Events previously reported in the Weekly Accident Update
8/10 1935Z (1535 local Thursday afternoon): A Be58 was taxiing for departure at Fort Pierce, Florida, when it “struck taxiway lights damaging both propellers.” The solo pilot was unhurt; the extent of damage is “unknown”. N13TW (TH-1468) is a 1985 Baron 58 registered in Babson Park, Florida.
(“Taxiway excursion/taxi into obstructions”)
8/10 2130Z (1430 local Thursday afternoon): A Be35’s “gear collapsed after landing” at Needles, California. The pilot, alone in the aircraft, was not injured. Airplane damage is “unknown”. N732D (D-3408) is a 1953 D35 registered in Fresno, California.
(“Gear collapse during landing”)
8/12 0120Z (1720 local Friday afternoon 8/11): “While fueling,” a Be23’s “wing caught on fire for unknown reasons” at Anchorage, Alaska. No one was injured and the airplane has “unknown” damage. N4789J (MA-209) is a 1967 A23-24 registered in Anchorage.
(“Wing fire during fueling”–a reminder about properly grounding an aircraft before fueling, even if we don’t know if this is what happened in this specific case).
8/14 1340Z (0940 local Monday morning): A Be55 “experienced engine issues” and its pilot “declared an emergency [and] landed at Eufaula, Alabama. “Post-flight inspection revealed damage to the propeller.” The two aboard were not hurt and damage is “unknown”. N333X (TE-266) is a 1966 C55 registered in Wilmington, Delaware.
(“Propeller damage in flight”)
8/14 1653Z (1253 local Monday afternoon): A Be23 “veered off [the] runway” while landing at Jacksonville, Florida. The airplane “went into [the] grass” and its “nose gear sheared off.” The solo pilot was unhurt; airplane damage is “unknown”. N2335J (M-291) is a 1963 Model 23 registered in Jacksonville.
(“Loss of directional control during landing”)
8/16 1534Z (1134 local Wednesday morning): A Be35 “struck [a] bird after departure and returned to [the] airport” at Houston, Texas. “Post flight inspection revealed damage to [the] left wing.” The solo pilot was not hurt; airplane damage is “unknown”. N5874J (D-7866) is a 1965 S35 registered in Cyprus, Texas.
(“Bird strike”)
New NTSB reports this week
7/20 C35 collision with power lines and subsequently with terrain while attempting a landing at Rock Springs, Wyoming. From the NTSB preliminary report:
The pilot reported that during the flight he obtained an instrument flight rules (IFR) clearance and climbed to 15,000 ft mean sea level (msl) to get above the clouds. During the climb, the pilot and passenger heard a “pop sound” from the engine compartment. The passenger thought he saw something “fly up from the engine” and was stuck on the windshield, which they described as five small black specs of “black goo.” The pilot checked all of the engine instruments and noted that they were all in the green. About 5 minutes later, the airplane could not maintain altitude and the pilot was cleared to descend to 14,000 ft msl.
The pilot stated that the engine RPM had slightly decreased, but all the engine indications were still in the green, and he decided to continue to his destination airport, Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport (RKS), Rock Springs. Upon obtaining the airport in sight, he cancelled the IFR clearance and entered a straight-in approach to runway 3. About 1 mile from the airport, he noticed that he was too high, and performed a slip for about 3 seconds to decrease altitude. The pilot stated that he stopped the slip because of the uncomfortable descent rate and that the airplane was still too high.
The engine RPM had continued to decrease to 1,250, and the pilot declared an emergency and decided to land on runway 27. As he turned to the east, the airplane was descending fast, while he was north of runway 27. The pilot stated that he considered landing on a taxiway, however, saw an airplane holding short of the runway and opted to turn left for an off-field landing. The pilot realized he was traveling toward powerlines and tried to maneuver around them. Subsequently, the airplane impacted powerlines and terrain.
Examination of the airplane revealed that both wings and fuselage sustained substantial damage. The airplane was relocated to a secured facility for further examination.
(The flight concluded after a little over three hours en route from Las Vegas, Nevada. Add “Substantial damage”)
7/20 A36 loss of power in flight an off-airport landing at Oberlin, Kansas. The NTSB reports:
The airplane departed from Northeast Wyoming Regional Airport (GCC), Gillette, Wyoming, enroute to Dalhart Municipal Airport (DHT), Dalhart, Texas. The pilot reported that while in cruise flight over a cloud layer near Oberlin, the airplane experienced a loss of engine power. While the pilot attempted to troubleshoot the issue, the airplane descended through the clouds, and he regained visual reference about 1,500 ft above ground level (agl). The pilot maneuvered the airplane for a forced landing to a road. Upon touchdown, the airplane exited the road, encountered an embankment, and impacted terrain which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage.
(The airplane was roughly 2.5 hours into a flight from Wyoming to Texas. Add “Substantial damage”).
7/30 triple-fatality P35 pitch up and stall on takeoff from Upland, California. From the NTSB:
A witness at the Cable Airport (CCB), Upland, who was on the northside of runway 24, reported he saw the airplane in a nose-high profile during the takeoff initial climb. He stated that the airplane was between 300 – 400 ft above ground level (agl) when he saw the left wing drop and the airplane enter a nosedive before he lost sight of it behind a row of hangars.
Airport surveillance video showed the airplane as it entered runway 24 as well as the nose-high takeoff. The video further showed, the left-wing drop, followed by the airplane entering a nosedive. Subsequently, the airplane impacted the roof of a on the southside of the runway and a postcrash fire ensued.
Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane came to rest inverted on a southerly heading at the base of a hangar. The left wing was separated and came to rest on the hangar roof. The firewall and nose landing gear came to rest in the door frame of the hangar. The farthest piece of debris was the nose landing gear, which was located inside the hangar, and a portion of the left wing on the hangar roof, which were about 80 ft from the main wreckage. The engine was separated and came to rest about 20 ft west of the main wreckage.