Cessna172

The pilot was not aware of the length of the runway, and did not walk/survey it prior to the takeoff from the short, wet, soft surface. He used a combination of short- and soft-field takeoff procedures, and after becoming airborne, the “P” factor seemed “unusually strong.” He applied right aileron and rudder in an attempt to maintain directional control, but the right wing then the nose and left wing contacted the ground. The pilot further stated that there was no pre-impact failure or malfunction with the airplane or its systems.

At about 1950 Mountain time the two airplanes collided in flight over the approach end of runway 34 at the McCall Municipal Airport. Both airplanes were destroyed in the collision, uncontrolled descent and post-crash fire. Of the four occupants aboard one airplane, the private pilot and two passengers were killed; the third passenger received serious injuries. The commercial pilot and passenger aboard the other airplane sustained minor injuries. Both airplanes were ending cross-country flights; visual meteorological conditions prevailed.

The 101-hour student pilot was practicing landings. While maneuvering for the last landing, the control tower reported a wind gust of 14 knots. The student pilot stated that after he landed “…the airplane went back in the air and I lost control.” The airplane subsequently impacted the runway surface in a nose-low, left-wing-low attitude, resulting in substantial damage.

The airport manager said the airplane began its takeoff on the 2500-foot-long Runway 13 from the displaced threshold, which is 400 feet from the approach end of the runway. The pilot said he rotated at 55 knots and the airplane lifted off the runway but would not climb. Almost immediately, the stall warning horn began to sound and he lowered the nose to gain speed. The airplane then settled back onto the runway. The pilot reduced the power and began applying brakes to abort the takeoff. The airplane overran the end of the runway, went down a hillside, and collided with trees about 600 feet from the runway. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures.

The pilot reported that the airplane entered the airport traffic pattern, and he performed a visual approach to Runway 35 with a 90-degree crosswind to the landing direction. He stated that he was “slow” on final and when he touched down using a soft field landing procedure, the airplane was “pushed” off the runway by a wind gust, contacted a snow bank with the left main landing gear tire, and nosed over. Both wings were substantially damaged.

At approximately 1715 Central standard time, the airplane was destroyed upon colliding with terrain. The commercial pilot was fatally injured and the single passenger sustained serious injuries. Visual conditions prevailed. An eyewitness saw the airplane approach from the east heading west. When the airplane was abeam a school, its engine power rapidly reduced and it was observed executing a left turn at an estimated 45-degree bank. The airplane descended as the airplane turned approximately 270 degrees and was flying north approaching the witness from the south. The airplanes wings were level as the airplane continued to descend as it approached the witness.

As the commercial pilot/owner was preparing to taxi, he dropped something on the floor. When he realized he could not reach the object, he moved his seat back so he could reach down to the floor. At that point, he felt motion and realized that he could not reach the brake pedals. Before the pilot could release his seatbelt and turn off the engine, the airplane struck two parked airplanes, resulting in minor damage to his airplane and one of the parked airplanes. However, the other parked airplane sustained substantial damage.

During cruise flight at 3500 feet agl, a bird impacted the leading edge of the right wing, inboard of the wing lift strut attach point. The flight instructor did not see the bird until just before it impacted the wing. The CFI evaluated the damage in-flight and decided to continue the flight to his intended destination and landed without further incident. Examination of the right wing revealed the leading edge was crushed aft and two internal wing ribs were damaged.

The student pilot later stated he was instructed to enter a right base and later was cleared to land. Four nm from the runway, the student pilot stabilized the approach and maintained a constant 65 knots. As the airplane descended over the end of the runway, the pilots attention shifted to runway markings. The airplane bounced on landing; the pilot recovered with power but the airplane bounced again, impacting the runway nose-low. The airplane sustained damage to its landing gear, limiting right rudder pedal travel.

The airplane was substantially damaged when it collided with a fence and trees during a forced landing at 1545 Eastern time. Visual conditions prevailed. The private pilot reported minor injuries. The pilot later stated he was in cruise flight at 5000 feet when the engine started to run a little rough. A short time later he smelled fuel. He opened air vents but the smell persisted. After querying ATC on the nearest airports location, the pilot observed an open field and initiated a forced landing to the field. The engine stopped less than a minute after he informed ATC that he needed to land. The airplane touched down in the field, went through a fence, collided with trees and came to a complete stop.