From the Bay area of San Francisco, hence the time difference, these are your stories for today...
Of note, a couple of instances where an "Engineered Materials Arrestor System" better known as EMAS played a role in aircraft overruns. Have you any EMAS at your airport(s) and do you know the limitations it places on ARFF?
Be safe out there!
Tom
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Jet crashes through fence at Wheeling airport, nearly sliding onto Hintz Road
By Karen Jordan
WHEELING, Ill. (WLS) -- A jet crashed Wednesday
at a north suburban airport.
The jet slid off the runway and through a fence at Chicago Executive Airport, located at 1020 Plant Road in Wheeling, just before 12:15 p.m.
Chopper 7 was over the scene about 12:45 p.m., and emergency crews were responding.
The nose of the jet was next Hintz Road, but the plane appeared to be intact.
"We are currently gathering information regarding the incident. No injuries have been reported and the airport remains closed while efforts are underway to remove the aircraft," the airport said in a statement. "The airport has a safety system at the end of the runway that kept the plane from going farther. Cleanup efforts are underway, and normal operations are expected to resume later today."
The pilot and co-pilot were the only people onboard the plane, and neither was injured, the Wheeling fire chief said.
"Them hitting that EMAS (Engineered Materials Arresting Systems) system, which is designed to stop the aircraft, kept it from going out on the roadway," Wheeling Fire Chief Scott Salela said.
He said the plane was coming from Baltimore, when the pilot experienced some kind of mechanical issue.
A preliminary investigation found that the plane does not present a hazard. Nothing is leaking; so, it was towed away.
The plane appeared to be a Gulfstream G150.
The cause of the incident is now under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. said in a statement, "We can confirm that there was an incident at the Chicago Executive Airport. Two pilots were on board with no passengers. There were no injuries."
The company, based in Rolling Meadows, is an international service provider that plans, designs and administers a full array of customized, cost-effective property/casualty insurance and risk management programs, according to its website.
The Wheeling fire chief said, as far as incidents go, this is the best case scenario.
"And there was cars, traffic going through at the same time and could have hit a car, could have had a fire, could have had a lot of things, but nobody got hurt. And everybody turned out okay," Salela said.
The affected runway reopened at 7:22 p.m. and has since been operating as normal, officials said.
Small plane overruns runway at Boca Raton Airport; FAA investigating
By Emma Romano
Representatives for the Boca Raton Airport have
confirmed that a Challenger 300 overran the runway today at 5:13 p.m.
The airport's Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) was deployed and stopped the plane.
At the time of the crash, two crew members and two passengers were on board. There were no injuries.
The FAA is en route to assess the situation before the plane is released for removal.
https://www.wflx.com/2025/09/03/small-plane-overruns-runway-boca-raton-airport-faa-investigating/
Smoke and electrical problems on regional jet lead to emergency landing in Houston
By Aaron Cooper
The Federal Aviation Administration is
investigating after a regional jet made an emergency landing in Houston on Wednesday, with the pilots reporting smoke and electrical problems.
United Airlines Express flight 4969, operated by subsidiary CommuteAir, returned to George Bush Intercontinental Houston Airport “after the crew reported smoke in the cockpit,” the FAA said in a statement.
“They are having electrical issues,” the air traffic control tower told emergency crews waiting for the plane to land, according to recordings captured by LiveATC.net. “They are losing electrical.”
The plane parked on a taxiway and the pilots requested to be towed to the terminal.
The landing was “due a potential maintenance issue,” CommuteAir said in a statement.
All passengers were safely returned to the gate and are awaiting another flight to Panama City, Florida.
“We apologize for this inconvenience and are preparing a new aircraft to operate the flight to ECP,” Jason Kadah the airline’s Managing Director, Communications, said in a statement.
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/03/us/regional-jet-emergency-landing
Forced Landing Results In Minor Injuries, Heavy Damage To Plane
WFIN
(From the Ohio State Highway Patrol)
The Bowling Green Post of the Ohio State Highway
Patrol is investigating a minor-injury twin-engine plane crash that occurred just after 12:30 p.m. on September 3 near the Wood County Airport.
The preliminary investigation revealed that a Piper Seminole attempted to land to the west, on Runway 28, where the left-seat pilot, Ulrich Marlon Tchiedje Ngaleumo, 23, Pickerington, aborted the landing and attempted to do a go-around procedure.
The right-seat pilot, Joel Borton, 34, Perrysburg, then took control of the twin-engine plane and made a forced landing in a bean field approximately one-quarter mile northwest of the departure end of the runway.
Mr. Ngaleumo sustained minor injuries and was transported to the Wood County Hospital by ground ambulance. Mr. Borton was not injured. The Piper sustained heavy damage.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Bowling State University Police Department, Bowling Green Fire Division, Wood County Regional Airport and the Federal Aviation Administration.
The incident remains under investigation.
(From Bowling Green State University)
Bowling Green State University issued the following statement regarding a forced landing of an aircraft north of Wood County Airport:
“Today, on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, at approximately 12:30 p.m., a Bowling Green State University student and designated pilot examiner with the Federal Aviation Administration were flying in a multi-engine aircraft near Bowling Green and made a forced landing north of the Wood County Airport.
The student, who was nearing graduation, was being evaluated by the examiner for a commercial pilot license, which requires landing an aircraft during a simulation of an engine failure. During this simulation, the FAA examiner took over the aircraft, landing the plane in a field adjacent to the airport.
Both the student and examiner experienced minor injuries and are reported to be doing well. The student was taken to Wood County Hospital as a precaution. Bowling Green State University is grateful for the quick actions and response and will continue to work with the Ohio State Highway Patrol and FAA.”
https://wfin.com/local-news/forced-landing-results-in-minor-injuries-heavy-damage-to-plane/
NTSB Prelim: Marshall Allen L RV6A
He Reduced The Throttle Control About ¼ Inches, Heard A “Slight Pop,” And The Engine Lost Power
Location: Centerview, MO Accident Number: CEN25LA327
Date & Time: August 19, 2025, 16:40 Local Registration: N692AC
Aircraft: Marshall Allen L RV6A Injuries: 1 Minor, 1 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
On August 19, 2025, at 1640 central daylight time, a Vans RV-6A airplane, N692AC, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Centerview, Missouri. The commercial pilot sustained minor injuries and the passenger was uninjured. The airplane was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations as a Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot stated there were no issues with the engine runup prior to the accident flight. He stated that this was his first flight in the make and model of accident airplane which was to familiarize himself with the airplane. After performing several maneuvers at 4,500 ft msl, he began to fly towards Skyhaven Airport (RCM), Warrensburg, Missouri. He said the engine sounded normal, but it was not producing power. He planned on continuing the flight to RCM where he now planned on performing a magneto check and to “recheck the engine.”
About 3 miles from RCM, he performed the before landing checklist, changed the fuel tank selection, turned the fuel pump on, and confirmed the fuel mixture control was in the rich position. He reduced the throttle control about ¼ inches, heard a “slight pop,” and the engine lost power. He then changed the fuel tank selection, confirmed the fuel pump was on, and adjusted the engine throttle control, but was unable to regain engine power. He then changed fuel tank selection to the right fuel tank, added wing flaps, and performed a forced landing to a cornfield. He stated that the airplane, which was not equipped with a stall warning system, stalled above the corn during landing, and the airplane impacted the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage.
The airplane was retained for examination.
FMI: www.ntsb.gov
Today in History
54 Years ago today: On 4 September 1971 Alaska Airlines flight 1866, a Boeing 727, impacted a mountain while on approach to Juneau Airport, Alaska, USA, killing all 111 occupants.
| Date: | Saturday 4 September 1971 |
| Time: | 12:15 |
| Type: | Boeing 727-193 |
| Owner/operator: | Alaska Airlines |
| Registration: | N2969G |
| MSN: | 19304/287 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1966 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 11344 hours |
| Engine model: | P&W JT8D-7B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 111 / Occupants: 111 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 35 km W of Juneau, AK - United States of America |
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Yakutat Airport, AK (YAK/PAYA) |
| Destination airport: | Juneau International Airport, AK (JNU/PAJN) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Narrative:
Alaska Airlines flight 1866, a Boeing 727, impacted a mountain while on approach to Juneau Airport, Alaska, USA, killing all 111 occupants.
Flight AS1866 was a scheduled passenger flight from Anchorage (ANC), to Seattle (SEA), with intermediate stops at Cordova (CDV), Yakutat (YAK), Juneau (JNU), and Sitka (SIT). The IFR flight departed Anchorage at 09:13 and landed at Cordova at 09:42. AS66 departed Cordova at 10:34 after a delay, part of which was attributable to difficulty in securing a cargo compartment door. The flight landed at Yakutat at 11:07. While on the ground, AS66 received an air traffic control clearance to the Juneau Airport via Jet Route 507 to the Pleasant Intersection, direct to Juneau, to maintain 9,000 feet or below until 15 miles southeast of Yakutat on course, then to climb to and maintain FL230. The flight departed Yakutat at 11:35, with 104 passengers and seven crew members on board.
At 11:46, AS66 contacted the Anchorage ARTCC and reported level at FL230, 65 miles east of Yakutat. The flight was then cleared to descend at the pilot's discretion to maintain 10,000 ft so as to cross the Pleasant Intersection at 10,000 feet and was issued a clearance limit to the Howard Intersection.
The clearance was acknowledged correctly by the captain and the controller provided the Juneau altimeter setting of 29.46 inches and requested AS66 to report leaving 11,000 ft. At 11:51, AS66 reported leaving FL230. Following this report, the flight's clearance limit was changed to the Pleasant Intersection. At 11:54, the controller instructed AS66 to maintain 12,000 feet. Approximately 1 minute later, the flight reported level at 12,000 feet. The changes to the flight's original clearance to the Howard Intersection were explained to AS66 by the controller as follows: "I've got an airplane that's not following his clearance, I've got to find out where he is." The controller was referring to N799Y, a Piper Apache which had departed Juneau at 11:44 on an IFR clearance, destination Whitehorse, Canada.
On two separate occasions, AS66 acted as communications relay between the controller and N799Y.
At 11:58, AS66 reported that they were at the Pleasant Intersection, entering the holding pattern, whereupon the controller recleared the flight to Howard Intersection via the Juneau localizer. In response to the controller's query as to whether the flight was "on top" at 12,000 feet, the captain stated that the flight was "on instruments." At 12:00, the controller repeated the flight's clearance to hold at Howard Intersection and issued an expected approach time of 12:10. At 12:01, AS66 reported that they were at Howard, holding 12,000 feet. Six minutes later, AS66 was queried with respect to the flight's direction of holding and its position in the holding pattern. When the controller was advised that the flight had just completed its inbound turn and was on the localizer, inbound to Howard, he cleared AS66 for a straight-in LDA approach, to cross Howard at or below 9,000 feet inbound. The captain acknowledged the clearance and reported leaving 12,000 feet. At 12:08 the captain reported "leaving five thousand five ... four thousand five hundred," whereupon the controller instructed AS66 to contact Juneau Tower. Contact with the tower was established shortly thereafter when the captain reported, "Alaska sixty-six Barlow inbound." (Barlow Intersection is located about 10 nautical miles west of the Juneau Airport). The Juneau Tower Controller responded, "Alaska 66, understand, ah, I didn't, ah, copy the intersection, landing runway 08, the wind 080° at 22 occasional gusts to 28, the altimeter now 29.47, time is 09 1/2, call us by Barlow". No further communication was heard from the flight.
The Boeing 727 impacted the easterly slope of a canyon in the Chilkat Range of the Tongass National Forest at the 2475-foot level. The aircraft disintegrated on impact.
PROBABLE CAUSE: PROBABLE CAUSE: "A display of misleading navigational information concerning the flight's progress along the localizer course which resulted in a premature descent below obstacle clearance altitude. The origin or nature of the misleading navigational information could not be determined. The Board further concludes that the crew did not use all available navigational aids to check the flight's progress along the localizer nor were these aids required to be used. The crew also did not perform the required audio identification of the pertinent navigational facilities."
