Preliminary Reports

At 09:30 PDT, an instrument rated private pilot and his two passengers were killed when their Beech V35 descended out of control and crashed into water near San Quintin. The airplane was participating in medical relief operations in isolated regions of Mexico. The flight, which was originating at the time of the accident, was destined for Mexicali, where it was due to clear Mexican Customs. The 66-year-old pilot, who had no history of heart disease, reported earlier that morning that he was not feeling well, with symptoms of nausea and an upset stomach. After takeoff, the pilot made a routine radio report about cloud tops. Thereafter, the airplane was observed descending out of a stratus lay…

At about 08:10 CDT, a Beech 95-A55 was lost from radar and crashed near Aliceville. The commercial-rated pilot was killed. The flight originated about 07:49 from Meridian, Miss. The pilot advised the approach controller that he was having a problem that did not involve the airplane. He requested and received a vector to George Downer Airport, 9.6 miles from his location. The controller asked the pilot if he was declaring an emergency and the pilot responded that he couldnt move his left arm. The controller asked the pilot if he needed equipment standing by at the airport; there was no clear reply from the pilot….

At 18:20 CDT, a Cessna 152 and a Cessna 182L collided in flight near Noble. Both aircraft were destroyed and both pilots were killed. The private pilot of the Cessna 152 departed Westheimer Airport at approximately 18:00 on a local solo instructional flight. He was scheduled to fly the airplane in the local training area and practice commercial flight maneuvers. The commercial pilot of the Cessna 182 departed Westheimer Airport at approximately 18:15 on a personal cross-country flight to Sherman, Texas….

At 16:30 PDT, a Beech F33A crashed on takeoff. The commercial-rated pilot and passenger were killed. A pilot witness reported the wind to be 290 degrees at 14 knots with a reported density altitude of 3,900 feet. According to witnesses, the airplane departed on runway 17. It became airborne about midfield and flew nose high 10 to 20 feet above the runway. The pilot reduced then reapplied engine power, and the airplane crossed the departure end of the runway end about 20 feet agl with the landing gear extended. The airplane collided with trees about -mile beyond the runway end….

At about 10:20 MST, a Cessna 172RG crashed near Prescott, killing the flight instructor and commercial student pilot. The flight originated from Prescott about 09:15 and was scheduled to return by 12:00. When the airplane failed to return, a search of the practice area revealed the crash site. During examination of the wreckage site, the left wing tip navigational light was found in a ground scar about 45 feet west of the main wreckage. The underside of the fuselage was crushed upward uniformly from the engine cowling aft to the tail cone, and the wing carry-through structure had collapsed into the cabin….

At 11:59 PDT, a Piper PA-46-310P crashed in a shopping mall parking lot while maneuvering to return to the runway shortly after takeoff from the Hawthorne airport. The three occupants were killed. Multiple witnesses familiar with the airplane and the pilot described the engine sounds during the takeoff as abnormal in various degrees and reported that the climb out angle of the airplane was shallower than usual. One witness said he believed the takeoff ground roll had been longer than usual. Two other witnesses said they believed that the power output was lower than normal. According to witnesses located near the impact site, the airplane began a steep left turn between – and -mile from the…

At about 18:30 EDT, an Ercoupe 415-C struck trees while maneuvering, seriously injuring the pilot. Witnesses reported the airplane was flying low over a private airstrip at a height of three to four feet above the ground. At the end of the airstrip the airplane pulled up and banked hard to the right. The right wing tip struck a tree. The airplane traveled about 1,500 feet and came to rest in a tree….

At 16:00 EDT, a propeller blade on a homebuilt Velocity RG separated during a high-speed low pass over the runway at Cobb County-McCollum Field. The pilot and his passenger received minor injuries. The pilot reported that he was making a low pass over the runway at 245 mph when he felt a vibration in the airframe. He began climbing but within seconds the engine lost power. The pilot selected a forced landing area where the airplane struck trees and a chain link fence. Debris from the airplane was recovered from the approach end of the runway….

At about 20:31 Hawaii standard time, the six occupants of a Rockwell NA-265-65 were killed when the corporate jet struck mountains on a night visual approach to the Kaunakakai Airport on the island of Molokai. The flight was en route from Maui when the crew reported they did not have the airport in sight and the pilot requested the VOR/GPS-A approach. At about 20:30, the crew reported the airport in sight and canceled the IFR clearance. The mode C reported altitude at this point was 1,800 feet. The aircraft impacted the side of a mountain ridge about 100 feet from the 1,400-foot top, about one mile southeast of the VOR and 3.3 miles southwest of the airport….

At about 19:30 EDT, an amateur-built Asselyn CH701 lost power and crashed during a forced landing to an open field. The pilot and passenger were not injured. According to the pilot, the engine quit due to fuel exhaustion. The pilot reported that he departed Louisburg, N.C., at 18:10, arriving at a private airstrip in the vicinity of Raleigh-Durham at 18:50. He departed that airstrip at 18:55 and arrived at Knightdale, N.C., at 1925. He departed Knightdale at 19:27 to return to Louisburg. In cruise flight at 1,500 feet, the pilot noticed a reduction in engine power and prepared for a forced landing….