Preliminary Reports

At approximately 1305 Pacific time, a National Air & Space Museum Boeing S-307 ditched in the waters of Elliott Bay following a loss of engine power. The two pilots and two flight engineers were not injured. The flight had departed from Boeing Field approximately 1230 en route to Everett and landed without incident. The airplane took off again and the number three engine experienced a momentary surge, then normalized. Due to this anomaly, the flight crew decided to discontinue the flight activities and return to Boeing Field. The landing gear was lowered but the left main gear did not fully extend. The approach was aborted to orbit the area to try and remedy the situation. The flight enginee…

At 1524 central time, a Mooney M20F lost engine power in cruise flight near Grapeland and was seriously damaged in the ensuing forced landing. The pilot and passenger were not injured. Examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector revealed two holes in the engines #2 cylinder….

At 1153 eastern time, a Piper PA-34-200T suffered an in-flight breakup near Apex, killing the pilot and passenger. The flight was cleared for the ILS Runway 5R approach to Raleigh-Durham International Airport and was 9.3 nautical miles from the airport. The pilot was given a radar vector to intercept the localizer. Witnesses reported hearing the airplane, then seeing the airplane come out of the fog straight down, with one wing coming down separately and debris falling after….

At 1534 Pacific time, a Piper PA-28-140 lost power and crashed about 1,300 feet short of runway 28L at Montgomery Field Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said he spent 1.5 hours reviewing the flight manual for the airplane before departing because he was unfamiliar with the airplane. He took off at about 1320 on the left fuel tank, flew for a while, then switched to the right fuel tank for the return leg. He flew straight back to the airport, but the engine began to lose power about a mile from the airport. After the crash, fuel was found in the left fuel tank but not in the right fuel tank….

At 1108 eastern time, a Piper PA-28-151 struck trees on climbout from Herbert Smart Airport, killing the pilot and flight instructor. A witness reported the CFI and pilot were on an instrument training flight in the local area. They departed runway 28, climbed to approximately 300 feet and reported that they were going to return to the airport to land on runway 10. The airplane struck pine trees three-quarters of a mile southwest of the airport….

At 1407 mountain time, a Cessna 172L suffered a propeller blade failure during departure from Bullhead City/Laughlin International Airport. The student pilot landed on the remaining runway and overrun area. Neither the pilot nor his passenger was injured. Control tower personnel said the airplane had climbed to about 800 feet when the airplane experienced the failure. Preliminary examination revealed a disintegrated propeller hub with loss of propeller blades and a severed crankshaft aft of the shaft flange. The pilot reported that about 1 year prior to the accident, he and his instructor struck a bird during cruise flight. They made a dead stick landing into an airport, where they found t…

At about 1358 eastern time, a Cessna T210N lost power and crashed at Teterboro Airport, killing the pilot. The pilot departed on runway 6 from intersection Golf and did not make any transmissions after departure. Less than a minute later, another pilot reported an airplane down on the airport. Witnesses reported hearing the engine fail and the airplane make a steep turn back toward the airport. An air filter was found to have been installed backwards, allowing elements of the air filter to be ingested by the turbocharger compressor….

At about 1335 Pacific time, a Eurocopter AS-350B collided with the surface of Honey Lake about 13 miles southeast of Susanville. The pilot was killed and two passengers were seriously injured. A passenger said that, just before the accident, the pilot stated on the intercom, Boy, its disorienting when the lake is this smooth. The wreckage was located about 1,000 feet from the shore….

At 1641 central time, a Beech A36 crashed during a missed approach at Austin Bergstrom International Airport, killing the pilot and passenger. The pilot was cleared for the ILS Runway 17L approach and maintained the localizer and glidepath until near the approach end of the runway. At that point, the pilot declared a missed approach and the tower issued missed approach instructions. The airplane crashed 2,400 feet east of the departure end of runway 17L with the gear extended and the flaps at15 degrees. Austin was reporting an overcast ceiling at 100 feet, visibility one-quarter in light rain and fog at the time….

At 1350 central time, a Beech BE-60 struck trees and a fence during takeoff on runway 18 at the Limestone County Airport. The pilot was killed. Witnesses said the airplane departed on runway 18, a 4,002-foot paved runway, with winds reported from 360 degrees at 17 knots gusting to 22. The airplane traveled about 1,000 feet past the end of the runway before colliding with a barbed wire fence and trees….