Aviation Accident Summary Archive

On 4 September 2010, a Fletcher FU-24 modified for skydiving operations crashed shortly after takeoff from Fox Glacier Aerodrome, killing all nine people on board. The aircraft performed a normal takeoff roll but pitched up into a near-vertical climb immediately after lifting off, reaching approximately 350 feet before stalling, rolling left, and diving into the ground. While initial findings attributed the crash to an extreme rearward center of gravity, a subsequent review by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) in 2015 concluded that the exact cause of the excessive pitch-up could not be determined. The investigation was heavily criticized for the premature burial of the wreckage, which prevented a thorough examination of the control systems.

Other

A Boeing 747-400 freighter crashed near Dubai International Airport after an uncontained fire broke out in the cargo hold, originating from a shipment of lithium batteries. The fire severely damaged the aircraft's primary flight control cables and filled the cockpit with thick, acrid smoke that obscured the pilots' vision and instruments. Despite attempts to return to Dubai, the crew was overcome by the conditions, and the aircraft struck the ground at high speed in a military camp.

In-flight Fire

A Let L-410 crashed into a house approximately one kilometer short of the runway at Bandundu Airport after a sudden shift in the center of gravity led to an irrecoverable loss of control. According to the sole survivor, the panic was triggered when a crocodile, smuggled in a passenger's duffel bag, escaped into the cabin during the final approach. The flight attendant and passengers reportedly rushed toward the cockpit to escape the reptile, causing the aircraft to pitch down and stall.

Human Factors (Operational)

Agni Air Flight 101 crashed into a hillside near Shikharpur during an attempted return to Kathmandu after suffering a total electrical failure in poor weather. The flight crew encountered generator malfunctions shortly after departing for Lukla and attempted to divert, but they were forced back toward Kathmandu due to widespread monsoon conditions. During the return, the aircraft's battery was prematurely exhausted because the crew used an outdated checklist, leading to the loss of all electronic flight instruments. Disoriented in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) without an attitude indicator, the pilot lost control of the aircraft, which struck the terrain at high speed.

Human Factors (Operational)

Henan Airlines Flight 8387 crashed short of the runway while attempting to land in heavy radiation fog at Yichun Lindu Airport. Despite visibility being below the required minimums and the crew failing to establish visual contact with the runway, the captain continued the approach below the decision height. The aircraft struck trees and terrain approximately 1,100 meters short of the runway threshold, resulting in a post-crash fire that killed 44 of the 96 people on board.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

AIRES Flight 8250 crashed short of the runway at Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport during a night approach in poor weather. The Boeing 737-700 struck the ground approximately 49 meters before the runway threshold, breaking into three major sections. Despite the severity of the structural failure, only two of the 131 occupants perished. The investigation determined that the flight crew fell victim to a black hole illusion, causing them to misjudge their altitude and fly the aircraft below the correct glide path into the terrain.

Pilot Error

A turbine-powered de Havilland DHC-3T Otter impacted steep, wooded terrain in the Muklung Hills during a private executive flight, killing five of the nine people on board, including former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens. The flight was operating under visual flight rules in an area of marginal weather and variable terrain. Investigators determined the aircraft struck the mountain in a level or slightly climbing attitude, suggesting the pilot may have been temporarily unresponsive or incapacitated. The lack of an onboard cockpit recorder and the pilot's decision to disable the Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) were cited as significant factors in the accident and the subsequent investigation.

Human Factors (Operational)

A JetBlue flight attendant, Steven Slater, intentionally deployed an emergency evacuation slide and exited the aircraft following a verbal altercation with a passenger. After the flight from Pittsburgh taxied to a stop at JFK, Slater used the public address system to curse at the passengers, grabbed two beers from the galley, and activated the slide at the L1 door. He then slid down to the tarmac, walked to his vehicle in the employee parking lot, and drove home, where he was arrested shortly thereafter.

Human Factors (Operational)

Katekavia Flight 9357 crashed approximately 700 metres short of the runway at Igarka Airport during a landing attempt in thick fog. The Antonov An-24RV struck trees and terrain after the crew descended below the minimum safe altitude without visual contact with the runway environment. Of the 15 people on board, 12 died, including all 11 passengers and one crew member. The investigation determined the crew failed to execute a timely missed approach despite weather conditions being below the approved minima for the airfield and the pilot.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

On July 31, 2010, a Conair Convair 580 airtanker struck trees and crashed into a ravine while maneuvering to drop fire retardant on a wildfire near Lytton, British Columbia. The aircraft entered a left-hand spin following the tree strikes and was destroyed by a post-impact explosion and fire. Both crew members were fatally injured. Investigators determined that visual illusions likely caused the crew to misjudge their height above the rising terrain, leading to a low-energy flight condition. The TSB concluded the aircraft entered an aerodynamic stall and spin from which recovery was not possible at such a low altitude, though it could not be determined if the tree strikes themselves caused the loss of control.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Airblue Flight 202, an Airbus A321, crashed into the Margalla Hills during a circling approach to Islamabad in poor weather, killing all 152 people on board. The investigation determined that the captain lost situational awareness after creating a non-standard, unauthorized approach path and ignored 21 automated terrain warnings. A critical breakdown in Crew Resource Management occurred because the captain had spent much of the flight berating and humiliating the first officer, who subsequently became submissive and failed to challenge the captain's dangerous errors.

Human Factors (CRM)

A United States Air Force C-17 Globemaster III crashed during a training flight for the Arctic Thunder Air Show after the pilot executed an aggressive turn that resulted in a low-altitude stall. The investigation determined that the pilot ignored stall warnings and failed to implement proper recovery procedures, while the other crew members failed to intervene. The aircraft impacted wooded terrain approximately two miles from the runway, killing all four personnel on board and destroying the 184 million dollar airframe.

Pilot Error

Lufthansa Cargo Flight 8460, an international cargo flight from Frankfurt to Hong Kong, was destroyed during an intermediate stop at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The aircraft suffered a bounced landing after the crew failed to recognize a high sink rate and applied inappropriate control inputs. The aircraft touched down three times, with the final impact reaching a load factor of 4.4g, which ruptured the aft fuselage and ignited a fire. Both crew members evacuated via an emergency slide and survived with injuries.

Pilot Error

An Israeli Air Force CH-53 Yas'ur helicopter crashed into a mountain ridge in the Bucegi Mountains during a joint military exercise with the Romanian Air Force code-named 'Blue Sky 2010'. The training mission focused on low-altitude flight in difficult terrain and high-altitude conditions. All seven personnel on board, including six Israelis and one Romanian liaison officer, were killed. The investigation concluded that the accident was most likely caused by human error during flight in challenging weather and mountainous terrain.

Pilot Error

On 19 June 2010, a CASA C-212 Aviocar operated by Aéro-Service crashed into mountainous terrain in southern Cameroon while transporting the entire board of the Australian mining company Sundance Resources. The flight departed Yaoundé for a remote mining site at Yangadou, but contact was lost approximately 38 minutes after takeoff. The wreckage was located three days later near Dima, approximately 30 kilometres short of its destination. All 11 occupants, including mining magnate Ken Talbot, were killed in the accident.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A vintage Douglas C-47 Skytrain, known as a 'Rosinenbomber' (Raisin Bomber), performed an emergency belly landing in a field shortly after takeoff from Berlin Schönefeld Airport following a failure of the left engine. Although the aircraft suffered substantial damage and a small post-crash fire occurred, all 28 occupants survived the accident.

Engine Failure

Air India Express Flight 812 overran the tabletop runway at Mangalore International Airport, plunged down a steep hillside, and burst into flames, killing 158 people. The captain, who had been asleep for approximately 110 minutes of the flight, attempted to land from a severely unstabilized approach despite multiple warnings from the first officer to go around. The aircraft touched down 5,200 feet beyond the runway threshold, leaving insufficient distance to stop. A late attempt to initiate a go-around after deploying thrust reversers failed to prevent the aircraft from exiting the runway and falling into a gorge.

Pilot Error

Pamir Airways Flight 112 crashed into the Hindu Kush mountains during a domestic flight from Kunduz to Kabul. The aircraft, an Antonov An-24, disappeared from radar approximately 10 minutes after departure, though the impact occurred much later in the flight during the approach phase, approximately 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Kabul International Airport. The flight operated in severe weather conditions including heavy wind, dense fog, and snow. The wreckage was located four days later at an altitude of 13,500 feet. Investigators determined the crew descended below safe altitudes against ATC instructions and failed to respond correctly to Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) alerts.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771 crashed during a go-around attempt in low visibility at Tripoli International Airport. The flight crew suffered from spatial disorientation, leading the Captain to push the nose down while the aircraft was close to the ground, resulting in a high-speed impact just short of the runway.

Pilot Error

Cathay Pacific Flight 780 performed a high speed emergency landing at Hong Kong International Airport after fuel contamination caused both engines to lose thrust control. The aircraft touched down at 231 knots, approximately 95 knots above normal landing speed, after the crew found they could not reduce thrust on the No. 1 engine below 74% N1 while the No. 2 engine remained stuck at a sub-idle speed of 17% N1. The contamination originated from a recently extended hydrant refueling system at Surabaya, where salt water compromised filter monitors and released superabsorbent polymer (SAP) particles into the fuel. These particles caused the fuel metering units to seize. All 322 occupants survived, though 63 people were injured during the subsequent emergency evacuation.

Mechanical Failure

AeroUnion Flight 302, an Airbus A300 cargo freighter, stalled and crashed onto a motorway during a missed approach at Monterrey International Airport, killing all five occupants and one person on the ground. The investigation determined that the crew failed to maintain adequate airspeed and failed to manage the aircraft's pitch trim during a go-around in adverse weather conditions. The aircraft reached an extreme nose-up attitude of 41 degrees before stalling and impacting the ground approximately 0.7 kilometers from the runway.

Human Factors (Operational)

A Merpati Nusantara Airlines Boeing 737-322 overran the runway while landing at Rendani Airport during heavy rain and mist. The aircraft veered left near the end of the runway, struck trees, and was substantially damaged, with the fuselage splitting and the tail breaking off before coming to rest in the Rendani River. All 110 occupants (103 passengers and 7 crew members) survived the accident, with 44 people sustaining injuries, including 10 serious injuries.

Weather

A Polish Air Force Tu-154M carrying the President of Poland, Lech Kaczyński, and numerous high-ranking officials crashed in thick fog while attempting to land at Smolensk North Airport. The aircraft descended below the minimum descent altitude without visual contact with the ground, eventually striking a birch tree. The impact severed approximately 6.5 meters of the left wing, causing an immediate and uncontrollable left roll. The aircraft impacted the ground inverted, killing all 96 people on board. Investigations highlighted a combination of crew errors, including ignoring TAWS warnings, and deficiencies in Russian air traffic control guidance.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

An Aviastar-TU Tupolev Tu-204-100 crash-landed in a birch forest approximately 1,450 meters short of runway 14R and 150 meters to the right of the centerline at Domodedovo Airport during a ferry flight from Egypt. The aircraft was attempting to land in heavy fog with visibility as low as 100 meters, well below the required weather minima. Despite multiple failures of the autoflight systems and warnings from air traffic control regarding their position, the crew continued the descent without visual contact with the ground. All eight crew members survived the impact, though several sustained serious injuries.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)