Aviation Safety

A Cessna U206F operating on a Part 135 aerial survey flight was reported missing. The aircraft was monitoring deer migration along the Snake River, first by homing in on radio collars while flying at 2,000 feet agl and then spiraling down to 500 feet agl to visually identify the herd. The aircraft took off at about 11:45 and was last heard from at about 12:00. When it did not land as scheduled at 15:00, a search was begun. The search was suspended after six days and the pilot is presumed dead….

At 10:04 central time, a Cessna T210L was damaged during landing at Addison Airport. The pilot was not injured. While on a 1.5 mile final for runway 15, the pilot reported to Addison tower that he had an electrical fire with smoke in the cockpit and declared an emergency. Prior to landing, the tower advised the pilot that the airplanes landing gear was extended but not fully down. The pilot landed the airplane and it came to a stop on its belly on the east side of the runway. Examination of the cockpit revealed that the fire originated in a wire bundle under the instrument panel on the copilots side….

At about 21:45 eastern time, a Piper PA-28-161 was damaged when it struck approach lights while landing at Dayton/Wright Brothers Airport. The CFI and student pilot were not injured. The student was making his first night flight and, on final approach, the CFI noted the VASI was red over red. He heard the engine power begin to increase and assumed that the student was correcting to get back on glide path. The CFI realized the student was not adding enough power and was reaching for the throttle when he heard a bang. The airplane touched down short of the runway and came to rest in a grass area. The CFI said he was not aware there were approach lighting stanchions at the approach end of the…

At 15:40 Pacific time, a Cessna 210K lost engine power and made a forced landing near Oxnard. The pilot, his passenger and two dogs were not injured. The flight had been airborne for about 30 minutes when the pilot noted an abnormal vibration that increased despite his attempts to correct the problem. He declared an emergency and was given vectors to the nearest airport, but the engine quit entirely. He spotted an open area and made a forced landing off-airport, where the airplane hit trees and a fence. The original Continental IO-520 engine had been replaced 57 hours earlier by a Continental IO-550 under an STC….

At 13:46 eastern time, a Piper PA-32R-301 broke up in flight over South Kingstown, killing the three people and one dog aboard. The airplane was flying IFR from Chatham, Mass., to Philadelphia at 8,000 feet. No radio transmissions indicated there were any problems with the airplane. Transponder and radar returns showed the airplane departing cruise flight by making a descending 270-degree turn, then turning back about 30 degrees. During the turn, the descent rate increased from 1,300 fpm to 16,000 fpm. The stabilators and vertical fin were found some distance from the main wreckage. The heading indicator and the attitude indicator showed damage consistent with a loss of vacuum….

At 08:30 eastern time, a Piper PA-31-350 crashed while making an instrument approach to the Hazelhurst Airport, killing all three aboard. The flight had been cleared for an NDB or GPS runway 14 approach, which had minimums of 800 feet and one mile visibility. Witnesses said the ground level visibility was about 300 feet in fog. Radar data showed the airplane descending below 200 feet. The airplane struck 80-foot tall trees and crashed into a farmers field….

At 19:30 eastern time, the pilot of a Beech 19 lost control during an aborted landing at Greenwood Lake Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot was practicing touch and goes when, on the third one, the approach was steeper and faster than normal. The airplane floated in the flare, ballooned slightly and then landed hard as the pilot was attempting to make a go-around. The airplane was partially airborne when it exited the left side of the runway and the pilot aborted the go-around. After the pilot chopped the power, the airplane had enough speed to clear a small ditch, but the airplane nosed in on the other side….

At 13:30 central time, an Air Tractor AT-502 and a Schweizer G-164B, both agricultural airplanes, collided in flight while landing at a private airstrip near Deerpark. The Air Tractor pilot suffered minor injuries and the Schweizer pilot was not injured. The Air Tractor was on a straight-in approach for landing north at the private airstrip and the Schweizer was inbound from the west for a north landing. The Schweizers propeller struck the top of the Air Tractors fuselage, aft of the cockpit when they were about 60 feet agl. Both airplanes struck the ground together about a quarter-mile short of the runway….

At 15:16 central time, a Beechcraft 95-B55 crashed after a loss of control while maneuvering near Milltown, killing the flight instructor and the dual student. The flight had departed St. Paul, Minn., on a local instructional flight. Several witnesses reported hearing the engines stop and said they saw the airplane spiraling to the ground….

At an unknown time, a Cessna 172P was substantially damaged at an unknown location and by an unknown pilot. The Chief Flight Instructor from the operator reported that the aircraft is used for rental purposes and had been flown several times since the last maintenance inspection. On about September 4 or 5, a pilot reported that during the pre-flight inspection, he noted wrinkles in the skin on a wing. A mechanic looked at the aircraft and reported that it was okay for flight. On September 7, the aircraft went in for the scheduled 100-hour inspection. During this inspection, maintenance personnel reported the wing spar and the horizontal stabilizer spar were both bent as if they were overstre…