary landing at Becks Grove Airport in Rome to secure the door. The pilot was receiving VFR flight following from Griffiss ATC and was asked if he had Becks Grove in sight. The pilot asked the controller if the airport was a grass strip and the controller replied in the affirmative. The pilot landed on a 1,500-foot-long private grass strip that was located about 2 miles north…

At approximately 08:30 mountain time, an Ercoupe 415-D caught fire after a hard landing at Ravalli County Airport. The student pilot/owner died of burns about two days later. The flight is believed to have departed the pilots private airstrip near Missoula, Mont., about 20 minutes prior to the accident. Witnesses said the pilot was landing with a quartering tailwind and was established at a much lower altitude than would normally be expected. As the aircraft neared the runway, it appeared to witnesses to lose airspeed and drop onto the runway very hard. Almost immediately after contacting the runway, flames were seen coming from the belly of the aircraft near the firewall. By the time the a…

At about 10:15 eastern time, a Beech A-36 was damaged during a forced landing at Holmes County Airport. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. The pilot reported the power failure to ATC approximately 6 miles northwest of Millersburg and was given radar vectors. The airplane struck the trees and crashed next to the runway. The right fuel tank was full, the left fuel tank was empty and the fuel selector was set on the left tank….