Preliminary Reports

At 07:30 Pacific time, a Cessna T210L and a Cessna 310 collided in the run-up area for runway 29 at San Luis Obispo Airport. No one was injured. The pilot of the 210 said the morning sun restricted his vision to the point where he could not see in front of the airplane and he never saw the Cessna 310 in the run-up area. The pilot of the Cessna 310 stated his airplane was stationary and he was looking inside performing prop governor checks and at the last second saw a white flash in the corner of his eye. The right wing of the Cessna T210L was severed approximately 6 feet inboard of the wingtip when it contacted the right propeller of the Cessna 310….

At 19:39 central time, a Beech F33C crashed while maneuvering during final approach. The pilot and passenger suffered serious injuries. On initial climb the pilot reported the door was open and he wanted to return for landing. The airplane was about 500 feet agl on downwind. When turning base to final the airplane overshot the runway centerline and the controller said the airplane appeared to stall as the pilot maneuvered back to the extended runway centerline….

At about 16:47 eastern time, a Cessna 172N suffered a collapsed nose gear while attempting a landing on a road near Cojimar. The student pilot received minor injuries. The flight had originated from Marathon, Fla., at about 15:30. The student had made three touch and goes and the instructor signed him off for his first supervised solo. The instructor said the student entered a left traffic pattern for a return landing on runway 7, but the student then reported on the radio that he could not fly the airplane, that his hands were cold, and that he did not know what was wrong. On final approach at about 200 feet, the airplane broke off the approach, turned to the southwest and disappeared from…

At approximately 19:40 mountain time, a Beech 76 struck power lines and crashed into Blue Mesa Reservoir approximately 17 miles west of Gunnison. The two occupants, both flight instructors, were killed. Witnesses said the airplane was burning after it struck the power lines and a fire continued on the surface of the water for about five minutes. The airplane sank in 130 to 150 feet of water….

At 07:05 central time, a Beech 58 crashed about a half mile north of the Ainsworth Municipal Airport, killing the pilot and leaving the passenger seriously injured. The Part 135 cargo flight was en route to Valentine, Neb., when it encountered icing conditions and the pilot elected to divert to Ainsworth. While on approach to runway 17, the airplane struck the ground on a heading of 280 degrees. The aircraft was carrying radioactive medical materials and on-site investigation did not began approximately until about 72 hours later….

At about 15:50 Pacific time, a Cessna TR182 went missing on an IFR flight from Prince Rupert, British Columbia, to Bellingham, Wash. The pilot reported a loss of engine power and ditched the aircraft offshore Bella Bella. The uninjured pilot was rescued from the water about four hours later….

A Cessna 172N was determined to be lost over the Pacific Ocean when it disappeared from radar at 17:02 Pacific time. The pilot, thought to be the only one aboard, is presumed dead. The aircraft departed Concord at about 15:20 and flew southwesterly, climbing to 10,500 feet. For the next hour and 20 minutes, the mode C reported altitude varied between 8,500 feet and 11, 800 feet. At about 16:50, the altitude began to gradually decrease at the rate of 600 to 900 feet per minute until the radar return was lost over the Pacific ocean 46 miles on a magnetic bearing of 224 degrees from Monterey, Calif….

At about 12:45 eastern time, a Pitts S-2B crashed while maneuvering to land at Brookhaven Airport, killing the flight instructor and leaving the commercial pilot/student seriously injured. The student pilot broadcast a simulated engine-out landing and turned toward the runway. However, a witness said the airplane appeared very slow and very, very low. He then saw the right wing drop and the airplane struck the ground in the clear area just short of runway 24. The instructor had more than 3,000 hours, and the second pilot had about 350 hours. No pre-accident anomalies were found….

At 06:00 eastern time, a Stinson 108 was damaged following a loss of control during takeoff from White Post Airport. The pilot was seriously injured. Investigators said the grass on the private strip was about nine inches tall and wet, and the aircraft was covered with frost. The pilot said he pulled the aircraft from the hangar the night before because he had a meeting to attend the next morning and knew hed be in a hurry….

At 09:36 eastern time, a Piper PA-32RT-300 struck the ground during an instrument approach to Tompkins County Airport. The pilot and two passengers suffered minor injuries. While being vectored for the ILS Runway 32 approach, the pilot had the autopilot engaged in the heading and altitude mode. Once cleared for the approach, the pilot canceled the altitude mode and started a descent. He intercepted the final approach course using the heading mode and autopilot. As he passed the final approach fix, the pilot disengaged the autopilot. At that point he was on course and above glide slope. Published minimums for the approach are 1,349 feet msl, but the pilot said his personal minimum was 2,000 f…