Preliminary Reports

At approximately 2045 Central time, the helicopter was destroyed when it impacted water following an in-flight collision with power lines while maneuvering near Cushing, Okla. The Commercial pilot and a passenger sustained fatal injuries; three passengers were seriously injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The flight had been chartered to provide sightseeing rides to guests at a birthday party. The wreckage was located in the middle of the Cimarron River in approximately four to five feet of water. The helicopter impacted and severed three power lines approximately 30 to 40 feet above the river….

At 1150 Eastern time, the Skyhawk was substantially damaged when the nose gear collapsed during a landing attempt. Visual conditions prevailed for the solo instructional flight; the student pilot was not injured. The pilot later reported crossing the runway threshold approximately 100 feet above ground level and then reducing engine power to idle. During the landing flare, the airplane touched down with a mild impact, followed by a bounce. The pilot continued to flare, with no additional engine power, and the second touchdown was harder than the first. No additional corrective action was attempted for the third touchdown, which broke the nosewheel. The prop hit the pavement and the plane…

At about 2108 local time, the Mooney was substantially damaged during an ILS Runway 36 approach to the Waterbury-Oxford Airport; the Private pilot was fatally injured. Night IMC prevailed for the flight, which originated in Burlington, Vt. The accident site was about mile from Runway 36 and 1000 feet east of its extended runway centerline. A witness heard a low flying airplane, with the engine running continuously; just prior to the accident, the engine revved to high power and he observed lights over the treetops. He then heard the sound of impact as the airplane came to rest at an adjacent residence. The reported weather included a broken ceiling at 200 feet AGL….

Selected recent general aviation and airline accidents

The Cessna was destroyed during a late-night forced landing following a loss of power, although the solo pilot was uninjured. The flight originated in Coleman, Texas, about midnight with Llano, Texas, as its intended destination. Subsequently, the pilot reported a loss of engine power during cruise flight. The pilot elected to land in a pasture and, during the landing roll, the airplane impacted a tree with the left wing, spun around and collided with a fence. Examination of the wreckage revealed gallon of fuel in the left tank; the right fuel tank was found empty. The pilot reported that he had flown the airplane about 4.3 hours since its last refueling….

At about 1430 local time, the Piper Arrow hit a runway construction barricade during a simulated forced landing at the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport (DKB)and was substantially damaged. The pilot and flight instructor were practicing a simulated forced landing to a runway with its threshold displaced 600 feet for construction. Both the first 600 feet of the existing runway surface and the new pavement were marked with yellow painted chevrons, indicating those portions of pavement were closed for landing, takeoff and taxiing. There were four construction barricades positioned at the intersection of the existing and new pavement sections. During the simulated forced landing, the pilot felt th…

At 1710 local time, the DA-40 the homebuilt Giles 202 collided on final approach to Runway 18 at Georgetown Municipal Airport (GTU). Both airplanes were substantially damaged with the DA-40 pilot sustaining minor injuries; The Giles 202 pilot was seriously injured. A witness located at the self-serve refueling area, reported seeing the DA-40 on final approach when he noticed the Giles 202 on a very high short left base, with a relatively high sink rate. The witness stated that the DA-40 was on final at an approximate altitude of 200 feet AGL, with the Giles 202 overtaking the DA-40 quickly. Subsequently, the Giles 202 collided with the DA-40 approximately 50 feet AGL. Another witness, ta…

The Piper Navajo was substantially damaged after an explosion in its right wing during a takeoff attempt. No one among the Airline Transport-rated pilot or the six passengers aboard were injured. The pilot later told investigators that, about 700 feet into the takeoff roll, the left engine seemed to lose a little manifold pressure, and the pilot aborted the takeoff. While decreasing power during the aborted takeoff, the outboard section of the right wing exploded. The airplane was stopped on the runway, and its occupants evacuated. Examination revealed that the upper and lower portions of the outboard wing skin had separated from the wing structure. All wiring routed though the wing sectio…

After being cleared to descend from 8000 feet, the Piper Seminole collided with mountainous terrain while in cruise. Night VMC prevailed for the IFR flight from Phoenix Deer Valley to McClellan-Palomar Airport, Carlsbad, Calif.; both private pilots were fatally injured and the airplane was destroyed. Traveling west and approaching the Julian VOR, the airplane descended to 5200 feet in response to an ATC instruction. The airplane subsequently impacted trees on a 5500-foot ridgeline, 668 feet southeast of the Julian VOR….

At about 0700 local time, the Piper Seminole collided with terrain. The CFI, a certificated Private pilot receiving instruction and one passenger sustained fatal injuries; the airplane was destroyed. Maneuvers scheduled for the flight included power-on and -off stalls, slow-flight maneuvering, engine shutdown and feathering procedures, single-engine maneuvering and a Vmc demonstration, as well as approaches and landings. Witnesses reported that they saw the airplane rotating as it descended. One witness described its descent as a falling leaf. The operating arms of both main gear actuators were extended, which the airframe manufacturers representative said corresponded to the gear-down po…