Preliminary Reports

At 15:10 PST, a Bell UH-1H helicopter crashed after an in-flight control systems failure while conducting an aerial spraying operation. The pilot was seriously injured during the accident and died two days later. The helicopter had departed a dirt-landing zone after being serviced with spraying chemicals moments before the crash. The pilot told his son who visited him in the hospital that the aircraft kept on banking in one direction and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Examinations of the helicopter have not been completed….

At about 18:25 EST, a Signature Flight Support employee was killed by the propellor of a Piper Saratoga that was preparing to depart Washington Dulles International Airport. The pilot and four passengers were not injured. The pilot said he had performed a preflight of the airplane and had left the chock behind the nosewheel. After starting the engine, the pilot was transcribing the ATIS information when he looked out the windscreen and noticed the ramp worker approaching the airplane. The pilot raised his arms in an attempt to signal the employee to stop but he walked into the propeller. The front seat passenger said the pilot tried to shut down the engine but was too late. The passenger als…

At about 14:30 EST, a Beech Duchess was substantially damaged during the takeoff roll at Cincinnati Municipal-Lunken Field. There were no injuries. It had rained earlier and the runway was still wet. During the takeoff roll, the instructor allowed the airplane to accelerate, and pulled back the mixture to the left engine at approximately 30 knots. The airplane veered to the left about 30 degrees. The student did not retard both throttles immediately, so the flight instructor advanced the mixture on the left engine. However, the corrective action was too late. The airplane went off the runway and into the wet grass, then ran into an elevated asphalt driveway at 10 to 15 knots. The nose gear c…

At about 10:10 EST, a Beech AT11/18 crashed shortly after takeoff from Peter OKnight Airport, killing the two occupants. The pilot took off to the south, flew a crosswind and downwind leg at 200 feet, then turned right en route to nearby Lakeland. Witnesses said the angle of bank suddenly increased and the airplane descended rapidly. The eastbound airplane crashed on a north/south road, struck the highway center median, a wooden power pole and lines, burst into flames and came to rest in marshy area on the eastside of the road….

At approximately 12:10 MST, a Piper Aztec was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Lamar, but neither occupant was injured. The pilot had just purchased the airplane and had departed Fort Worth, Texas, approximately 2 hours 50 minutes prior to the accident. The pilot said he had used all the fuel in the auxiliary tanks and had switched back to the mains. Approximately 20 minutes later, the left engine lost power. After several attempted restarts, the other engine lost power. He landed the airplane in an alfalfa field. During landing rollout, he pulled the airplane back into the air to hop an irrigation ditch. The field on the other side was freshly plowed and the nose wheel lan…

At 14:22 CST, a Cessna 182P crashed during final approach for landing at Midland International Airport, killing the pilot and his two passengers. The control tower operator said the airplane was cleared to land on runway 22 and the controller made visual contact with the aircraft on short final but then lost sight of the plane. As he searched for the airplane, ground control received a call advising them that the aircraft had crashed. Witnesses told investigators they saw the airplanes wings teeter slightly then the airplane pitched approximately 70 degrees nose down. The aircraft wreckage was located along the extended centerline of runway 22, approximately 473 feet from the threshol…

At 08:07 MST, a Beech Debonair struck terrain during initial climb from Lake County Airport. The three occupants were not injured. The pilot told investigators he was departing on runway 34 and the airplane just didnt seem to have the power. The airplane impacted rising terrain and both wings were bent….

At about 10:00 EST, a Piper Archer struck trees and crashed near Haines City. The two occupants were seriously injured. The flight was en route from Crystal River, Fla., to Opa Locka and was not operating on a flight plan, although IMC prevailed along the route of flight. The pilot had received a weather briefing from the Gainesville Flight Service Station and was told VFR flight was not recommended. The pilot told line personnel at Crystal River that he would fly to the east around bad weather and then proceed south to Opa Locka….

At about 10:15 CST, a D-IX amateur-built experimental airplane crashed after an uncontrolled descent near Santa Fe. The pilot, who built the single-seat biplane, was killed. The flight originated from Hitchcock, Texas, about 10:00. One witness reported that he heard a weird sound, turned around and noticed the left wing break off and the plane flying like a rock. Another witness stated that she heard the sounds of engine trouble, looked up, [and] heard a pop. She further reported that the wing was off and the plane was going straight down. The left upper and lower wings of the biplane were found approximately 200 yards from the main wreckage. The fuselage with both right wings and the…

At about 14:36 EST, a Piper Archer crashed while making a forced landing following loss of engine power. The two occupants were seriously injured and the aircraft received substantial damage. The flight originated from Orlando, Fla., at about 10:00. While approaching to land at McGhee-Tyson Airport, the pilot told controllers that he was low on fuel. A short time later the pilot reported the engine had quit. The aircraft crashed about 1 mile northeast of the airport. Postcrash examination showed the aircraft contained no usable fuel….