BeechBaron

At about 05:20 central time, a Beech 58 on a Part 135 charter flight landed gear-up at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport. The pilot and two occupants were uninjured. The flight departed the airport and the cabin door came ajar. The pilot landed and closed the door. The flight again departed and the cabin door popped open again. When the pilot returned for another landing, he neglected to lower the landing gear….

At 13:15 central time, a Beech 95-B55 crashed near Alvarado after the pilot lost control. The pilot and flight instructor were killed. The pilot was the owner of the flight school that operated the airplane, and the flight instructor was the chief pilot. The pilot, who was already multi rated, was working on proficiency. A witness reported hearing the airplanes engine sounds change, then saw the airplane in what appeared to be a flat spin at about 1,500 feet agl. The engines revved again, but the airplanes attitude did not change. The airplane landed in a flat attitude with no ground scars except those beneath it. The landing gear was extended and the flaps were in an approach position….

At 05:22 central time, a Beech 58 crashed 1 miles short while on the localizer approach to runway 31 at Dubuque Regional Airport, killing the pilot. The pilot had reported for duty at 2 p.m. the day before and flew seven legs under Part 135. The accident flight was a Part 91 positioning flight. The glideslope had been decommissioned Aug. 13, but the pilot was aware of that. The pilots kneeboard showed he was given the 04:55 weather, with a few clouds at 100 feet, overcast 500 feet, visibility -mile in fog. Shortly before the accident, observed weather had deteriorated, with the clouds at 100 feet becoming a broken layer. The published approachs minimum descent altitude of 1,540 gives a h…

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 10:45 mountain time, a Beech 58P on a post-maintenance test flight suffered an inflight fire in the left engine nacelle just after takeoff from Boise Air Terminal. Neither the pilot nor the mechanic was injured. The two were making a test flight after heavy maintenance and all preflight inspections and operations were normal. After the airplane climbed to about 20 feet, the pilot noticed flames coming from the left engine. He landed on the remaining runway. The fire damage was contained to the accessory section aft of the firewall, but one engine mount and the structure around the engine, including the fuel tank, were damaged….

At 10:10 central time, a Beech BE95-B55 crashed while maneuvering near Oak Grove, killing the pilot. IMC prevailed and the pilot was instrument rated, but no flight plan was filed. The pilot flew from Monroe, La., to a private hunting ranch near Avon the previous day. Because the weather was forecast to deteriorate, the pilot decided to return his airplane to Monroe and drive back to the ranch. A preflight weather briefer told him VFR flight was not recommended. The ceiling at the destination was about 3,000 feet, but at the accident site it was about 500 feet. A witness saw the airplane at about 300 feet agl in a steep left bank. The 1,500-hour pilot had owned the airplane since 1994….

At 0953 Pacific time, a Beech 95-B55 was damaged in an off-airport landing following a loss of power while on approach to Joshua Tree Airport. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot, with about 600 hours in the airplane, said the airplane had come out of its annual inspection just over four flight hours earlier. The engines lost power in the traffic pattern. Both auxiliary tanks were empty, the right tank was empty and the 37-gallon left main tank was nearly full. Both fuel selectors were on their respective main tanks. The accident flight from Santa Monica, about 45 minutes, was made with each engine supplied by its main tank. The pilot said the left engine lost power on downwi…

At about 10:50 eastern time, a Beech B55-T42A crashed while maneuvering near Johnson City, killing the pilot. Numerous witnesses reported seeing the Baron flying formation with a Cessna 210. As the formation approached the airport, it was flying low and fast. The flight appeared to be flying into the break, military-style. The lead 210 executed an abrupt pitch up and left bank, and the Baron hit a 65-foot tree at about the 50-foot level….

At about 16:10 central time, a Beech 55 crashed after takeoff from Montgomery Regional Airport. The pilot and two passengers were killed. One witness said one of the engines sounded like it was running smooth and the other engine sounded like it was sputtering during taxi. On the takeoff roll, he said both engines sounded erratic and he wondered why the pilot did not abort the takeoff. The airplane did not appear to climb very fast and disappeared into the clouds, then crashed shortly thereafter. Another witness verified the rough-sounding engines, saying he told others at the time, Theres no way I would be on an airplane sounding like that. Just after a minute after takeoff, the pilot ra…