United States of America

The pilot cancelled his IFR plan and began descent from 13,000 feet in preparation for landing at Vernal, UT. The aircraft impacted ground in wings level attitude under power. Pilot was seriously burned by postcrash ground fire. Investigation revealed no evidence of flight control failure prior to impact. It was learned pilot had flown small aircraft from Salt Lake City to Price, UT, and to Pierre, SD, the day before the accident. Pilot returned to Salt Lake City at 0200 on day of accident. Accident flight departed Salt Lake City at 0600. FAA physician opined that pilot was asleep at impact. Aircraft was flying into rising sun.

During a night arrival, the flight was on an instrument approach to the Gulkana Airport when radio contact with the aircraft was lost. A search was initiated and the wreckage was found 7.4 miles north of the terminal VOR on the 330° radial. The inbound course for the VOR runway 14 approach was on the 315° radial. An on-scene exam revealed the aircraft was tracking inbound when it collided with trees, crashed and burned about 2.4 miles before reaching the final approach fix. Both engines were operating during impact and both had ingested considerable tree material. No preimpact mechanical failure was evident. The captain and 1st officer were currently responsible for flying both the Learjet and DHC-7 aircraft. This was the captain's 1st day of work after returning from a vacation trip to Hawaii (approximately 1-1/2 weeks). The 1st officer had an adequate period for crew rest prior to reporting for work; however, he had previously been working a varied schedule. The operator repeatedly shifted pilots from 14 cfr 135 rest/duty requirements to those of 14 cfr 121. All three occupants were killed.

The aircraft crashed on the side of a mountain at an elevation of 2,200 feet approximately 3 miles from its intended destination, a remote lake. Purpose of the flight was to discharge caribou hunters into an area where caribou were spotted early that day. The aircraft was destroyed by fire. Inspection of the wreckage failed to reveal a mechanical failure/malfunction. All four occupants were killed.

The aircraft had not flown for two years and was being checked out for a ferry flight to the USAF Air Museum in Fargo, ND. During initial climb from Cox Field at Paris, TX, the left engine lost total power and the right engine lost partial power. An off airport forced landing was attempted, however, the aircraft impacted the terrain and trees. The reason for the power loss was not determined. Both pilots escaped with minor injuries.

The crew was completing a training flight on USS Midway. In unclear circumstances, the aircraft was trying to land but missed the rope and crashed into the sea. Two crew members were killed while three others were rescued.

The aircraft took off and climbed to 5,000 feet uneventfully. It then dropped off radar and subsequently impacted the ground in a flat upright attitude. A post-crash fire consumed the majority of the airframe. Engine and prop teardowns indicated no abnormalities and power at the time of impact. A fire in the cargo compartment was ruled out by ATF investigators. Main electrical switches were found off in the wreckage. An oxygen bottle in the nose caught fire separately from the rest of the aircraft but it could not be determined if the oxygen fire took place in the air or after impact. The door warning, left and right alt out, left and right hyd flow and left and right low fuel annunciator bulbs exhibited stretched filaments when examined following the crash. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

The aircraft exhausted fuel enroute to destination during cross country night flight. The pilot advised ATC of loss of engines about 20 miles out. The pilot made deadstick landing on highway, struck bridge divider. No fire or reported injuries. Inspection disclosed dry fuel tanks.

N100HC and N33177 collided due to the failure of both pilots to maintain adequate visual separation. The pilot-in-command of N100HC made a poor decision by performing the simulated emergency descent on a low altitude airway. The southerly descending maneuver was performed between 5,500 and 3,500 feet, which coincided with the westerly cruising altitude of N33177. The pilot of N33177 would have been hindered to an unknown degree by the high wing design of the aircraft from perceiving N100HC as it descended at a convergence angle of about 90°. The crew of N100HC saw N33177 just prior to collision and initiated an unsuccessful rolling pull-up evasive maneuver. A portion of the right wing and the empennage of N33177 were separated during the collision resulting in its uncontrolled vertical descent. Post crash fire consumed the wreckage. Damage to N100HC led to a forced landing 7 1/2 miles from the mid air collision. Both pilots on board the Beech were unhurt.

Pilot-in-command stated that he waited approximately 90 seconds after a B727 departed on runway 08R due to possible wake turbulence. Pilot continued to state that he used a short field takeoff procedure to climb above the flight path of the B727. He stated that during climbout N3643R began an uncommanded roll to the left at approximately 600 feet. The pilot regained roll control just prior to ground impact. The Piper Aerostar is certificated without a stall warning device. The wind at Stapleton Airport at the time N3643R took off was 170° at 20 knots with gusts to 28 knots. According to the pilot operating handbook, the demonstrated crosswind component is 15 knots. All four occupants were injured, one seriously.

Delta Air Lines flight 191 was a regularly scheduled passenger flight between Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL), and Los Angeles, CA (LAX), with an en route stop at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, TX (DFW). Flight 191, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar airplane, departed Fort Lauderdale on an IFR flight plan with 152 passengers and a crew of 11 on board at 15:10 EDT. The DFW Airport terminal weather forecast contained in the flightcrew's dispatch document package stated, in part, that there was a possibility of widely scattered rain showers and thunderstorms, becoming isolated after 20:00 CDT. The flight was uneventful until passing New Orleans, Louisiana. A line of weather along the Texas-Louisiana gulf coast had intensified. The flightcrew elected to change their route of flight to the more northerly Blue Ridge arrival route to avoid the developing weather to the south. This change necessitated a 10 to 15-minute hold at the Texarkana, Arkansas, VORTAC for arrival sequencing at the DFW Airport. At 17:35, the flightcrew received the following ATIS broadcast: "DFW arrival information romeo, two one four seven Greenwich, weather six thousand scattered, two one thousand scattered, visibility one zero, temperature one zero one, dew point six seven, wind calm, altimeter two niner niner two, runway one eight right one seven left, visual approaches in progress, advise approach control that you have romeo". Fort Worth Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) then cleared flight 191 to the Blue Ridge, Texas, VORTAC for the Blue Ridge Nine arrival, and to begin its descent. At 17:43:45, Fort Worth ARTCC cleared flight 191 to descend to 10,000 feet, gave it a 29.92 in Hg altimeter setting, and suggested that the flight turn to a heading-of 250 degrees "to join the Blue Ridge zero one zero radial inbound and we have a good area there to go through.!' The captain replied that he was looking at a "pretty good size" weather cell, "at a heading of two five five ... and I'd rather not go through it, I'd rather go around it one way or the other." Fort Worth ARTCC then gave the flight another heading and stated "when I can I'll turn you into Blue Ridge, it'll be about the zero one zero radial." At 17:46, the center cleared flight 191 direct to Blue Ridge and to descend to 9,000 feet, and flight 191 acknowledged receipt of the clearance. At 17:48, the captain told the first officer, "You're in good shape. I'm glad we didn't have to go through that mess. I thought sure he was going to send us through it." Three minutes later, the flight engineer said, "Looks like it's raining over Fort Worth." At 17:51, Forth Worth ARTCC instructed flight 191 to contact DFW Airport Approach Control. At 17:56:28, Regional Approach Control's Feeder East controller transmitted an all aircraft message which was received by flight 191. The message stated in part, "Attention, all aircraft listening... there's a little rainshower just north of the airport and they're starting to make ILS approaches ... tune up one oh nine one for one seven left." At 17:59, the first officer stated, "We're gonna get our airplane washed," and the captain switched to Regional Approach Control's Arrival Radar-1 (AR-1) frequency and told the controller that they were at 5,000 feet. At 18:00, the approach controller asked American Air Lines flight 351 if it was able to see the airport. (Flight 351 was two airplanes ahead of flight 191 in the landing sequence for runway 17L.) Flight 351 replied, "As soon as we break out of this rainshower we will." The controller then told flight 351 that it was 4 miles from the outer marker, and to join the localizer at 2,300 feet; the controller then cleared the flight for the ILS approach to runway 17L. At 18:00, the approach controller asked flight 191 to reduce its airspeed to 170 knots, and to turn left to 270 degrees; flight 191 then acknowledged receipt of the clearance. Flight 191 had been sequenced behind a Learjet 25 for landing on runway 17L. At 18:02, the approach controller told flight 191 that it was 6 miles from the outer marker, requested that it turn to 180 degrees to join the localizer at or above 2,300 feet, and stated, "Cleared for ILS one seven left approach." The flight acknowledged receipt of the transmission. At 18:03:03, the approach controller requested flight 191 "to reduce your speed to one six zero please," and the captain replied, "Be glad to." Thereafter, at 18:03:30, he broadcast, "And we're getting some variable winds out there due to a shower... out there north end of DFW." This transmission was received by flight 191. At 18:03:46, the approach controller requested flight 191 to slow to 150 KIAS, and to contact the DFW Airport tower. At 18:03:58, the captain, after switching to the tower's radio frequency, stated, "Tower, Delta one ninety one heavy, out here in the rain, feels good." The tower cleared the flight to land and informed it, "wind zero nine zero at five, gusts to one five." At 18:04:07, the first officer called for the before-landing check. The flightcrew confirmed that the landing gear was down and that the flaps were extended to 33 degrees, the landing flap setting. At 18:04:18, the first officer said, "Lightning coming out of that one." The captain asked, "What?" and the first officer repeated "Lightning coming out of that one." The captain asked, and at 18:04:23, the first officer replied, "Right ahead of us." Flight 191 continued descending along the final approach course. At 18:05:05 the captain called out "1,000 feet." At 18:05:19, the captain cautioned the first officer to watch his indicated airspeed and a sound identified as rain began. The captain then warned the first officer, "You're gonna lose it all of a sudden, there it is." The captain stated, "Push it up, push it way up." At 18:05:29, the sound of engines at high rpm was heard on the CVR, and the captain said "That's it." At 18:05:44, the Ground Proximity Warning System's (GPWS) "Whoop whoop pull up" alert sounded and the captain commanded "TOGA". The CVR recording ended at 18:05:58. Witnesses on or near State Highway 114 north of the airport saw flight 191 emerge from the rain about 1.25 miles from the end of runway 17L and then strike an automobile in the westbound lane of State Highway 114. Subsequent investigation showed that the airplane had touched down earlier and became airborne again before striking the automobile. After the plane struck the car and a light pole on the highway, other witnesses saw fire on the left side of the airplane in the vicinity of the wing root. The witnesses generally agreed that the airplane struck the ground in a left-wing-low attitude, and that the fuselage rotated counterclockwise after the left wing and cockpit area struck a water tank on the airport. A large explosion obscured the witnesses' view momentarily, and then the tail section emerged from the fireball, skidding backwards. The tail section finally came to rest on its left side with the empennage pointing south and was subsequently blown to an upright position by wind gusts. One hundred and thirty-four persons on board the airplane and the driver of the automobile which was struck by the airplane were killed in the accident; 27 persons on board the airplane and 1 rescue worker at the accident site were injured, 2 passengers on the airplane were uninjured.