Preliminary Reports

The King Air was destroyed at about 0830 Eastern time when it impacted Big Mountain, near Rupert, W.V. The Airline Transport Pilot and Commercial pilot board were fatally injured. Instrument conditions prevailed near the accident site; no flight plan had been filed for the positioning flight from Summersville, W.V., to Lewisburg, W.V. According to an FAA inspector, the flightcrew intended to meet passengers at Lewisburg and take them to Charlotte, N.C. Prior to the flight, the flightcrew obtained a weather briefing and filed an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan for the second leg of the trip to Charlotte. However, the flightcrew did not file a flight plan for the first leg of the tri…

At about 1137 Alaska time, the twin-engine turboprop was destroyed during an in-flight collision with tree-covered terrain, about 10 miles east of Kodiak, Alaska. The airplane was being operated non-scheduled domestic cargo flight under FAR Part 135 during the accident flight. The solo Airline Transport Pilot was fatally injured. Instrument conditions prevailed at the destination airport and an IFR flight plan was filed. According to the FAA, the flight departed Anchorage at 0955. As the flight approached Kodiak, the ceiling and visibility lowered, and the pilot elected hold east of the airport to await more favorable weather. After holding for about 45 minutes, the weather had improved and…

At about 0945 Eastern time the airplane crashed off the end of the runway at Crystal River, Fla. Visual conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The Private pilot and three passengers were uninjured, although the airplane was substantially damaged. The flight had originated in Sarasota, Fla., about 45 minutes earlier. While in level cruise flight at 8000 feet, the engine started running roughly. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude, declared an emergency with the Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center, and was given vectors for an airport at Crystal River, Fla. The pilot later stated that he flew the subsequent approach to a forced landing with t…

At 0324 Eastern time the helicopter was destroyed when it impacted trees and terrain near Killingly, Conn. The Commercial pilot and a Private pilot were fatally injured. Night instrument conditions prevailed, but no flight plan had been filed for the Part 91 positioning flight from Scranton, Penn., to the Theodore Francis (T.F.) Green State Airport (PVD) in Providence, R.I. Preliminary downloaded data from a handheld GPS unit found at the crash site revealed that the helicopter had departed Scranton at 0047. It then proceeded east, along Interstate 84, to Middletown, N.Y., turned southeast, along Route 17, then south, along Interstate 87. The helicopter subsequently passed Nyack, N.Y., cross…

The Cessna was presumed destroyed when it impacted Lake Erie while in cruise flight near Dunkirk, N.Y., at approximately 1050 Eastern time. The solo Commercial pilot was fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed for the flight that departed Flint, Mich., for Jamestown, N.Y. Earlier, the airplane was cruising at 9000 feet and in contact with ATC. The airplane was cleared to descend to 5000 feet at the pilots discretion and was deviating around thunderstorm activity when radar and radio communication was lost. Initial radar data revealed that at 1049:30, the airplane was at 7400 feet when it began a right turn. Th…

At about 2345 Eastern time, the Skyhawk collided with rising terrain during an instructional flight in visual conditions. Both the instructor and student were injured and the airplane was substantially damaged. The flight was en route to Thomson, Ga., and encountered lowering ceilings. After descending to 3500 feet, the airplane collided with trees….

The helicopter collided with trees and was substantially damaged at 0530 Eastern time during a cross-country flight from Greer, S.C., that had begin at about 0300 that morning. Instrument conditions prevailed but no flight plan had been filed. The flight instructor and two passengers were fatally injured. A witness reported hearing a helicopter over a residential area and, shortly afterward, heard an explosion. The helicopter was found engulfed in flames. Efforts by the witnesses to extinguish the flames were unsuccessful. No radio communication was received from the pilot prior to the accident….

At 1439 Pacific time, the accident aircraft made a forced landing near Perris, Calif., following loss of engine power. Neither the Private pilot nor his four passengers were injured; however, the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight. The pilot subsequently stated that he leveled the airplane at 10,500 feet msl after its initial climb. While configuring the airplane for cruise, he noticed the oil pressure needle was in the yellow-green arc transition area, with the oil warning light flickering intermittently. The pilot then decided to turn back to his departure airport. About five minutes later, the engine started to vibrate and subse…

At approximately 1545 Central time, the airplane substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power. No one among the Private pilot and three passengers aboard the airplane was injured. Visual conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight that departed Raton, N.M., with Seminole, Okla., as its destination. At 10,400 feet during cruise climb, the engine lost power. The pilot later stated that he switched fuel tanks, pushed the throttle full forward, cycled the magnetos, and turned the boost pump on. The engine did not regain power, so the pilot initiated emergency procedures and informed ATC that he would make an emergency landing. During the forced landing in…

At about 1020 Mountain time, the Columbia 300 veered off Runway 24 during the landing roll. There were no injuries, but the airplane sustained substantial damage. According to a witness in a Cessna 150, a dust devil was in the area; it had lifted his airplane approximately 10 feet during a landing attempt. He recovered, then completed his landing. As he cleared the runway, he radioed a warning to the accident pilot. As the accident pilot landed, the witness watched the airplane encounter the same dust devil during landing. The wind turned the Lancair to the north and the airplane traveled off of the right side of the runway. The nose gear was sheared from the airplane and the right wing wa…