Flight

After climbing to and leveling at 15,000 feet, the airplane departed controlled flight, descended rapidly in a nose-down vertical dive, and impacted terrain; an explosion and postaccident fire occurred. Evidence at the accident site revealed that most of the wreckage was located in or near a single impact crater; however, the outer portion of the left wing impacted the ground about 1/2 mile from the main wreckage. Following the previous flight, the pilot reported to a maintenance person in another state that he had several malfunctioning flight instruments, including the autopilot, the horizontal situation indicator, and the artificial horizon gyros. The pilot, who was not a mechanic, had maintenance personnel replace the right side artificial horizon gyro but did not have any other maintenance performed at that time. The pilot was approved under an FAA exemption to operate the airplane as a single pilot; however, the exemption required that all equipment must be operational, including a fully functioning autopilot, flight director, and gyroscopic flight instruments. Despite the malfunctioning instruments, the pilot chose to take off and fly in instrument meteorological conditions. At the time of the loss of control, the airplane had just entered an area with supercooled large water droplets and severe icing, which would have affected the airplane's flying characteristics. At the same time, the air traffic controller provided the pilot with a radio frequency change, a change in assigned altitude, and a slight routing change. It is likely that these instructions increased the pilot's workload as the airplane began to rapidly accumulate structural icing. Because of the malfunctioning instruments, it is likely that the pilot became disoriented while attempting to maneuver and maintain control of the airplane as the ice accumulated, which led to a loss of control.

The single engine aircraft departed Loreto Airport at 0901LT on a flight to Ciudad Constitución, carrying 13 passengers and one pilot. Weather conditions were poor with limited visibility and heavy rain falls due to the presence of the tropical storm 'Octave'. Six minutes after takeoff, while cruising at an altitude of 3,900 feet, the airplane impacted the slope of a rocky mountain located in the Sierra de La Giganta. The wreckage was found two days later some 26 km west of Loreto. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 14 occupants were killed.

Bought in 2000 and stored since, the airplane was under restoration since August 2013. The crew (one pilot and one engineer), decided to perform a test flight in the region of Sevryukovo (Korocha District of the Belgorod region). En route, the engine failed, forcing the crew to attempt an emergency landing. The aircraft impacted ground and crashed, coming to rest upside down and bursting into flames. Both occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was partially destroyed by fire.

The aircraft departed Panama City-Marcos A. Gelabert Airport in the evening on an anti-narcotic survey flight over Colombia, carrying four passengers and two pilots, five US citizens and one Panamanian. En route, while cruising along the border between Panama and Colombia, the aircraft collided with trees and crashed on the slope of a wooded mountain, bursting into flames. All four passengers were killed and both pilots were seriously injured.

Witnesses located at a gun club reported observing the airplane make a high-speed, low pass from north to south over the club's buildings and then maneuver around for another low pass from east to west. During the second low pass, the airplane collided with a radio tower that was about 50 ft tall, and the right wing sheared off about 10 ft of the tower's top. The tower's base was triangular shaped, and each of its sides was about 2 ft long. One witness reported that the airplane remained in a straight-and-level attitude until impact with the tower. The airplane then rolled right to an almost inverted position and subsequently impacted trees and terrain about 700 ft southwest of the initial impact point. One witness reported that, about 3 to 4 years before the accident, the pilot, who was a client of the gun club, had "buzzed" over the club and had been told to never do so again. A postaccident examination of the engines and the airframe revealed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation.

On behalf of Morningstar Air Express, the pilot departed Sault Sainte Marie Airport, south Ontario, in the morning, for a local training flight. For unknown reasons, the pilot did not maintain any radio contact with his base or ATC and continued to the north for about 1,200 km when the aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances in the Hudson Bay, some 500 km east of Churchill, Manitoba. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot was killed.

The aircraft departed Surgut on September 12 on a special flight to Saranpaul and Arbyn, carrying two pilots and five employees of the Sosvapromgeologya Company. On September 18, the crew was supposed to fly back to Surgut but due to poor weather conditions, decided to fly to Nefteyugansk. About an hour and 10 minutes into the flight, while cruising at an altitude of 700 metres, the engine temperature increased to 305° C. and the oil temperature to 90° C. In the same time, the engine lost power. The crew decided to reduce his altitude and to attempt an emergency landing when the aircraft crash landed in a field located 48 km west of Nyagan. There was no fire. All seven occupants were injured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The float-equipped Transwest Air Limited Partnership DHC-3 turbine Otter (registration C-FSGD, serial number 316) departed Scott Lake, Northwest Territories, at approximately 1850 Central Standard Time on a 33-nautical mile, day, visual flight rules flight to Ivanhoe Lake, Northwest Territories. The aircraft did not arrive at its destination, and was reported overdue at approximately 2100. The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Trenton was notified by the company. There was no emergency locator transmitter signal. A search and rescue C-130 Hercules aircraft was dispatched; the aircraft wreckage was located on 23 August 2013, in an unnamed lake, 10 nautical miles north of the last reported position. The pilot, who was the sole occupant of the aircraft, sustained fatal injuries.

The twin engine aircraft departed Chihuahua-General Fierro Villalobos Airport at 1352LT on a flight to Zacatecas, carrying four passengers and one pilot. It continued to the south at an altitude of 11,500 feet and a speed of 120 knots. The flight was uneventful until the pilot started the descent to Zacatecas-General Leobardo C. Ruiz. when the left engine lost power then failed shortly later. The pilot reduced his altitude and attempted an emergency landing when the aircraft crash landed in an open field located near Purisima del Maguey, some 25 km northwest of Zacatecas Airport. All five occupants evacuated safely and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

En route to Zanzibar, while cruising at an altitude of 21,000 feet, the right engine failed. The pilot decided to divert to Arusha Airport when few minutes later, while passing 16,000 feet on descent, the left engine failed as well. The pilot attempted to ditch the aircraft into Lake Manyara. The aircraft belly landed and came to rest in shallow water, bent in two. All seven occupants were rescued by fishermen and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.