Preliminary Reports

The pilot took off around 1530 to troubleshoot a landing gear anomaly. After departing the airport area, he cycled the landing gear, and upon getting questionable indications in the cockpit of gear position, he requested another aircraft confirm his landing gear configuration. Once he got the confirmation that all three wheels were down he proceeded back to the airport.

At about 1315 Mountain time, the airplane made a forced landing following a loss of engine power. The Private pilot and single passenger were not injured; the airplane was substantially damaged. Visual conditions prevailed; an IFR flight plan had been filed. The pilot reported the airplane was cruising at FL260 when the engine quit and he saw smoke coming out of the exhaust. He performed an emergency descent to 15,000 feet, and at 12,500 feet attempted an engine restart, which was unsuccessful. He proceeded to the nearest airport and performed a no-power landing. After touchdown, the airplane continued down the runway, off the end, and into terrain and a fence.

The airplane collided with houses while on final approach at about 1022 Pacific time. The Certified Flight Instructor received serious injuries while the Private pilot undergoing instruction and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage. Instrument conditions prevailed; no flight plan had been filed.

The airplane sustained substantial damage at 1540 Central time when it collided with terrain following a loss of control while returning to land. The pilot received serious injuries. Visual conditions prevailed. Shortly after taking off, the pilot told ATC he had a problem and needed to return to land. The tower cleared the pilot to land. Witnesses reported seeing the airplane enter a steep right bank and descend to impact with the terrain.

At approximately 1530 Central time, the float-equipped airplane was substantially damaged when it collided with a 17-foot powerboat during a water takeoff. The Commercial pilot and two passengers in the airplane were not injured; the boats sole occupant was fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed.

The two scheduled regional airliners nearly collided at 1336 Pacific time. There were no reported injuries and no reported damage to aircraft. The EMB-120 was arriving; the EMB-170 was departing. After the EMB-120 came to a stop at the intersection of Runways 1L and 28R, the EMB-170 lifted off and overflew it. The initial FAA tower report estimated the aircraft missed colliding by 300 feet. However, the EMB-120 crew estimated the distance as 30 to 50 feet; the EMB-170 crew estimated 150 feet. They characterized their estimate as a “guess,” noting that they could not actually see the Brasilia as they passed over the top of the aircraft.

At 0735 Pacific time the airplane experienced a loss of engine power during cruise, made a forced landing, and came to rest inverted in a salt marsh. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The pilot was not injured; a passenger sustained minor injuries. Visual conditions prevailed.

At approximately 1910 Central time, the airplane was destroyed during a forced landing following a reported loss of engine power while in initial-takeoff climb. The Commercial pilot and passenger were fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed.

The airplane collided with terrain at about 1040 Mountain time during a circling instrument approach. The Airline Transport pilot and one passenger sustained fatal injuries; the airplane was destroyed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. A witness later stated a whistling noise got his attention. He looked up and saw an airplane below the cloud bases, turning to the right. Its attitude was about 75 to 80 degrees nose low. It made six to seven turns before it disappeared from sight behind terrain, and the radius of the turn got tighter as the airplane descended. He did not see any smoke, and the airplane appeared to be intact.

The airplane was substantially damaged during a bounced landing. The pilot stated he was too high on final approach and began to slip the airplane. As he started his flare, he noticed he was still too high and decided to reduce power to idle. The airplane bounced, became airborne and bounced again. He kept the flare going and touched down again, finally staying on the ground. He taxied to the ramp, shut down the airplane and discovered the nose-wheel tire was flat.