Preliminary Reports

At 07:55 central time, a Cessna 150K crashed during initial cruise flight near Bishop. The pilot suffered minor injuries. IMC prevailed but a flight plan was not filed. The pilot said he had taken off about 10 minutes earlier on a flight from Bishop to Harlingen. He said he was fumbling with headset jacks when the airplane struck a plowed field and flipped….

At about 13:30 Pacific time, a Cessna 172 was damaged during a touch-and-go landing at McMinnville Municipal Airport. The student pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The round robin cross-country flight originated at Troutdale, Ore., with intermediate stops at Corvallis, and McMinnville. During a touch-and-go landing at McMinnville, the aircrafts left wing struck the runway. The pilot was unaware of the contact and continued the flight to Troutdale, the final destination. The wing skin, spar and flight controls were all damaged….

At 16:45 central time, the pilot of a Piper PA46-500TP lost control while landing at Rockwall Municipal Airport. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. The pilot said the airplane veered to the right after touchdown on runway 17. Rudder control inputs were ineffective and the airplane continued off the right side of the runway. The pilot aborted the landing and added full power, at which point the airplane turned back toward the runway. It struck a light on the end of the runway and continued across a road, striking a fence and a tree. An examination of the nose landing gear assembly revealed that the support structure was separated from the hydraulic actuator….

At about 18:45 eastern time, a Cessna 402B crashed shortly after takeoff from Marsh Harbour Airport. The pilot and eight passengers were killed. Witnesses said the airplane lifted off and then nosed down, striking a marsh on the south side of the departure end of runway 27. The baggage from the airplane was removed and weighed. The total weight of the luggage, fuel and passengers showed that the total gross weight of the airplane was substantially exceeded. Preliminary center of gravity calculations showed that the center of gravity was significantly outside the flight envelope past the aft center of gravity. Preliminary information indicated that the pilot was not approved to act as pilot-i…

At 13:37 eastern time, a Cessna P337H struck the ground a half-mile west of Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. The pilot and passenger suffered minor injuries. When the pilot departed on the local flight, the airplane contained about 38 gallons of fuel. The pilot said he planned to fly only about 45 minutes and declined to add fuel. The pilot conducted multiple approaches and landings and the airplane was reported down an hour and 45 minutes after initial takeoff. The left tank was dry and about 4.5 gallons were recovered from the right tank. The POH specifies that dual engine stoppage is possible if fuel is allowed to drop below 8.3 gallons….

At about 18:30 mountain time, a Piper PA-32RT-300T was damaged after an off-airport precautionary landing. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said an engine vibration developed that led him to shut down the engine and land. Examination of the engine revealed the oil filter gasket was pinched at the base of the oil filter, which allowed the engine oil to escape and resulted in a catastrophic internal failure….

At 16:15 eastern time, a Grumman American AA-5B was damaged during taxi at the Donegal Springs Airpark. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said he preflighted the airplane and found no anomalies. Then he taxied the airplane to runway 27 for departure but, as he attempted to turn onto runway 27, the right brake failed and the airplane traveled off the end of the runway and down a 10-foot embankment. Inspection of the airplane revealed the right brake lining was worn, and there was a hole in the right brake cylinder which was leaking hydraulic fluid….

At about 17:35 eastern time, a Mooney M20J crashed in Monroe, killing the pilot and two passengers. The pilot had departed IFR from Charlotte about 15 minutes earlier. About 10 minutes after takeoff, the pilot told controllers he was having electrical problems and wanted to divert to the nearest airport. The controller offered the option of an airport two miles behind him or one six miles ahead that had more facilities. The pilot chose the farther airport, stating he did not yet have an emergency. The pilot reported the airport in sight and was cleared to descend and land at his discretion. He acknowledged the instruction but crashed short of the airport….

At about 13:24 eastern time, a Cessna 172L landed hard at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport after the yoke assembly broke. The CFI and student pilot were not injured. The CFI was flying the airplane and was flaring to land when he could no longer control the airplane with the yoke. He asked the student to pull on the yoke but there was no response from that side, either. The airplane touched down on all three wheels and bounced, then the CFI used the rudder to direct the airplane into the grass….

At 10:53 eastern time, a Mooney M20F was damaged when it overran the runway on landing at Mallory Airport. The pilot and passenger received minor injuries. The pilot said he lost engine power while in cruise flight because he ran the left tank dry. He selected the right tank and the engine restarted, but he was worried about running out of fuel in the right tank. During landing, the airplane touched down on the runway and continued past the departure end of the runway, striking a hangar and a parked airplane….