Preliminary Reports

At 10:19 MST, an Air Tractor 502A lost its left wing in flight near Queen Creek, killing the pilot. The airplane was spraying chemicals on crops when the left wing separated during a level spray pass. No unusual meteorological phenomena were observed in the area and the airplane was not observed to have performed any unusual maneuvers prior to the failure. The lower spar cap was observed to have fractured at a point just outboard of the fuselage attach fitting….

At about 12:35 EDT, a Beech N35 broke up in flight and crashed near Conicville, killing the pilot and passenger. The IFR flight was en route from Caro, Mich., to Newport News, Va., at 9,000 feet when the pilot reported an electrical failure. The pilot then radioed the controller again and stated that he had experienced a gyro failure. The controller then observed the airplane enter into a high rate of descent on the radar screen. The alternator belt was found loose about the alternator housing and the pulley wheel attached to the engine accessory drive case. The vacuum pump had a sheared drive shaft….

At 11:10 EDT, a Cessna 150 struck a utility pole while attempting a forced landing near Waycross. The student pilot was not injured. The flight departed Zellwood, Fla., at 07:30. The student pilot reported that he had received a weather briefing before departing Zellwood and was aware of the strong winds aloft. He estimated a ground speed of approximately 70 miles per hour and calculated three hours to the destination airport in Alma, Ga. About 40 miles from his destination, the engine lost power. He attempted to land at Ware County Airport but could not make the field….

At about 16:27 EST, the left wing of a Beech D50E caught fire while taxiing for takeoff at Myrtle Beach International Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot had landed to refuel and was taxiing for takeoff. As he performed a flight control check of the ailerons he saw the paint discoloring on the upper outboard wing skin. He taxied to an open area of the ramp, where he secured the airplane. After exiting the airplane, he noted fire at the outboard fuel tank vent, which was leaking fuel. He discharged a handheld fire extinguisher and nearly extinguished the fire. The airport fire rescue team then arrived and completed the job….

At approximately 11:00 MST, a Cessna P210N was damaged in a forced landing near Gillette, but the two occupants were not injured. The pilot said he had ordered the plane refueled the day before for a flight from Pontiac, Mich., to Sheridan, Wyo., and records showed 95 gallons were added to the tanks. He calculated the 1,026 nm flight would take 5.7 hours and concluded he would land at Sheridan with more than an hour of fuel remaining. When the airplane was one hour from the destination, he determined that the fuel gauges looked suspiciously low and he diverted to Gillette. The airplane ran out of fuel and landed in hilly terrain about a mile from the airport….

At about 14:30 EST, a Piper PA-28-236 and a Cessna 172M collided near Parkertown. None of the three occupants was injured. The pilot of the Piper said he was level at 3,300 feet and flying north when he felt a bump. He thought he hit a bird and returned to his departure airport, Lorain County Regional Airport. The airplane had a tire mark on top of the fuselage and damage to the vertical stabilizer. The pilot did not recall seeing the Cessna at all. The Cessna pilot said he departed from Sandusky, Ohio, and was climbing through 3,300 feet for 3,500 feet when he noticed a vertical fin just slightly to the right of the airplane. The pilot said there was no time to take evasive action. After im…

At about 15:30 EST, a McDonnell Douglas 600N, operated by WTVJ NBC 6 as a news photography flight, crashed while maneuvering near Miami. The pilot and camera operator were killed. The flight had been airborne 27 minutes before the crash. Friends of the pilot were flying in a Robinson R-44 helicopter and the two aircraft joined up in a very loose formation. Witness accounts varied somewhat, but agreed that the accident helicopter pitched nose down then pulled to a steep nose-up attitude. The helicopter yawed to the left and began sliding backwards, at which point the aircraft pitched nose down and the tail boom separated from the helicopter….

At 17:29 PST, a Cessna 172N and a Piper PA-28-140 collided in mid-air while in the traffic pattern at Palm Springs. The two instructors and three students involved were not injured. The Cessna had been cleared for closed right traffic on runway 31R and was in a turn from crosswind to downwind. The Piper had been cleared into the airport traffic area and told to report two miles out on a 45-degree entry to the downwind for runway 31R. The tower controller had advised the Cessna of a Piper inbound from the northwest, and the Piper had been told of two Cessnas in right closed traffic. The Piper failed to make a position report as instructed. The airplanes collided at about 1,500 feet msl opposi…

At 07:48 CST, a Cessna 182M and a Cessna 208B collided in mid-air near McAlester Regional Airport. The pilot of the 182 was killed but the pilot of the Caravan was not injured. The pilot of the 182 had elected to divert to McAlester after getting an in-flight weather report that called for icing along his route of flight. The Caravan was departing when the pilot heard the 182 pilot call Unicom for an airport advisory. The Caravan pilot gave him the winds and active runway and heard no further transmissions. The Caravan was departing the pattern on an extended downwind when he saw the 182 making what appeared to be a normal crosswind to downwind turn. The Caravan pilot rolled right and descen…

At 19:51 PST a Douglas DC-8-71F operated as a scheduled cargo flight by Emery Worldwide Airlines crashed shortly after takeoff from Mather Field. The three crew members were killed. The flight had originated in Reno, Nev., and arrived in Rancho Cordova late. The crew still made a 58-minute turnaround. As it departed runway 22l, it rotated about halfway down the runway, banked to the left at low altitude and porpoised. A witness said he saw the airplane impact the ground in a left-wing-low, nose-low attitude, with the engines at a high power setting. Tapes of the communications with controllers showed that the pilot requested a return to the airport because of a problem with the center of gra…