Preliminary Reports

At 16:00 MST, a Cessna 172N was damaged during a forced landing in rough terrain 15 miles west of Prescott. The flight instructor and dual student were not injured but the airplane was substantially damaged. The flight schools safety officer said the flight instructor and student were conducting a simulated engine failure from approximately 3,500 feet agl when the student inadvertently shut the fuel selector off without the flight instructor noticing. At 500 feet agl, the flight instructor asked the student to do a go-around. There was no response when full throttle was applied, so the instructor took the controls and performed an emergency landing….

At about 12:30 hours UTC, a Boeing 747-238B being operated by Continental Airlines encountered clear air turbulence while at FL330 approximately 900 miles east of Tokyo. The aircraft sustained minor interior damage and four flight attendants and 10 passengers sustained minor injuries. The flight, being operated as Continental flight 910 from Tokyo to Honolulu, had departed Tokyos Narita International airport a little more than an hour before the event. The pilot reported that CAT had been forecast for the route of flight, and that the crew noticed a sudden fluctuation of outside air temperature as the aircraft entered an area of wave action. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft encountered tu…

At about 20:54, CST, a Piper PA-32R-301 crashed during an instrument approach into Olive Branch Airport, killing the pilot and passenger. The pilot was advised that the ceiling at the Memphis International Airport was at 300 feet, and no weather conditions were reported for the destination airport. The pilot was cleared for the localizer approach to runway 18, then came back on the frequency and declared a missed approach. The controller asked the pilot his intentions and the pilot responded that he wanted to try the approach again. The pilot was cleared for a second approach and the aircraft collided with trees south of the airport….

At 15:00 CST, a Cessna 172E flipped over in gusting winds while taxiing for takeoff at the Guymon Municipal Airport. The airplane sustained substantial damage but the sole occupant was not injured. The flight was originating at the time of the accident. The pilot checked the weather and discovered the winds from the south at 22 knots with gusts to 39 knots. The pilot taxied the airplane downwind for the takeoff on runway 18. When the pilot turned the airplane 90 degrees for entry onto the runway, the left wing lifted into the air and the propeller struck the ground. The pilot called the FBO for assistance and several people responded and tried to keep the airplane from flipping; however, the…

About 12:33 EST, a Cessna 182P crashed into Lake Marion, killing the pilot. The pilot had been en route from Hilton Head, S.C. to Charleston, W.Va., but had not filed a flight plan. Witnesses said it was foggy and they could hear but not see the airplane and believed it was circling around the lake very low. One witness who was fishing in the area said the airplanes engine was screaming and then became quiet. A short time later he was moving his boat to a different fishing spot when he ran across debris floating in the lake and saw the tail of the airplane protruding out of the water….

At about 08:41 EST, a Robinson R22 crashed while conducting a 180 autorotation with turn to runway 10 at Pompano Beach Airpark. The helicopter was destroyed and the pilot and flight instructor sustained serious injuries. The flight originated about 3 minutes before the accident Two witnesses who are Robinson R22 instructor pilots stated they observed the helicopter in right closed traffic for runway 10. They observed the helicopter conduct a 180-degree autorotation before the accident, which resulted in a termination with power to the numbers on runway 10. They described the autorotation as poor. They decided to watch the helicopter since it remained in right closed traffic. The helicopter w…

At 12:12 CST, a Cessna U-206G piloted by an instrument-rated pilot was destroyed during a collision with the ground following a loss of control, killing the pilot. The pilot had told controllers the airplanes vacuum pump had failed. While making a turn the pilot said he was completely disoriented. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and the flight was operating on an IFR flight plan….

At 10:31 CST, a Cessna 150M lost power during cruise and suffered substantial damage during a forced landing near Paxton. The pilot suffered minor injuries. The flight originated at Chanute, Kan., at 07:10 CST, and was en route to Detroit. The pilot told investigators that he decided to land at an airport near Champaign, Ill., after about 2 hours of flight but missed the airport due to the wind. He then diverted to Paxton and, after six attempts, was unable to locate the airport. The airplane ran out of fuel and the pilot landed on a plowed farm field 2 miles west of the Paxton airport. The pilot reported losing consciousness for an unknown amount of time following the accident. The left…

At 15:15 EST, a Beech BE-55B landed with the wheels up and burst into flames at Tara Field. The two FAA inspectors aboard were not injured, but the airplane was destroyed. The training flight departed Hampton at 13:15 and was returning to the field. The pilot reported that the before-landing check was completed in accordance with the before-landing checklist. No mechanical problems with the airplane were reported by the pilot….

At about 10:30 EST, an Aerospatiale ATR-72-212 operated by American Eagle Inc., had a flight attendant injured while maneuvering, about 30 miles southeast of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The flight had departed from Nassau, Bahamas, at 09:45 and was at 4,000 feet when they received a TCAS (traffic collision avoidance system) alert to climb. The flight climbed from 4,000 feet and leveled off at 5,300 feet. During the climb both flight attendants fell. One flight attendant broke her leg, the other was not injured….