Aviation Safety

At about 19:00 Pacific time, a Cessna 152 lost engine power during cruise flight. In the ensuing forced landing, the airplane struck a utility pole. The pilot suffered a minor injury. The pilot said he had departed North Las Vegas about 3 hours, 30 minutes earlier with full tanks. The pilot said the left fuel gauge read empty and the right gauge read one-quarter when the engine quit. The left tank was found dry and approximately 1.3 gallons of fuel were found in the right fuel tank….

At 05:22 central time, a Beech 58 crashed 1 miles short while on the localizer approach to runway 31 at Dubuque Regional Airport, killing the pilot. The pilot had reported for duty at 2 p.m. the day before and flew seven legs under Part 135. The accident flight was a Part 91 positioning flight. The glideslope had been decommissioned Aug. 13, but the pilot was aware of that. The pilots kneeboard showed he was given the 04:55 weather, with a few clouds at 100 feet, overcast 500 feet, visibility -mile in fog. Shortly before the accident, observed weather had deteriorated, with the clouds at 100 feet becoming a broken layer. The published approachs minimum descent altitude of 1,540 gives a h…

At 03:15 eastern time, a Piper PA-28-181 lost power and struck trees about four miles west of Brunswick; Glynco Jetport. The pilot and passenger suffered minor injuries. The flight was en route IFR from Nashville, Tenn., to Orlando, Fla., when the pilot determined he was low on fuel. He asked for vectors to the nearest airport, but lost power nine miles out. The tanks were found dry….

At about 14:10 eastern time, a Cessna 172D crashed while returning to land at Argyle Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said the oil access door popped open shortly after takeoff when he was at about 150 feet agl. He decided to return for a landing and made a left turn toward the airport. He said the airplane then lost lift because of strong wind and the airplane struck the ground about -mile from the approach end of runway 21. Wind at an airport eight miles away was reported as 190 degrees at 14 knots, gusting to 18 knots….

At 15:38 central time, a Beech 200 made a hard landing on runway 21 at Lee Fine Memorial Airport. Winds were 13 gusting to 31 at the time. The pilot aborted the landing and returned to Saint Louis, Mo., from which the flight originated. When he landed in St. Louis, the airplane veered off the runway and struck a VASI, then continued across a taxiway and stopped short of T-hangars. The pilot was uninjured. Part of the left main landing gear was found on runway 21 in Osage Beach. …

At about 13:30 eastern time, a Maule M7-260 was damaged while landing on a private lake in North Lima, Ohio. The pilot was not injured. The pilot reportedly landed on the lake with the landing gear inadvertently in the extended position, and the airplane flipped over….

At approximately 20:45 central time, a Bellanca 17-30A lost power after takeoff from Clarendon Municipal Airport and was damaged in the ensuing forced landing. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot told investigators he was climbing through 500 feet when he heard a popping sound and the engine lost power. He turned back to the airport, but landed in rough terrain three miles south….