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.
April 19, 2019, Dwight, Ill.
Piper PA-28-235 Cherokee 235
At about 1630 Central time, the airplane sustained a collapsed nose landing gear. The solo pilot was not injured, but the airplane was substantially damaged. Visual conditions prevailed.
The pilot later reported cruising at 6500 feet MSL when the engine began running rough and fuel pressure went to zero. He switched fuel tanks and the engine continued to run. Shortly, fuel pressure again went to zero and the pilot switched to a third tank. The engine was not running well, so he diverted to a nearby airport. During the crosswind landing, the nose gear collapsed and the airplane slid off the runway. Fuel was found in three of the four fuel tanks.
April 19, 2019, Grass Valley, Calif.
Nanchang CJ-6
The airplane was substantially damaged at about 1340 Pacific time when it nosed over during a runway excursion. The private pilot and passenger sustained minor injuries. Visual conditions prevailed.
After an uneventful touchdown, the pilot extended his landing roll for traffic on one of the taxiways. As the airplane neared the pilot’s intended taxiway, he applied left rudder and lightly depressed the brake handle. About 30 degrees into the left turn, the brakes failed and the airplane exited the taxiway surface. Due to obstructions and down-sloping terrain, the pilot applied right rudder and engine power to realign the airplane with the runway. Shortly after, the airplane overran the departure end of the runway, and traveled downslope while airborne. The airplane struck a berm before colliding with a fence, nosed over and came to rest inverted.
April 22, 2019, Kerrville, Texas
Beechcraft 58 Baron
At 0851 Central time, the airplane impacted terrain during an approach to land. The pilot and five passengers were fatally injured; the airplane was substantially damaged. Instrument conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on an IFR flight plan.
According to preliminary information, the flight was cleared for the RNAV (GPS) Runway 12 approach and had been advised the cloud bases were reported at about 800 feet AGL. While on final approach, the airplane descended and the last location recorded by ATC was about six miles prior to Runway 12 at about 600 feet AGL and about 65 knots groundspeed. Witnesses observed the airplane in a spiral descent; it impacted a rocky ravine with low forward speed and came to rest upright.
April 22, 2019, Norco, Calif.
Northrop N9M
The airplane, the only flying example of an early Northrop flying wing, was destroyed when it impacted terrain at about 1210 Pacific time. The solo airline transport pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the Planes of Fame Air Museum. Visual conditions prevailed.
Multiple witnesses observed the airplane on a northeasterly heading at a low altitude when it performed a “barrel roll.” Several witnesses reported that, after the maneuver, the airplane “wobbled [from] side to side” before its canopy separated. Shortly after, the airplane entered a steep right turn and descended into the ground in a nose-low attitude.
April 23, 2019, Henderson, KY
Bellanca 17-30A Super Viking 300A
The airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain at an unknown time. The student pilot and passenger were fatally injured. Night visual conditions prevailed.
The airplane was discovered on April 24, 2019, about midfield and 200 feet left of a runway. No eyewitnesses were identified, but local law enforcement had received several calls reporting a low-flying airplane or a “boom” sound at times between 2000 and 2230 on the previous day.
All major components of the airplane were present at the accident site. The two aluminum fuel tank cells in the right wing were damaged, but largely intact. Blue stains were found on the wood wing components below and forward of the tanks and surrounding the tank vent and the fuel quantity sensor. Three to four gallons of fuel were recovered from the right wing tanks. The left wing was largely intact and its fuel tanks were not damaged. About two ounces of fuel were recovered after pressurizing the tanks with air at the filler neck. The auxiliary fuel tank located behind the rear seats was undamaged and was devoid of fuel.
The landing gear handle was in the “down” position and both main landing gear were extended with the doors open. The nose landing gear was damaged and partially extended. There was no evidence of a post-crash fire.
The student pilot had accumulated 24 hours of total flight experience, of which 23 hours were dual received, including 1.4 hours in the accident airplane. The logbook did not contain any endorsements for solo flight, or for operation of complex/high-performance airplanes.
April 23, 2019, Key West, Fla.
Cessna 208 Caravan
The amphibious-float-equipped airplane was substantially damaged at about 1200 Eastern time during takeoff from the Dry Tortugas National Park, about 58 miles west of Key West, Fla. The airline transport pilot and four passengers were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed.
The pilot landed into an easterly wind. After landing, he determined the wind prevented him from taxiing to the beaching location, so he elected to return to Key West. The pilot maneuvered the airplane into the wind and applied takeoff power for what he later described as a “bumpy” takeoff. At liftoff speed, the left float departed the airplane. The airplane then nosed into the water. The pilot assisted the passengers out of the airplane and into a life raft. The airplane sank about 30 seconds later in 50 feet of water. A National Park Service vessel responded and assisted the pilot and passengers.
April 26, 2019, Sheldon, MO
Beechcraft E50 Twin Bonanza
At about 1455 Central time, the airplane sustained substantial damage during a forced landing following a partial loss of power from both engines. The solo commercial pilot was uninjured. Visual conditions prevailed.
The flight was the first after maintenance work was performed, including an engine cylinder replacement and an annual inspection. In cruise at about 3000 feet MSL, the pilot heard the right engine emit “sputtering” noises and backfiring.
The pilot applied power to the left engine and then noticed a “large smoke trail” from the left engine about a minute after the right engine started backfiring. By this time, the airplane was at about 1700 feet MSL—about 800 feet AGL—and the pilot concluded he could not remain airborne. The pilot executed a forced landing to a tilled dirt field, collapsing the nose landing gear, and damaging the fuselage along with both props and engines.
April 29, 2019, Ridgefield, Wash.
Vans RV-6 Experimental
The airplane impacted in shallow water at an unknown time. The private pilot/owner and flight instructor were fatally injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual conditions prevailed.
The flight originated at 1402. The wreckage was observed at about 1611. There were no witnesses to the accident. According to the pilot/owner’s wife, the flight was for the pilot’s flight review.
No radio communications with the airplane are known. Radar data revealed a series of radar returns appearing to be associated with the accident airplane and flight. The first radar return was captured at 1404:28, indicating that the airplane was about 0.6 miles northeast of the departure airport. At 1404:33, a radar return indicated 1100 feet. The airplane then climbed and descended, then leveled off at about 2400 feet for about two minutes. Thereafter, it entered a steady descent to the end of the data, at 1413:42, when the airplane was at 500 feet and maneuvering near a different airport.
This article originally appeared in the July 2019 issue of Aviation Safety magazine.
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