Preliminary Reports

At 0855 Pacific time, the airplane impacted trees while maneuvering. The airline transport pilot and his two passengers received fatal injuries, and the aircraft was destroyed by the impact and a post-crash fire. The business flight was operating in an area of fog and low visibility.

The 79-hour solo student pilot later said he was on final approach at an indicated airspeed of 70 knots with the airplane configured with 20-degrees of flaps. After crossing over trees at the north end of the runway and while “still descending in a nose-down attitude…the airplane literally dropped out of the air.” The airplane struck the runway, collapsing the nose gear, and skidded approximately 900 feet before coming to rest on the main landing gear and the bottom of the engine cowling.

At 1937 Pacific time, the airplane experienced a loss of power and encountered rough terrain during a forced landing on the desert floor. The airplane sustained structural damage to the firewall and fuselage areas. The private pilot and one passenger were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed.

The airplane was destroyed upon impacting mountainous terrain while in a climb at approximately 1930 Pacific time. Both the left-seat and right-seat certificated airline transport pilots sustained fatal injuries. Visual dark night conditions prevailed. A local law enforcement helicopter pilot, who was on an aerial patrol mission at the time of the accident, subsequently reported observing an explosion in mountainous terrain southwest of Las Vegas. The pilot stated he flew directly to the impact area, which took approximately five to seven minutes.

At about 1200 Pacific time, the airplane collided with terrain in a citrus grove during an attempted emergency landing. The private pilot and two passengers sustained fatal injuries; the airplane was destroyed. Visual conditions prevailed. A review of the communications reveals the pilot requested to divert to Bakersfield, Calif., for a “fuel stop.” At 1127, the airplane began a descent from FL210. At 1155, the ATC tower at Bakersfield received a radio call from the airplane, declaring an emergency due to engine problems. Witnesses near the accident site observed the airplane flying southbound, with the wings rocking side to side, until the airplane rolled to the right before impacting the citrus grove.

The airplane was substantially damaged at about 1600 Eastern time during a forced landing following a total loss of engine power. The solo private pilot was not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot subsequently reported was ferrying the airplane back to his home airport after an annual inspection. After an uneventful takeoff, and at about 60 feet agl, the engine lost all power. The pilot subsequently performed a forced landing to a field. During the landing, the nose gear and firewall sustained substantial damage. The pilot further stated he thought the fuel selector was positioned to the right main fuel tank during takeoff, and that he moved the fuel selector to “OFF” after the forced landing.

At 1021 Central time, the airplane was substantially damaged when its nose landing gear collapsed while landing. The flight crew of three and the five passengers aboard were not injured and evacuated unassisted through the main cabin door. In a written statement, the pilot reported that, soon after the nosewheel touched down, “a violent vibration or shaking was felt, full back force was applied to the control yoke and the vibration eased until the aircraft slowed further and the vibration returned. The nose landing gear collapsed to the right side of the nose and the aircraft skidded to a stop.”

The airplane was landed gear-up at about 0850 Mountain time. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. However, the aircraft sustained substantial damage. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot subsequently reported he was initially inbound for landing on Runway 32, which was changed to Runway 35. He stated he felt “rushed” by ATC due to aircraft sequencing while he set the flaps, lowered the landing gear and set the propellers in no certain sequence. The pilot added that he did not verify their positions prior to landing. Subsequently, the aircraft landed gear-up.

At 1125 Mountain time, the special light-sport airplane sustained substantial damage following a loss of control during landing. The flight instructor and student sport pilot were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The airplane touched down on its main wheels, then the nose wheel was lowered, slightly right of the runway centerline. The instructor asked the student to apply light rudder pressure during the roll-out to realign the aircraft with the runway centerline. Ample left rudder pressure was applied and countered with opposite right rudder pressure, resulting in pilot-induced oscillations.

The two airplanes collided in mid-air about six miles north of Tacoma Narrows Airport (TIW), Tacoma, Wash., at approximately 1245 Pacific time. The private pilot and sole occupant of the Cessna 182A was not injured. The private pilot of the American Champion Aircraft 7GCBC was not injured; his passenger sustained minor injuries. Visual conditions prevailed. The Cessna departed from Pierce County Airport-Thun Field (PLU) approximately 15 minutes before the accident. The 7GCBC departed from Crest Airpark (S36) at an unknown time with an intended destination of TIW.