Preliminary Reports

At 11:08 Pacific time, a Cessna 310F struck the mountains about three miles northwest of Carmel Valley, killing the pilot. The aircraft was in IMC on an IFR flight plan. The flight departed Monterey on an instrument clearance to VFR on top and was cleared to climb on a published departure procedure course to 6,000 feet. The pilot did not fly the published procedure, nor did the aircraft climb promptly. The controller warned the pilot he was headed toward higher terrain and told him to turn northbound if he was not VFR. The flight did not turn and struck terrain about 1,700 feet on a 2,000-foot ridgeline….

At approximately 10:15 Pacific time, an experimental MA-5 Charger lost power during the initial climb from Shady Acres Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said he completed his pre-takeoff run-up and then experienced problems with his intercom and VHF radio. While attempting to correct these problems, the aircrafts engine continued to run at idle for at least three or four minutes without application of carburetor heat. When he was finished working with the radio problems, the pilot pulled onto the runway and took off without applying carburetor heat to check for the presence of carburetor ice. After the aircraft reached a height of about 300 feet, the engine began to lose power….

At about 18:28 eastern time, a Piper PA-28R-180 struck wires and crashed while making an ILS approach to Pitt/Greenville Airport. The pilot and passenger were killed. The flight departed Tifton, Ga., en route to Greenville, VFR and without a flight plan. The pilot requested an IFR clearance about 30 miles southwest of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and was cleared to descend from 5,500 feet to 3,000 feet. ATC observed the aircraft descend below its assigned altitude twice. The flight was cleared for the approach. The minimum descent altitude was 1,600. The airplane struck power lines about 35 feet agl (65 feet msl) about 11 miles from the airport….

At about 13:10 eastern time, a Cessna 177 struck trees during a go-around from the Hampton Airfield. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot was landing on runway 20, a 2,100-foot turf runway, when he elected to go-around due to extremely turbulent conditions. As the airplane began to climb, it encountered more turbulence, and struck trees about 50 feet beyond the departure end of the runway. Nearby winds were reported from 280 degrees at 18 knots, gusts to 25 knots….

At about 13:00 eastern time, a Piper PA-28-140 crashed on a go-around at Wilgrove Airpark, but the pilot was not injured. The pilot said he departed runway 17 and planned to stay in the pattern. As he approached for landing, he found he could not reduce power, so he elected to go around. The engine did not respond to increased throttle either, and he overflew the runway at 150 to 200 feet agl and 1,900 rpm. He concluded he could not get over trees at the departure end of the runway, so he performed a full stall landing into the tree canopy….

At 15:40 central time, a Cessna 172N struck a power line and crashed five miles north of the Wichita Mid-Continent Airport. The CFI and student pilot were killed. The two were practicing ground reference maneuvers in a designated practice area when they reported to Wichita controllers they would be operating in the traffic pattern at Maize Airport for a few minutes. No further radio contact was recorded, but about 35 minutes later witnesses heard a low-flying airplane in the vicinity of Wichita International Raceway. One witness reported the airplane was traveling north-northwest at 150 to 200 feet and descending slightly. The witness said the engine speed was high, but sounded normal, and t…

At about 13:18 eastern time, a Mooney M20R crashed in Bluffton, killing the pilot and passenger. The pilot had filed an IFR flight plan and had taken off about nine minutes earlier. A controller at Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station said the aircraft was level at 3,000 feet on a heading of 070 degrees when the heading changed to 010 degrees and the altitude decreased, followed by a continuous turn to the right and corresponding descent in altitude. The last radar indication showed the airplane on a heading of 230 degrees and an altitude of 2,400 feet. The airplane struck high voltage power lines and burst into flames….

At 13:45 central time, a Learjet LJ-60 struck two deer during landing and ran off the end of runway 7, seriously injuring the two pilots aboard. Witnesses said the airplane collided with the deer shortly after touchdown and continued down the runway with the brakes on. The aircraft departed the right side of the runway near the end, crossed a taxiway and hit a ditch, where it burst into flames. Rescuers were able to extricate the crew before the fire engulfed the cockpit. The pilot said the thrust reversers failed to operate when activated….

At 11:34 central time, a Beech C35 crashed left of runway 27 while landing at Wittman Regional Airport. The airplane struck the runways visual approach slope indicator lights before coming to a stop. The pilot and passenger suffered minor injuries. Witnesses observed the airplane in a tight right base for runway 27. The base-to-final turn was reportedly as steep as 60 degrees, at which point the airplane stalled and struck the ground left-wing low….

At 13:45 central time, a Cessna 210L crashed near Farmington, killing the pilot and passenger. Witnesses said they heard a popping noise and saw the propeller depart the airplane and strike the tail of the airplane….