New Creations

Piper PA-60 Aerostar (Ted Smith 600)

The airplane was on a positioning flight at night, cruising at 6,000 feet. Also, the pilot was operating on an IFR flight plan and was on his 6th flight after reporting for duty at 1530 est. During a frequency change and radio check at 0207 est, the pilot's response was normal. Radar data revealed that about 16 minutes later, the airplane entered a right turn, then disappeared from radar at about 0222 est after about 255° of turn. It impacted the ground in a steep nose down descent; debris from the airplane was found down to 6 feet below the surface. During the final 15 minutes of flight, there were no radio transmissions on the assigned frequency. No preimpact mechanical failure or malfunction was found. The propeller blades had s-curves or were bent forward; they also had leading edge impact damage and Rotational scoring. The pilot had flown in excess of 120 hours (110 hrs at night) in the preceding 30 days. There was evidence that he may have lacked crew rest during the day(s) before the accident.

Learjet 25

N458J was landing during a rain shower. As the airplane started to flare for landing, the wind caused it to drift to the right. The pilot started to correct this drift, as the rain became heavier. During the touchdown, the pilot lost visual reference with the runway, yet he continued with the landing roll. The airplane drifted off the left side of the runway and ran into soft terrain. Both pilots escaped uninjured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.