Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Witnesses watching N900CE's approach for landing to runway 17 at Marco Island Executive Airport stated the pilot appeared to have difficulty aligning the Machen modified Aerostar with the runway centerline. They stated the aircraft appeared unstable about the yaw and roll axes, and appeared too fast. Winds were from the southwest at about 15 knots, gusting to about 20 knots. One pilot/witness close to the touchdown area saw the right wheel touch down instantly, and climb back up to about 50 feet, agl without the full addition of engine power. Most witnesses thought he was either performing a go-around or an extended touch down further down the runway. The airplane continued, "..more and more wobbly" until it entered a climbing attitude and sharp left bank and turn. About half way down the runway the left wing dropped until it contacted the terrain left of the runway, and the aircraft slid into mangrove trees and burned. During postcrash examination, flight control continuity from surface to cockpit floorboards was confirmed. No condition was found with either engine or propeller that would have precluded proper operation, precrash. A witness listening to the pilot's initial radio call up for approach and landing stated that no abnormality was reported by the pilot. Postmortem toxicology testing on specimens obtained from the pilot by the FAA Toxicology and Accident Research Laboratory and the Dade County Medical Examiner revealed quinine found in the blood and urine. The side effects of quinine can include disturbances of vision, hearing, and balance.

On March 29, 2001, about 1901:57 mountain standard time, a Gulfstream III, N303GA, owned by Airbourne Charter, Inc., and operated by Avjet Corporation of Burbank, California, crashed while on final approach to runway 15 at Aspen-Pitkin County Airport (ASE), Aspen, Colorado. The charter flight had departed Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) about 1711 with 2 pilots, 1 flight attendant, and 15 passengers. The airplane crashed into sloping terrain about 2,400 feet short of the runway threshold. All of the passengers and crew members were killed, and the airplane was destroyed. The flight was being operated on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan under 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135.

The crew was completing a local training flight at Surabaya-Juanda Airport, consisting of touch-and-go manoeuvres. While approaching the airport to complete the eighth landing, at an altitude of 500 feet, the aircraft rolled to the left then stalled and crashed in a pond located 3 km short of runway, bursting into flames. All three pilots were killed. Both captains were operating on Casa-Nurtanio CN-235 (IPTN) and making a transition to Fokker F27.

The airplane was fueled to capacity and placed in a heated hangar about one hour before departure. The instrument rated pilot obtained a weather briefing, filed an IFR flight plan, and obtained an IFR clearance. Low ceiling, reduced visibility, and ice fog prevented control tower personnel from observing the takeoff. Radar (NTAP) and on-board GPS data indicated the airplane began drifting to the left of runway centerline almost immediately after takeoff. The airplane made a climbing left turn, achieving a maximum altitude of 7,072 feet and completing 217 degrees of turn, before beginning a descending left turn. The airplane impacted terrain on airport property. Autopsy/toxicology protocols were unremarkable. There was no evidence of preimpact failure/malfunction of the airframe, powerplant, propeller, or flight controls. The autopilot and servos, pitot-static system, and flight instruments were tested and all functioned satisfactorily. The pilot's shoulder harness was found attached to the seatbelt, but the male end of the seatbelt buckle was broken.

The aircraft departed Saint Maarten Airport on a flight to Saint-Barthélemy Airport under callsign TX1501, carrying 17 passengers and two pilots. The captain was pilot flying and the cruise level was 1,500 feet. The crew left the Sint Maarten Juliana aerodrome frequency when abeam of the island of Fourchue, the entry point of the aerodrome circuit located three nautical miles northwest of the island of Saint-Barthélemy. A few seconds later, they announced, on the Saint-Barthélemy Information frequency, that they were passing the 'Fourchue' reporting point. Shortly afterwards, they announced passing the 'Pain de Sucre' reporting point for a final approach to runway 10. That was their last communication. When the aircraft began its short final before the La Tourmente pass, several people, including the AFIS agent, saw it turn left which a steep bank angle then dive towards the ground. It crashed near a house and caught fire. All of the occupants perished, along with one person who was in the house.

On a night approach to Monrovia-Roberts Airport, at an altitude of about 600 feet, the crew encountered local patches of fog and visual contact with the runway was momentarily lost by the pilot-in-command. Nevertheless, he decided to continue the approach when the aircraft landed hard on runway 04. The aircraft bounced twice then lost its both right engines. Out of control, it veered off runway and came to rest about 200 metres further. All 182 occupants evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

On 22 March 2001 at about 17h35, the PA-31-350 Chieftain registered PH-ABD, call sign Tulip 2B, began its takeoff from runway 23 at Orléans-Saint Denis de l’Hôtel for an IFR departure to Paris-Le Bourget. The flight was passenger charter flight TLP2B. The pilot flying, who was the co-pilot seated in the left seat, was unable to perform the rotation. He aborted the takeoff but braking failed to stop the aircraft before the end of the runway. The runway surface was wet. Marks were left by the tyres from one hundred metres before the end of the runway. The aircraft ran across grass soaked with water. The nose gear broke and the aircraft came to a stop about one hundred and eighty metres after the end of the runway. The crew had forgotten to remove the flight control locking device.

The DC-3 experienced an in-flight engine fire, and made a forced landing at nearby airport, following the separation of the right engine assembly from the airframe. According to the pilot, during cruise flight, at 5000 feet, he heard a loud "bang" and saw a reflection of fire on his left engine nacelle. Fire damage was found on the trailing edge of the right wing and on the landing gear assembly. The engine examination also showed that No. 12 cylinder had separated from the main case. Evidence of oil from the No. 12 cylinder was found across engine and exhaust systems. Further examination revealed Nos. 7, 8 and 9 cylinders also failed and separated, and the engine seized and separated from the airframe.

The instructor was accompanied by a trainee pilot and two passengers (also pilots) on a local training flight and was in the process of doing type conversion training when the accident happened. On the third circuit after a touch and go landing on runway 06L, the right-hand engine failed soon after take-off. The aircraft was flown at low altitude in a left-hand circuit in an attempt to land onto runway 17. During this circuit the left-hand engine also failed. The aircraft collided with, and severed, three 11kV electrical conductors and executed a forced landing with the gear retracted to the North of FALA approximately 1 km from threshold of runway 17. The pilot only sustained minor injuries with no one else injured. The initial on-site inspection revealed that both front tanks, which were selected at the fuel tank selector, were empty. The pilot who was undergoing conversion training refueled the aircraft prior to the accident and stated that 70 litres of fuel was uplifted into each "inboard auxiliary" tank and that what he presumed to be the "main" tanks were filled to capacity. The instructor stated that upon his arrival, the pilot who refueled the aircraft told him that he had filled the "mains" and that the "centre aux. tanks" were partially filled. The instructor further stated that the "main" tanks were selected for the duration of the flight. The aircraft is equipped with three fuel tanks in each wing. These tanks are: Front, Rear Auxiliary and Auxiliary tanks. Only one fuel quantity gauge is installed in the aircraft. A seven position selector knob above the fuel quantity gauge determines the tank to which the gauge is connected which then indicates the amount of fuel in that respective tank. The left and right front tanks were selected on the fuel gauge selector knob.

On final approach to Kolonia Airport (Pohnpei Island), the aircraft was too low. It struck the ground just short of runway threshold, causing the right main gear to be torn off and the left main gear to collapse. The aircraft slid on its belly for few dozen metres before coming to rest on the runway. All three crew members escaped uninjured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.