High Sierra Wraps Up Big Event; FAA Launches Alaska Safety Programs and Feds Still Looking for Pilot Of Missing Plane In Midair.

Well, where was one incident. Well-known aviation personality Mark Patey broke his leg in a one-wheel accident. Patey, whose twin brother Mike, is also a popular flying personality,  is recovering after surgery to repair the break and is already on his feet. Speedy recovery, Mark!

An Oregon pilot was missing after his Cessna 150 never showed up in Orland, California, after he took off from Ashland, Oregon, earlier in the day on Thursday headed for Orland.  It's about a 200-mile flight. Local authorities are asking for tips from anyone who might have heard the plane flying low around or near Northern Shasta Country, California, near where the plane last made contact.

The FAA has released the outline of a comprehensive plan to improve air safety in Alaska, the state most dependent on general aviation for its transportation and other infrastructure needs. The plan, which was created in concert with Alaska pilots and other stakeholders, includes more and better automated weather gathering equipment, more mountain pass cameras, better ADS-B coverage and improved instrument approach procedures.

The NTSB is trying to locate the second of two planes involved in a midair collision near Sutton, Alaska, earlier this month. A Cessna 180 was damaged, but the pilot was able to land the plane safety and escaped injury. The other plane? Well, the 180 pilot said it just kept on flying, and so far, the NTSB has been unable to find the plane or pilot.

The EAA is conducting a study on turn backs to be conducted by a blue-ribbon group. The maneuver, which is done when a plane loses engine power shortly after takeoff and the pilot attempts to make a turn back to the airport to land. They are, EAA said, a significant part of the overall GA accident picture.

A pilot whose plane lost engine power over dense forest just outside of Eugene, Oregon, escaped without injury after he deployed the BRS whole airplane recovery parachute system in his Lancair ES homebuilt. The chute let him down gently into dense trees, and while responders were on their way, the pilot made a persuasive pitch for such recovery chutes.

The NTSB is investigating the crash of an MD-87 jet after its crew tried to abort takeoff from Houston Executive Airport, in Waller County, Texas. The plane went off the runway, though two fences, over a roadway and took out power lines in the overrun. All 21 onboard survived, even though the plane was destroyed in a post-crash fire. Two of the passengers suffered injuries. The lead NTSB investigator said that his team was looking into the plane's maintenance, as it had not been flown for around 10 months.

The University of North Dakota paused its flight training program in the wake of the death of flight school student pilot John Hauser on a solo training flight. UND is home to one of the largest aviation training programs at a four-year university. The NTSB is investigating the mishap, the first fatal crash of a UND plane since 2007. The school planned to resume training on Thursday.