Preliminary Reports

The pilot encountered a downdraft during his approach. The airplane touched down hard and bounced. After bouncing down the runway twice, the pilot decided to abort the landing and maneuvered the airplane back into the traffic pattern for the same runway. He landed without incident. Upon exiting the airplane, he noted the propeller had struck the runway on his first landing attempt. The airplane sustained damage to the firewall. The pilot reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

During landing, the pilot noticed two deer to the left of the runway. One deer ran across the runway and was struck by the airplane’s left wingtip. The impact caused the airplane to veer to the left off the runway and onto the grass median. The pilot raised the flaps, then applied right brake/rudder and full power in an attempt to go around. The airplane lifted off momentarily but then struck a runway light. The airplane traveled across the runway into an open field and stopped. Both wings sustained leading edge damage, the nose gear was sheared off and the lower engine cowling was crushed.

At approximately 1455 Central time, the airplane sustained substantial damage when its nose landing gear collapsed during landing. The solo commercial pilot was not injured. Visual conditions prevailed.As the airplane touched down on the runway, the pilot held the yoke back and allowed the nose landing gear to “ease down.” As the nose landing gear contacted the runway, the pilot heard the sound of a “squealing tire.” The airplane veered to the right, the nose landing gear collapsed and the airplane exited the right side of the runway, where it came to rest in the grass. Preliminary examination revealed substantial damage to the engine firewall and left wing. Tire skid marks on the runway were consistent with the nose landing gear tire contacting the runway at an approximate 90-degree angle to the airplane’s longitudinal axis.

The airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain at 0404 Central time. The solo commercial pilot was fatally injured.A review of ATC data showed the airplane traveling south at approximately 14,600 feet msl. Approximately one minute prior to the accident, after he reported encountering heavy precipitation, the pilot executed a turn to the right. The airplane descended to 14,200 feet and then radar contact was lost. The fuselage came to rest in a wooded area. The wings, engines, horizontal stabilizers and vertical stabilizer were separated from the fuselage and located within a one-mile diameter of the fuselage. No evidence of in-flight or post-impact fire was noted.

At about 2130 Eastern time, the airplane sustained substantial damage during a thunderstorm encounter. The airline transport pilot and two passengers were not injured. Instrument conditions prevailed.The pilot was aware of convective activity west of the airport, moving east. Shortly after takeoff, the flight was in smooth air under an overcast. No lightning was observed. The pilot then saw a lightning flash off the right side of the airplane. Within moments, the vertical speed indicator indicated a climb of over 4000 fpm and the airplane’s airspeed increased. The pilot disengaged the autopilot, neutralized the flight controls and made a “mayday” call over the radio. The pilot believed the airplane had entered a steep spiral or spin and reduced engine power. After exiting clouds, the pilot recovered the airplane. The flight landed without incident. The airplane sustained a bent left elevator, torn right elevator and damaged ailerons.

The airplane was substantially damaged during a gear-up landing at 1025 Eastern time. The airline transport pilot and his passenger were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed.The pilot later stated the airplane experienced an electrical failure and the alternator “fail” light illuminated. After the passenger performed the emergency landing gear extension procedure, the pilot “confirmed” the landing gear handle would no longer rotate. The electrical power loss precluded confirmation of landing gear extension.The airplane completed a “no-bounce” landing and then settled to the runway on its belly. A mechanic supervising recovery estimated the gear was maybe five-percent deployed. Another mechanic entered the airplane, engaged the manual gear handle and lowered the gear to the down-and-locked position. The battery master switch was turned on and three green down-and-locked lights illuminated.

At about 2206 Alaska time, the float-equipped airplane sustained substantial damage while landing. The commercial pilot and three passengers sustained minor injuries; one passenger was fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed. Just after touchdown, a gust of wind lifted the left wing and the right wing struck the water. The airplane nosed over abruptly, and the cabin immediately filled with cold lake water. A passenger reported he and three other occupants struggled to escape the sinking wreckage through the aft, right-side door, but it was difficult to open because the airplane’s extended flaps were blocking it. Eventually, he and three occupants were able to force open the door enough to escape. After they exited, they realized one passenger was still in the submerged wreckage, and attempted to rescue her. Once rescuers accessed the cabin area, they were able to free the unconscious and unresponsive passenger from her third row, left side seat.

The pilot had flown into the destination airport many times before and was familiar with landing there. While completing the before-landing checklist, the pilot became distracted by passenger conversation. The pilot never heard the gear warning horn and before he realized that the gear was still up, he impacted the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage during the wheels-up landing. No one aboard was injured.

At about 0907 Central time, the airplane sustained substantial damaged from tree and terrain impact. The pilot was fatally injured. Instrument conditions prevailed; no flight plan was filed. The flight originated in Millington, Tenn., at about 0825, with an intended destination of Pensacola, Fla.Several witnesses near the accident site heard a loud-revving engine before the sound of an explosion. Smoke was seen coming from an open meadow and authorities were notified of a possible airplane crash. First responders to the accident reported the weather included low cloud ceilings and drizzling rain.

The airplane was substantially damaged when it ran off the runway while attempting to land at 0958. The airline transport pilot sustained minor injuries. Visual conditions prevailed.The pilot later said he landed approximately 300 feet down the 5000-foot-long runway. Approximately 3-4 seconds after touching down, the pilot deployed the drag chute. As the chute deployed, it snapped off the back of the airplane. The pilot used the anti-skid braking system to slow the airplane, but it did not decelerate as he expected. When he realized that he was going to go off the runway, the pilot maneuvered the airplane onto an adjacent grassy area to avoid crossing a state highway. The airplane struck a berm and a chain link fence before coming to a stop upright.The pilot said he tested the drag chute approximately three weeks before the accident and found no malfunctions. He had successfully deployed the drag chute about six or seven times prior to the accident.