Preliminary Reports

At 1428 eastern time, a Cessna 414 ditched into Long Island Sound about six miles north of Port Jefferson. The pilot was not injured. The flight had departed Orlando, Fla., about four hours earlier with an estimated 5.5 hours of fuel on board. As the pilot neared his destination of Westchester County Airport, he encountered air traffic control delays. He became concerned about his fuel status and informed the controller that he had minimum fuel. He was vectored to Bridgeport, Conn., but during the descent the engines stopped. The pilot informed the controller he was going to ditch and made a soft water landing. After exiting the airplane, the pilot said he got hit in the face with a wave tha…

At 1914 Pacific time, an Aero Vodochody L-39 crashed while performing team aerobatic maneuvers in the vicinity of Tracy. The pilot was killed. A flight of three Aero Vodochody L-39s were practicing low-level team aerobatics in a designated aerobatic box area. Witnesses said the airplane had completed a series of aileron rolls at an altitude of approximately 1,300 to 1,700 feet agl when the accident airplane appeared to level off, then start to descend and wander to the left, eventually crashing at approximately a 60-degree nose down angle….

At 1105 Pacific time, a Piper PA-44-180 struck the ground during an instrument departure from Livermore Municipal Airport. The flight instructor and instrument-rated student were not injured. The flight departed on a standard instrument departure and were cleared to 4,000 feet. The instructor said they then responded to a call to maintain 2,000 feet, and continued with the SID. While intersecting the OAK 060 radial, the instructor saw terrain through the clouds and took evasive action. They struck something, but the airplane was still controllable so they proceeded to their destination of Sacramento Executive Airport. A review of the tapes of radio calls found that the pilots apparently thou…

At about 1545 central time, a Beech 95-B55 landed gear-up at G.V. Montgomery Airport and slid about 1,000 feet to a stop. The airplane was substantially damaged, but the two occupants were not injured. The pilot said he simply forgot to lower the landing gear….

At 1415 central time, a North American T-28A was damaged while landing at West Houston Airport. The pilot was not injured. The flight had left Tulsa, Okla., about two hours earlier. At Tulsa the aircrafts nose gear shimmy damper was serviced prior to departure. Upon landing, the shimmy was so bad that, even at 20 knots, the airplane was vibrating so badly the pilot said he couldnt see. Examination of the airplane revealed damage to the nose gear box, lower engine cowlings and nose gear doors. In addition, the forward firewall was bent….

At about 1012 Pacific time, a Glasair SH-2 crashed following a loss of control just after takeoff from Riverside Airport. The pilot was killed. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and a special visual flight rules flight plan was filed. Witnesses said the airplane took off from runway 9, made a sharp left banking turn going almost inverted, then nose-dived into the ground. Witnesses also said that the engine appeared to be sputtering….

At 0617 Pacific time, a Cessna 182Q suffered an in-flight loss of control shortly after takeoff from runway 36 at Lake Tahoe Airport. The flight instructor received minor injuries. The pilot and one passenger were not injured. The Civil Air Patrol pilot told investigators they were activated for a mission to search for a missing aircraft. They were repositioning to WMC, where the search was being coordinated. Shortly after takeoff, the nose pitched up despite the pilots attempts to flatten the aircrafts attitude. The CFI took control, but the pitch controls appeared to be jammed. The rear seat passenger moved forward to see if weight distribution would help. The pilot and instructor were b…

At about 1530 Pacific time, a twin engine Beech C55 lost power in both engines shortly after takeoff from Dietz Airpark and was damaged in the forced landing that followed. The pilot was not injured. The pilot reported the airplane experienced a dual engine failure shortly after takeoff from the 2,800-foot turf runway. Following the engine failure, the pilot attempted to land on the remaining runway, however, the airplane touched down in tall grass adjacent to the runway and slid to a stop. The pilot stated he positioned the fuel selectors to the auxiliary fuel tanks during the engine run up prior to takeoff, but did not reposition them back to the main tanks before departing….

At 1500 central time, a Piper PA-18A-150 lost engine power during initial climb from Northwest Regional Airport and was damaged in the forced landing. The flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction suffered minor injuries. The pilot was receiving a flight checkout for his tail wheel endorsement and had been doing touch and goes. The pilot said that, when the flight departed a half hour earlier, the left fuel tank indicated approximately 3/4 full of fuel, and the right tank indicated approximately 1/2 full of fuel. During the initial takeoff climb of the 3rd or 4th touch and go, the engine lost power. The instructor switched tanks but the engine did not respond. The FAA inspector said…

At about 1200 Alaska time, a Piper PA-18-160 struck a frozen river while maneuvering at low altitude about 80 miles northwest of Skwentna. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot said he had been flying about 100 feet above the ground at a reduced power setting. He said he had initiated a 90 degree downwind turn, and hit a sinker, which pushed the airplane toward the ground. He immediately applied full power, but the engine did not respond with maximum power. The pilot said it is possible the engine had accumulated carburetor ice….