PiperApache

At approximately 17:25 MDT, the pilot and passenger in a Piper Apache were killed when it crashed about one mile northeast of the Tucumcari Municipal Airport. The airplane departed Dallas, Texas, approximately 13:30 CDT, and was en route to Albuquerque. It landed for fuel at Tucumcari and was serviced with 54 gallons of fuel, then departed. At 17:17, the pilot advised Albuquerque Center that the left engine was smoking badly and that he was feathering the propeller. At 17:21, he advised he was returning to Tucumcari. The airport manager and the weather observer saw the airplane fly over runway 21 with the landing gear retracted. They radioed the pilot that his landing gear was still retrac…

At approximately 18:47 CDT, the pilot of a Piper Apache intentionally ground-looped the airplane after the brakes reportedly failed to operate during the landing ground roll. The two pilots aboard were uninjured. The pilot-rated passenger said the aircraft landed on the 2,600-foot sod runway at approximately 75 mph but there appeared to be no brakes. As the aircraft neared the east end of the runway, the aircraft was ground-looped to keep from crossing Kerr Road and going into the trees. The aircraft exited the runway to the left, crossed a ditch and came to a stop in the eastbound lane of Highway 321. An inspector examined the brakes and found no anomalies, then performed an operational…

At about 15:30 PDT, a Piper PA-23-160 Apache lost an engine and made a forced landing off-airport. The instructor suffered minor injuries and the student pilot was uninjured. The flight was a combination maintenance flight and instructional flight. The instructor said he intentionally failed and secured the right engine but was unable to restart it. He elected to return to the airport but the left engine failed about four miles from the airport. Inspectors found water in the main fuel tanks and in the carburetor bowls of both engines….

At 15:30 CST, a Piper PA-23-250 was damaged during an emergency landing at Amery Municipal Airport. The pilot and two passengers on board the Part 135 flight were not injured. The flight was en route from Roseau, Minn., to Watertown, Wis., when the pilot reported icing and diverted to Amery….

At 13:15 EST, a Piper PA-23-160 hit the ground short of runway 18 at the Titusville Space Coast Regional Airport. Both occupants were injured. The flight had originated from Titusville Dunn Air Park at an unknown time. There was no evidence of fuel at the accident site….

At about 1405 mountain time, a Piper PA-23-160 crashed about three miles west of Nogales International Airport, killing all three aboard. The airplane had been rented in Chandler by an applicant for a CFI-MEI certificate. Also aboard were a CFI and a private, multi-engine pilot. The designated examiner who was scheduled to give the CFI practical test said he was conducting the test when, on engine start, he noted the left engine did not produce sufficient power. He canceled the flight for mechanical reasons. The instructor pilot consulted with the operators mechanic and apparently concluded the return flight to Chandler could be made safely. The examiner observed the CFI applicant sitting i…

At approximately 15:22 central time, a Piper PA-23-160 lost power in its left engine while en route from Hebbronville to San Antonio. The airplane crashed near Cotulla, killing the passenger and leaving the pilot with serious injuries. The pilot was cruising at 5,000 feet about 25 miles from the Cotulla airport when he reported a loss of power in the left engine. He was given vectors to Cotulla and cleared to descend to 3,000 feet, then 2,400 feet – the minimum safe altitude according to controller guidelines. The pilot reported he could not maintain altitude and was still IMC, and said he was descending to 1,000 feet. He then reported he had the airport in sight, but crashed 15 miles east o…