Preliminary Reports

At 1310 Eastern time, the airplane impacted terrain during an emergency landing. The airplane was substantially damaged and the commercial pilot was fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed. Soon after takeoff, the pilot told ATC he was losing engine oil pressure. At 1305, he requested radar vectors to the nearest airport. At 1306, the pilot notified ATC his windscreen was covered in oil. At 1308, ATC lost radar and communications with the airplane. A witness saw an airplane flying overhead and heard it “backfire.” The witness further stated that shortly thereafter, he saw smoke coming from underneath the airplane. He said that the engine appeared to be running at full power, while continuing to backfire and emit smoke until it disappeared from his sight.

The airplane was substantially damaged at about 0800 Eastern time when it impacted terrain after experiencing loss of engine power during the initial climb. The private pilot and a passenger were fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The airplane was built as a Czech military jet trainer and was certificated as an experimental aircraft in the exhibition category. Witnesses reported “…when the aircraft was abeam the numbers at the approach end of runway 10, the loud engine went silent. A few seconds later, the left wing dipped and the aircraft went into a left spiraling spin, plunging below the tree line….” Witnesses reported the pilot fueled the airplane from a tank on the back of a pickup truck. According to fuel receipts, the pilot purchased about 138 gallons of “kerosene,” 6 gallons of “off road diesel,” and 27 gallons of “diesel” fuel, the day before the accident.

At approximately 1259 Mountain time, the airplane was destroyed upon impact with terrain. The private pilot and four passengers were fatally injured. One witness, located just outside the airport perimeter, watched the airplane climb to 200-300 feet agl before the pilot began a left turn with the airplane still in a nose-high attitude. The airplane continued to turn until it reached almost 180 degrees of heading change before the airplanes nose dropped sharply. The airplane continued a dive towards the ground before the witness lost sight of the airplane behind rolling terrain.

At 1105 Eastern time the airplane was destroyed following an in-flight breakup while in cruise flight. Instrument conditions existed at the airplanes assigned cruise altitude and marginal visual conditions prevailed at the surface. The pilot and his passenger were fatally injured.

The airplane was destroyed when it collided with mountainous terrain at 0533 Eastern time. The private pilot and passenger were killed. Visual conditions prevailed at the closest weather reporting station. Preliminary radar data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that at 0520, the target was on a westbound track at 9200 feet. For the next 10 minutes, it continued, descending to 8300 feet.

The airplane collided with desert terrain at 1317 Mountain time and was substantially damaged. The commercial pilot and airline transport pilot were fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed for the upset-recovery training flight. The airplanes operator reported the flight overdue and the wreckage was located at about 1430. The two pilots were located approximately 50 feet to the north of the airplane wreckage. Both pilots were wearing parachutes. The commercial pilots parachute was found to have been activated and partially deployed. The airline transport pilots parachute had not been activated.

The pilot was landing at his destination. While approaching the airport, he listened to the AWOS and noted shifting wind conditions. He selected a runway based on the most recent wind report and, during the flare, the right wing lifted and the airplane went to the left side of the runway. The pilot applied power to abort the landing and the left wing lifted. The airplane dropped onto the runway and slid sideways until coming to rest about 100 feet from the runway. No mechanical anomalies were reported. The airplane sustained structural damage to the wings and the fuselage was wrinkled.

The pilot was not aware of the length of the runway, and did not walk/survey it prior to the takeoff from the short, wet, soft surface. He used a combination of short- and soft-field takeoff procedures, and after becoming airborne, the “P” factor seemed “unusually strong.” He applied right aileron and rudder in an attempt to maintain directional control, but the right wing then the nose and left wing contacted the ground. The pilot further stated that there was no pre-impact failure or malfunction with the airplane or its systems.

At 1019 Central time, the airplane sustained substantial damage during an emergency landing. The private pilot and the passenger were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. According to witnesses, the airplane “sounded bad” and was “weaving back and forth” as it approached the runway with its right wing low. The airplane landed, then bounced several times before coming to a complete stop. One witness said the airplane was never fully lined up with the runway.

At approximately 1900 Central time the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power and was substantially damaged during the forced-landing rollout. The pilot and sole occupant sustained minor injuries. The pilot subsequently told investigators he had purchased the airplane the day before the accident and was flying it back to his home airport. On the final leg to his destination, the airplanes engine experienced a total loss of power.