The pilot had flown from eutaw to seale, al to participate in a parachute activity. Although the plane was equipped for parachuting, it was not used for that purpose on that trip. Before returning to eutaw, the pilot used a dipstick to check the fuel and estimated he had a sufficient amount remaining for the 1.1 hr return flight. He did not check the weather or refuel the aircraft. En route, he encountered clouds, darkness, and heavy rain showers. While deviating from his planned course, he lost track of his position and the fuel supply became low. He diverted to tuscaloosa, al, but ran out of fuel during his approach. The plane struck trees about 1/2 mile from the runway during a forced landing. No seat or seat belt was available for the passenger; however, the passenger received only minor injuries.
Tag: U.S.
After returning from a parachute jumping flight, the pilot elected to land on the 1800 ft grass runway. A 3000 ft asphalt runway was available, but he had been using the grass runway to avoid wear on the tires. There was a 30 ft powerline at the approach end of the grass runway and the sod was wet. The pilot reported that there was light rain and the wind was calm. Reportedly, the plane touched down about 200 ft from the approach end, but the pilot was unable to stop on the runway. The aircraft continued off the end and collided with brush and trees. The computed landing distance over a 50 ft obstacle on a hard runway was about 1500 ft.
The pilot started a downwind takeoff on runway 15 with 9 parachutists on board. The runway was unidirectional requiring takeoffs on runway 15 which sloped downhill. After beginning the takeoff roll, the pilot had difficulity in maintaining directional control and initiated abort procedures. Reportedly, the aircraft continued to veer to the right in spite of the use of hard left rudder and braking action. As the aircraft decelerated, it departed the right side of the runway, struck 3 fence posts, and collided with a parked stinson, n368c. The pilot reported that the parachutist occupying the copilot’s seat stated that he had placed his feet behind the rudder pedals shortly before takeoff.
After completing the drop on a skydiving flight, the engine lost power during a power-off descent. The pilot reported that the carburetor heat was not used during the descent prior to the loss of power. However, the probability of weather conditions for carburetor ice was not verified. The aircraft struck a fence during an off-airport landing, before reaching the runway. The pilot reported that he took off with 10 gallons of fuel on board. The plane crashed about 15 minutes after takeoff. An examination of the engine revealed no malfunction or failure prior to the accident.
The pilot reported landing on a soft, slick runway at dusk after returning from a parachute jumping mission. The aircraft was landed off of the center of the runway and veered left in soft terrain. The nosewheel sank in mud as the plane crossed a shallow ditch and flipped over.
A climb was made to 10,000 ft on a skydiving flight. The pilot reported that after descending to 2000 ft, the engine began to lose power and run rough. He elected to make an off-airport landing in a field. Near the end of the landing roll, the nose gear sank into soft terrain, and the aircraft flipped over.