Aviation Accident Summary Archive

Pitot tube icing caused unreliable airspeed indications and disconnect of the autopilot; the crew's response led to an aerodynamic stall from FL350 to the ocean.

Sensor / Instrument Failure

An Indonesian Air Force Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules, carrying military personnel and their families, crashed into a residential neighborhood during its approach to Iswahyudi Air Force Base. The aircraft struck at least four houses before skidding into a rice paddy and bursting into flames. The accident resulted in the deaths of 97 people on board and 2 people on the ground. Despite clear weather and no reported distress calls prior to the impact, witnesses reported seeing fire and hearing explosions while the aircraft was still airborne.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain

A Venezuelan Army Mil Mi-17 helicopter crashed in the mountainous border region of Táchira, killing all 17 people on board. The aircraft was conducting a border patrol mission near the Colombian frontier when it went down near El Alto de Rubio. The victims included Brigadier General Domingo Faneite, 15 other military personnel, and one civilian. While initial reports suggested 18 fatalities, the official count was later revised to 17.

Unknown

A Biman Bangladesh Airlines Fokker F28 overran the runway while landing at Sylhet Osmani International Airport during heavy rain. The aircraft touched down late on a water-covered runway, failed to stop within the remaining distance, and came to rest in a grassy area beyond the runway threshold. All 43 occupants survived without serious injury, though the aircraft sustained substantial damage.

Pilot Error

CanJet Flight 918 was seized by a lone armed hijacker during a scheduled stop at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The perpetrator, 20 year old Stephen Fray, breached airport security and boarded the aircraft brandishing a firearm, demanding to be flown to Cuba. After hours of negotiations involving the hijacker's father and the Jamaican Prime Minister, all 174 passengers were released in exchange for cash. The remaining crew members were eventually rescued when the Jamaica Defence Force Counter Terrorism Operations Group stormed the aircraft, capturing Fray without any fatalities.

Security / Sabotage

An Aviastar BAe 146-300 was destroyed when it impacted Pikei Hill during its second attempt to land at Wamena Airport, killing all six crew members. Although the airline operated passenger services, this specific flight was a scheduled cargo mission carrying staples such as rice, flour, and election voting papers. After an initial aborted approach due to low clouds, the crew conducted a low-altitude circuit between 150 and 350 feet above aerodrome elevation. During the maneuver, the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) issued multiple 'Don't Sink', 'Too Low Terrain', and 'Bank Angle' alerts, which the captain ignored. The aircraft impacted terrain while banking steeply to avoid a hill that appeared directly in the flight path during the final turn.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

An Indonesian Air Force Fokker F27-400M crashed into a hangar at Husein Sastranegara International Airport during a landing attempt in severe weather. The aircraft was returning from a parachuting exercise carrying 17 special forces trainees, six crew members, and one instructor. During the approach, the pilot encountered a heavy storm with a 20-knot crosswind. Witnesses reported the aircraft shaking before it dived and struck Hangar D, which belonged to the Indonesian aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia. The impact and subsequent explosion destroyed the aircraft and the hangar, which contained several other aircraft and helicopters. All 24 occupants were killed.

Weather

A Eurocopter AS332L2 Super Puma crashed into the North Sea following a catastrophic failure of the main rotor gearbox (MGB) epicyclic module. The failure resulted in the complete detachment of the main rotor from the fuselage while the aircraft was cruising at 2,000 feet. All 16 occupants were killed. The investigation revealed that a fatigue fracture in a second stage planet gear had gone undetected despite the discovery of a metallic particle on a magnetic chip detector 36 flying hours prior to the accident.

Mechanical Failure

A Medair Bell 206L-4 carrying Muhsin Yazicioglu, leader of the Great Unity Party (BBP), crashed into Mount Kes during a flight between election rallies. The helicopter encountered severe weather, including heavy fog and snow, leading to a controlled flight into terrain. Although reporter Ismail Gunes survived the initial impact and placed an emergency call, the search and rescue operation was severely hampered by blizzard conditions. The wreckage and five victims were located 47 hours later, but Gunes's body was not discovered until five days after the crash, having succumbed to hypothermia.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A FedEx MD-11F crashed and flipped over during a bounced landing at Narita International Airport in gusty wind conditions. The aircraft developed a series of porpoising oscillations after an initial hard touchdown, eventually striking the runway with its nose gear and then its left main gear. The kinetic energy at the third touchdown exceeded certification requirements by seven times, causing the left wing to fail. The aircraft rolled inverted and burst into flames, killing both pilots. Investigators cited improper recovery techniques from the initial bounce, including large nose-down elevator inputs, and identified crew fatigue as a significant contributing factor.

Pilot Error

Emirates Flight 407 narrowly avoided disaster after a data-entry error caused the aircraft to attempt takeoff with insufficient thrust. The first officer inadvertently entered a takeoff weight 100 tonnes lighter than the actual weight into the Electronic Flight Bag, resulting in incorrectly low reference speeds and thrust settings. During the takeoff roll, the aircraft failed to lift off at the calculated rotation speed, striking its tail on the runway multiple times. The crew applied maximum emergency thrust (TOGA), and the aircraft finally became airborne 148 meters beyond the end of the runway, damaging several airport structures before returning for an emergency landing.

Human Factors (Operational)

On March 12, 2009, a Sikorsky S-92A operated by Cougar Helicopters ditched in the Atlantic Ocean after a total loss of oil pressure in the main gearbox (MGB). The loss of lubrication was caused by the failure of two titanium studs securing the MGB oil filter bowl, which allowed oil to drain rapidly. Despite a 'land immediately' warning, the crew attempted to return to St. John's, believing the issue might be a sensor malfunction because the oil temperature remained normal. Approximately 10 minutes after the initial warning, the MGB failed catastrophically, leading to a loss of tail rotor drive. The helicopter struck the water at high speed, resulting in 17 fatalities and one survivor.

Mechanical Failure

A Boeing 737-800 stalled and crashed into a field 1.5km north of the Polderbaan runway at Schiphol Airport. The accident was triggered by a faulty left-hand radio altimeter that erroneously reported an altitude of -8 feet. This caused the autothrottle to enter 'retard' mode, reducing engine thrust to idle while the aircraft was still in flight. The flight crew failed to monitor their airspeed and thrust levels until the aircraft stalled at a low altitude, from which recovery was impossible.

Sensor / Instrument Failure

Colgan Air Flight 3407 stalled and crashed into a house during an instrument approach to Buffalo, New York. Despite receiving a stall warning (stick shaker), the captain responded by pulling back on the control column rather than pushing forward to reduce the angle of attack. This inappropriate response led to a secondary aerodynamic stall from which the aircraft did not recover. All 49 people on board and one person on the ground were killed, totaling 50 fatalities.

Pilot Error

A Manaus Aerotáxi Embraer EMB-110P1 Bandeirante crashed into the Manacapuru River after suffering an engine failure while operating significantly over its maximum certified takeoff weight. The aircraft was carrying 28 people despite being configured with only 18 passenger seats and certified for a maximum of 21 occupants. During the flight, the left engine failed, and the pilot was unable to maintain altitude due to the excessive weight. The aircraft plunged into the river approximately 500 meters from an abandoned runway where the crew had attempted an emergency landing. All 24 fatalities were attributed to drowning as the aircraft submerged in five to seven meters of water.

Human Factors (Operational)

An ATR 42-320 cargo flight crashed short of the runway in Lubbock, Texas, after the crew failed to maintain minimum safe airspeed during an instrument approach in icing conditions. The accident was triggered by a flap deployment failure, which led the crew to become preoccupied with troubleshooting while neglecting flight path monitoring. Despite multiple stall warnings and a TAWS 'Pull Up' alert, the captain did not apply maximum engine power until 17 seconds after the initial alarm, resulting in an aerodynamic stall at low altitude.

Pilot Error

A French Army Light Aviation (ALAT) Eurocopter AS 532 Cougar crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after taking off from the amphibious assault ship FS Foudre. The accident occurred at approximately 20:08 local time during a joint military exercise with Gabonese forces. Of the ten personnel on board, eight were killed, including one survivor who later succumbed to injuries at a hospital in Libreville. The wreckage was located the following day submerged at a depth of 35 meters.

Human Factors (Operational)

Two Ilyushin Il-76MD military transport aircraft collided on the ground at Uytash Airport during heavy fog. One aircraft (RA-76825) had landed and taxied to a position near the runway to await the arrival of another. The second aircraft (RA-76827) touched down in low visibility conditions, veered approximately 15 to 20 meters left of the runway centerline, and struck the cockpit of the stationary aircraft with its wing. Four crew members on the stationary aircraft were killed.

Pilot Error · Multi-aircraft

Both engines ingested Canada geese at 2,800 feet; Captain Sullenberger ditched in the Hudson River with no loss of life, "The Miracle on the Hudson".

Bird Strike

A Gazpromavia Mi-171 helicopter crashed on the Sailughem mountain ridge during an illegal VIP hunting expedition, killing seven of the eleven people on board. The investigation by the Interstate Aviation Committee (MAC) determined that the crash occurred because the crew was maneuvering at dangerously low altitudes to allow passengers to shoot at protected argali mountain sheep directly from the aircraft. The accident sparked a major political scandal, known as Altaigate, due to the involvement of high-ranking Russian officials in poaching activities within a protected border zone.

Pilot Error

Continental Airlines Flight 1404 veered off the left side of runway 34R during its takeoff roll at Denver International Airport, crashing into a 40-foot-deep ravine. The aircraft suffered a hull loss after a post-crash fire erupted on the right side of the fuselage, but all 115 occupants survived the evacuation. The NTSB determined that the captain inappropriately ceased right rudder inputs while attempting to maintain directional control during a powerful, localized crosswind gust that exceeded the aircraft's demonstrated limits and the wind information provided by air traffic control.

Pilot Error

A U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18D Hornet crashed into a residential neighborhood in University City, San Diego, while attempting an emergency landing at MCAS Miramar. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, successfully ejected at approximately 400 feet, but the aircraft destroyed two homes and killed four residents on the ground. The accident was caused by a dual engine failure resulting from a combination of deferred maintenance on the left engine and the pilot shutting down the right engine due to an oil pressure warning. The investigation highlighted critical failures in decision-making by squadron leadership, who directed the pilot to bypass a closer landing site at NAS North Island in favor of his home base.

Human Factors (Operational)

XL Airways Germany Flight 888T crashed into the Mediterranean Sea during an acceptance flight after two of its three angle-of-attack (AOA) sensors froze, disabling the aircraft's stall protection systems. The sensors had been contaminated with water during an improper rinsing procedure three days prior, which then froze at high altitude. During a low-speed test performed at a dangerously low altitude of 3,000 feet, the flight control system relied on the two frozen sensors rather than the one functional sensor, failing to provide automatic stall protection. The crew was unable to recover from the resulting aerodynamic stall before impacting the water.

Human Factors (Maintenance)

Ryanair Flight 4102 suffered a massive dual engine failure after striking a flock of approximately 90 starlings during a short final approach to Rome Ciampino Airport. The crew initiated a go-around at a distance of approximately 100 meters from the runway threshold, but both engines ingested birds and lost significant thrust, surging repeatedly. The aircraft was unable to maintain altitude and impacted the runway in a near-stall condition. Although the left main landing gear collapsed and the aircraft sustained substantial structural damage, all 172 occupants survived the accident.

Bird Strike