May 3, 2005, Bismarck, N.D.
Piper PA-31T
At about 2100 Central time, the airplane was substantially damaged during an emergency landing on Runway 21 at the Bismarck Municipal Airport (BIS) in Bismarck, N.D. The right main landing gear failed to extend prior to landing and the left main gear collapsed during rollout. The airplane subsequently departed the runway pavement before coming to rest. Visual conditions prevailed, and neither the Private pilot nor the passenger reported injuries. The pilot elected to divert to BIS when the landing failed to extend prior to landing at his intended destination.
May 3, 2005, Kalispell, Mont.
Cessna T210N
The airplane was destroyed in a collision with terrain at about 1540 Mountain time approximately 19 miles east of Kalispell, Mont. The Private pilot and pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. Instrument conditions prevailed. The aircraft wreckage was located after the Salt Lake City Air Traffic Control Center issued an Alert Notice (ALNOT) when radio and radar contact with the accident aircraft was lost.
May 5, 2005, North Las Vegas, Nev.
Gulfstream 695A
At 0914 Pacific time, the aircraft was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain short of Runway 12R at the North Las Vegas Airport. The Airline Transport pilot experienced an incapacitation event during the flight and was the only fatality. The two passengers received minor injuries. Visual conditions prevailed. After takeoff, the pilot started feeling ill and became incapacitated. The passenger in the cockpits right seat took over flying the airplane and flew it to the North Las Vegas airport where it impacted terrain while on final approach to land.
May 5, 2005, Elk River, Idaho
Cessna 120
The aircraft ground looped during the landing roll at about 0800 Pacific time. Visual conditions prevailed. The aircraft was substantially damaged but the Private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The pilot later reported that he was landing on Runway 17. During the landing roll, he failed to maintain directional control and the aircraft ground looped. The propeller as well as the left wing contacted the surface, damaging the wing tip and outboard section of the aileron. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the aircraft at the time of the accident.The pilot reported that the weather was clear and the winds were calm.
May 6, 2005, Memphis, Tenn.
Jodel D-9 Experimental
At about 1240 Central time, the Experimental airplane collided with the ground during approach to the General Dewitt Spain Airport. Visual conditions prevailed; the Private pilot received fatal injuries, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The seller of the airplane later reported the pilot purchased the one-seat airplane that day and wanted to fly it home. A witness standing at the airports midfield stated the airplane appeared to be about 200 feet above the ground on the downwind. The witness stated the airplane turned base and was very slow with the nose high. He stated that when the airplane turned final, it spun about half a turn to the left and dove straight into the ground.
May 7, 2005, Tucson, Ariz.
Beech 23
The airplane lost engine power during takeoff and made a forced landing at the Tucson International Airport at 0901 Mountain time. The Private pilot sustained minor injuries; the airplane was substantially damaged. According to the pilot, the airplane was about 400 feet agl and turning the left crosswind leg when the engine lost all power. He made a forced landing between a taxiway and the perimeter fence on the airport. During the forced landing, the left main landing gear was sheared from the airplane and the left wing was folded at its center. The last maintenance performed on the airplane was an oil change. The accident flight was the first flight since the maintenance was performed. There was no obvious oil spill at the accident site.
May 7, 2005, Grand Canyon, Ariz.
Cessna 172RG
At 1637 Mountain time, the airplane settled back to the ground after takeoff in a field about one mile south of the Grand Canyon National Park Airport. The Private pilot and two passengers sustained minor injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual conditions prevailed; the flight was originating at the time of the accident. According to witnesses, the airplane departed Runway 21 but when the main gear lifted from the runways surface, the airplane flew in ground effect and did not climb. It proceeded down the runway before settling into the ground. The pilot reported that prior to the flight he performed performance calculations for the airplane to ensure that it was capable of departing the high-altitude (6609 feet msl) airport. Prior to takeoff, the flaps were retracted and the mixture control was in the full forward (rich) position. Fueling records at the Grand Canyon Airport indicated that the airplane was topped off with fuel prior to departure.
May 8, 2005, New Cuyama, Calif.
Cessna 140
The airplane collided with mountainous terrain at about 1000 Pacific time and sustained substantial damage; the Private pilot and one passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane departed the Santa Ynez Airport, Santa Ynez, Calif., at about 0900, and the pilot was planning to fly over a remote area located near the accident site. Visual conditions prevailed. The airplane was reported as missing on May 9 and an Alert Notice (ALNOT) was issued. Later that day, the airplane wreckage and its occupants were located. According to search-and-rescue personnel, the pilot reported engine problems. The pilot force-landed the airplane in the rough, mountainous terrain.
May 9, 2005, Homer, Alaska
Cessna 170B
At about 2135 Alaska time, the wheel-equipped airplane was substantially damaged when it veered off the runway and collided with a ditch during the landing roll at the Homer Airport. The airplane was operated by the Student pilot/owner, who was accompanied by a flight instructor, neither of whom was injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The flight instructor later reported the student was practicing touch-and-go landings on Runway 21 at Homer; the wind was from 230 degrees at 11 knots. As the airplane touched down, it veered slightly and the student corrected for the swerve. A gust of wind from the right then lifted the right wing, and the airplane began to veer to the left. The student applied right aileron, but the airplane departed off the left side of the paved runway onto an area of grass. The instructor applied engine power in an attempt to gain control of the airplane, but the airplane collided with a ditch that paralleled the runway.
May 9, 2005 in Kissimmee, Fla.
North American SNJ-6
The airplane broke up in flight at 1620 Eastern time while performing aerobatics during a mock combat operation. Visual conditions prevailed; the airplane was substantially damaged. The flight instructor and the Commercial pilot/student were fatally injured. Witnesses on ground reported seeing the airplane conducting a series of aerobatic maneuvers when the right wing separated from the airplane. The airplane then entered a spin, descended rapidly and collided with the ground.
May 9, 2005, Lowell, Idaho
Piper PA-28-235
At approximately 1640 Mountain time, the airplane impacted terrain, seriously injuring the Private pilot, who was the sole occupant. The aircraft was destroyed. The IFR cross-country flight, which departed Jackson Hole, Wyo., about two and one-half hours prior to the accident, was in an area of IMC at the time the accident sequence began. According to audio tapes recorded at Seattle Center, the pilot was in cruise flight when he reported that he could not maintain altitude because the aircrafts engine was not producing enough power. He was assigned a lower altitude, but the engine continued losing power. Soon thereafter, he reported the engine had quit and radar and radio contact were lost, and he reportedly continued his descent into a mountainous valley, where he attempted to execute a controlled crash into the terrain.
May 10, 2005, Snohomish, Wash.
Piper PA-12
The airplane nosed over during the landing roll on a sandbar near Snohomish, Wash., at about 1700 Pacific time. Visual conditions prevailed; the aircraft was substantially damaged but the Private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight departed from Everett, Wash., about 45 minutes prior to the accident. The pilot later reported he was intentionally landing on this sandbar, as he has done before. During the landing roll and braking action, the tail came up and the aircraft nosed over, coming to rest inverted. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the aircraft at the time of the accident.
May 11, 2005, Kennett Square, Penn.
RV-6A Experimental
At about 1915 Eastern time, the Experimental airplane lost engine power while in cruise flight, and was substantially damaged during a forced landing. The Private pilot was not injured; visual conditions prevailed. The pilot reported that the airplane was descending through 2000 feet at 160 knots when the engine lost power. He turned toward a nearby airport, switched fuel tanks, placed the mixture control to full rich, and confirmed that the fuel boost pump was in the on position. The airplane continued to descend and the pilot performed a forced landing to a field. During the landing, the airplane struck a ditch and flipped over.
May 12, 2005, St. Augustine, Fla.
American Gen. Aircraft AG-5B
The aircraft experienced a loss of engine throttle control at about 0955 Eastern time, resulting in a forced landing short of Runway 31 at the St. Augustine Airport. Visual conditions prevailed for the flight from Green Cove Springs, Fla., to St. Augustine. The airplane was substantially damaged; the Private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. On final approach, the pilot reported the throttle …was just loose in my hand (like it completely disconnected from the carburetor). Unable to increase power, he ditched the aircraft in a marsh short of the runway. The airplane flipped inverted during touchdown. The engine throttle control was found separated from the throttle control arm of the carburetor.
May 12, 2005 in Missoula, Mont.
Cessna 150TW
At approximately 1520 Mountain time, the tailwheel-equipped airplane collided with a runway sign during the landing roll. The Private pilot, who was the sole occupant of the aircraft, was not injured, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage. According to the pilot, who landed on Runway 25, he was cleared by the tower to turn off the runway at Taxiway Echo. While attempting to make the right-hand turn onto the taxiway, the pilot inadvertently turned too soon, and the aircraft collided with the runway identification sign near the intersection of the runway and the taxiway. The force of the impact resulted in the right main gear leg attachment box being bent and distorted. According to the pilot, there was nothing wrong with the aircrafts directional control system or brakes.
May 13, 2005, Harrisonburg, Va.
Aeronca 65-TAC
The airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain at about 1130 Eastern time; the Commercial pilot and the passenger were fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed for the flight, which departed the Winchester Regional Airport in Winchester, Va. The airplane came to rest on rural, hilly terrain, owned by a relative of the pilot and who witnessed the accident. He heard the engine sputter, and specifically recalled hearing the engine increase in power, followed by a sudden, total silence. About two to three seconds later, he heard the sounds of an impact, and responded to the accident scene. The witness also noted that on several previous occasions, the pilot had flown past the property in a rented Cessna airplane, and that that all of the previous flights were conducted at an altitude greater than 500 feet agl.
May 13, 2005, Dover, Del.
Piper PA28-140
At about 2300 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged following a collision with terrain during the initial climb from the Chandelle Estates Airport (0N4) in Dover, Del. The Commercial pilot and two passengers received minor injuries. Visual conditions prevailed for the flight, which was destined for Allentown, Penn. According to the pilot, he did not experience any problems with the airplane during the run-up, and that the engine lost power during the initial climb. The wreckage was located approximately mile off of the departure end of the runway.
May 13, 2005, Saluda, Va.
Ercoupe 415C
The airplane was substantially damaged at about 2100 Eastern time after it experienced a loss of engine power during the initial climb after takeoff from Hummel Field, Saluda, Va. The Private pilot and a passenger were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot reported that the airplane was about 100 feet above the runway when it lost engine power. The pilot attempted to maneuver the airplane to the field; however, it struck a fence and a tractor.
May 13, 2005, Elk River, Idaho
Cessna 150M
At approximately 1745 Pacific time, the airplane was substantially damaged on impacting terrain during initial climb after taking off. The Commercial pilot received serious injuries, while the sole passenger received fatal injuries. Visual conditions prevailed; the flights destination was the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Airport in Lewiston, Idaho. After taking off, witnesses observed the airplane was below a ridgeline south of the airstrip, but then began a left climbing turn in an attempt to clear trees to the east. Witnesses reported that as the aircraft continued its slow ascent, its nose continued to rise until the airplanes left wing clipped a tree top. The airplane subsequently impacted terrain in a nose-low attitude and came to rest inverted.The pilot later reported that the passenger, who was not a pilot and was more than six feet tall, had a tendency to place his feet on the airplanes rudder pedals. The pilot further reported that after taking off and while in the left turn, he noticed the turn wasnt coordinated and that the passenger had his right foot on the right rudder pedal. The pilot stated that prior to the crash the passenger freaked out and got on the controls. The density altitude was calculated to be approximately 4600 feet at the time of the accident.
May 14, 2005, Houston, Texas
Cessna 210L
The airplane was substantially damaged at approximately 2230 Central time when it struck a parked airplane following a loss of directional control during the landing roll at the Weiser Air Park (EYQ), near Houston, Texas. The Commercial pilot and three passengers were not injured. Dark night visual conditions prevailed. The cross-country flight originated from the Lakefront Airport (NEW), New Orleans, La. The pilot later reported that after a normal approach to Runway 27 and at an indicated airspeed of approximately 90 knots, the airplane landed some 500 feet beyond the approach end of the runway. During the landing roll, the airplane veered to the left every time the pilot applied brakes. The pilot stated that he let the airplane go left into the grass in hopes it would slow [the airplane] down. As the airplane crossed a taxiway, the pilot attempted to lock the brakes, however, the brakes would not lock up. As the airplane continued turning left, the pilot aligned the airplane parallel to a row of aircraft hangars adjacent to the runway. Subsequently, the outboard tip of the left wing struck the vertical stabilizer of a parked Cessna 182. The pilot added that during an earlier flight that day, he noticed that the airplane pulled slightly to the left as brakes were applied. Examination of the left and right brakes revealed no anomalies.
May 14, 2005, Creswell, Ore.
Pitts S-1C
At about 1445 Pacific time, the aircraft sustained substantial damage following an in-flight loss of engine power and subsequent off-airport, forced landing. The Private pilot, the sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. The pilot reported that approximately 15 minutes after takeoff, while in straight and level flight at 4000 feet msl, the engine began to run rough and eventually quit. After experiencing the loss of power, the pilot initiated a landing to a nearby open field. During the landing rollout, the airplane encountered tall grass and nosed over, resulting in substantial damage.
May 15, 2005, Boca Raton, Fla.
BAC 167 Strikemaster MK83
The aircraft collided with a fence at about 0916 Eastern time during an aborted takeoff from the Boca Raton Airport. Visual conditions prevailed. The airplane was substantially damaged; the Commercial pilot and the pilot-rated passenger were not injured. The pilot stated he performed a flight control continuity check before taxiing onto the runway for takeoff.During the takeoff roll and at the calculated rotation speed (70 knots), he applied back pressure to the control column but the elevator control stuck in position. The takeoff roll continued and he performed trim adjustments, and moved the flap selector without any effect. He then aborted the takeoff by applying maximum braking and the speed brakes, and opened the canopy just before coming to rest. The airplane rolled through a fence and came to rest upright. Preliminary examination revealed the control column would only move aft between and inch.
May 16, 2005, Nashville, Tenn.
Piper PA-18-150
At 1745 Central daylight time, the airplane collided with trees and the ground while maneuvering on initial climb. Visual conditions prevailed; the airplane was destroyed. The Private pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. A witness observed the airplane departing from Runway 1. After departure the airplane went into a fairly quick climbing turn. The climb appeared to get steeper and the bank angle got steep and then it started going down. The left wing dropped down and the nose of the airplane pitched down. Another witness heard the airplane collide with the ground.
