Cessna 207 Skywagon/Stationair

The pilot continued the air taxi flight into adverse weather conditions and struck a mountain. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

On final approach about 1.5 miles from the airport the power loss occurred as the pilot attempted to add power. After flying over a ridge and several trees the aircraft touched down in the rough terrain and caught fire. The fire appeared to have started in the vicinity of the fuel strainer and progressed rearward. There were no indications of fire until the aircraft came to rest. The only discrepancy noted during inspection of the aircraft and engine was that 3 left bank fuel injectors were blocked with a substance later identified as primarily being dirt. Both occupants escaped unhurt.

The aircraft collided with trees and the ground during takeoff in IMC weather. The visibility was zero due to ground fog. There were no known witnesses to the accident but there was evidence of a collision with a 60 feet high tree at the end of the 3,000 feet runway. It was not determined whether the pilot used all of the runway. After the collision with the tree the aircraft hit the ground in a left bank and cartwheeled. Both occupants were killed.

The pilot and three passengers took off at night on an over water flight to an island in Lake Erie to provide help to a heart patient. No flight plan was filed and no record of a weather briefing was found. Reportedly, after takeoff, the aircraft disappeared in a cloud or haze. Also after departing, sheriff's personnel received a radio call from the aircraft stating 'we are in it.' According to local residents, there was patchy fog in the area. When the aircraft did not arrive at its destination, a search was initiated. The plane was found in Lake Erie along the expected route of flight. The aircraft was intact, except the engine was loose from the firewall and there was major damage to the right, outer wing panel. No preimpact/mechanical malfunction/failure was found. About 45 miles west at Toledo, OH, the 2150 weather in part was: 1,500 feet overcast, visibility variable 1 to 2 miles with fog, temp 32°, dew point 31°, wind from 330° at 4 knots.

Before takeoff, the pilot filed a company flight plan for a VFR flight from Boise to Salmon, ID. He reported that during initial climb, the engine surged, then seemed to return to normal operation. He reduced the power to 33 inches of manifold pressure and set the propeller to 2,550 rpm. Shortly thereafter, the engine began losing power again, there was a second surge, then the propeller stopped. During an emergency landing, the pilot elected to cross over a road and land in an open field. He saw a power line along the road at the edge of the field and elected to cross under it to land. However, he did not see a single telephone pole on the opposite side of the road. The left wing struck the pole and the plane cartwheeled and crashed. Three occupants escaped with minor injuries and four others were uninjured. An investigation revealed that the crankshaft had failed from fatigue.

The pilot took off with 4 passengers after waiting 4 hours for the air temperature to cool. The takeoff seemed normal, but over the river at about 50 feet agl, the aircraft began to sink. It impacted rough terrain on the far side of the river. The airport elevation was 2,045 feet msl and the temperature was 90 degrees. All five occupants were seriously injured.

Several black bears were spotted in a narrow canyon and the pilot began making tight, descending turns so his sightseeing passengers could get photographs. Reportedly, the stall warning horn came on, but the pilot continued the turns. He finally rolled out of the turn, but was headed uphill in the valley. The pilot was unable to maintain airspeed while climbing up the valley. Subsequently, the aircraft crashed and nosed over. The elevation of the crash site was about 3,000 feet and the reported temperature was 62° F. All six occupants were seriously injured.

The passenger stated that after sharp turns at low altitude over a farm house they did a roll and were too low to recover prior to striking trees. The aircraft came to rest inverted in a 4-5 feet deep farm pond. The autopsy report shows the pilot's death by asphyxia due to drowning. The passenger also stated they had also flown low over a beach and performed a roll enroute from pine bluff.

The pilot reported that during a base to final turn, the aircraft was blown slightly off the center line of the runway. Also, he reported encountering a windshear effect from a nearby bluff. As the plane drifted to the right, it commenced a high sink rate and the pilot added power. However, the right main landing gear struck a snowberm at the edge of the runway. The plane continued in a relatively straight line for about 75 to 80 feet, then nosed over.

Shortly after takeoff from Tyonek Airstrip, while in initial climb in fog, the single engine airplane went out of control and crashed in the nearby inlet. All four occupants were killed.