Preliminary Reports

At approximately 1045 Pacific time, a Lancair LC41, prototype for the Lancair 400, crashed about 15 miles east of Bend during spin testing. The pilot bailed out and was not injured. The pilot had been conducting a series of spin entry and recovery tests, and had intentionally entered a fully developed spin. During the final spin, the flight controls were insufficient to recover, so he deployed the spin recovery/stabilization drogue parachute. After he recovered from the spin, he was unable to jettison the drogue chute with either the manual or backup system. He attempted to establish controlled flight with the chute attached, but was unable. He then bailed out. Initial examination of the wre…

At 1529 eastern time, a Piper PA-46-310P crashed while trying to return to the airport shortly after takeoff from Hilton Head Airport. The pilot and passenger were killed. The pilot took off and, four minutes later, declared an emergency on the airports common traffic advisory frequency. The pilot said he was making an immediate return. One witness heard the CTAF broadcast mention something about a cover off and said the airplane was trailing what appeared to be smoke from the left wing tip only. Initial examination of the airplane, which was modified to use a turboprop engine, showed the left inboard fuel cap was missing. It was found in the grass beside the departure runway….

At about 1500 Alaska time, a float-equipped Cessna 185 was landing on the water when it collided with a personal watercraft on Big Lake. The pilot was not injured but the operator of the watercraft received serious injuries. The pilot said he scanned the landing area from 500 feet as he overflew the lake, and again at 100 feet during the landing approach. As the airplane touched down, the pilot noticed a blurred object on the right side of the airplane and then felt and heard an impact on the right float. When the airplane settled off step, the pilot turned the airplane and observed the watercraft and rider. He noticed other witnesses coming to the aid of the rider and the airplane began to…

At 0859 eastern time, an unregistered Hawker Hunter T Mk 7A crashed shortly after takeoff from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, killing the pilot. The airplane was operated by Northern Lights Aerobatic Team, which had just purchased the airplane and was ferrying it to Canada. The airplane was based at Wilkes-Barre after it was imported from the United Kingdom and it was sold in June 2002 to a company in Florida. When a pilot tried to deliver the airplane to the buyer, he experienced mechanical difficulties and returned to Wilkes-Barre. The airplane sat in unpreserved storage for a year at Wilkes-Barre. Northern Lights bought the airplane in June 2003 and replaced the Rolls Royce…

At 2045 Pacific time, an amateur-built Smith Miniplane lost engine power during cruise and crashed 14 miles north-northeast of Winnemucca. The pilot was not injured. The pilot reported he was en route to Oshkosh, Wisc., when he got lost and was running low on fuel. He landed on a road, taxied to a local gas station and filled the airplanes tanks. On takeoff, he struck a sign. An NTSB investigator said the pilot told her he would fix the dent, but she said she could not give him permission to fly the airplane. The pilot later stated to an FAA investigator that he then removed the damaged wing tip, applied duct tape to the tip and took off. He again became lost and the engine quit again. He s…

At 1054 Pacific time, a Beech V35B lost engine power and was damaged in the resulting forced landing near Livermore. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said he departed San Jose at 7 a.m. with 60 gallons of fuel on board and flew to Reno, Nev., via Freso, Calif. He then left Reno without refueling and was returning to San Jose. The engine lost power in cruise flight and he was unable to get the engine to restart using the fuel selector and boost pumps. During recovery, the airplane was found to have 7 ounces of fuel in the left tank and 9.5 gallons in the right tank. The fuel selector was found in the OFF position. The engine ran with no anomalies after recovery….

At about 1045 Pacific time, an amateur-built Lancair IV-P was damaged during takeoff from North Las Vegas Airport. The pilot suffered minor injuries and two passengers were not injured. The pilot said the airplane settled back on the runway after rotation. He continued the takeoff and the airplane again became airborne, then drifted to the right side of the runway and settled again, causing the landing gear to collapse. The pilot said he had been advised by air traffic control prior to departure of possible wake turbulence. He thought he had waited about one minute before starting the takeoff….

At about 1400 central time, an American Champion 8KCAB crashed into power lines across the Red River. The pilot and passenger were uninjured. A power company representative estimated the height of one wire to be about 60 feet above the water and the other wire to be about 56 feet above the water….

At about 2013 Alaska time, a Cessna 207 on a Part 135 trip was damaged when it struck a fence in a football complex in Anchorage. The pilot and one passenger were not injured. One passenger suffered minor injuries and one passenger was seriously injured. The flight departed Tyonek about a half-hour earlier. The pilot said he was approaching the destination airport at about 800 feet msl when the engine began running rough. He attempted to restore power, but the engine failed completely. He noted a complex of athletic fields below, but all of the baseball fields were in use, so he elected to land on a track within a football stadium. During touchdown, the airplanes left wing collided with a c…

At about 1600 eastern time, a Stinson 108 was damaged while landing at White Post Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said he had just completed an annual inspection of the airplane and had also overhauled the engine. After a normal takeoff, he returned for landing. As he added the final notch of flaps, he said he heard a ping and the airplane dove toward the ground. He was unable to arrest the descent and the airplane hit hard and nosed over. An FAA inspector found that when the control yoke was moved through its full range of motion, it struck the radio rack, which restricted its rearward motion….