Cessna 340

During a night takeoff from a snow covered runway at Crystal Airport, the twin engine airplane drifted off, collided with trees and crashed, bursting into flames. The pilot was seriously injured while both passengers were killed. At the time of the accident, the visibility was below minimums due to fog and snow falls.

While in cruising altitude on an executive flight from Little Rock to Dallas, the twin engine airplane collided with a Cessna 172 registered N73532. Operated by the Red River Army Depot, the single engine airplane departed Texarkana for a local flight with two passengers and one pilot on board. Following the collision, both aircraft dove into the ground and crashed in a prairie. All seven occupants were killed. The accident occurred in a non controlled area and both aircraft were not under radar contact. The pilot of the Cessna 340 was facing the sun when the accident occurred.

The pilot contacted Sydney Flight Service Center at 1849, advised he was taxiing for runway 22 and that he would call again on departure. No further transmissions were received from the aircraft. VH-TDU completed an apparently normal take off and the landing gear was retracted. Shortly after it became airborne, it entered a gradual descending left turn and flew into the ground. The initial impact was on the left wing tip, approximately 1700 metres south of the departure end of Runway 22, at a speed of about 125 knots. The aircraft bounced, rolled inverted and again struck the ground some 100 metres further to the east. It then ;slid across the ground for a further 230 metres. A small fuel-fed fire broke out in the right wing but died out after several minutes. Five occupants were slightly injured while the captain was killed. Examination of the wreckage found no evidence of pre-existing mechanical malfunction or defect, apart from an open circuit in the gyro motor of the pilot's turn co-ordinator instrument. The instrument was not subjected to mechanical damage during impact and it is likely the fault existed prior to the accident. It could not be determined whether the pilot was aware that the instrument was unserviceable. All other instruments, including the primary flight instruments used in aircraft attitude control, were found to be serviceable and calibrated within specified limits. There was no evidence of pilot incapacitation prior to impact. Injuries were such that he was unable to recall details of the final flight. The passengers were not aware of any abnormality until the aircraft struck the ground. The pilot's current log book was not located. Therefore, while it is known that he had considerable experience at flying Cessna 340 aircraft, his hours on this type are unknown.

The twin engine airplane was completing a flight from Udine to Koblenz with an intermediate stop in Nuremberg on behalf of a German company based in the north part of Germany. On approach to Nuremberg Airport, the airplane suffered an engine failure and crashed in Langwasser, about 10 km southeast of the airport. All three occupants were killed.

At liftoff, both engines lost power. The pilot elected to return but eventually decided to make an emergency landing. He was forced to make an evasive maneuver to avoid collision and completed a belly landing in an open field. The aircraft was destroyed and all three occupants were seriously injured.

On final approach to Hollywood-Burbank Airport, one of the engine failed. The pilot decided to attempt an emergency landing when the airplane crash landed in a rough terrain located few miles from the airfield. All three occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was destroyed.

On approach to Amarillo Airport in marginal weather conditions, the pilot failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when the airplane struck wires and crashed in flames in a field. A passenger was killed while five other occupants were injured.

The pilot was completing a ferry flight from Pago Pago to Honolulu. While approaching Hawaii Island, both engines failed. The pilot reduced his altitude and attempted to ditch the aircraft that crashed about 28 NM southwest of Kauna Point. The pilot was seriously injured and the aircraft was lost.

While descending to Laramie-General Herbert J. Brees Regional Airport, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions with snow falls. On final, the airplane banked left, went into a near vertical attitude then lost height and crashed in flames. The aircraft was destroyed and both occupants were killed.

Shortly after takeoff from Ruidoso-Sierra Blanca Regional Airport in nil visibility, the twin engine airplane struck trees and crashed in flames. The wreckage was found a day later and both occupants were killed.