Piper PA-31-310 Navajo

The pilot was making a contract cargo flight under far 91 rules and had experienced icing enroute. When just past Dayton, he indicated that he 'had a little fuel problem' and needed to get into OSU without delays. A short time later he indicated that he needed to go to the nearest airport. He was vectored toward SGH for landing. He then indicated that he had lost an engine and a short time later indicated that he had lost the other engine. The aircraft crashed in a residential area. There was no fire and only residual fuel was found in the airplane. The company president indicated that he did not encourage his pilots to carry 'excess fuel'. It was reported that this pilot, along with others, had been 'chewed out' for carrying 'excess fuel'. The operation should have been conducted under far 135 rules since the company had retained operational control of the operation. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

The aircraft had been modified by the installation of an air driven winch for the purpose of towing gunnery targets and was operating in conjunction with a warship for scheduled sea/air gunnery practise. Weather conditions in the area were reported as overcast at 4000 feet, wind 060 degrees / 15-20 knots and visibility of 15-20 kilometres. At about 1717 hours the aircraft was instructed to commence carrying out gunnery tracking runs at an altitude of 1000 feet with the sleeve target not deployed. Between 1720 and 1735 hours the aircraft carried out two such runs from the west and east. The aircraft then tracked to the south, away from the ship, to a distance of about 10 kilometres. At about 1738 the aircraft was instructed to turn inbound for a run from astern. At about 1739 hours the pilot reported engine problems and about one minute later advised "I've got problems, Mayday, I'm going in". Crewmen stationed near the stern of the ship, reported seeing the aircraft dive into the sea. The warship was immediately turned back towards the crash position. Other warships and aircraft were also ordered to the crash position. The only wreckage sighted was at the crash datum and was believed to have been a section of wing. This wreckage was located about two metres below the surface and sank before it could be recovered. The approximate depth of water at the crash position is 450 fathoms. No trace of the aircraft or its occupants has been discovered to date.

Aircraft experienced a double engine failure. Pilot stated that immediately after the left engine failed, in climb to cruise, the aircraft rolled left, the stall warning activated, and the aircraft entered a left spiral. The right engine failed during the two-turn spiral. Pilot's attempts to restart the engines were unsuccessful. Pilot subsequently made a successful gear up emergency landing on a road, however, the aircraft was destroyed by post-crash fire. Investigation revealed that both engine fuel systems were contaminated with water and dissolved solids. Aircraft had just been refueled at a foreign airport. All seven occupants were uninjured.

Crashed in unknown circumstances in a mountainous area near Santiago. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

The instructor (cfi), who survived, was flying the aircraft from the right front seat while the owner/pilot was in the left seat. The flight had progressed normally until the pilots returned to the airport to land. Clearance was received to land on runway 09L. According to the cfi, he lowered the landing gear, selected 10° of flaps and noted he needed excessive back pressure on the control yoke to keep the aircraft from descending. Also, he stated he was unable to relieve the pressure with electrical or manual trim. He asked the pilot/owner to use his electrical trim (on the left yoke), but this did not help. The cfi stated he retracted the flaps and increased power, but the aircraft continued to settle. Subsequently, it hit a tree and a pole, then impacted the ground and struck a vehicle before stopping. A fire erupted and all 3 occupants were burned while evacuating the aircraft. The pilot/owner died from his injuries. No preimpact part failure or malfunction was found during the investigation. Flight test data concerning thrust-drag ratio showed that induced drag increases rapidly below 90 knots. Witnesses said the aircraft was low/slow on final approach.

The flight departed Buffalo under IFR conditions to Jamestown, New York. Several approaches were made to land but due to the weather conditions, the pilot elected to return to Buffalo still under IFR. During initial contact with control tower, the pilot advised them that he was low on fuel and requested direct flight to Buffalo. About 5 miles south-southwest of Buffalo both engines quit and the pilot advised that he was not going to make it. At this time the flight was issued emergency vector to Buffalo, but the aircraft crashed adjacent to route 400 in West Seneca, New York.

Before the accident, witnesses observed the aircraft circling in a valley beneath a low cloud layer and below the surrounding hilltops. They estimated the ceiling was 400 feet obscured. Two witnesses said the aircraft entered clouds before it crashed. A 3rd witness, who was a pilot, said the aircraft was at a very low altitude when it approached rising/mountainous terrain; he said the aircraft then entered a steep climbing turn and stalled after making two complete turns. Impact occurred in a nose low, left wing down attitude. No preimpact mechanical problem was found. The FAA had issued the pilot a special 3rd class medical certificate after he had quintuple heart bypass surgery. He was reported to have gotten 'quite angry' before the flight, when 2 passengers were late. A pathologist believed the pilot's death may have been due to arteriosclerotic heart disease; however, this was not verified. The pilot did not have an instrument rating and no record of a preflight weather briefing was found. All five occupants were killed.

Crashed in unknown circumstances while on a night approach to Paris-Le Bourget. All eight occupants were rescued and the aircraft was written off.

The twin engine airplane departed Bucaramanga-Palonegro Airport at 1800LT on a flight to Bogotá-El Dorado Airport. About 14 minutes prior to ETA, the pilot declared an emergency when the aircraft crashed on the slope of Mt El Tablazo en Supatá, about 42 km north of Bogotá-El Dorado Airport. All three occupants were killed.

The aircraft disappeared from radar at approximately 1 mile final on a night ILS runway 13 approach. Radar data indicated that the aircraft completed almost 180° of turn prior to disappearing. The aircraft crashed in a heavily wooded area. No evidence of a preexisting failure on the engines or airframe was found. When the flying history of the pilot was examined, the hours presented on his resume exceeded his log book and his log book hours could not be totally verified. The copilot did not have an instrument rating. The pilot that preceded the accident aircraft on the approach said he experienced moderate turbulence, windshear and that the approach lights were very distracting. The pilot had received a weather briefing which included wind shear and moderate turbulence. All three occupants were killed.