Aviation Accident Summary Archive

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

An Antonov An-12BK cargo plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Juba International Airport, impacting a hill and coming to rest on the banks of the White Nile. The aircraft was operating a domestic cargo flight to the Paloich oil fields and was carrying a large number of unmanifested passengers. Investigators and authorities cited severe overloading and the aircraft's lack of airworthiness as primary factors in the disaster. While two people (an adult male and an infant) survived the initial impact, a third person initially survived but later succumbed to their injuries in the hospital. Total fatalities include both those on board and individuals on the ground.

Human Factors (Operational)

Metrojet Flight 9268 was destroyed by an improvised explosive device while climbing through 30,888 feet over the Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board. The aircraft, an Airbus A321, suffered a catastrophic structural failure and mid-air breakup after a bomb, reportedly concealed in a soda can, detonated in the fuselage. The Islamic State's Sinai Province claimed responsibility for the attack, citing retaliation for Russian military intervention in Syria. While Egyptian authorities initially focused on technical failures, they eventually acknowledged the crash as an act of terrorism following findings of explosive residue by Russian investigators.

Security / Sabotage

A Boeing 767-269ER caught fire while taxiing for departure at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after a main fuel supply line coupling disconnected. The resulting fuel leak ignited, causing significant thermal damage to the left wing, engine cowling, and fuselage. All 101 occupants evacuated the aircraft; one passenger sustained serious injuries and 21 others sustained minor injuries during the process. The investigation determined that maintenance personnel had failed to install a required safety lock wire on the fuel line coupling, allowing it to vibrate loose and disconnect.

Human Factors (Maintenance)

Aviastar Flight 7503 crashed into Mount Latimojong after the flight crew deviated from their designated visual route to take a shortcut through mountainous terrain. The aircraft, a DHC-6 Twin Otter, was flying under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) at 8,000 feet when it encountered cloud formations that obscured high terrain. This led to a high-speed impact with trees near the mountain summit. All 10 people on board were killed. The investigation also noted that the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) failed to provide any aural alerts before the crash.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A British Airways Boeing 777 suffered an uncontained engine failure and subsequent fire during its takeoff roll at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport. The failure of the left General Electric GE90 engine caused a breach in the engine case and severed a main fuel line, leading to a vigorous fire that damaged the fuselage. The flight crew successfully aborted the takeoff and evacuated all 170 occupants (157 passengers and 13 crew). While 20 people sustained injuries during the evacuation (1 serious and 19 minor), there were no fatalities, and the aircraft was eventually repaired and returned to service.

Engine Failure

A Boeing 737-800 and a Hawker Siddeley HS-125 air ambulance collided mid-air at 35,000 feet over Senegal. The Boeing 737 sustained minor damage to its right winglet and continued to a safe landing in Malabo. The HS-125 suffered a decompression that likely incapacitated all seven people on board. The aircraft continued flying on autopilot past its destination for nearly an hour before running out of fuel and crashing into the Atlantic Ocean. The investigation determined the HS-125 was flying at the wrong altitude due to a faulty altimetry system that had not been repaired.

Mechanical Failure · Multi-aircraft

A vintage Hawker Hunter T7 jet crashed onto the A27 dual carriageway while performing an aerobatic display at the Shoreham Airshow. The pilot, Andrew Hill, was attempting a loop manoeuvre but failed to achieve sufficient height at the apex, resulting in the aircraft striking vehicles and pedestrians on the ground. The accident killed 11 people on the ground and injured 16 others. The pilot survived with serious injuries but claimed to have no memory of the event; the AAIB determined the crash was caused by the pilot flying too low and too slowly to complete the manoeuvre, and failing to initiate an escape sequence.

Pilot Error

Two Let L-410 Turbolet aircraft collided mid-air at approximately 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) while performing a formation flight for an upcoming air show. The collision occurred when the pilot of one aircraft attempted to close the distance to the other while using a mobile phone. Although 31 skydivers managed to bail out of the damaged aircraft before they crashed into a wooded area, all four crew members and three skydivers who remained on board were killed.

Pilot Error · Multi-aircraft

Trigana Air Service Flight 267 crashed into Mount Tangok while on approach to Oksibil Airport, killing all 54 people on board. The investigation revealed that the crew deviated from the standard visual approach procedure to take a shortcut through mountainous terrain. The aircraft's Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) failed to alert the pilots because the crew had likely disabled it by pulling the circuit breaker, a common but dangerous practice at the airline to avoid nuisance warnings during mountain flying.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Colombian National Police Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk crashed into a mountainside in the Uraba region during an anti-narcotics operation. The accident initially resulted in 16 fatalities at the scene, with one of the two survivors later succumbing to his injuries, bringing the final death toll to 17. The helicopter was part of a mission to capture Luis Orlando Padierna Pena, a high-ranking leader of the Usuga Clan drug-smuggling gang (now more commonly known as the Clan del Golfo). While initial speculation suggested the aircraft might have been shot down by rebels, the Colombian Defense Ministry stated that the helicopter likely struck the terrain due to low cloud cover and poor visibility. The accident occurred just four days after another military air disaster in Colombia, leading to intense public and congressional scrutiny of the nation's military aviation safety standards.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

An Embraer Phenom 300 business jet overran the runway at Blackbushe Airport after a high-speed, unstable approach, resulting in a post-crash fire that killed all four occupants. The flight was operating under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) from Milan until performing a visual approach at the destination. The pilot, flying a visual circuit, encountered multiple Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) alerts due to other aircraft in the pattern, leading to a significant increase in workload and mental saturation. The aircraft crossed the runway threshold at 151 knots, 43 knots above the target speed, and touched down two-thirds of the way along the runway. It departed the paved surface, struck an earth bank, and collided with cars in an adjacent car auction parking lot. Although all occupants survived the initial impact, they were unable to escape the subsequent fire.

Pilot Error

A United States Air Force F-16CM Fighting Falcon and a civilian Cessna 150M collided in mid-air near Moncks Corner, South Carolina, after an air traffic controller provided an ineffective resolution to a developing conflict. The F-16 was flying a practice instrument approach under IFR while the Cessna was climbing out of a non-towered airport under VFR. Despite a radar conflict alert, the controller's instructions to the F-16 pilot to turn left if the traffic was not in sight actually directed the fighter jet into the Cessna's path. The Cessna was destroyed, killing both occupants, while the F-16 pilot successfully ejected after the aircraft became uncontrollable.

Human Factors (Operational) · Multi-aircraft