QuestairVenture

Mastering Mountain FlyingUnderstanding Flight ExperiencePerform Advanced Preflight After Maintenance

At 0550 mountain time, an amateur-built Questair #20 Venture struck a wall during a rejected landing and was destroyed in a post-impact fire at Sky Ranch at Carefree. The pilot and one passenger were killed. Witnesses said the airplane descended rapidly toward the airport, touched down briefly and then became airborne again. During the initial climb, the airplane was described as flying at a 45-degree angle but not climbing until it struck a wall. Examination of the skid marks on the runway showed the airplane touched down about two-thirds of the way down the runway, veered right across a taxiway, veered back left toward the runway, struck a VASI light and porpoised down the runway before…

At 1440 Pacific time, an amateur-built Minkler Venture M20 airplane suffered structural failure of the horizontal stabilizers and the associated elevators at the Reno-Stead Airport while participating in the sport class race as part of the annual Reno Air Races. The pilot was killed in the crash. The accident occurred about halfway through the sport class race. As the airplane was rounding pylon No. 1, the horizontal stabilizers and elevators began flexing and then bent down at a point about two feet outboard of the root on each side….

At 17:15 PST, an amateur-built Questair Venture came to rest inverted on runway 25 following a landing accident at the Auburn airport. The pilot/owner suffered serious injuries. The IFR flight originated from McMinnville, Ore., but the pilot canceled the IFR flight plan before arriving at Auburn. A weather reporting station about 60 miles away reported winds from 340 at 14, gusting to 18. A witness said the Questair landed approximately halfway down the runway, but then he lost sight of it. Then a pilot in the pattern reported the accident at the departure end of runway 25. The ground witness reported the winds were only 4 to 5 knots, but the pilot said he had to hold a significant crab unti…

At 12:08 mountain time, a homebuilt Questair Venture caught fire following landing at Ogden Municipal Airport. The pilot was seriously burned. The tower controller said the pilot reported fuel fumes in the cockpit and was cleared to land on any runway. After an unstable, fast landing, the airplane groundlooped on the runway and caught fire….