Aviation Accident Summary Archive

Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed into the B. J. Medical College student hostels in Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff. The aircraft suffered a total loss of thrust when both fuel control switches were moved to the CUTOFF position seconds after liftoff. The accident resulted in 260 total fatalities (241 on board and 19 on the ground), with only one passenger surviving. This marks the first hull loss and fatal accident of the Boeing 787 fleet.

Under Investigation

A Cessna Citation S550 business jet crashed into a residential military housing neighborhood in Murphy Canyon while attempting an instrument approach to Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in dense fog. All six occupants on board were killed, and eight people on the ground sustained minor injuries. The aircraft struck power lines approximately 1.8 nautical miles from the runway threshold before impacting a residential street. According to the NTSB, the aircraft directly impacted one residential structure and 20 vehicles were damaged or destroyed by impact or post-impact fire. While secondary sources initially reported damage to up to ten homes, the NTSB confirmed one direct residential impact within a 1,200-foot debris field.

Under Investigation

A Boeing 737-290C cargo aircraft operated by IBM Airlines on behalf of the South Sudan Air Force was destroyed by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) while at Nyala Airport. The SAF targeted the aircraft under suspicion that it was transporting military equipment, including drones, to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) during the ongoing Sudanese civil war. While initial reports on the death toll varied, a 2026 Reuters investigation confirmed that 54 of the 111 occupants on board were killed, including all three crew members, while 57 others survived with injuries.

Military Action

On April 10, 2025, a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV helicopter operated by New York Helicopter Charter Inc. suffered a catastrophic in-flight breakup and crashed into the Hudson River, killing all six people on board. The flight was a Part 91 sightseeing tour carrying a Spanish family of five and one pilot. While traveling south along the New Jersey shoreline at approximately 675 feet, the aircraft's tail boom failed and the main rotor separated from the fuselage. Investigative updates released in July 2026 revealed that the remains of multiple geese and a gull were found on the wreckage, indicating the breakup was likely initiated by a bird strike involving a mixed-species flock.

Bird Strike

Aerolínea Lanhsa Flight 018 crashed into the Caribbean Sea shortly after departing from Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport on March 17, 2025. The British Aerospace Jetstream 32 experienced a suspected engine failure one minute after takeoff, reaching a maximum altitude of only 20 to 35 feet before banking right and impacting the water. Of the 17 people on board, 12 were killed, including Honduran musician and politician Aurelio Martínez. The wreckage was located submerged at a depth of approximately 50 meters, roughly 150 meters beyond the airport perimeter fence and approximately one kilometer from the departure end of runway 07.

Under Investigation

A Sudanese Air Force Antonov An-26 transport aircraft crashed into a residential area in Omdurman shortly after taking off from Wadi Seidna Air Base. The accident resulted in the deaths of all 17 people on board and at least 29 people on the ground, for a total of 46 fatalities. Among the fatalities was Major General Bahr Ahmed, a senior military commander. Preliminary reports from Sudanese officials suggest the aircraft suffered an unspecified mechanical failure during the initial climb phase.

Under Investigation

Delta Connection Flight 4819, operated by Endeavor Air, was involved in a collision with terrain during landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport after experiencing a high rate of descent and a hard landing. Upon contact with the runway, the aircraft's right main landing gear side-stay fractured, causing the gear to collapse. As the aircraft began to slide and roll, the right wing root fractured and the wing detached from the fuselage. The fuselage subsequently came to rest inverted. All 80 occupants survived the accident, though 21 people sustained injuries, two of them serious.

Under Investigation

A Beechcraft F90 King Air crashed onto a busy urban avenue shortly after departing from Campo de Marte Airport, killing both occupants and injuring seven people on the ground. The pilot had reported an engine failure and was attempting to return to the airport when the aircraft lost altitude, struck a public transport bus, and burst into flames on Avenida Marquês de São Vicente.

Under Investigation

A Bering Air Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX crashed into pack ice in Norton Sound after encountering severe icing conditions while heavily overloaded. The aircraft was performing a scheduled Part 135 flight from Unalakleet to Nome when it was instructed to slow down due to snow removal operations on the destination runway. While holding in icing conditions, the pilot allowed the airspeed to decay below the minimum required for flight in icing, leading to an aerodynamic stall and loss of control. The investigation revealed that the aircraft was operating more than 1,000 pounds over its maximum takeoff weight for icing conditions, a practice that had become routine within the company due to inadequate safety management and insufficient FAA oversight.

Human Factors (Operational)

A Learjet 55 medical evacuation flight crashed into a residential and commercial neighborhood shortly after takeoff from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, killing all six people on board and two people on the ground. The aircraft, operated by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, was transporting an 11-year-old patient and her mother to Tijuana, Mexico, via a planned refueling stop at Springfield-Branson National Airport (SGF) in Missouri. Surveillance footage captured the aircraft in a steep descent before it struck multiple buildings and vehicles near Roosevelt Mall, triggering a massive fireball. The crash destroyed four homes and damaged 17 others, along with several businesses and vehicles. While seven victims died at the scene or shortly after, the eighth fatality was a ground victim who succumbed to severe burn injuries on April 27, 2025.

Under Investigation

A Beechcraft 1900D operated by Light Air Services crashed approximately 10 minutes after takeoff from the GPOC Unity Airstrip in South Sudan, resulting in 20 fatalities. The aircraft was performing a charter flight for the Greater Pioneer Oil Company (GPOC) when it reportedly lost height and impacted the ground. A witness at the scene reported seeing a wing snap off before the aircraft lost altitude. One passenger, a South Sudanese engineer, survived the crash in critical condition.

Under Investigation

On 29 January 2025 at about 20:47:59 EST, PSA Airlines flight 5342 (CRJ700, N709PS) and U.S. Army UH-60L PAT25 (00-26860) collided over the Potomac River as the airliner was on approach to runway 33 at Washington National. All 67 people aboard the two aircraft were killed. The NTSB's final report AIR-26/02, adopted 27 January 2026, found the probable cause to be the FAA's placement of a helicopter route in close proximity to a runway approach path, together with its failure to review helicopter routes and available data and to act on recommendations to mitigate mid-air collision risk at DCA.

Human Factors (Operational) · Multi-aircraft

Air Busan Flight 391 was destroyed by a ground fire while preparing for departure after a portable lithium-ion power bank ignited in an overhead compartment. The aircraft was parked at stand 55L when crew members and passengers noticed smoke and fire originating from a carry-on bag in the rear cabin. An emergency evacuation was initiated via inflatable slides, and while the aircraft was deemed a total loss due to extensive fuselage damage, all 176 occupants survived. The incident led to immediate regulatory changes in South Korea regarding the storage and charging of portable electronic devices on commercial flights.

Other

Jeju Air Flight 2216, a Boeing 737-800, crashed while attempting to land at Muan International Airport. Following a bird strike on approach that affected both engines, the crew performed a go-around. On the second attempt, the aircraft landed with its gear retracted, overran the runway, and collided with an ILS antenna structure, resulting in 179 fatalities.

Bird Strike

Azerbaijan Airlines flight 8243, an Embraer E190AR (4K-AZ65) flying Baku to Grozny, crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan on 25 December 2024, killing 38 of the 67 people on board. After two missed approaches at Grozny amid a loss of GPS signals, the CVR recorded an external bang at 05:13:31 UTC; hydraulic systems 3, 1 and 2 lost pressure within 23 seconds and the flight controls stayed fixed in neutral. The crew flew for about 75 minutes on thrust levers alone, declared a Mayday at 06:03 UTC and crashed at 06:28 UTC about 5 km northwest of Aktau's runway 11 threshold.

Under Investigation

On 23 December 2024 Swiss flight LX1885, an Airbus A220-300 (HB-JCD) flying Bucharest to Zurich with 74 passengers and 5 crew, suffered a malfunction of its left PW1524G-3 engine at FL400 about 50 NM east of Graz. Smoke entered the cockpit and cabin, the crew declared a Mayday and landed at Graz runway 34C at 16:53 UTC, evacuating through four of the six exits. A cabin crew member died on 30 December 2024.

Engine Failure

A Piper PA-42-1000 Cheyenne 400LS crashed into a residential and commercial area of Gramado shortly after departing from Canela Airport, killing all 10 occupants, including businessman Luiz Claudio Salgueiro Galeazzi and nine of his family members. The aircraft struck a house chimney, a residential structure, and a furniture store before coming to rest at a mobile phone store, sparking a significant post-crash fire. The flight occurred during marginal weather conditions characterized by fog and low visibility. At least 17 people on the ground were injured, two of them critically.

Under Investigation

On 25 November 2024 at 03:28 UTC a Swiftair Boeing 737-400SF (EC-MFE) operating a DHL cargo flight from Leipzig to Vilnius crashed about 1.5 km short of runway 19 at Vilnius. The captain was killed; the co-pilot and two company employees travelling as passengers were seriously injured. Lithuania's TAIID interim report records that both hydraulic system B pumps went off at 03:17:34 with an autopilot disconnect, and that the flaps remained at zero despite a flaps-5 call, but it draws no conclusions and states no cause.

Human Factors (Operational)

On August 31, 2024, a Vityaz-Aero Mil Mi-8T helicopter crashed into a mountain slope in the Kamchatka Peninsula during a tourist charter flight, killing all 22 people on board. The aircraft disappeared from radar shortly after departing the Vachkazhets volcano area in deteriorating weather conditions characterized by fog and drizzle. Search teams located the wreckage the following day at an elevation of approximately 900 meters (3,000 feet), roughly 20 kilometers from its destination. The investigation concluded that the pilot continued flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) despite being under visual flight rules, leading to a collision with terrain.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan operating Thai Flying Service flight TFT209 crashed into a mangrove swamp at Bang Pakong, Chachoengsao, on 22 August 2024, killing all nine on board. Per CAAT, the aircraft departed Suvarnabhumi at 14:46 and contact was lost at 14:57, 18.7 NM southeast, after clearance to 5,000 ft. No preliminary, interim or final report has been published and no cause has been announced.

Under Investigation

A Saurya Airlines Bombardier CRJ-200 crashed seconds after takeoff from Kathmandu during a ferry flight to Pokhara, killing 18 of the 19 people on board. The investigation determined that the aircraft entered a deep stall due to an abnormally rapid pitch rate commanded by the captain at a rotation speed lower than optimal. The flight was carrying 16 passengers, including several high-ranking airline managers and technicians, despite being designated as a ferry flight for maintenance. The investigation revealed gross negligence in cargo loading, the use of an erroneous speedcard for V-speed calculations, and a failure by the airline to address previous instances of high-pitch takeoff rotations by the same crew.

Pilot Error

A Sukhoi Superjet 100 crashed in a wooded area near Kolomna during a ferry flight following scheduled maintenance. The aircraft experienced erroneous angle of attack (AoA) readings shortly after takeoff, leading to a loss of control. All three crew members on board were killed.

Human Factors (Maintenance)

On 9 July 2024 LATAM flight LA8073, a Boeing 777-300ER (PT-MUG) with 398 people on board, struck its tail on the runway while taking off from Milan Malpensa runway 35L at 11:26 UTC. The crew declared PAN PAN, dumped about 72 tonnes of fuel at 6,000 ft and landed safely on runway 35R at 12:36 UTC; nobody was injured. The ANSV final report of 6 February 2026 reclassified the occurrence from serious incident to accident and found that the aircraft had been rotated at a speed significantly below that required for its actual weight.

Human Factors (Operational)

A Bell 212 helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian crashed into a mountainside in the Varzaqan region during heavy fog and adverse weather conditions. All eight occupants were killed when the aircraft impacted terrain in a remote, forested area. The flight was part of a three-helicopter convoy returning from the inauguration of the Giz Galasi Dam on the border with Azerbaijan.

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