Cessna 414 Chancellor

During the takeoff run, at 85 knots, the aircraft hit a bump and the pilot stated his forward vision was obstructed by water on the windshield. He instinctively pulled back on the controls and become airborne. He lost sight of the right side set of runway lights and was reportedly flying 'blind.' The aircraft drifted left into trees and came to rest in shallow water in a backwater area 150 feet north of the departure end of runway 10. Many of the runway lights were either not operating or were obstructed. No lights in the last 1000 feet of the runway were both operating and unobstructed. The noaa airport/facility director contains a remark for the airport 'runway subject to flooding after very heavy rains.' This remark does not appear in the Jeppesen 'airport directory' that the pilot was using. After the accident the pilot stated he walked through the eastern end of the runway and found himself 'up to his ankles' in about 3 inches of water. All four occupants escaped with minor injuries.

On approach to Göteborg-Landvetter Airport, the pilot encountered limited visibility due to fog. On short final, the airplane was too low and the right wing struck tree tops. The aircraft lost height and crashed in a wooded area located 250 meters to the right of the extended centerline. A passenger survived while both other occupants were killed.

While descending to Westerland-Sylt Airport on a flight from Hamburg, the pilot encountered engine problems caused by fuel issue. He reduced his altitude and ditch the aircraft off Schlüttsiel, about 35 km southeast of Sylt Airport. All four occupants were rescued while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The twin engine airplane departed Venice on a private flight, probably to West Germany. En route, the airplane struck the south side of Mt Rosskopf (1,132 meters high) located in Tyrol. All seven occupants were killed.

7-seat aircraft took off with 4 adults and 8 children aboard. Aircraft rotated at about 2,000 feet down runway and climbed in a flat nose high attitude before settling into 30 feet trees about 4,223 feet from point of lift-off. Aircraft oscillated violently 2 or 3 times in the pitch axis during the 20-30 seconds flight. Aircraft was about 445 lbs over max gross weight and CofG was 4.26 inches aft of the aft limit. On 6/9/82 the pilot took a checkride to have a "centerline thrust only" restriction removed from his multi-engine rating. 59 of his 62 hrs multi-engine were as copilot. He had no formal C414 training and had recovered only 2 hours of instruction in conventional multi-engine aircraft. He had never been required to perform weight and balance computations in his military flying or any FAA exam or checkrides. Company management did not comply with insurance stipulations which required pilot of the flight to attend a Cessna flight training school, nor did the pilot satisfy the minimum hour requirements. FAA certificate examiner lost certificate on 7/10/82, history of incomplete or substandard checkrides. Occupants died of thermal burns and smoke inhalation.

At approximately 90 knots after liftoff from a touch-and-go the copilot, who was flying from the left seat, indicated problems with the right engine. The pilot had been observing trucks on the right side of the runway. He stated they could have set it back down except he thought they might swerve into the trucks. He was not specifically looking at the instruments because of the trucks. He took control and the aircraft settled adjacent to the runway and burst into flames. Inspection of the right engine revealed all but one of the 12 spark plugs were sooty. The plugs were installed in a new engine and the engine obtained takeoff rpm.

The non-instrument rated pilot crashed about three hours after taking off with 4 1/2 hours of fuel on board. He crashed while attempting an off airport landing in a large field. The field was located less than half way to his destination. The sheriff reported minimum visibility with snow and freezing rain. The occupant received only minor injuries, but the plane was destroyed by impact and ground fire. An examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of a pre-impact malfunction/failure of the engine or in flight fire. The pilot provided the following account: he was cruising above an overcast at 17,500 feet when the left engine began cutting out and forced him to descend through the clouds; he descended to VFR conditions at 1,200 feet agl over snow covered terrain and determined his location by viewing a water tower. He then elected to land in a field when he saw smoke and fire coming from the engine cowling. While landing, the left wing dropped and touched down first.

The pilot received two weather briefings, one on the evening before the flight, another at 1009 EST, within three hours of the takeoff time. IFR conditions were forecasted at the uncontrolled, destination airport. The pilot filed an IFR flight plan, but did not list an alternate airport. The aircraft departed Boca Raton at 1257 EST. The flight was uneventful en route and all communications were normal. During arrival, the pilot was cleared for a VOR 3 approach to runway 16. The minimum descent altitude (MDS) for the approach was 800 feet MSL (595 feet AGL) and the minimum visibility was one mile. Several witnesses at and near the airport saw or heard the aircraft. They described the aircraft as crossing the airport from the west side to the east. Those who saw it described it to be approximately 150 to 200 feet AGL, in and out of the clouds. Reportedly, the aircraft then circled and crossed the airport again. Subsequently, it struck an 80 feet tree, then impacted the ground in a steep descent. There was no evidence of failure or malfunction of the airframe or powerplant before impact. The aircraft was estimated to be 46 lbs over the max gross weight limit during impact. All eight occupants were killed.

The crew was engaged in a local training flight at Tonopah Airport. While initiating a go-around manoeuvre, the pilot-in-command lost control of the airplane that entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed. Both occupants were killed.

The pilot, probably sole on board, was completing an illegal flight from Mexico to Florida with contraband on board. En route, the pilot was forced to attempt an emergency landing due to fuel exhaustion. The airplane crash landed near Homestead and was abandoned. The pilot was not recovered and a load of 1,000 lbs of marijuana was found onboard. The aircraft has been stolen.