Piper PA-31-310 Navajo

The Piper Navajo PA-31 (serial number 318012021), belonging to Les transports Aéro 2000 Inc., with three passengers and one pilot on board, was on a charter visual flight rules (VFR) flight from Kangiqsujuaq, Quebec, to Kuujjuaq, Quebec. At 1056 eastern daylight saving time (EDT), the pilot contacted the Kuujjuaq flight service station (FSS) by radio and reported that he had taken off eight minutes earlier and planned to overfly the Nouveau-Québec crater. That was the last message received from the pilot. When the aircraft failed to arrive at destination at the expected time, a search was initiated. The next day, a ground search team found the aircraft. The Navajo struck the eastern slope of the Nouveau-Québec crater while in straight and level flight. The four occupants of the aircraft were fatally injured in the accident.

The pilot reported that he ran the engines to full power before releasing the brakes. Immediately after lift-off, when he retracted the landing gear, he noticed a dramatic loss of airspeed. The airplane began to rock back and forth, and the pilot's efforts to increase the airspeed including lowering the nose and adding full power was unsuccessful. According to the Piper Information Manual for a short field takeoff, a lift-off speed of 85 mph and 15 degree of flaps is required. The reported winds were 010 degrees at 7 knots. The pilot departed runway 29 which is 2910 feet long. A witness who was refueling an airplane on the ramp stated that the airplane was still on the runway at the 500 foot mark from the end of runway 29.

The Eagle Air Services Piper PA-31-325 Navajo, C-GOLM, departed runway 34 at Wollaston Lake, Saskatchewan, at 2325 central standard time (CST), on a medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) flight to La Ronge. The flight was arranged by the Wollaston nursing station to transport a patient to a hospital in La Ronge. The patient was accompanied on the flight by her mother and a nurse from the nursing station. The aircraft was observed to climb at an unusually shallow angle after take-off, and, when efforts by company personnel to reach the pilot by radio were unsuccessful, a ground search was commenced. The aircraft was found about five minutes after the accident, located on the ice- and snow-covered surface of Wollaston Lake, about 0.75 nautical miles (nm) from the departure end of the runway, and about 1.3 nm from the point of commencement of the take-off roll. The pilot and the patient suffered serious injuries. The other two occupants sustained minor injuries. The accident occurred during the hours of darkness at latitude 58°6.98'N, longitude 103°10.79'W, at an elevation of 1,300 feet above sea level (asl). The temperature was about -25°/C.

The Navair Charter Piper PA-31, flight FCV705, a mail courier with a crew of two, was on a night, instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan from Williams Lake, British Columbia, to Kamloops. While the crew was conducting an instrument procedure to the Kamloops airport, they flew into an area that was clear of cloud. The captain cancelled his IFR flight plan and descended for a visual flight rules (VFR) approach to the airport. At 1902 PST, the aircraft collided with trees at an elevation of 2,400 feet above sea level (asl), seven nautical miles (nm) east-southeast of the Kamloops airport. The captain was fatally injured on impact, and the first officer was seriously injured; the aircraft was destroyed during the crash and post-crash fire.

Shortly after takeoff from Madrid-Barajas Airport, while climbing, the crew lost control of the aircraft that crashed near a warehouse located in Paracuellos del Jarama, about 3 km east of the airport. The aircraft was destroyed and both pilots were seriously injured.

The pilot received an instrument approach clearance to a non tower airport surrounded by mountainous terrain. Weather conditions on the ground were VFR, and the pilot descended through an overcast. The approach environment was not serviced by any atc radar facility. The pilot declared a missed approach to the appropriate faa flight service station, and was advised to contact ARTCC. ARTCC never received a radio transmission from the pilot. The airplane wreckage was located approximately 6 miles beyond the airport, slightly to the north of the extended runway centerline. Missed approach procedures were for an immediate climb, and then a climbing right turn to reverse direction away from the airport. The missed approach segment began 5.2 DME miles prior to the airport. Minimum descent altitude (MDA) for the approach was 4,320 feet msl (4,200 feet above the runway elevation); impact with mountainous terrain occurred at about the same altitude. All four occupants were killed.

Forty minutes into the flight from Dakar to Mbour, the crew informed ATC that an engine failed and was cleared to descent to 4,000 feet. Shortly later, the crew lost control of the airplane that crashed in shallow water about 500 metres off Mbour. Four passengers were rescued while six others occupants, including both pilots, were killed.

Few minutes after his departure from Milan-Malpensa Airport bound for Locarno, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions and low visibility due to a cloud layer. The twin engine aircraft hit tree tops and crashed in a wooded area located at the altitude of 1,227 meters, on the Campo dei Fiori, on the top of Punta Paradiso, near the astronomic observatory. The pilot and the passenger were killed.
Pilot:
Cesare Gallone.
Passenger:
Yvonne Aliette Roulet.
Sincere thanks to Isaia Laudi for these information.

Crashed in unknown circumstances, killing all five occupants.

The airplane was observed to rotate about 3,217 feet down the 3,746-feet runway. One or both engines were heard running rough. The airplane climbed to about 300 feet agl, banked left, pitched nose down and impacted the ground. During the investigation, the left engine operated to full rated rpm after replacement of the damaged ignition harness, adjustment of the turbocharger density controller, and adjustment of the magneto-to-engine timing. The right engine also operated normally after replacement of the magneto, ignition harness, and engine-driven fuel pump. The density controller required adjustment to obtain full rated rpm. The #3 cylinder fuel injector nozzle was also partially blocked by contaminant. The right engine magneto contact assemblies operationally checked ok. The capacitors were heat damaged. Right engine magneto-to-engine timing and internal timing of the magneto were not determined. Pilot's toxicological results were positive for butalbital (1.768 ug/ml blood, 0.553 ug/ml urine), and also positive for acetaminophen and salicylate (aspirin) in urine. Butalbital is a prescription medication (barbiturate) not approved for flying. Both occupants were killed.