Aviation Safety

At 20:23 eastern time, a Yakovlev YAK-52 crashed during a severe rainstorm near Washington, killing the pilot. The flight was en route from Wurtsboro, N.Y., to Providence, R.I., on the last leg of a flight from Arlington, Wash. The pilot had just purchased the airplane and was flying it home. The airplane was equipped for IMC flight, but the previous owner warned the pilot not to fly in IMC or night VFR because the layout of the flight instrument panel was unconventional. Weather radar showed an area of heavy precipitation at the accident site at the time of the crash. Two witnesses reported hearing the plane pass close to their house and then heard and felt the impact, and then smelled a fi…

At about 16:05 eastern time, a Cessna 310C lost engine power and crashed in the ensuing forced landing at Reidsville Municipal Airport. The pilot and four passengers suffered minor injuries, but the airplane was destroyed. The flight had originated earlier in the day at Niagara Falls, N.Y., and had made a fuel stop in Hickory, N.C., departing about 14:15. All four fuel tanks had been topped off at Hickory. The pilot took off on the main (tip) tanks, cruised on the inboard tanks until they were nearly empty, then switched back to the main tanks. After about 20 minutes, the engines began to surge and lose power. The pilot diverted to Reidsville but could not make the runway. The pilot said the…

At 15:13 central time, a Mooney M20M crashed about a mile north of Evansville Regional Airport as the pilot was attempting to return to the airport after takeoff. The pilot and passenger were killed. The pilot reported smoke in the cockpit and then said there was a fire onboard at an unspecified location. The flight, planned to be an IFR flight to Indianapolis, had taken off only a minute earlier….

At about 17:00 mountain time, a Cessna 172 crashed into terrain while in cruise flight near Lindsay. The pilot, who was seriously injured, had opened a VFR flight plan about 35 minutes earlier. The aircraft was in cruise flight at 300 feet agl when the pilot was distracted by tuning a radio….

At 08:30 central time, a Cirrus SR-20 lost engine power and was damaged while landing in a field near St. Bonifacius. The pilot and passenger were seriously injured. The flight was en route from Minneapolis to Rapid City, S.D. Examination of the engine revealed three punctures in the top of the crankcase at cylinders number 1, 2 and 4. A 2-inch diameter piece of the crankcase rested on top of the engine. The oil drain plug was absent. The threads at the oil drain port showed no damage or evidence of safety wiring. There was no evidence of oil in the engine….

At 07:55 eastern time, a Beech 200 crashed into the instrument approach light system for runway 23L while landing at the Indianapolis International Airport. The pilot and eight passengers reported no injuries. The pilot said the weather was IMC with heavy rain and 1 miles visibility. The approach lights were visible at the outer marker. The flight encountered heavy chop about 300 yards from the end of the runway. A pilot-rated passenger said the runway was in sight when the rain got so heavy that forward visibility was negligible….

At 13:05 central time, a Cessna 150G crashed after takeoff from a private strip near Sargent, killing the pilot. The flight was originating at the time, destined for Baycity, Texas. A witness said the pilot had tried to start the airplane a week earlier, but the engine ran very roughly. On the day of the accident, the owner of the airstrip helped the pilot pull the airplane out of mud in which it had become stuck. It was raining heavily at the time, and the pilot did not perform a preflight inspection or runup. The airplane took off and climbed to about 100 feet agl when it stalled and spun to the ground. Witnesses said the weather conditions at the time were a thunderstorm. Initial invest…

At 13:15 central time, a Beech 95-B55 crashed near Alvarado after the pilot lost control. The pilot and flight instructor were killed. The pilot was the owner of the flight school that operated the airplane, and the flight instructor was the chief pilot. The pilot, who was already multi rated, was working on proficiency. A witness reported hearing the airplanes engine sounds change, then saw the airplane in what appeared to be a flat spin at about 1,500 feet agl. The engines revved again, but the airplanes attitude did not change. The airplane landed in a flat attitude with no ground scars except those beneath it. The landing gear was extended and the flaps were in an approach position….

At 14:35 eastern time, a Piper PA-34-200T struck rocks while making a forced landing onto the shoreline at Petoskey after apparently running out of fuel. IMC prevailed. The pilot and one passenger suffered minor injuries, while five other passengers were uninjured. The pilot had flown to Mackinac Island the previous evening and the pilot calculated he had enough fuel to get from Mackinac Island to Pellston, Mich. (Fuel is unavailable at Mackinac Island.) He had about 12 gallons in each tank at takeoff and Pellston was about 10 minutes away. The pilot said the vectors he was given resulted in a 90-degree intercept of the final approach course and he flew through the localizer. The controller…

At 14:40 eastern time, a Cessna 210M broke up in flight near Pittsfield, killing both people aboard. The airplane was cruising at 11,000 feet on an IFR flight plan when it began making several turns left and right, eventually heading in the opposite direction. The airplane then lost 4,000 feet in 24 seconds, at which point transponder returns were lost. Primary returns continued for another 90 seconds. Several witnesses reported hearing a crack and seeing the airplane spiraling down under high power with much of its left wing missing. One Airmet had been issued for occasional moderate turbulence below 10,000 feet and another one had been issued for occasional moderate rime or mixed icing. Th…