Preliminary Reports

At 23:25 central time, a Piper PA-31T1 crashed on approach to Graham Municipal Airport. The pilot and his three passengers were killed. The pilot was instrument-rated and IMC prevailed, but a flight plan was not filed. The flight was reported overdue the next day and the crash site was found three days after the crash. The wreckage indicated the airplane crashed while in controlled flight. A weather station 32 miles from the crash site reported broken cloud layers at 600 and 7,000 feet, visibility four miles in mist, temperature 15, dewpoint 14 at the time of the crash….

At 17:14 mountain time, a Boeing 777-236 operated by British Airways was damaged during a ground fire at Denver International Airport that killed a ground crew member. No one else was injured. A witness said the fueler had attached the refueling nozzles to the single point refueling lines in the airplanes left wing. He said the flow meter indicated the refueling had begun when a fuel line separated from the airplane and whipped around a bit. A fire ensued….

At approximately 07:15 Pacific time, a Beechcraft 58 struck rising terrain about 10 miles southeast of Ashland, killing the pilot and two passengers. The flight had departed en route to Scottsdale, Ariz., about five minutes earlier and the pilot had been briefed on the weather, but had not filed a flight plan. Dense fog prevailed near the airport. Several witnesses at the airport said they were waiting for the weather to improve before departing….

At 18:39 central time, the pilot of a Piper PA-32R-301 lost control and crashed three miles north-northwest of Spearville. The pilot was killed. IMC prevailed and no flight plan was filed. A witness observed the airplane fly over his house heading southwest, turn south and go into a fog bank. The airplane then came out of the fog heading west and diving to the ground….

About 22:20 eastern time, a Cessna 172R suffered damage to its left wing tip while taxiing in the company parking ramp at Orlando Executive Airport. The flight instructor and student were not injured. The aircraft had just landed and was returning to parking when the propeller of another aircraft operated by the same flight school sliced the accident airplanes wing tip….

At 15:54 central time, a Piper PA-32R-301 broke up in flight near Byhalia. The pilot and passenger were killed. Witnesses said the airplane was in level flight when the left wing separated from the airplane and struck the empennage. The weather was reported as windy but with no rain or thunderstorms….

At 11:26 Pacific time, an Aero Commander 500S struck mountainous terrain on Eagle Peak, killing the four occupants. The flight departed Reno, Nev., about 10:45 on an IFR flight to Wenatchee, Wash. The pilot requested 12,500 feet msl as a cruise altitude and the sector controller informed the pilot that he was unable to clear the flight to that altitude because the minimum enroute altitude for the route segment was 14,000 feet. The pilot then canceled his instrument flight plan and stated that he was VFR on top at 10,500 feet. At 11:26, the controller lost radio and radar contact….

At approximately 09:00 Pacific time, a Cessna 182J struck trees while approaching the Half Moon Bar Lodge airstrip, located about 28 miles northeast of Gold Beach. The pilot suffered minor injuries and the passenger was killed. The pilot said the airplane stalled and struck trees while turning from the base leg to the final approach….

At 20:23 eastern time, a Yakovlev YAK-52 crashed during a severe rainstorm near Washington, killing the pilot. The flight was en route from Wurtsboro, N.Y., to Providence, R.I., on the last leg of a flight from Arlington, Wash. The pilot had just purchased the airplane and was flying it home. The airplane was equipped for IMC flight, but the previous owner warned the pilot not to fly in IMC or night VFR because the layout of the flight instrument panel was unconventional. Weather radar showed an area of heavy precipitation at the accident site at the time of the crash. Two witnesses reported hearing the plane pass close to their house and then heard and felt the impact, and then smelled a fi…

At about 16:05 eastern time, a Cessna 310C lost engine power and crashed in the ensuing forced landing at Reidsville Municipal Airport. The pilot and four passengers suffered minor injuries, but the airplane was destroyed. The flight had originated earlier in the day at Niagara Falls, N.Y., and had made a fuel stop in Hickory, N.C., departing about 14:15. All four fuel tanks had been topped off at Hickory. The pilot took off on the main (tip) tanks, cruised on the inboard tanks until they were nearly empty, then switched back to the main tanks. After about 20 minutes, the engines began to surge and lose power. The pilot diverted to Reidsville but could not make the runway. The pilot said the…