Preliminary Reports

At about 12:37 EST, a Beech Duchess crashed while on approach to the Allegheny County Airport in Pittsburgh. The pilot and one passenger were killed and two passengers were seriously injured. The flight originated from Hampton, Ga., about 4 hours before the accident. The pilot flew the VOR Runway 5 approach. The tower controller reported that the airplane was in sight and cleared the pilot to land on runway 31. The pilot acknowledged the controller, and a short time later requested runway 28. No further statements were heard from the pilot, and when the controller looked for the airplane, he could no longer see it. Witnesses near the accident site reported they did not hear any engine noise…

At about 18:31 MST, a Piper Seminole made a hard landing on runway 12 at Love Field. The airplane veered off the side of the wet runway, traversed a drainage ditch and was substantially damaged. Neither the pilot nor passenger was injured. The pilot was employed full-time as a flight instructor and had flown the airplane to increase his multiengine flight experience. The pilot committed suicide after the accident, leaving a note that read: NTSB, lack of crosswind correction, tailwind, hydroplaning, failure to timely go around….

At about 09:50 EST, a Cessna 340A crashed shortly after takeoff from Chesapeake Municipal Airport, killing the pilot and passenger. A witness said she heard the pilot say over the Unicom that he would be making an emergency landing. Another witness said he observed the airplane take off about halfway down the 4,200-foot runway. About 3 to 5 minutes later, he heard a pulsating sound, like the throttle was being moved back and forth. He observed the airplane on the left side of the approach end to runway 5, about 500 feet above the ground. He then saw the airplane enter a 90 degree left bank. The airplane turned 180 degrees, maintaining altitude, and its nose dropped. The airplane then nosed u…

At about 13:30 EST, a Mooney Ovation lost power and landed at Marathon Airport. The airplane was not damaged in the landing and no one was injured. The flight originated at 13:10 from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport and was en route to Key West. The flight was at a cruise altitude of 6,500 feet, with the power set at 2,400 rpm and the manifold pressure at 24 inches, when the engine surged twice, then started to vibrate. The vibration stopped for a moment then started again. Oil covered the windshield and smoke started coming from the engine. The Continental IO-550 engine had a total of 103.2 hours since new, and preliminary indications are that the engines crankshaft failed….

At 18:31 CDT, the pilot of a Piper Malibu Mirage was killed after encountering severe weather while in cruise flight. The flight had originated from New Jersey, refueled in Nashville and was en route to Addison Airport, near Dallas. The aircraft was cruising at FL240 when, at 18:29, the pilot advised Memphis Center that he had encountered icing conditions and was experiencing fuel balancing problems. Radar and radio contact were lost soon afterward. A witness near the site reported hearing the sound of the engine stop running, and observed the airplane descending from the dark clouds in a nose down attitude and rotating clockwise. The weather near the crash site was high ceilings with heavy…

At 17:25 MST, a Piper Archer and a Rockwell Sabreliner collided on taxiway A while taxing to their respective parking locations at the Scottsdale airport. No one was injured on either airplane. The Archer was substantially damaged and the Sabreliner suffered minor damage. Both aircraft had just landed on runway 21 and were in contact with the tower. The Archer landed first and the pilot was told by the ground controller to proceed southbound on taxiway A to parking. As she approached turnoff A5, the Sabreliner exited the runway in front of her. When it became apparent that the Rockwell was not stopping she was too close and tried to turn to the right to avoid the collision. The Pipers left…

At about 13:30 PST, a Cessna 152 crashed in mountainous terrain near Rancho Cucamonga, killing the pilot. The aircraft had been rented for a local area personal flight. The flight had originated at Cable Airport in Upland, at about 13:00. A witness who was located about -mile south of the accident site said the airplane was descending northeast at 45-degree angle with high engine power. The witness said the airplane was not spinning or turning during the descent. He lost sight of it as it passed behind terrain. The wreckage was located on a 60-degree canyon wall about 3,000 feet msl and about 5 miles northeast of Cable Airport in Cucamonga Canyon….

At 18:45 EDT, a Piper Warrior was substantially damaged after a loss of control during landing at the Zelienople Municipal Airport but the pilot was not injured. The pilot said the purpose of the flight was to practice some crosswind flying. The pilot said that when the airplane climbed above the trees at the departure end of runway 35, I realized I had made a mistake. In a written statement, the pilot reported that when he landed, but before the nose wheel touched down, a strong gust pushed the aircraft off of the right side of the runway onto a flat grassy section. The left wheel struck one of the runway lights which were off to the side of the runway. Butler County Airport, 10 miles…

At 13:00 CST, an Extra 300S experienced a failure of the upper left longeron and a cross member at the horizontal stabilizer attach point. The failure occurred when the pilot entered a roll maneuver while practicing for an airshow. The pilot was able to land the airplane without further incident. The pilot was not injured….

At 16:50 PDT, a Bellanca 7KCAB crashed after the pilot lost control during practice aerobatic maneuvers. The pilot bailed out and sustained minor injuries. The pilot said he climbed to 6,000 feet and entered a left upright spin. After two turns, he initiated a forward movement of the stick to recover and found that the stick was jammed in the full aft position. He looked in the rear seat area and discovered that the rear seat back cushion had fallen forward, looped over the stick, and was holding it in place. Following unsuccessful attempts to recover, the pilot abandoned the airplane….