Aviation Safety

At 15:35 Pacific time, a Cessna 177RG struck mountainous terrain during approach to Pauma Valley Airport. The pilot and passenger suffered minor injuries. The pilot said he was descending VFR and was on an extended downwind when he intentionally flew into what appeared to be an isolated cloud. The cloud was larger than he anticipated and eventually he saw vegetation on a mountainside a short distance in front of them. The airplane crashed on upsloping terrain….

At about 21:22 eastern time, a Venezuelan Beech C-90 crashed while on final approach to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. One passenger was killed and the pilot and another passenger were seriously injured. The flight had originated in Caracas more than six hours earlier. When Miami Approach handed the flight off to the FLL Tower controller five minutes earlier, the flight was No. 1 for landing. The flight was cleared to land two minutes before the accident. One minute before the accident, the pilot transmitted I need the field, I have difficulties here … small problem with engine. At that point the aircraft was about 500 feet agl and 3/4 -mile from the landing threshold. Th…

At 19:40 eastern time, a homebuilt Sonerai II was damaged during an aborted takeoff from a private airstrip. The pilot suffered minor injuries. The pilot said the airplane had been stored at his residence since he purchased it 2 years earlier. This was his first flight in the airplane. The pilot said the airplane lost its climb rate at about 15 feet agl and put it into some brush because he did not think it would clear trees at the end of the 2,500-foot turf runway….

At about 16:35 eastern time, a Piper PA-25-235 operating as a glider tow flight lost engine power and crashed in the ensuing forced landing. The pilot said he was towing a glider at 2,500 to 2,800 feet when the engine failed. He released the glider and made for a forced landing at Spartanburg Downtown Memorial Airport. He declared an emergency on the Unicom frequency but then heard a Learjet pilot state that he was going to take the active runway. He immediately asked the Learjet pilot to hold his position, but got no response. The Learjet taxied onto runway 23. The accident pilot then turned toward a closed runway and crossed over the centerline of runway 05/23 at about 1,000 feet. He then…

At 19:00 eastern time, a Cessna 208B lost power and ditched into the Atlantic Ocean 20 miles east of Fort Lauderdale. The pilot and co-pilot were not injured. The pilot said they were cruising at 6,500 feet from Freeport, Bahamas when the engine came to a screeching halt. Attempts to restore engine power failed and all warning lights in the cockpit illuminated except for the fire light….

At 12:55 Pacific time, a Cessna 337G struck power lines about five miles south of Temecula. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The flight had departed San Diego about 20 minutes earlier and was destined for French Valley Airport. The airplane struck power lines approximately 120 feet agl while over Interstate 15. The airplanes windshield was broken out, doorposts were bent, and wing struts were damaged, but the pilot continued the flight to his intended destination, which was the nearest airport….

At 14:20 Pacific time, a Canadian-registered Cessna U206G struck trees five miles east/northeast of Mica. The pilot was killed. IMC prevailed and the flight was on a VFR flight plan from Renton, Wash., to Spokane and then on to Calgary, Alberta. The pilot contacted Spokane Approach at 13:51 and reported his position as 15 miles south of Spokane, tracking inbound on a 006 degree magnetic heading at 2,700 feet. He requested the weather and vectors to land and, when asked to squawk 0345, advised he was experiencing some transponder trouble. The aircraft was not radar identified. Less than 10 minutes later the pilot radioed that he would head toward Coeur DAlene, Idaho, or seek a small airpor…

At 04:10 central time, a Cessna 182A struck power lines and crashed near Baytown, Texas. The two individuals, who were not pilots and were flying the airplane, were not injured. It was reported by local authorities that the two individuals had stolen the aircraft. The local flight departed a private grass airstrip at 03:30….

At 12:15 eastern time, a Cessna 402C crashed just after takeoff from Logan International Airport. The pilot reported minor injuries. The pilot had requested an intersection departure on runway 22R. The ground controller advised the pilot that there would be a delay due to wake turbulence from a departing Boeing 737-300, and the pilot replied that he would waive the wake turbulence delay. A witness said the airplane was passing through 30 feet with the gear retracting when it made an abrupt left roll to 110 degrees left wing down. The left wing then struck the runway and the airplane crashed. The 737 pilot estimated he used about 5,000 feet of runway before taking off. The accident pilot de…

At 17:22 central time, a Cessna 172N struck trees during an emergency landing at Georgetown Municipal Airport. The pilot and his two passengers received minor injuries. The flight departed Hutchinson, Kan., at 12:50, with a planned destination of Austin, Texas. The pilot said he had flown from Austin to Hutchinson a few days earlier without refueling and planned to make the return trip without a fuel stop. The fuel gauges read empty as the flight passed Georgetown, but the pilot did not believe the gauges and continued the flight. When the airplane was four miles past Georgetown, the pilot reported the airplane was out of fuel. The pilot tried to return to Georgetown but crashed short of…