Aviation Accident Summary Archive

A Learjet 25 business jet carrying Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera and her entourage crashed into mountainous terrain shortly after departing Monterrey. The aircraft experienced a sudden, catastrophic loss of control while climbing through 28,000 feet, entering a near-vertical nosedive at speeds exceeding its maximum operating limits. The investigation was severely limited by the destruction of the flight data recorder and the disappearance of the cockpit voice recorder, leaving the exact cause of the upset undetermined.

Unknown

A South African Air Force Douglas C-47TP Dakota crashed into the Drakensberg Mountains while en route from AFB Waterkloof to Mthatha. The aircraft was operating in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) at 11,000 feet when it struck terrain near Giant's Castle. All eleven people on board, including six crew members and five passengers, were killed. The investigation attributed the accident to pilot error, as the crew continued flight into hazardous terrain while unable to maintain visual contact with the ground.

Pilot Error

An Ilyushin Il-76T freighter crashed into a residential neighborhood while attempting to land at Maya-Maya Airport during a severe thunderstorm. The aircraft clipped trees and houses at distances of 1,080 meters and 1,015 meters short of runway 05L before coming to rest in a ravine. All six crew members were killed, along with 26 people on the ground. Initial reports were contradictory, with some officials suggesting a runway overrun after a failed go-around, while wreckage analysis confirmed the aircraft impacted short of the threshold. The investigation is ongoing, with preliminary theories citing weather conditions, including a possible lightning strike or downdraft, and potential pilot error for attempting an approach in conditions described by the Congolese President as unflyable.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

FlyMontserrat Flight 107 crashed shortly after takeoff from Antigua when the right engine failed due to water contamination in the fuel system. The aircraft had been parked during a period of heavy rainfall (approximately 40 mm) prior to the flight. An incompatible fuel filler cap allowed water to enter the right fuel tank, and the pilot did not perform a pre-flight water drain check. Following the engine failure at a low altitude, the pilot failed to feather the propeller or maintain control, leading to a right-hand roll, stall, and impact within the airport perimeter.

Mechanical Failure

A vintage 1934 de Havilland DH.84 Dragon, named Riama, crashed into a steep, densely wooded ridge near Borumba Dam after the pilot unintentionally entered instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The pilot, who was not qualified for instrument flight, became spatially disoriented while attempting to navigate through thick cloud and low visibility for over an hour. All six occupants were killed when the aircraft impacted terrain at moderate to high speed with a left bank.

Human Factors (Operational)

Sita Air Flight 601 crashed shortly after takeoff from Kathmandu when the aircraft suffered an unexplained reduction in thrust and a subsequent loss of control. During the takeoff roll, the aircraft struck a Black Kite bird, though investigators found no evidence of bird ingestion into the engines. The flight crew prematurely called V1 and rotated the aircraft below the recommended speed. Despite the engine malfunction occurring below the actual V1, the crew continued the takeoff. The aircraft failed to maintain sufficient airspeed to climb, entered a stall, and crashed into the banks of the Manohara River, killing all 19 people on board.

Other

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Air Flight 251 crashed into a wooded slope on Mount Pyatibratka while attempting to land at Palana Airport. The aircraft descended below the minimum safe altitude during an instrument approach in mountainous terrain and poor weather conditions. Investigators determined that both pilots were intoxicated at the time of the accident, which significantly impaired their judgment and adherence to flight procedures. Of the 14 people on board, 10 were killed and the four survivors sustained serious injuries.

Pilot Error

A Lindstrand LBL 600C hot air balloon, the largest in Slovenia and the largest serially manufactured balloon in the world at the time, crashed and caught fire during an attempted emergency landing in a thunderstorm. After encountering severe wind shear and downdrafts, the balloon struck the ground twice and collided with a tree canopy. The impact damaged gas rigging, causing a leak from open fuel tanks that ignited, leading to a fire that killed four passengers at the scene and two others later in the hospital.

Pilot Error

An Antonov An-26-100 operated by Alfa Airlines crashed into a mountain during a second landing attempt at Talodi Airfield, killing all 32 people on board. The aircraft was carrying a high-level Sudanese government delegation for Eid al-Fitr celebrations when it encountered severe weather, including seasonal heavy rains and low clouds that reduced visibility to zero. After an initial missed approach, the flight crew descended below safe altitudes during a go-around procedure and struck the slope of Mount Hagar al-Nar.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

On August 18, 2012, a chartered Piper Seneca carrying Philippine Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo crashed into the sea during an emergency approach to Masbate Airport following a right-hand engine failure. The investigation revealed that the engine failure was caused by improper maintenance and a loose idler gear shaft, while the crash itself resulted from the pilot's failure to maintain situational awareness and follow correct one-engine-inoperative procedures. The pilot prematurely extended the landing gear and flaps, increasing drag beyond the aircraft's single-engine performance capabilities. Secretary Robredo and both pilots perished, while Robredo's aide survived.

Pilot Error

A Turkish RF-4E Phantom II reconnaissance aircraft was shot down by Syrian air defense forces while conducting a radar test mission over the Mediterranean Sea. The aircraft briefly violated Syrian airspace for approximately five minutes before being warned by Turkish radar controllers to exit. After returning to international airspace, the jet was struck by a Syrian surface-to-air missile (or anti-aircraft fire, according to conflicting reports) and crashed into the sea. Both crew members were killed, and the incident significantly escalated tensions between Turkey and Syria during the early stages of the Syrian Civil War.

Military Action

An Indonesian Air Force Fokker F27 Friendship crashed into a military housing complex during a training flight near Halim Perdanakusuma Airport. The aircraft was performing touch-and-go maneuvers when it stalled during the final turn (base to final) to the left while attempting to align with runway 18. All seven crew members on board were killed, along with four residents on the ground, bringing the total death toll to 11. The crash destroyed nine houses and caused a significant post-impact fire.

Pilot Error

A Kenya Police Eurocopter AS 350B3e crashed into the Ngong Forest shortly after departing Nairobi, killing all six people on board, including Interior Security Minister George Saitoti. The aircraft disappeared from radar approximately ten minutes after takeoff and was destroyed by a post-crash fire. An official commission of inquiry determined that the crew lost control of the helicopter after encountering poor visibility conditions, likely leading to spatial disorientation.

Human Factors (Operational)

Dana Air Flight 992 crashed into a densely populated residential area in Lagos following a dual-engine failure. The investigation revealed that the left engine lost power early in the flight due to a fractured fuel manifold, followed by the right engine during the final approach. The flight crew failed to declare an emergency or divert after the first engine failure, continuing the flight to Lagos where the second engine failed, leaving the aircraft unable to maintain altitude. All 153 people on board and 6 people on the ground were killed.

Human Factors (Operational)

A Boeing 727 cargo aircraft overran the runway at Kotoka International Airport during a heavy rainstorm, crashing through the airport perimeter fence and striking a minibus and a cyclist on a public road. While all four crew members survived the impact, 12 people on the ground were killed, including all 10 occupants of the minibus and a cyclist. The investigation determined that the captain failed to execute a missed approach despite unstable conditions, high approach speeds, and a tailwind that exceeded the aircraft's limitations. The aircraft touched down approximately 5,807 feet beyond the threshold of Runway 21, leaving insufficient distance to stop on the rain-slicked surface.

Pilot Error

Agni Air Flight CHT crashed into a hill near Jomsom Airport during an attempted go-around following a technical indication regarding the landing gear. The aircraft impacted a rocky hill approximately 270 meters north of the aerodrome at an elevation 270 meters above the runway 24 threshold, killing 15 of the 21 people on board, including both pilots. Investigators determined the captain performed a sharp, non-standard left turn at low speed into rising terrain while attempting to divert back to Pokhara.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Sukhoi RRJ-95B crashed into Mount Salak during a demonstration flight in Indonesia, killing all 45 people on board. The flight crew, distracted by conversation with a potential customer, ignored multiple Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) alerts, believing the database was faulty or that they were over flat terrain.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Bhoja Air Flight 213 crashed during a night approach to Islamabad in severe convective weather, including a microburst. The flight crew, who were not adequately trained on the specific automated systems of this Boeing 737-200 variant, failed to recognize and recover from a wind shear encounter. The aircraft impacted the ground approximately 4.24 nautical miles from the runway threshold, killing all 127 people on board.

Pilot Error

A U.S. Navy F/A-18D Hornet crashed into the Mayfair Mews apartment complex in Virginia Beach shortly after takeoff following a rare dual engine failure. The crew, consisting of a fleet replacement pilot and an instructor, successfully ejected at approximately 50 feet above ground level just before the aircraft struck the residential buildings. While the aircraft was destroyed and several apartment buildings were heavily damaged, there were no fatalities among the crew or residents on the ground.

Engine Failure

UTair Flight 120 stalled and crashed shortly after takeoff from Tyumen, Russia, because the crew failed to de-ice the aircraft despite visible ice and snow contamination. The aircraft had been parked outside for eight hours in freezing conditions with mixed precipitation. During the initial climb, the crew retracted the flaps at a speed lower than required for an iced-wing configuration, leading to an immediate aerodynamic stall. The pilots failed to recognize the stall and applied incorrect control inputs, resulting in a steep roll and impact with a snowy field approximately 1.6 kilometers from the runway.

Pilot Error

JetBlue Flight 191 was forced to divert to Amarillo, Texas, after the captain suffered a severe mental breakdown during the flight. The captain began acting erratically, ranting about terrorists and the September 11 attacks, and eventually attempted to re-enter the cockpit after being locked out by the first officer. Passengers and crew members restrained the captain in the cabin while an off-duty pilot assisted the first officer in landing the aircraft safely.

Human Factors (Operational)

A Royal Norwegian Air Force C-130J-30 Super Hercules crashed into the western wall of Mount Kebnekaise, Sweden's highest peak, during the Cold Response 2012 military exercise. The aircraft was flying under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) when Swedish air traffic controllers cleared it to descend to Flight Level 70, an altitude lower than the surrounding terrain and below the Minimum Sector Altitude (MSA). The crew, lacking adequate map data for Swedish terrain and operating with a terrain warning system set to a tactical mode that suppressed alerts, flew into the mountain in instrument meteorological conditions. All five officers on board were killed, and the aircraft was destroyed by the impact and a subsequent avalanche.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Gulfstream G-IV corporate jet overran the runway at Bukavu-Kavumu Airport after touching down 1,200 meters past the threshold of the 2,000-meter runway. The aircraft failed to stop, veered left, and plunged down a 20-meter embankment, breaking into two sections. The accident resulted in six fatalities: both pilots and two passengers died, along with two farmers on the ground who were struck by the aircraft. Investigators determined the crew conducted an unstable approach well above the normal glide path and failed to deploy ground spoilers after touchdown, leaving insufficient distance to stop the aircraft.

Pilot Error

A Yakovlev Yak-52TW crashed into Timona Park during an aerobatic flight after a loose screwdriver became lodged in the elevator control mechanism. The aircraft was performing a slow roll at approximately 2,700 feet when the tool, which had been left in the rear fuselage, shifted and jammed the elevator quadrant. This restriction prevented the pilot from recovering from the maneuver, resulting in a steep, high-speed dive into the ground. Both occupants were killed on impact.

Other