Preliminary Reports

At about 1035 eastern time, a Piper PA-28-235 crashed into trees after losing engine power while on approach to Chester County Airport. The pilot was seriously injured. The pilot had flown from the Chicago area, destined for Coatesville, and was about one mile out from runway 11 when the engine lost power. The pilot attempted to make a downwind landing to runway 29 but crashed a half-mile short. An inspector determined the airplane had run out of fuel….

At about 1930 Pacific time, a Mooney M20M crashed while attempting to go around at Ocean Ridge Airport. The pilot was not injured and the passenger sustained a minor injury. The pilot reported he had never flown into such a short runway (2,500 feet) and he overflew the runway twice before trying to land. He made the approach with full flaps at 65 knots into the setting sun. The airplane drifted left of the runway and the pilot added power to go around, at which time the airplane struck trees and terrain about 100 feet from the runway edge….

At about 2045 eastern time, a Cessna 182Q was damaged while landing at Cincinnati Municipal Airport /Lunken Field. The pilot and three passengers were not injured. The tower controller asked the pilot to perform a short approach when the airplane was on downwind. The pilot said he was not accustomed to flying the airplane with a load of 3 passengers and fuel. The airplane touched down about 25 feet short of the runway, and then struck the elevated runway lip. The pilot said he was attempting to land close to the approach end of the runway to shorten the taxi to his hangar….

At approximately 1345 mountain time, a Cessna 310N was damaged during a hard landing at Glenwood Springs Municipal Airport and, at 1456, the airplane made a gear-up landing at Walker Field. The pilot and his passenger were not injured. The pilot said he made a hard landing at Glenwood Springs, followed by a go-around. Suspecting gear damage, he diverted to Rifle, Colo., but on his approach the right main landing gear fell off. Because of the limited emergency equipment in Rifle, he diverted to Walker Field. Witnesses confirmed the missing gear after he made a low pass over the runway, and the pilot retracted the gear and made an intentional gear-up landing….

At 1330 central time, a Cessna 210L crashed during a precautionary landing near Lacon. The pilot and passenger reported no injuries. The pilots mechanic said the pilot told him after the accident that the instrument panel was so hot he could not hold his hand on it. The pilot told the mechanic that he had smelled smoke and landed in a cornfield….

At about 0123 Pacific time, the pilot of an Aero Commander 690A lost control during a descending turn from left base to final for runway 30 at Bishop Airport. The pilot and three passengers were killed. Witnesses said the airplanes bank angle hit 70 to 90 degrees during the turn. The pilot had indicated to the FAA he wanted to obtain a Part 135 certificate. On the accident flight, the pilot was picking up two passengers and several hundred pounds of luggage from a connecting airline flight in Oakland. Personnel at the passengers Bishop-based business office said the passengers wanted to pay for the flight, but that the pilot told them he did not have enough time in the aircraft type to ac…

At about 1045 eastern time, a Cessna 172RG was damaged during a hard landing at Greater Rochester International Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot had flown from Rochester to Brockport and back. During the outbound leg, he suspected the airspeed indicator was reading low for his altitude and power setting, but was not convinced it was a significant problem. He landed at Brockport and departed for the return leg without exiting the airplane. On approach to Rochester, he was cleared to land on runway 22, the main runway, which led him to attempt to expedite the landing. He touched down with a high airspeed and descent rate, and the airplane was damaged in the bounced landing. Examin…

At about 1445 eastern time, a Cessna 150J crashed shortly after takeoff from Glynco Jetport Airport, killing the pilot and passenger. The pilot had told the owner of the airplane he intended to purchase it, and the owners agent said he could start the engine but not fly it because the insurance had lapsed. When the owners agent left the area, the 260-pound pilot and a 250-pound passenger took off. The airplane was full of fuel, putting the aircraft about 100 pounds overweight….

At 1129 eastern time, a Cessna 172S crashed after takeoff from Robertson Field, killing the pilot and passenger. Witnesses said the engine sounded normal during taxi and takeoff from runway 02, but at about 50 feet agl the engine noise changed as if it had experienced a power reduction. Then the witnesses saw smoke trailing from the airplane. The airplane had climbed to about 300-400 feet agl when the pilot initiated a left turn at a 45-degree bank. The left wing dropped further and the airplane descended into a parking lot. The airplane, which had about 70 hours since new, showed evidence that the engine driven fuel pump or fuel hose may have failed, causing a fire in the engine compartme…

At approximately 2015 central time, an Air Tractor AT-502B agricultural airplane struck and killed a pedestrian during the landing roll at Lane Airpark Airport. The airplane was not damaged and the pilot was not injured. The pilot was landing on the grass portion of runway 31, concentrating on the runway markers in the airplanes landing light, when the right wing struck a pedestrian. Witnesses said the pedestrian occasionally took walks in the morning and evening on the taxiway….