General Aviation Accident Bulletin, June 13, 2022

AVweb's General Aviation Accident Bulletin is taken from the pages of our sister publication, Aviation Safety magazine. All the reports listed here are preliminary and include only initial factual findings about crashes. You can learn more about the final probable cause on the NTSB's website at www.ntsb.gov. Final reports appear about a year after the accident, although some take longer. Find out more about Aviation Safety at www.aviationsafetymagazine.com.

At about 0800 Pacific time, the airplane sustained substantial damage during an off-airport landing following total loss of engine power. The solo commercial pilot sustained minor injuries. Visual conditions prevailed.

On departing a nearby airport, the pilot climbed to 400 feet AGL. Shortly after leveling off, the engine lost all power. The pilot attempted to troubleshoot the engine but glide time did not permit completing the checklist. The airplane touched down on a soft dirt field and nosed over.

The airplane was substantially damaged at 1702 Eastern time when it overflew the runway during an engine-out approach and came to rest beyond the departure end. The solo private pilot was fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed.

The accident aircraft was lead in a flight of two. While at 2800 feet AGL, 190 knots groundspeed and 10 miles west of the destination airport, the wingman advised ATC that lead was experiencing a partial loss of engine power and was trailing smoke, and declared an emergency for the accident airplane. The accident airplane’s last ADS-B data depicted it at 200 feet AGL and 165 knots groundspeed as it crossed the airport boundary. The airplane came to rest inverted in marshland about 1500 feet beyond the runway’s departure end. Afterward, the pilot transmitted over the tower frequency, “I had too much speed, I should have come in slower.” Initial examination revealed no anomalies were noted with the engine that would have prevented it from operating.

At about 1015 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged during an off-airport landing following engine failure. The commercial pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed.

The pilot observed fuel pressure drop to zero and attempted to restore power with the auxiliary fuel pump. He was unable to regain power and requested ATC radar vectors to the nearest airport. Instead, the pilot was forced to put the airplane down on a road, during which it collided with power lines before coming to a stop on the road. A leaking fuel line was found in the engine compartment.

The airplane was substantially damaged at about 2130 Central time when it was intentionally landed gear-up after attempts to extend the landing gear were not successful. The pilot and four passengers were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed.

The airplane was on approach to a different airport when the pilot attempted to extend the landing gear. During the gear extension cycle, the passengers heard a “loud bang” under the floor panels, and the pilot reported that the gear would not extend. The pilot diverted to Gulfport and attempted to extend the landing gear manually, which was unsuccessful. The pilot landed with the gear retracted, damaging the fuselage and empennage. After landing, there was a small fire under the right engine nacelle.

At about 1045 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it rolled off the end of the runway after landing. The airline transport pilot and copilot were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed for the FAR Part 135 on-demand charter flight.

According to the captain, they added about five knots to their reference speed to account for gusty conditions. Landing performance data indicated they would need about 3000 feet of runway to land. Upon landing, everything appeared to be going well until the captain asked, “Why aren’t the brakes working?” The copilot applied brakes on his side but was unsuccessful in achieving any braking action. They attempted to “locate and use the emergency brake,” but were unable to do so before the airplane departed the paved runway surface.

Preliminary radar and ADS-B data show the airplane was established on a final approach to Runway 15 on a heading of 136 degrees and aligned with the runway centerline. Throughout the final approach, the altitude, speed, descent rate and heading appeared stable. The last ADS-B datapoint showed the airplane about 2400 feet from the runway threshold, at 325 feet with a groundspeed of 116 knots. A 1053 local weather observation included wind from 210 degrees at 12 knots gusting to 21 knots.

The airplane was destroyed at 1417 Mountain time when it was force-landed in an interstate highway median about 0.5 miles short of the runway. The pilot and flight instructor both sustained minor injuries. Visual conditions prevailed.

After uneventful en route and approach segments, ATC requested that they sidestep to the parallel runway for landing. The runway approach thresholds were not aligned, and the glide path needed to be extended. As the pilot attempted to increase the throttle, the engine did not respond. He subsequently realized the engine had lost power. The airplane was unable to glide to the runway, and the flight instructor executed a forced landing to the interstate median. A post-impact fire consumed portions of the forward fuselage and cabin area.

This article originally appeared in the June 2022 issue of Aviation Safety magazine.

For more great content like this, subscribe to Aviation Safety!