United States of America

After a local maintenance flight the crew returned to St. Petersburg to practice full stop landings. Shortly after becoming airborne during the second takeoff, the right engine experienced a power loss. The aircraft was observed to climb to about 50 feet agl, then veer right and crash east of the runway. Other than a malfunctioning right fuel tank selector which allowed fuel to bypass to other fuel tanks, there was no pre-impact failure/malfunction. Both right tanks were empty and the left tanks contained about 175 gallons of fuel. However, subsequent tests showed that fluid in the right tank would bypass the right fuel selector and leak into the left tank when the aircraft sat left wing low for about 12 hours. The aircraft was not airworthy in that all the requirements of an approved 91.217 inspection program were not complied with. The pilot-in-command had 5 hours as pic of DC-3 during the last 5 months with one hour and two takeoff and landings the last 90 days. This was the first flight in a DC-3 for the copilot with no record of any training in the DC-3.

Shortly after takeoff witnesses observed the aircraft in a steep left bank descending until it crashed approximately 1,200 feet northwest of the departure end of the runway. According to the passenger the initial climb distracting the attention of the pilot who lost control of the aircraft while attempting to close the door. The inadvertent opening of the top section of the cabin door in flight is not considered critical. The before starting engines and before takeoff check lists call for "cabin door closed and locked pin indicators check on green mark." According to the passenger the pilot performed a cockpit check without the aid of a written check list. The pilot was killed while the passenger was seriously injured.

The aircraft crashed while attempting to land at Hooper Bay, Alaska. The airplane crashed 1,320 feet short of the threshold of runway 13 during an approach in visual meteorological conditions. The airplane was substantially damaged when it crashed onto hard-packed snow and ice about 700 feet from the edge of the Bering Sea. There was no fire. The two pilots and six passengers sustained serious injuries in the accident.

After takeoff the aircraft was observed to trail a brown substance. About 3 miles from the airport the right engine oil pressure dropped. The pilot decided to return to the airport. When he thought the runway was attainable he lowered the flaps; however, a loss of power in the left engine occurred and a landing was made in a wheat field. Investigation revealed failure of the front master rod bearing in the right engine. The aircraft had not been flown for five years prior to this flight and evidence of oil starvation was apparent in both engines. Both pilots escaped with minor injuries.

The aircraft crashed about half a mile southwest of the departure end of runway 32L. The runway had been illuminated at the time of takeoff with the aircraft making a left turn into an area that was not illuminated toward the mountains. It was a very dark night with an indistiguishable horizon southwestward toward the higher mountains. There were two brightly lit softball complexes located to the north toward the city. A weather study indicated probable moderate to severe turbulence and up and down drafts below 7,000 feet msl, and light to moderate wind shear from the surface up to 300 feet agl. A witness who saw the fireball stated she had lost control of her car because a gust of wind pushed her car into the other lane of traffic. Both occupants were killed.

The crew departed Little Rock-Jacksonville AFB for a local training mission. En route, the crew reduced his altitude from 3,000 to 2,000 feet to join four other aircraft in formation when control was lost. The airplane dove into the ground and crashed in a wooded area located near Judsonia. The aircraft was destroyed and all seven crew members were killed.

The aircraft departed into IFR conditions with a non-instrument rated pilot in the left front seat and his wife, an instrument rated pilot, in the right front seat. After the pilot reported climbing through 2,800 ft msl, the radar controller observed that the aircraft deviated from the course and began to lose altitude. He attempted to communicate with the pilot, but was unable. Witnesses observed the aircraft maneuver in and out of the overcast. Two witnesses watched it change course to the right from southeast to northwest, pull up into the overcast, then dive out of the clouds in a near vertical attitude and crash. During an examination of the wreckage, no preimpact, mechanical failures were found. The aircraft was designed to be flown in instrument conditions from only the left front seat. Both occupants as well as one person on the ground were killed.

While in cruise flight on Airway J79-121 en route to Orlando, Florida, from Teterboro, New Jersey, the flightcrew of N100TA, an IBEX Corporation Gates Learjet 23, was cleared by the Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center to descend from its altitude of Flight Level 410 to Flight Level 390. The flightcrew acknowledged the clearance, and air traffic control observed the radar target descend. About 2 minutes later, the airplane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, from a steep, high-speed descent about 12 miles from Savannah, Georgia. The air traffic controller made several unsuccessful attempts to contact the airplane. The pilots had reported no difficulties in any of their radio transmissions. The pilot, copilot, and the two passengers on board were killed. Beyond 1158:49, the program showed a gradual increase in indicated airspeed from 271 to 400 KIAS. The average rate of descent was 15,375 fpm based on the radar data using pressure altitude (mode C).

The pilot and 6 passengers were returning home after fishing in Mexico. After clearing customs at Laredo, TX, they departed on the next leg of the flight. The pilot was cleared to 11,000 ft, but got off course. He commented that an instrument had popped, he then requested 7,000 ft, but due to other traffic, his request was delayed. While still at 5,000 ft, he stated, "hey, i'm in the middle of the top of this stuff." Approximately 7 minutes after being cleared to 7,000 ft, controllers noted that the aircraft began descending. They attempted to call the pilot, but were unable. An investigation revealed the aircraft had crashed after the outer wing panels and the empennage had separated. The exact sequence of the in-flight break-up was not determined. Radar info indicated the aircraft had entered several vertical oscillations of several hundred feet before descending. An examination of the fracture surfaces revealed only overload failure. Other pilots reported clouds between 3,000 & 6,500 feet with only light turbulences. The aircraft was estimated to be approximately 65 lbs over the max gross weight limit and loaded near the aft CofG. All seven occupants were killed in the accident.

The passenger stated that after sharp turns at low altitude over a farm house they did a roll and were too low to recover prior to striking trees. The aircraft came to rest inverted in a 4-5 feet deep farm pond. The autopsy report shows the pilot's death by asphyxia due to drowning. The passenger also stated they had also flown low over a beach and performed a roll enroute from pine bluff.