United States of America

The manager of Blackhawk Airways had cleared the flight for a 1000 edt departure, but the actual takeoff time was not established. No record of a preflight weather briefing was found. However, during a telephone conversation prior to the flight, the pilot indicated to his manager that the clouds would be lower in the mountains. At approximately 1030, ground witnesses observed an aircraft, matching the description of N215W, circling beneath the clouds at Keyser, WV, then depart to the southwest. When the aircraft did not arrive at its destination, a search was begun. It was found where it had impacted rising terrain approximately 6 miles southwest of Keyser. The impact occurred on a 26° slope, at approximately the 3,000 feet level, just below a 3104 feet peak. The aircraft was climbing when it impacted wooded terrain. A pilot/mechanical, who operated an airport approximately 3 miles southeast of Keyser, reported there was fog in the morning hours with a ceiling of about 2,000 feet until midday and that the mountain tops in the vicinity of the crash site were obscured. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

The Grumman American AA-5A, N9844U, had just landed. While taxing, the aircrew stopped short of runway 13R as Beechcraft. Hawker BH-125, N125E, was taking off. The rated student in N125E, who was on a training flight, was at the controls and began the takeoff. The power-up and takeoff roll were normal. Rotation was described as normal and the left throttle was retarded to idle at 110 knots, as pre-briefed, to simulate an engine failure. The instructor pilot (IP) stated that the lift off appeared normal and directional control was good up to an alt of 10 to 20 feet. The left wing then started to drop and the student applied right aileron, but did not stop the roll. The IP began advancing the left throttle, but did not get on the flight controls. The left wing hit the runway and the aircraft veered left and settled to the ground. At impact, both main gear mounts failed, a fuel tank ruptured and a fire started. N125E then slid into N9844U and both aircraft burned. BH-125 flight man recommends IP follow thru, max bank 5° and cautions negative wxvaning in crosswind. BH-125 rudder bias engaged. AA-5A crew thrown out, seatbelts unlatched.

During arrival, a descent was begun from 8,000 to 7,000 feet msl at 0151 hst. At 0155 hst, the aircrew was cleared for a visual approach from 7,000 feet msl and a rapid descent was started with 20° of flaps and approximately 25 inches ap (manifold pressure). The aircraft was maneuvered to intercept the ILS localizer and glide slope as a reference. After intercepting the glide slope at about 3,000 feet, the pilot-in-command (pic) called for 2,250 rpm and gear extension. While descending thru approximately 2,000 feet, he noticed the aircraft slowing down and descending below the glide slope, so he called for a power increase to 27 inches map. At about that time, the aircrew noted that the engines were not responding and had lost power. Subsequently, a forced landing was made in a sugar cane field with the gear in a transient position. The fuel selectors were found positioned to fuel tanks containing fuel, but the positioning during the descent was not verified. The temperature and dew point were 72° 65° F. This would have been barely within the envelope for carburetor ice on icing probability charts. All three occupants were uninjured.

The crew departed Nellis AFB in Las Vegas on a training mission consisting of heavy equipment drop. While flying at low height, the pilot initiated a turn when the aircraft stalled and crashed. The wreckage was found in an uninhabited and hilly terrain located about 100 miles northwest of Nellis AFB. All six occupants were killed.

The aircraft crashed after starting a go-around or aborted landing at Norman, OK. The aircraft was on a cross-country flight from Dallas to Wichita. There was no radio communication with the aircraft after it was cleared to land. The approach looked ok but on short final the aircraft suddenly turned right, leveled then entered a steep climbing right turn and continue to roll until inverted then pitched nose down until crashing. The pilot in the right seat had reportedly worked late the night before installing what appeared to be an auxiliary fuel system in the cabin. The aircraft had just been sold and the identity and location of the owner was not established. No one claimed the wreckage. Evidence revealed that both propellers were rotating at high rpm at impact. The fire after impact burned most intensely and persistently in the center of the cabin where the remains of what appeared to be an auxiliary fuel system were found. No pre-impact malfunctions or failures were found. Both occupants were killed.

When the pilot arrived at the destination airport, there was construction on the runway, about 2500 feet from the approach end. He contacted Unicom and was advised that the runway was closed, but was told he could land on the grass beside the runway. The pilot responded that the grass area was too rough. He stated, 'I think I can land on the runway available, there seems to be enough length there.' Subsequently, the aircraft was observed approaching runway 08 at an estimated 30 feet agl with the gear and flaps down. Reportedly, the power was increased, the nose assumed a climb attitude and the gear was retracted. The aircraft then rolled left, dove to the ground and crashed. An exam of the wreckage revealed no evidence of a preimpact part failure or malfunction. An evaluation of this make and model of aircraft revealed that when the cg approached the aft limit, and the flaps were extended, the aircraft had reduced yaw and roll controllability during power on stalls. The flaps were found full down. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

The aircraft collided with trees during an attempted off airport landing at night for marijuana unloading. The aircraft was being followed by a u.s customs helicopter, the occupants of this helicopter said the aircraft had made one missed approach and during the go-around on the downwind leg the aircraft descended until it hit the trees. There was a layer of 'scud' at about 100-200 feet agl. Visibility under the low lying intermittent cloud layer was about 2 miles. After the crash the helicopter landed about 30 yards away but approach on foot was not possible due to heat from the burning wreckage. Both occupants were killed.

About 20 minutes after takeoff the pilot reported the right engine had lost power and the aircraft would not maintain altitude. Vectors were provided for an emergency landing, but the aircraft crashed in a wooded area about 3 miles from the airport. There was evidence that the gear and flaps had been extended and the aircraft had entered a turn before impacting. Both props had evidence of low to moderate power and neither was feathered. An exam revealed unsymmetrical wear on the blades of the right turbocharger; its thrust spacer, pn 406990-9004, was worn and there was evidence of oil leakage. The 13 qt, right engine oil system had only 6.85 qts of oil remaining. Both turbochargers had been installed during an annual inspection in april 1983 and previously had been overhauled. The aircraft was estimated to be 844 lbs over its max weight limit and the aircraft cg limit was exceeded by about 4.8 inches. Six of the passengers were not restrained by seat belts. An associate estimated that the pilot had only 4 to 6 hours of rest in the previous 3 to 4 days. All eight occupants were killed.

The four engine airplane departed Barbers Point NAS on a night training exercise consisting of a support of ships cruising off Kauai Island. While cruising in limited visibility at an altitude of 3,000 feet, the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain and disintegrated on impact. The wreckage was found on a steep ridge (Kalepa Ridge between Honopu and Kalalau valleys) on the Na Pali Coast of Kauai. All 14 occupants were killed. The pilot failed to realize his altitude was insufficient and did not see the mountain.

The aircraft departed Dallas on a regularly scheduled international passenger flight to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with an en route stop at Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The flight left Dallas with 5 crew members and 41 passengers on board. About 1903, eastern daylight time, while en route at flight level 330 (about 33,000 feet m.s.l.), the cabin crew discovered smoke in the left aft lavatory. After attempting to extinguish the hidden fire and then contacting air traffic control (ATC) and declaring an emergency, the crew made an emergency descent and ATC vectored Flight 797 to the Greater Cincinnati International Airport, Covington, Kentucky. At 1920:09, eastern daylight time, Flight 797 landed on runway 27L at the Greater Cincinnati International Airport. As the pilot stopped the airplane, the airport fire department, which had been alerted by the tower to the fire on board the incoming plane, was in place and began firefighting operations. Also, as soon as the airplane stopped, the flight attendants and passengers opened the left and right forward doors, the left forward overwing exit, and the right forward and aft overwing exits. About 60 to 90 seconds after the exits were opened, a flash fire engulfed the airplane interior. While 18 passengers and 3 flight attendants exited through the forward doors and slides and the three open overwing exits to evacuate the airplane, the captain and first officer exited through their respective cockpit sliding windows. However, 23 passengers were not able to get out of the plane and died in the fire. The airplane was destroyed.