Preliminary Reports

At about 15:10 Pacific time, a Cessna 140 landed short of the runway after losing engine power on final approach to Bakersfield Municipal Airport. The airplane collided with the airport boundary fence and nosed over, leaving the pilot and passenger with minor injuries. The pilot said he flew from Corcoran to Joshua Tree in the morning to pick up a passenger. He departed Corcoran with full fuel tanks, and planned to refuel at Bakersfield on the return trip. He did a solo takeoff at Joshua Tree to evaluate the airplanes performance prior to departing with the passenger aboard. About 25 miles from Bakersfield the engine stopped producing power. The pilot moved the fuel selector valve to the ot…

At 08:50 mountain time, a Cessna 182K hit obstructions while landing after a catastrophic engine failure. The pilot suffered minor injuries. The pilot said an inspection of the aircraft revealed a hole in the top of the engine case. The engine had operated about seven hours since overhaul, including two hours in a test cell….

At 15:57 mountain time, a Beech V35B crashed during its landing approach to Albuquerque International Airport. The passenger was killed in the crash and the pilot died of his injuries two days later. The aircraft was cleared to land on runway 3 but the pilot lined up for landing on runway 35. When the tower pointed this out, he attempted to divert to the intersecting runway 3. The aircraft impacted the ground in a nose low attitude near the approach end of runway 3….

At about 17:10 eastern time, a Fairchild M-62C crashed while departing a private airport in Carthage. The pilot was seriously injured and the passenger, who owned the airport, received minor injuries. The airplane took off to the west but could not climb above 50-foot trees at the departure end of the runway. The airport owner said most flights land to the west toward the trees and depart to the east, even if theres a tailwind, because there are no obstacles to clear. He said he mentioned this to the pilot, who elected to depart to the west….

At approximately 15:22 central time, a Piper PA-23-160 lost power in its left engine while en route from Hebbronville to San Antonio. The airplane crashed near Cotulla, killing the passenger and leaving the pilot with serious injuries. The pilot was cruising at 5,000 feet about 25 miles from the Cotulla airport when he reported a loss of power in the left engine. He was given vectors to Cotulla and cleared to descend to 3,000 feet, then 2,400 feet – the minimum safe altitude according to controller guidelines. The pilot reported he could not maintain altitude and was still IMC, and said he was descending to 1,000 feet. He then reported he had the airport in sight, but crashed 15 miles east o…

At 13:50 eastern time, a Cessna 182Q crashed during a forced landing in Owingsville; the pilot, who was not wearing a seatbelt, died of injuries he received. The pilot departed Manassas, Va., and was cruising about 30 miles east of Lexington when he contacted Lexington Approach to report he was low fuel and engine sputtering. The pilot transmitted only two calls before radio contact was lost. The airplane crashed adjacent to the westbound lanes of Interstate 64. The airplane showed evidence that it had a fuel leak for some time. Water was drained from the airplanes fuel tanks, fuel lines, carburetor bowl and cylinders. One of the fuel caps was broken and the inside of the filler port was…

At about 23:51 central time, a Cessna 150M crashed about 750 feet south of the Holly Springs-Marshall County Airport. The pilot and passenger were killed. The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center detected an ELT transmission and, at about 03:00 on July 15, determined it was emanating from an area near the airport. Wreckage was found at about 07:45. No information on the origin of the flight could be determined. Law enforcement personnel discovered 79 lbs. of marijuana in the wreckage….

At 16:40 central time, a Beech BE-60 landed hard on runway 33 at the Addison Municipal Airport following ice accumulation on the airplane. The pilot and his two passengers escaped injury, but the airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot reported the airplane was about 100 feet agl on short final for runway 15 when the windshield iced. The pilot requested and was cleared to circle for the landing. The aircraft landed on runway 33 and slid, collapsing the landing gear and leaving structural damage throughout the aircraft….

In the late morning or early afternoon Pacific time, a Cessna A185F recently purchased by a U.S. citizen crashed in mountainous terrain approximately 87 miles northwest of Smithers. The pilot and two passengers were killed. A VFR flight plan had been filed but meteorological conditions at the time of the accident were not known. The flight was en route from Smithers to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. The accident site was along a direct line between Smithers and Whitehorse at about 5,200 feet. The site was on the southeastern face of a snow covered, treeless ridgeline. Weather forecasts along the route of flight called for ceilings from 5,000 to 7,000 feet on the day of the accident….

At 14:52 central time, a Canadair CL600-2B16 operating as a certification test flight crashed after takeoff from Wichita Mid-Continent Airport. The test flight was an evaluation of stick force per g of the airplane as per Joint Aviation Requirement 25.143(f). The pilot and flight test engineer were killed and the copilot sustained serious injuries. A witness reported seeing the airplane flying sideways about 6-10 ft. off of the ground. I then saw the aircraft level out, and I thought that everything was OK. I slowed down and was watching it and it tilted sideways again. The right wing then hit the ground and the airplane cartwheeled….