PiperApache

Last year, I flew maybe 40 hours in piston twins, building time and getting through a checkride. With a bunch of experience in the IFR system flying high-performance singles, keeping up with the twins I was flying-and planning ahead and managing their systems, even in the busiest airspace-was relatively easy. Performing the engine-failure drills, the VMC and drag demonstrations, and practicing various other systems failures also were relatively easy, thanks to my experience in complex airplanes.

The pilot departed on a 1+50 cross-country flight with approximately 30 gallons of fuel in each wing tank (approximately 27 gallons usable fuel per side). The flight was uneventful until he started a descent from 8000 feet msl to 3000 feet, when the engine made “two pops” and “quit.” The pilot said there was no engine roughness, “It just stopped.” He made several attempts to restart the engine, but was unsuccessful. The pilot declared an emergency and landed in a field. Upon landing, the nose gear dug into the dirt and separated from the airplane.

The airplane experienced a collapsed nose landing gear at about 1830 Pacific time. The solo private pilot was not injured, but the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual conditions prevailed.

At 1727 Eastern time, the airplane collided with terrain during an off-airport forced landing. The airplane sustained a loss of engine power shortly after takeoff. The private pilot was not injured; three passengers sustained minor injuries.

The airplane was substantially damaged during a hard landing at about 1705 Central time. The private pilot and two passengers were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed.

The airplane sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain at about 1142 Central time. Visual conditions prevailed for the aerial application flight; the pilot reported no injuries. The pilot was on his first pass over a field when he noted that the airplane would not climb and initiated a left turn. The airplane descended, striking the ground and coming to rest in a ditch beside a highway….

At 2059 Central time the airplane received substantial damage on impact with terrain during a visual approach. Night visual conditions prevailed; the pilot was fatally injured. Earlier, the on-demand cargo flight departed from Peoria, Ill., but returned without incident after the pilot reported that the airplane door came open. The flight then departed at 2031. Subsequently, the pilot reported a rough right engine but, while diverting back to Peoria, the pilot diverted to Bloomington and crashed while maneuvering to land. The pilot did not declare an emergency….

At 1440 central time, a Piper PA-23-160 was damaged in a forced landing right after takeoff from Casey Municipal Airport. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The flight had departed Wadsworth, Ohio, and was destined for Durant, Okla., with a fuel stop in Greenville, Ill. While in cruise flight at 6,500 feet, the pilot repositioned the right fuel selector from the main tank to the auxiliary tank. At that time, the fuel selector handle was stiff and hard to move. After about 30 seconds, the engine began to surge. He switched the fuel back to the main tank but the fluctuations continued. He elected to crossfeed from the left tank and the power returned to normal. He then turned off the…

At about 1148 eastern time, a Piper PA-23-160 crashed in a residential area while returning to land at West Palm Beach County Park Airport. The pilot and passenger were killed. The pilot contacted Palm Beach Approach shortly after taking off from Lantana and requested flight following to Everglades City. Shortly after this the pilot reported that he needed to return to Lantana. Shortly after this the pilot transmitted on the Unicom frequency that he was 4 miles southwest of the airport, inbound for landing on one engine. Witnesses reported seeing the airplane on downwind abeam the end of runway 27 at about 400 feet. The airplane then turned base leg for runway 27 and continued to lose altitu…

Approximately 10:30 CST, a PA-23-235 was landed without incident by a pilot-rated passenger when the owner/pilot collapsed while on a practice VOR approach to the Mineral Wells Airport. The owner died, but the two other occupants were uninjured. The right front seat passenger was a 600 hour pilot rated passenger with no twin experience. The passenger in the back seat contacted Mineral Wells Unicom and arranged for a multi-engine rated pilot to talk down the flying passenger. The plane landed without further incident. An autopsy and toxicology was performed on the owner and results are pending….