General Aviation Accident Bulletin

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 2236 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted a house while its pilots maneuvered after an engine lost power. The flight instructor and pilot undergoing instruction (PUI) sustained minor injuries. An occupant of the house sustained throat irritation due to fuel smell. Visual conditions prevailed.

Abeam the numbers with the landing gear down and 10 degrees of flaps, the PUI began to descend while turning onto the base leg. The flight instructor heard an engine sputter and verified the controls were in the proper position. The engine sputtered again and he “felt the [airplane] jerk” and took the controls. He verified the engine controls were full forward and retracted the flaps but left the landing gear extended. He verified the right engine was malfunctioning but did not feather it until he noticed a high descent rate. While maneuvering for a landing on a street, the airplane struck the house.

The airplane was destroyed at about 1137 Mountain time when it crashed after a loss of control while turning from base to final. The solo private pilot sustained fatal injuries. Visual conditions prevailed.

According to a pilot following the accident airplane in the traffic pattern, it flew an extended downwind leg and overshot the runway while turning final. The accident airplane increased its bank during that turn to final and pitched up. Another witness saw the airplane’s wings “wiggle,” then the airplane nosed down and impacted terrain, sliding on the ground from its initial impact point to its resting point and subsequently catching fire. Examination revealed the wing flap jack screw position was consistent with retracted flaps.

At about 0902 Eastern time, the airplane was destroyed when it impacted a building. The commercial pilot and pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed.

The flight departed Pompano Beach at about 0852, then flew south-southwest just offshore. At about 0858, when the flight was about 13 nm northeast of the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport, it contacted ATC for landing. One minute 49 seconds later, a pilot aboard the accident airplane advised that the flight had an engine problem and would divert to a different nearby airport. A witness heard the engines accelerating and decelerating, then change to a popping sound. Witnesses on a golf course north of the accident site reported the airplane flying in a westerly direction with no observed engine sound. The airplane collided with a storage building in a densely populated area, then fell to the parking lot.

The airplane was destroyed at about 0123 when it collided with trees during an instrument approach. The solo pilot was fatally injured. Instrument conditions prevailed and an IFR flight plan had been filed.

The flight had departed Tampa, Fla., at about 2046 Eastern time the previous day and landed at Sullivan, Ind., about 0026 Central time for fuel. At 0111 Central time, the pilot departed on an IFR flight plan for Lawrenceville, Ill., about 22 nm to the south. At about 0117, the airplane began a descent toward the destination and was cleared for the approach. When the pilot’s IFR cancellation was not received, an alert notice was issued for the airplane. Poor weather delayed search and rescue efforts. The airplane was located by search and rescue personnel at about 0730.

This article originally appeared in the November 2020 issue of Aviation Safety magazine.

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