Preliminary Reports

At 12:55 EST, a Piper Twin Comanche was destroyed during a forced landing in a field near Fairfield. The pilot and one passenger were seriously injured; a second passenger received minor injuries. The airplane was in cruise flight at 6,000 feet near Montebello, Va., when the pilot reported a loss of engine power and said he would land on Interstate 81. A passenger told investigators both engines were spitting and spattering prior to the loss of power on the right engine. Neither propeller was feathered and the propeller levers were found in the full forward position….

Approximately 16:30 CST, a Long-Eze homebuilt airplane was destroyed during a forced landing following a complete loss of engine power near Alvin, Texas. The pilot was seriously injured and the passenger was killed. The local flight originated at approximately 16:00 from Clover Airport near Houston. Local authorities reported that during the rescue operations, the pilot stated that the engine had quit. Witnesses approximately one mile from the accident site reported hearing a sudden shut off of engine noise as they observed the airplane. When the airplane did not return to the Clover Airport, pilots at the airport initiated the search and rescue. The airplane was located at 09:00 the fol…

At 15:30 CST, a Beech Bonanza was damaged during a hard landing on runway 36 at Johnson County Airport. The pilot reported no injuries. The flight departed Coffey County Airport near Burlington at 14:56. The pilot reported that he had ice on the windshield and wings which was visually confirmed by a post-accident witness to be approximately -inch thick. The pilot additionally stated that his approach speed was 110 knots at the runway….

At 11:01 MST, a Cessna 185 ground looped and departed runway 11L on the takeoff roll at the Tucson International Airport. The aircraft was substantially damaged but the pilot was not injured. The pilot told investigators that on takeoff his seat slid backwards and he was unable to reach the rudder pedals or throttle….

At about 20:10 CST, the propeller of a Saab 340A, operating as Northwest Airlink flight 5858, struck and killed a ground crewmember. Airline personnel said the ground crewmember had assisted with start of the no. 2 engine in preparation for departure. She was then given the signal by the flightcrew to disconnect the ground power unit, which was parked behind the right wing. She proceeded to walk straight toward the ground power unit and into the turning right propeller….

At 17:45 EST, a Cessna 310R was substantially damaged during landing at Lehigh Valley International Airport; no one was injured. The pilot had filed an IFR flight plan between Bangor, Maine, and Northeast Philadelphia Airport. The flight diverted to Lehigh Valley when the pilot discovered, while the airplane was in icing conditions, that the right deicing boot would not inflate. During the landing, the right wing lost lift, and the right landing gear hit the pavement hard. Ground personnel told investigators that there was about 4 inches of ice on the leading edge of the right wing, and the left wing was clean….

At approximately 18:12 PST, a Pacific Aviation Composites LC 40-550FG, the Lancair Columbia prototype, crashed into the Columbia River about one mile west of Portland International Airport while on approach to runway 10L. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The two people aboard were killed. The flight originated from Bend, Ore., about one hour before the accident. The pilot contacted Portland Approach and reported that he was 25 miles east of Portland International and requested IFR clearance for landing at PDX. The flight was cleared for the ILS runway 10L approach. During the first approach, the aircraft was lined up for runway 10R and…

At about 14:28 EST, a Schweizer 269C helicopter was destroyed during a forced landing, killing the commercial pilot/police officer and seriously injuring the aerial observer. The helicopter was operated by the Baltimore Police Department Helicopter Unit and was performing an official police mission at the time of the accident. Witnesses said the rotor was spinning slowly as the helicopter descended and reported hearing a loud pop and seeing smoke trailing from the helicopter. A 2-inch hole was found on the bottom of the engine casing near the number 2 cylinder and a 4-inch hole was found on the top of the casing for the same cylinder. The engine, a HIO-360-D1A, manufactured by Textron Lycomi…

At about 13:51 Alaska standard time, a Cessna 172 was damaged while landing at the Bethel Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot told investigators that she had departed the accident airport under a special VFR clearance and encountered severe icing conditions. At that time she elected to return to the Bethel airport. She said that forward visibility was restricted due to heavy ice build-up on the airplanes windscreen, requiring her to do a series of S turns to find the airport. She reported that just prior to touchdown the airplane stalled and the airplane landed hard in a nose low attitude. I just got into icing conditions. Thats what caused it, she said….

At 10:45 PST, a Piper PA-46 crashed during takeoff from runway 09 at the Mammoth Lakes airport. Two occupants were seriously injured and two suffered only minor injuries. The airport manager said the aircraft took off prematurely and over-rotated to a nose high attitude. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft hit the ground tail first. The aircraft veered off the side of the 7,000-foot-long runway and came to rest on a taxiway. The pilot told the manager that he stalled on takeoff. Examination of the elevator trim tab and the elevator trim position indicator in the cockpit revealed a full nose up trim….