Preliminary Reports

At about 1020 Pacific time, a Piper PA-34-200T collided with mountainous terrain while flying the missed approach portion of the VOR/DME approach to Catalina Airport. The flight instructor, the commercial-rated student, and three passengers were killed. The flight was cleared for the VOR/NDB-B approach to Catalina Airport and contacted Unicom for the current weather, which included a 100-foot overcast ceiling and 1.25 miles visibility. The approach path for the VOR/NDB-B approach is on a heading of 172 degrees with an MDA of 2,100 feet msl. The missed approach procedure calls for a straight ahead climb to 3,200 feet msl toward the Santa Catalina VOR followed by a hold. The VOR is on top of M…

At about 1312 mountain time, a Piper J3C-65 airplane and a Schleicher ASK-21 aerobatic glider collided in flight and were destroyed about one-half mile north of the Pleasant Valley Airport, Peoria, Ariz. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger in the Piper and the pilot and passenger in the glider were killed. According to witnesses familiar with operations at the airport, the Piper departed runway 05L and made a climbing left turn to a left downwind at pattern altitude of about 600 feet agl. The Schleicher glider was performing aerobatic maneuvers in a predetermined aerobatic box north of the airport. The glider was performing a loop between 800 and 600 feet agl when the Piper flew into its pat…

At about 1115 eastern time, a Cessna 441 was destroyed by impact with a lake in a residential area in Greenacres City. The pilot was killed. The pilot contacted Palm Beach International Airport to request a practice ILS approach. The pilot was instructed by the controller to proceed northwest and maintain 2,500 feet. When the airplane was five miles southwest of the airport, ATC instructed the pilot to turn southbound due to inbound traffic from the west. During the final two minutes of the flight, radar coverage was intermittent. The airplane changed heading and lost altitude with each radar return. In the last 15 seconds of the flight the airplanes vertical descent speed approached 6,000…

At 1950 central time, a Cessna 182K struck wires and crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Birmingham International Airport following a loss of engine power. The pilot and two passengers received minor injuries. The pilot said he was arriving on an IFR flight plan when the engine lost power on approach. The airplane collided with a power line as the pilot maneuvered for the emergency landing. Examination found the throttle cable separated from the throttle linkage….

At 0439 eastern time, a Socata TBM 700 crashed after failing to climb while departing Reading Regional Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot came on duty at 0400 and moved the plane out of its hangar. He observed snow blowing off the top of the wing. Electing not to apply de-icing fluid, he taxied to runway 13 and made an intersection takeoff. The pilot said he wanted to minimize his ground time exposure due to the moderate snow fall. The pilot rotated at 85 knots. He felt the aircraft shaking about three or four seconds after takeoff, which he attributed to an engine vibration. He realized the airplane was not climbing and pulled back on the control yoke. The stall horn sounded and…

At 2115 eastern time, a Piper PA-23-250 was substantially damaged by fire at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. The pilot was not injured. The Part 135 cargo flight had originated at Morristown, N.J., and was taxiing to the ramp at Buffalo after landing when the pilot noticed a burning smell in the cockpit, and then an orange glow at his feet. An FAA inspector found that the fire had burned a hole through the fuselage skin near the Janitrol heater. The entire area forward of the Janitrol heater, including the instrument panel, was consumed by fire. The pilot stated that his normal procedure for using the Janitrol heater was to turn it off at the same time he extended the landing gear…

At 1050 eastern time, a Cessna 414 was destroyed after the pilot declared an engine ice emergency during a circling approach to runway 23 at Greeneville-Greene County Municipal Airport. The pilot was a recent FAA Southern Region CFI of the Year. Three passengers were also killed, and a pilot-rated passenger was seriously injured. During radio communications with Tri Cities approach, the pilot reported that he had the AWOS report from Greeneville and the approach controller advised the pilot to expect some light icing from about 6,000 feet all the way down. The pilot was vectored to and cleared for the Localizer Rwy 5 approach.The pilot subsequently reported on the CTAF that he was planning…

At about 1515 eastern time, a Beech 35 was damaged while landing at the Laconia Municipal Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot reported the right brake was not functioning as the airplane touched down on runway 26, a 5,286-foot long asphalt runway. The pilot attempted to move his leg over to the right seat rudder pedals in an effort to use the brakes on that side. During the process, he inadvertently pushed the throttle to the full forward position with his knee. The airplane then departed the left side of the runway, proceeded over a grass area, over an embankment, and came to rest in a swamp….

At about 1645 eastern time, a Cessna U206G on floats crashed while attempting to land on Lake Thonotosassa. The pilot and passenger were killed. The flight originated at Vandenberg Airport, Tampa, Fla., about 10 minutes prior to the accident. A witness who had seen the accident airplane over the lake many times before noticed that this time the landing gear was down. He said that when the airplane made contact with the water, it immediately nose-dived and flipped straight over. The airplane then sank inverted to the level of the pontoons, with the landing gear remaining extended above the pontoons….

At 1550 Pacific time, a Beech B55 was damaged during a precautionary landing in an open field near Angwin after multiple weather-related diversions. The pilot and one passenger were not injured. The cross-country flight originated in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., about three hours earlier with a destination of Placerville, Calif. A preflight weather briefing had indicated clear weather along the route, but the weather started to deteriorate about 50 miles outside of Placerville. The pilot contacted the airport Unicom and was advised that the airport was zero, zero. He decided to divert to Sacramento, where he received a Special VFR clearance. Sacramento weather included overcast ceilings betwee…