Preliminary Reports

At 11:27 mountain time, an Aero Vodochody L-39CT crashed on departure from Front Range Airport, killing both aboard. Witnesses said the airplane departed from runway 26 and turned crosswind for a southbound departure. The airplane was observed to pitch-up approximately 30 degrees, and drop immediately to the ground….

At about 18:50 eastern time, a Cessna 182Q ran out of fuel and was damaged during a forced landing near Paintsville. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot said he departed Mount Sterling, Ky., with full fuel and flew 3.0 hours to Paintsville. He did not refuel and departed Paintsville at about 14:30 with a Kentucky Forest Ranger for the purpose of fire spotting. The pilot said he calculated an endurance of 8 hours but had been flying about 5 hours at the economy power setting when the engine lost power….

At about 15:00 Alaska time, a Cessna 206 was damaged during an emergency landing at Stebbins Airport. The pilot was not injured. The intended routing of scheduled Part 135 commuter flight was from Unalakleet to St. Michael to Stebbins to Unalakleet. The pilot said the first leg was uneventful. She offloaded her passenger and took off on the next leg. On initial climb, the yoke showed only limited movement. She maintained control using trim and rudder and attempted to declare an emergency, but the push-to-talk switch had become inoperative. She was able to make shallow turns and control the airplanes altitude and pitch using a combination of flaps, trim and power. She was able to line up for…

At 16:53 central time, a Beechcraft 1900D was damaged in a gear-up landing at Chicago OHare International Airport. The flight crew and eight passengers were not injured. Seven passengers reported minor injuries. The captain said there were four minimum equipment list items that were inoperative, including the flap system. As the aircraft neared the airport, its landing clearance was changed from runway 14R to runway 4R. The copilot called out the Abnormal Procedures: Flaps Up Landing Checklist and later the Final Checklist. The captain reported, During the attempted landing the F.O. [first officer] stated that the gear might have collapsed, that is when I noticed that the gear was in the U…

At about 20:30 eastern time, a Cessna 172SP struck wires and crashed after a touch-and-go at Marlboro Airport, killing the pilot and passenger. Witnesses said the airplane had been flying locally for about 15 minutes when it returned and appeared to approach runway 9 for landing. The airplane did not touchdown until it was well beyond the approach end of runway 9, almost to the number 27 at the opposite end of the 2,156-foot runway. After touchdown, the engine revved and the airplane climbed, but it veered left and struck utility wires and crashed. The flaps were found extended, but no evidence of pre-impact malfunction was found on the aircraft. The wind at a nearby airport was recorded a…

At 11:30 eastern time, a Piper PA-22 crashed during an attempted takeoff from a field near Pomaria. The pilot said he made a forced landing to the field earlier in the day after losing engine power. He refueled the airplane and attempted to take off, but the airplane struck rising terrain during the initial climb….

At 12:55 eastern time, a Cessna 210 was damaged during landing at Newark-Heath Airport following an apparent loss of elevator control. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot was descending at the end of a cross-country trip when he noticed he had to use both hands on the yoke to stop the descent, even with full nose-up trim. When he flared to land, he could not get the nose to come up and the airplane porpoised. Inspection showed the control column stop was chafing on the rear casing of the HSI. Five shock mounts were installed on the instrument panel, of which the lower right and lower center shock mounts were broken, and the upper left shock mount was not attached….

At approximately 12:00 central time, an Aero Vodochody L39C operated by the Northern Lights Aerobatics team crashed while maneuvering near Pecan Island, killing the pilot and passenger. Witnesses close to the accident site observed the jet maneuvering at low altitude over the pilots hunting camp for several minutes prior to the accident. They stated that the jet was in a wings level, inverted position just seconds prior to ground impact. A few of the witnesses said they thought the pilot, part owner of the Northern Lights, was attempting to roll upright as the airplane impacted the ground at a high rate of speed….

At 16:30 eastern time, a Cessna 120 was damaged during takeoff from Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said the purpose of the flight was to practice takeoffs and landings on the snow in the ski-equipped aircraft. He had departed Bar Harbor earlier in the day and successfully performed a landing and subsequent takeoff from a nearby frozen lake. He said he returned to Bar Harbor and performed several takeoffs and landings in the snow-covered infield adjacent to Runway 35. During the final takeoff, the tip of one ski sank into the snow and the airplane flipped. The pilot reported 130 hours and 30 hours in the Cessna 120, 12 hours of which were on skis. He s…

At 10:09 eastern time, an amateur-built Rans S-12 crashed while attempting to takeoff from a plowed farm field in Homestead. The pilot sustained serious injuries and the passenger was not injured. The passenger, the pilots wife, said they had originally taken off from Homestead Regional Dade County Airport and shortly after takeoff, the airplane lost power and the pilot landed in the plowed field. The pilot examined the engine and felt that he could take off. During the takeoff, the engine again lost power and the airplane crashed nose down in the field….