BACHawker

A pilot reported hearing a Mayday call from another airplane, stating that the engine had failed and he was attempting to land on the east side of a canal. No further communications were received from the accident airplanes pilot.

At about 1332 Eastern time, the vintage military jet crashed into the Hudson River following an in-flight loss of airplane control. Visual conditions prevailed. The private pilot was killed and the airplane received substantial damage. Witnesses reported the pilot flew over the airport and performed a rolling maneuver, described as a roll or a barrel roll. Following the rolling maneuver, the airplane remained in the traffic pattern and the pilot executed a second pass down the runway centerline, at low altitude and with the landing gear retracted.

At 08:50 central time, a British Aerospace HS 125-700A Hawker was substantially damaged when its left wing distorted during a normal descent into New Orleans. No one was injured. The pilot said they were flying at 4,000 feet over Lake Pontchartrain when they heard a bang. The pilots thought that they had experienced a bird strike and asked a mechanic on board to look at the wings. The mechanic reported to the flight crew that the left wing skin and fence were distorted. Post-flight examination revealed that the left wings fuel vent was blocked with duct tape and the wet wing fuel tank had collapsed….