Aviation Accident Summary Archive

An ASL Airlines Hungary Boeing 737-400 cargo flight overran runway 28 at Bergamo Airport during a thunderstorm, crossing two roads and a parking lot before coming to rest on an active four-lane highway. The aircraft touched down approximately 2,000 meters into the 2,807-meter runway after floating for 14 seconds at high speed. Both crew members survived, though the captain sustained vertebrae injuries. The investigation cited a loss of situational awareness and the crew's failure to execute a go-around despite unstable approach parameters and severe weather.

Human Factors (Operational)

Emirates Flight 521 crashed and caught fire during a botched go-around attempt at Dubai International Airport. After a long landing and a late decision to go around, the crew initiated the maneuver but failed to advance the throttles. The aircraft climbed briefly on residual momentum before losing airspeed and impacting the runway with its landing gear retracting. While all 300 occupants evacuated the burning wreckage, one firefighter was killed and several others were injured during the emergency response.

Pilot Error

A commercial hot air balloon struck power lines and crashed into a field near Lockhart, Texas, killing all 16 people on board. The pilot launched the flight despite deteriorating weather conditions and low cloud layers that other local operators deemed unsafe. During the flight, the balloon climbed above a dense overcast layer, obstructing the pilot's view of the ground. While descending through or near the clouds to land, the balloon struck a non-charged static wire followed by 340,000-volt power lines, causing a massive electrical arc that severed the gondola's support cables and fuel lines. The basket plummeted to the ground and was consumed by a propane-fueled fire.

Pilot Error

A Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations Ilyushin Il-76TD crashed into a hillside while performing low-level aerial firefighting operations in dense smoke. The aircraft was part of a massive effort to contain wildfires in the Irkutsk region that had consumed hundreds of thousands of hectares. During a water drop mission, the aircraft failed to clear terrain in an area of limited visibility. All ten crew members on board were killed when the aircraft struck a hill, leaving only the tail section relatively intact.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Romanian SMURD emergency rescue helicopter crashed into a forested area near the village of Haragîș while performing a medical mission in adverse weather conditions. The aircraft was en route to Cahul to pick up a patient after having successfully delivered another patient to Chișinău earlier that day. All four crew members on board were killed when the helicopter impacted terrain during a period of heavy rain and thick fog.

Weather

Korean Air Flight 2708 suffered an uncontained engine failure and subsequent fire during its takeoff roll from Tokyo Haneda Airport. The flight crew successfully rejected the takeoff and brought the aircraft to a stop on the runway. While all 319 occupants evacuated safely, the investigation highlighted significant maintenance lapses regarding engine inspections and procedural errors during the emergency evacuation, including initiating the evacuation while the engines were still running.

Human Factors (Maintenance)

EgyptAir Flight 804 disappeared over the Mediterranean Sea while at cruising altitude. Investigation revealed an in-flight fire originated in the cockpit, likely caused by a leaking pilot oxygen mask combined with a heat source, such as a cigarette. The aircraft spiraled from 37,000 feet and broke up before impacting the water.

Human Factors (Maintenance)

A Silk Way Airlines Antonov An-12B cargo aircraft crashed during takeoff from Dwyer Airport after the crew attempted to depart with an inoperative engine. During the takeoff roll, the number 3 engine remained at ground idle with its propeller unfeathered, generating significant negative thrust as the aircraft accelerated. The crew failed to abort the takeoff despite the aircraft's inability to reach liftoff speed. The aircraft overran the runway at 220 km/h, struck ground obstructions, and was destroyed by a post-crash fire, killing seven of the nine crew members.

Pilot Error

A CHC Helikopter Service H225 Super Puma, transporting oil workers from the Gullfaks B platform, suffered a catastrophic detachment of its main rotor assembly while cruising at 2,000 feet. The fuselage plummeted onto the islet of Skitholmen and exploded, while the rotor assembly was filmed spinning separately to the ground. All 13 people on board were killed. The investigation identified a fatigue fracture in a second-stage planet gear within the main gearbox (MGB) as the cause.

Mechanical Failure

A Sunbird Aviation Britten-Norman BN-2T Turbine Islander crashed during its final approach to Kiunga Airport after the aircraft pitched up into a near-vertical stall. The investigation determined that the aircraft was loaded with an excessively aft center of gravity, which became unmanageable when the pilot extended the flaps for landing. Compounding the emergency, the right engine had failed earlier in the flight; while the exact cause was not conclusively determined, investigators found the right fuel tank empty and evidence of a cross-feed attempt, suggesting possible fuel starvation. The combination of the engine failure and the severe weight imbalance rendered the aircraft uncontrollable at low altitude. All 12 people on board were killed.

Human Factors (Operational)

Batik Air Flight 7703, a Boeing 737-800, collided with a TransNusa ATR 42-600 during its takeoff roll at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport. The ATR 42 was being towed across the active runway without electrical power or external lighting. Due to the use of separate radio frequencies for takeoff and towing operations, and a lack of coordination between the controller and assistant controller, the Boeing 737 was cleared for takeoff while the runway was still occupied. The Boeing's left wing struck the ATR's tail and left wing, causing a fire and substantial structural damage to both aircraft. All 60 occupants of the Boeing and the ground crew involved in the tow survived without injury.

Human Factors (Operational) · Multi-aircraft

A Mitsubishi MU-2B-60 crashed approximately 1.4 nautical miles short of the runway during an unstable approach in poor weather conditions. The pilot, flying to a family funeral with former Canadian Transport Minister Jean Lapierre and his family, experienced a high workload that led to a loss of situational awareness. During the final approach, the pilot increased power at a low altitude and low airspeed, causing the aircraft to roll right and descend rapidly. Although the pilot attempted to recover, the aircraft struck the ground in a near-level attitude, killing all seven people on board.

Pilot Error

Flydubai Flight 981 crashed during a second go-around attempt at Rostov-on-Don Airport in severe weather conditions. After abandoning a second manual approach due to windshear, the captain experienced spatial disorientation and a somatogravic illusion during the climb. This led to a series of incorrect control inputs, including a prolonged nose-down stabilizer trim command, which sent the aircraft into a steep dive from which the crew could not recover.

Pilot Error

An Ecuadorian Army IAI Arava 201 transport aircraft crashed into mountainous terrain in the Pastaza Province during a skydiving training exercise, killing all 22 personnel on board. The flight encountered adverse weather conditions shortly after departure, prompting the pilot to request permission to return to the airport before contact was lost. The wreckage was discovered near Fátima peak at Hacienda La Palmira.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

On February 26, 2016, an Air Kasthamandap PAC 750XL crashed near Chilkhaya while attempting an emergency landing following an in-flight engine failure. The aircraft was performing a passenger flight from Nepalgunj to Jumla with 11 people on board. While the flight was operated as a passenger service, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) later stated that single-engine aircraft were only authorized for chartered operations, not regular scheduled flights. Approximately 35 minutes into the flight, the engine lost power, forcing the crew to seek a landing site in mountainous terrain. During the touchdown in a field, the landing gear became entangled in a pile of firewood, causing the aircraft to impact the ground nose-first. Both pilots were killed, while all nine passengers survived with injuries. The investigation determined that the engine failure was a result of poor maintenance practices driven by the airline's financial difficulties.

Human Factors (Maintenance)

Tara Air Flight 193, a brand-new Viking Air DHC-6 Twin Otter, crashed into a mountainside in the Myagdi district of Nepal, killing all 23 people on board. The flight was operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) but encountered deteriorating weather conditions that forced the crew into Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC). Despite multiple warnings from the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS), the captain, who was accustomed to nuisance alerts in mountainous terrain, disregarded the warnings until it was too late to avoid the terrain. The investigation concluded the accident was a Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) caused by the crew's decision to continue VFR flight into clouds and a subsequent loss of situational awareness.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

An Airbus A321-111 suffered an in-flight explosion approximately 15 to 20 minutes after departure from Mogadishu, Somalia. A bomb concealed within a laptop computer detonated at an altitude of roughly 12,000 to 14,000 feet, blowing a hole in the fuselage behind the R2 door at or near seat 16F. The suspected suicide bomber was ejected through the hole and killed, while three other passengers were injured. The aircraft successfully returned to Mogadishu for an emergency landing. The militant group Al-Shabaab later claimed responsibility, stating the intended target was a Turkish Airlines flight that had been cancelled due to weather.

Security / Sabotage

Two Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters collided mid-air during a nighttime formation training mission off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii, killing all 12 Marines on board. The investigation determined that the trailing aircraft, Pegasus 31, lost separation and accelerated to rejoin the formation just as the lead aircraft, Pegasus 32, initiated a sharp left turn. The collision was attributed to pilot error exacerbated by low proficiency, inadequate night vision training, and severe squadron-wide readiness issues that had significantly limited flight hours for the crews.

Pilot Error · Multi-aircraft

West Air Sweden Flight 294 crashed into remote Swedish terrain following a malfunction of the number one Inertial Reference Unit (IRU 1), which provided erroneous pitch information to the captain's primary flight display. Believing the aircraft was pitching up sharply, the captain responded with aggressive nose-down inputs, leading to a high-speed dive and spatial disorientation. The crew failed to cross-check their instruments against the first officer's functioning display or the standby indicator, and the aircraft impacted the ground nearly inverted. The last recorded speed on the Flight Data Recorder was 508 knots, though the actual impact speed may have been slightly higher.

Pilot Error

A Beechcraft B200 Super King Air operated by the Indian Border Security Force crashed shortly after takeoff from Indira Gandhi International Airport, killing all 10 people on board. The aircraft was transporting technical personnel to Ranchi when it entered a steep left bank and lost altitude, impacting a sewage treatment plant. The investigation determined that the crew engaged the autopilot without selecting a heading mode immediately after liftoff in foggy conditions. The accident was compounded by the crew's failure to recognize the increasing bank angle and their delayed attempt to transition to manual control, which occurred only after the aircraft had entered an unrecoverable state.

Pilot Error

A Russian Sukhoi Su-24M was shot down by a Turkish Air Force F-16C using an AIM-120 AMRAAM missile near the Syria–Turkey border. Turkey claimed the aircraft violated its airspace for 17 seconds and ignored ten warnings; Russia maintained the aircraft remained in Syrian airspace and received no warnings. Both crew members ejected, but the pilot was killed by ground fire from Syrian Turkmen rebels while descending by parachute. The navigator was subsequently rescued by a joint Russian-Syrian special forces operation.

Military Action

Avia Traffic Company Flight 768 sustained substantial damage and was written off after a botched go-around led to a hard landing and subsequent runway excursion at Osh Airport. During an initial ILS approach in heavy fog, the pilot-in-command initiated a go-around but erroneously pushed the control column forward, causing the aircraft to descend and strike the runway. This impact caused the failure of both hydraulic systems and the loss of the right engine. The crew subsequently performed an emergency landing at Osh despite weather being below safe minima, resulting in the aircraft overrunning the runway by 529 meters.

Pilot Error

On 21 November 2015, an Airbus AS350BA helicopter operated by Alpine Adventures crashed into a crevasse on Fox Glacier during a scenic flight, killing all seven people on board. The investigation by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) determined that the pilot likely encountered a 'whiteout' or 'flat light' condition while attempting to depart from a glacier landing site in deteriorating weather. The helicopter struck the glacier surface with high forward speed and a high rate of descent. The investigation also revealed that the aircraft was almost certainly overweight and that the operator's training and management systems were significantly non-compliant with Civil Aviation rules.

Human Factors (Operational)

A British Aerospace BAe-125-700A charter jet crashed into a four-unit apartment building during a non-precision localizer approach to Akron Fulton International Airport, killing all nine people on board. The investigation revealed that the flight crew mismanaged the approach, allowing the aircraft to descend at twice the normal rate while slowing to dangerously low airspeeds. The aircraft entered an aerodynamic stall and banked sharply to the left before impacting the building approximately two miles from the runway threshold. The NTSB cited multiple deviations from standard operating procedures, inadequate pilot training and hiring practices by Execuflight, and insufficient FAA oversight as contributing factors.

Pilot Error