Preliminary Reports

At 19:53 central time, a Piper PA-25-235 struck trees in a residential area during a forced landing following a loss of engine power at Clover Field. The pilot was not injured. The pilot told investigators he returned to Clover Field after a banner-towing flight over downtown Houston but had trouble releasing the banner in the grass between the runways. He said he dragged the banner on the ground and it eventually released, but he was then too close to the end of the runway to stop, so he performed a go-around. During the go-around the airplane ran out of fuel….

At about 11:20 eastern time, a Cessna 150 lost engine power and was ditched in a river near Huntington. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said he had purchased the airplane in January and it was overdue for an annual inspection. He was issued a ferry permit to fly the aircraft from Huntington to Milton to receive an annual inspection. The pilot said he drained water from the fuel tanks, conducted a preflight inspection and ran up the engine before takeoff. About three miles from the airport, the engine began sputtering. When he determined he could not make it back to the airport, he turned toward the shore of a river and ditched the airplane. He swam to shore and the airplane sank. The me…

At 14:50 Pacific time, an experimental YAK 11 veered off the runway and struck a berm during takeoff at Eagles Nest private airport. The pilot received minor injuries. During takeoff on runway 1, the aircraft drifted off the right-hand edge of the runway and struck a berm at the mid-field taxiway. Impact with the berm damaged the landing gear and deflected the aircraft to the left and into the air, where it traveled back across the runway and came to rest in the dirt on the left side of the runway, about 3,000 feet from the start of the takeoff roll. The single-seat aircraft, modified for air racing, was assembled from U.S. and Russian aircraft components. The pilot had acquired the aircraf…

At 11:58 central time, a Cessna 182Q crashed after losing engine power during initial climb near Houston. The pilot sustained serious injuries. The flight was a post-maintenance test flight. Witnesses said the airplane was climbing through 300 feet when the engine failed. The pilot attempted to make a steep, 180-degree turn back toward the airport when the airplane stalled and spun into the ground….

At 11:31 central time, a Beech A36 lost engine power and was damaged in the ensuing forced landing. The pilot was not injured. The flight was a post-maintenance test flight and the airplane had just come from its annual inspection. A ground run showed no anomalies, but during a post-accident inspection it appeared a fuel line had loosened enough to leak but not enough to come off its fitting. There was evidence of an engine compartment fire….

At 15:10 central time, an experimental Vans RV-6 lost power and crashed while on approach to Hooks Memorial Airport. The pilot/builder suffered minor injuries. The pilot said the engine began to run rough as he turned base and quit entirely when he turned final. The airplane touched down between two rows of trailers at a trailer park and the right wing struck a tree. This was the airplanes initial flight….

At about 14:15 Pacific time, a Beech B36TC struck trees and rising terrain after taking off from Lonnie Pool Field. One passenger was killed. The pilot and one passenger were seriously injured and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The pilot departed on runway 36 into rising terrain, despite warnings at the airport and in the Airport/Facility Directory to take off from runway 18 because of the runways steep slope and rising terrain to the north. The airport is unattended….

At approximately 11:15 mountain time, a Cessna 340 struck a bird while on final approach to San Luis Valley Regional Airport. There were no injuries aboard the airplane, but the Sand Hill Crane wasnt so lucky. The pilot said they had just passed over the airport at pattern altitude and were preparing to enter the downwind for runway 20 when a flock of birds came up from below. One bird struck the leading edge of the right wing approximately 3 feet inboard of the tip tank….

At about 15:00 central time, a Hiller UH-12E operating as an aerial application flight crashed near Cleveland. The pilot was not aboard at the time. The pilot told investigators he made a precautionary landing due to malfunctioning application equipment and as he deplaned the helicopter it lifted off without him, climbed to about 600 feet agl and crashed….

At about 18:45 eastern time, a Piper PA-34-200 suffered a collapsed right main gear during the landing roll at Venice Municipal Airport. The pilot and two passengers were uninjured. The pilot said the airplane touched down at 80 knots on runway 31 just south of the intersection of runway 04/22, and the brakes were not effective when he initially applied them. He pumped the brakes and they became effective, but the airplane rolled off the end of the runway despite heavy braking. Marks on the runway indicated the airplane skidded the final 250 feet of runway. The left tire was flat-spotted and the right tire was blown….