Preliminary Reports

At about 23:23 eastern time, a Piper PA-28-161 lost engine power on approach to Winchester Regional Airport and was damaged in the ensuing forced landing. The pilot was not injured. The pilot estimated the airplane had a full-tanks endurance of 4.5 hours, but after three hours aloft the left fuel gauge read E and the right fuel gauge indicated . He attempted to land in Martinsburg, W.Va., but could not activate the pilot-controlled lighting, so he continued to his destination. The engine failed while on a 1-mile final for runway 14. The pilot switched tanks and the engine revved briefly, then died. The left fuel tank contained about 1 pints of fuel. The right tank was compromised in the…

At about 19:51 eastern time, a Piper PA-32-300 crashed into Florida Bay about 12.7 nautical miles northeast of Marathon, killing the pilot and aerial observer. The flight was operating as an intercept training flight with a Coast Guard HU-25 Falcon Jet. The pilot of the Cherokee Six radioed the commander of the Falcon that it was getting a bit hazy. As the airplanes maneuvered to get separation for another intercept, the pilot of the Cherokee Six said he had entered IMC. The commander of the Falcon advised they were well clear of the area, but no further radio contact was made. Radar data showed the aircraft turning left and right without maintaining any constant heading. The NTSB report sai…

At about 09:30 eastern time, a Cessna 182P crashed while landing at Angola Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot departed Angola to fly to Akron, N.Y., for an annual inspection on the airplane. After he took off, however, the ceiling was lower than he expected so he decided to return. Because the runway was partially covered with ice and snow, he wanted to use all of the available runway. He came in low and struck a snow bank at the approach end of the runway. The airplane skidded down the runway and caught fire….

At 00:03 Pacific time, a Piper PA-28-180 struck power lines and poles one mile east of runway 27 at Boulder City Municipal Airport, killing the pilot and passenger. A witness in a helicopter saw the accident aircraft approach the airport and enter a wide arcing left-hand approach to runway 27. The helicopter landed and the witness saw the accident aircraft very low on final approach. The aircraft struck power lines 66 feet above ground level that were marked by red obstruction lights….

At about 17:33 eastern time, a Lancair 320 struck trees while maneuvering near C4C Airport. The pilot was seriously injured and says he has no recollection of the accident flight. A witness said he saw the airplane fly over the neighbors private airport very low and very fast. He buzzed the airport a second time and pulled up sharply. On the third pass, he did not pull up in time and struck trees. The owner of the airstrip was a friend of the pilot but was not expecting him to visit….

At about 09:30 eastern time, a ground refueler was killed when he walked into the turning prop of a Cessna A188B agricultural airplane at Pelham. The pilot landed and waited in the parking area to be refueled and have chemical added for aerial application. Another airplane was parked in front of the accident airplane and was also being refueled. The refueler put fuel in the left wing of the forward airplane and the right wing of the accident airplane. Then the refueler turned to his right (toward the engine) and walked into the prop. The refueler had worked for the company for four days….

At approximately 13:00 Pacific time, a Let L-23 glider struck a taxiway sign during its landing roll at Arlington Municipal Airport. The instructor and student were not injured. The instructor said the student was just about to land at the north end of the grass landing area when the instructor decided it would be best to land farther down the runway. Without advising the student, the instructor partially retracted the spoilers so the aircraft would float farther before touching down. The glider drifted long, touched down on the wet grass and departed the end of the landing area….

At 12:06 Pacific time, a Cessna 177 crashed immediately after liftoff from runway 13L at King County International Airport. The pilot was not injured but his passenger received minor injuries. The pilot said the aircraft started rolling to the left after liftoff and he applied right aileron, but that resulted in the roll to the left becoming accelerated. As the aircraft approached 80 degrees of bank, the left wing struck the ground and the aircraft cartwheeled. The flight was the first following wing replacement and the aileron cables had been connected backwards. The pilot said he had performed a pre-takeoff check of the aileron movement but did not realize that they had deflected in a dire…

At 06:38 central time, a Beech BE-58 made a forced landing in a muddy field near Brinkley, seriously injuring the pilot. The pilot told controllers one of the engines indicated a high temperature on one cylinder and requested a diversion to the nearest airport. He received vectors to Federer Memorial Airport, but then the pilot reported, control problem, plane shaking, not sure Ive got control, but its intermittent, and advised the ARTCC controller that he was going to land the airplane in a field. At the time of the accident, the airplane had accumulated a total of 110 hours flight time….

At about 16:30 eastern time, a Mooney M20C made a forced landing along the western shoreline of the Taunton River. The pilot was seriously injured. The pilot reported the airplane lost engine power while cruising northbound over the river. It struck one of two eight-cable bundles of power transmission lines. The airplane continued north, over a bridge and under another set of power cables before being forced down along the rivers shoreline. The fuel was clean and the carb heat had been activated. Weather conditions at the time were conducive to carb ice during glide and at cruise power settings….