Georgia

On approach to Valdosta Airport, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions with low clouds and fog. Too high on the localizer, he failed to execute a missed approach and attempted circling approach below published minimums when he lost control of the airplane that crashed in flames. A passenger was killed while both other occupants were injured.

A Gates Learjet 24, N454RN, operated as a corporate flight by Machinery Buyers Corp., crashed following takeoff from runway 20L at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, Atlanta, Georgia. The aircraft was destroyed by impact and fire. The two crewmembers and five passengers were fatally injured and one person on the ground sustained serious burns. An apartment building was damaged, three parked vehicles were destroyed, and another vehicle was damaged by impact and fire. The pilot had filed an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flight plan from Atlanta, Georgia, to Miami, Florida, with a proposed departure time of 09:50 and an en route altitude of Flight Level 410. The flight was cleared for takeoff from runway 20L at 10:10. The weather at the time of the accident was overcast, with ceiling 500 feet, visibility 4 miles in fog and smoke, wind 060° at 4 knots, altimeter setting 30.20 inches. Ground witnesses stated that the airplane had made a normal take-off, but was trailing blue-white or blue-gray smoke when it crossed the airport boundary. The following conversation with the flight was recorded by the airport control tower:
Tower - "Lear 454RN it appeared the left engine laid a pretty good layer of smoke out of the left side there for approximately 300 or 400 feet."
454RN - "We just hit some birds."
Tower - "Roger, you turning to land?"
454RN - "Don't believe we're gonna make it." (Last transmission by the crew.
The aircraft climbed to a height about 250 to 300 feet above the ground before it started to settle in a nose-high attitude. The airplane collided initially with the roof of a three-story apartment building, approximately 2 miles south-southwest of the airport. The wreckage came to rest in a wooded ravine adjacent to a busy highway, 165 feet southwest of the damaged building. The airplane's takeoff path was over a residential area which contained numerous apartment complexes, shopping centers, and busy thoroughfares. A suitable emergency landing site was not available. The airplane's windshield and center post contained bird residue and bird feathers. After the accident, the remains of 15 cowbirds were found within 150 feet of the departure end of runway 20L. Both engines showed distortion and foreign object damage to the compressor rotor assemblies. Foreign material obstructed approximately 75 percent of the cooling air ports of the first-stage turbine nozzles.

While on a night approach to Augusta-Bush Field Airport, the pilot encountered marginal weather conditions. On final, the twin engine airplane struck the ground and crashed few dozen yards short of runway threshold. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot was killed.

The pilot departed Gary, Indiana, with known deficiencies in equipment and encountered technical problems with instruments en route to Atlanta. On approach to Atlanta-William Berry Hartsfield Airport by night and poor weather conditions (low ceiling, fog and rain falls), he descended below the MDA when the airplane struck trees and crashed in College Park, about a mile short of runway. The aircraft was destroyed and all five occupants were killed.

On a final VOR approach to Atlanta-Fulton County-Brown Field Airport, the crew encountered marginal weather conditions. The aircraft went out of control and crashed few miles short of runway 08, bursting into flames. A pilot and two passengers were killed while three other occupants were seriously injured. The aircraft was on a round robin IFR service at the time of the accident.
Crew:
Cw3 Lawrence J. Screptock +1.
Passengers:
Ltc Joseph E. Burke Jr.,
Col Lester M. Conger +3.

While completing a local training flight at Fort Benning AFB (Lawson AAF), the single engine aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances. Both crew members were killed.
Crew:
lward E. Crow,
PV2 Charles R. Grimsinger.

Lehigh Acres Development, Inc., Flight 701, a Martin 404, N40412, departed from Runway 02R at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, Chamblee, Georgia, at 0916 e.d.t. on an Instrument Flight Rules flight plan to Fort Myers, Florida. Two pilots, two cabin attendants and 29 passengers were on board. The aircraft had been fueled to approximately 800 gallons prior to departure. The weather at the time of takeoff was: Measured 400 feet overcast, visibility 1 mile with very light rain and fog. Atlanta Departure Control established radar and radio contact with the flight one minute after takeoff. .During the climb, there was a loss of power from the No. 2 engine. This loss rapidly deteriorated to the extent that little useful power was being developed. While the crew was working to correct the discrepancy with the No. 2 engine, the No. 1 engine lost power. The crew declared an emergency and reported that they were going down. Departure Control attempted to vector the aircraft to the Atlanta International Airport for an emergency landing. When the aircraft descended below the overcast, the pilot observed Interstate Highway 285 just below and decided to make an emergency landing on the median strip, heading west. Touchdown on the highway occurred at approximately 0930. The aircraft skidded along the highway for approximately one-half mile, struck the side of the Moreland Avenue bridge, and came to rest on top of the bridge. As the aircraft proceeded along the highway, it struck an automobile that was traveling east and inflicted fatal injuries to the five occupants. One passenger in the aircraft received fatal injuries. The two pilots and one flight attendant received serious injuries. Twenty-seven passengers received injuries requiring medical treatment or hospitalization. The aircraft was destroyed by impact; no fire developed.

The pilot, sole on board, was completing a cargo flight from Detroit to Valdosta. While descending, he realize the fuel reserve was insufficient and decided to divert to Albany when one engine failed due to fuel exhaustion. In poor weather conditions due to fog, the airplane struck trees and crashed few miles from the airfield. The pilot was injured and the aircraft was destroyed.

Both engines failed simultaneously in flight. The pilot reduced his altitude and attempted an emergency landing when the aircraft crashed in flames on a golf course located near Macon. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all four occupants were killed.

Air South Flight 168 departed Atlanta at 21:07. At 21:13 the flight reported level at its assigned cruising altitude of 7,000 feet. The Beech had been cruising for eleven minutes when it attained a gradual nose down attitude due to a change in the longitudinal trim. The pilots noticed the change after about six seconds and initiated a recovery action. The horizontal stabilizer continued to move to a full nose down position. Excessive pulling force on the control column was necessary to recover from the high speed dive. The necessary stick forces for such an out-of-trim condition can exceed the capability of one pilot, and in some cases two pilots, to control. The Beech continued to descend until both wings failed at high speed, just before the airplane crashed into the ground in a near vertical attitude.