Aviation Accident Summary Archive

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

An Indonesian Air Force KC-130B Hercules crashed into a residential neighborhood in Medan shortly after takeoff, killing all 122 people on board and 17 people on the ground. Approximately one minute after departure from Soewondo Air Force Base, the number four engine suffered a mechanical failure. The crew requested a return to base, but the aircraft, heavily loaded with military personnel, their families, and cargo, was unable to maintain altitude. The Hercules banked steeply to the right, clipped a 30-meter radio antenna, and struck several buildings, including a hotel and a massage parlor, before exploding.

Mechanical Failure

A U.S. Marine Corps UH-1Y Venom helicopter crashed into rugged terrain north of Charikot while conducting casualty evacuation missions following the April 2015 Nepal earthquake. The aircraft was carrying six U.S. Marines, two Nepalese soldiers, and five injured civilians when it encountered rapidly deteriorating weather conditions. The investigation determined that the crew opted for a direct route to Kathmandu due to the urgent medical needs of the passengers, which led them into unfamiliar terrain and unstable meteorological conditions. The helicopter was enveloped by clouds, causing the pilots to lose visual reference and impact a mountainside.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

An Airbus A400M Atlas crashed during its first pre-delivery test flight after three of its four engines experienced a power freeze shortly after takeoff. The aircraft reached an altitude of approximately 120 meters (390 feet) before the crew realized the engines were not responding to throttle inputs. The pilots attempted an emergency landing in a field near La Rinconada, but the aircraft struck a high-voltage power line and crashed, killing four of the six crew members on board. The investigation revealed that critical engine calibration data had been accidentally deleted during a software installation at the assembly plant, causing the Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) systems to malfunction.

Human Factors (Maintenance)

Asiana Airlines Flight 162 struck a localizer array and impacted the ground short of the runway while attempting to land at Hiroshima Airport in low visibility. The Airbus A320 descended below the required glide path during an RNAV approach to runway 28. Although the crew initiated a go-around, the aircraft hit the antenna structure 325 metres before the runway threshold, skidded onto the runway, and rotated 120 degrees before coming to a stop on the grass. All 82 occupants survived the accident, though the aircraft was written off due to significant damage to the engines, left wing, and tail section.

Pilot Error

Carson Air Flight 66, a Swearingen Metro II cargo flight, suffered an in-flight breakup during a rapid, uncontrolled descent into the North Shore Mountains. The aircraft reached a peak altitude of 8,700 feet (approximately 2,650 meters) before plummeting to 5,000 feet in less than 15 seconds, at which point radar contact was lost. Post-accident toxicological examinations revealed the captain had a blood alcohol level of 0.24 percent, three times the legal limit for motor vehicle operation. While the TSB confirmed the breakup was caused by aerodynamic forces during the high-speed descent, investigators could not definitively determine the specific event that initiated the dive.

Human Factors (Operational)

A deliberate controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) perpetrated by the co-pilot after locking the captain out of the cockpit.

Pilot Error

A Beechcraft B200 King Air crashed into Laguna del Sauce shortly after takeoff from Punta del Este, Uruguay. The aircraft failed to maintain altitude during the initial climb, impacting the shallow waters of the lagoon and catching fire. All ten people on board, including two crew members and eight passengers associated with a convention center project, were killed.

Pilot Error

A UH-60M Black Hawk from the 1st Assault Helicopter Battalion, 244th Aviation Regiment, Louisiana Army National Guard, crashed into the Santa Rosa Sound during a night-time training exercise, killing all 11 personnel on board. The investigation determined that the pilots continued the mission despite deteriorating weather conditions that fell below established safety minimums. Upon encountering dense fog over the water, the crew suffered severe spatial disorientation and failed to transition to instrument flight, leading to an unrecoverable unusual attitude and high-speed impact with the water.

Human Factors (Operational)

Two Eurocopter AS350B3 helicopters collided mid-air shortly after takeoff during the filming of the French reality TV show Dropped. The collision occurred at an altitude of approximately 100 meters (330 feet) in clear weather conditions. All ten people on board both aircraft, including three prominent French Olympic athletes and two Argentine pilots, were killed. The investigation determined that the pilot of the filming helicopter (LQ-FJQ) had limited visibility of the lead helicopter (LQ-CGK) while attempting to film it from the outside, leading to a fatal lack of separation.

Pilot Error · Multi-aircraft

Delta Air Lines Flight 1086 veered off the left side of runway 13 during a landing in snowy conditions at LaGuardia Airport. The aircraft struck a perimeter fence and came to rest on an embankment with its nose hanging over Flushing Bay. While there were no fatalities, 29 passengers sustained minor injuries and the aircraft was written off. The NTSB determined that the captain applied excessive reverse thrust, which caused rudder blanking and a subsequent loss of directional control on the contaminated runway.

Pilot Error

TransAsia Airways Flight 235 crashed into the Keelung River shortly after takeoff from Taipei Songshan Airport when the flight crew accidentally shut down the aircraft's only functioning engine. The sequence began when the number 2 (right) engine's auto-takeoff power control system (ATPCS) triggered an uncommanded autofeather due to a sensor malfunction. The pilot flying misidentified the failure and retarded the throttle of the number 1 (left) engine, eventually shutting it down completely. The aircraft stalled, struck a taxi and a viaduct with its left wing, and inverted as it impacted the river.

Pilot Error

A Hellenic Air Force F-16D crashed into a flight line shortly after takeoff at Los Llanos Air Base during a NATO Tactical Leadership Program exercise. The aircraft rolled uncontrollably to the right immediately after lifting off, striking parked aircraft and personnel. The investigation determined that the yaw trim knob had been inadvertently set to the maximum right deflection before takeoff, likely caused by loose laminated checklists jamming the control. The crash killed both pilots and nine personnel on the ground, and it destroyed or damaged several other NATO aircraft.

Human Factors (Operational)