Aviation Accident Summary Archive

A Cirrus SR20 private aircraft carrying New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor crashed into the Belaire Apartments in Manhattan after failing to complete a 180-degree turn within the narrow East River VFR corridor. The aircraft was flying northbound at approximately 700 feet when it attempted a U-turn near the northern tip of Roosevelt Island. Due to a combination of limited turning space and a 13 knot easterly wind that pushed the aircraft toward the buildings, the pilots were unable to maintain a sufficient turning radius. The aircraft struck the 30th floor of the condominium tower, killing both occupants and causing a multi-floor fire.

Pilot Error

Atlantic Airways Flight 670 overran the runway at Stord Airport after its lift spoilers failed to deploy upon landing. The flight crew, unable to achieve expected deceleration, engaged the emergency braking system, which lacked anti-skid protection. On the damp, non-grooved runway, this caused the wheels to lock and initiated reverted rubber hydroplaning, significantly reducing braking friction. The aircraft exited the runway at low speed and slid down a steep, rocky embankment, where it burst into flames. Four of the sixteen people on board were killed in the subsequent fire.

Mechanical Failure

A mid-air collision occurred between a brand-new Gol Airlines Boeing 737 and an ExcelAire Embraer Legacy 600 business jet over the Amazon rainforest. The Legacy's winglet and left horizontal stabilizer sliced through the 737's left wing, causing the airliner to spiral into the jungle; all 154 people aboard the Boeing 737 were killed. The Legacy, despite significant damage to its wing and tail assembly, managed an emergency landing at a military airbase. The investigation revealed a catastrophic failure of the air traffic control system, which placed both aircraft at the same altitude on the same airway in opposite directions, compounded by the inadvertent deactivation of the Legacy's transponder and TCAS.

Human Factors (Operational) · Multi-aircraft

A Russian Air Force Mil Mi-8 helicopter carrying high-ranking military officials crashed and caught fire near Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia, resulting in 12 fatalities. The aircraft was transporting a delegation of senior officers, including three generals, when it went down in the Yuzhny district. While the Islamist terrorist group Kataib al-Khoul claimed responsibility for shooting down the helicopter, official Russian sources also considered adverse weather conditions as a potential factor in the crash.

Other

An Iran Airtour Tupolev Tu-154M burst into flames during its landing roll at Mashhad International Airport, resulting in 28 fatalities. The aircraft was completing a domestic flight from Bandar Abbas when it suffered a runway excursion and fire. While the specific cause was not definitively determined by investigators, it is widely believed that a nose gear tire failure initiated the sequence of events that led to the aircraft veering off the runway and catching fire.

Other

Comair Flight 5191 crashed after attempting to take off from a runway that was too short for the aircraft. The crew mistakenly lined up on Runway 26 instead of the assigned Runway 22 in pre-dawn darkness.

Pilot Error

Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise Flight 612 entered an unrecoverable flat stall and crashed while attempting to fly over a severe thunderstorm. The crew's decision to climb to the aircraft's service ceiling in turbulent conditions led to an excessive angle of attack and a loss of control.

Pilot Error

Air Algérie Flight 2208, a Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules cargo flight, crashed near Piacenza, Italy, following a sudden loss of control at cruising altitude. While flying at FL240, the crew reported an autopilot failure, which was followed by a rapid, steep descent that the pilots were unable to recover. The aircraft struck the ground at high speed in a sparsely populated agricultural area, narrowly avoiding residential zones. All three crew members were killed. Investigators determined the crash was likely caused by a technical malfunction in the flight control system, though the extreme fragmentation of the wreckage and the use of an obsolete flight data recorder prevented a definitive identification of the specific failed component.

Mechanical Failure

Pakistan International Airlines Flight 688 crashed into a mango orchard shortly after takeoff from Multan during a scheduled flight to Lahore, which was intended to continue to Islamabad. The crash occurred following a right-hand engine failure. The investigation revealed that the engine failed due to improper assembly during a previous overhaul, but the crash was ultimately caused by the flight crew's failure to follow emergency procedures. These errors included failing to retract the landing gear and prematurely retracting the flaps, leading to a stall at low altitude.

Human Factors (Operational)

S7 Airlines Flight 778 overran the runway at Irkutsk International Airport after the left engine inadvertently transitioned to forward thrust during the landing roll. While the crew was using the right engine's thrust reverser, the captain's hand accidentally pushed the left throttle lever forward. This caused the aircraft to accelerate, overpowered the braking systems, and disabled the ground spoilers. The aircraft crashed through a concrete perimeter wall and struck a complex of private garages, sparking a massive fire that claimed 125 lives.

Pilot Error

A Yeti Airlines Twin Otter crashed during a sudden go-around at Jumla Airport after the crew attempted a high-speed approach to the wrong runway. Despite being cleared for runway 27, the captain attempted to land on runway 09, realized the approach was unstable, and initiated a steep, low-altitude turn to reposition for runway 27. During this maneuver, the aircraft stalled at a high bank angle and impacted a paddy field 500 meters east of the airport, killing all nine people on board.

Pilot Error

A Shaanxi KJ-200 airborne early warning aircraft crashed into a hillside in Anhui Province after encountering severe icing conditions during a test flight. The aircraft, which was carrying 40 personnel including 35 electronics technicians, stalled and entered an uncontrolled descent. While some sources cite a cruise altitude of 28,000 feet, the investigation noted the upset began at 8,000 meters (26,247 feet). The investigation determined that heavy ice formation on the wings caused the loss of control, exacerbated by the movement of unrestrained passengers to the rear of the cabin during the upset. All 40 occupants were killed in what remains one of the deadliest accidents in the history of the Chinese air force.

Weather

Armavia Flight 967 crashed into the Black Sea while attempting a go-around during a night approach to Sochi in poor weather. The crew suffered a total loss of situational awareness, exacerbated by fatigue and emotional stress, leading the captain to make nose-down inputs while believing he was climbing.

Pilot Error

A Kenya Air Force Harbin Y-12-II carrying a high-level peace delegation crashed into the cloud-shrouded foothills of Mount Marsabit during an approach in poor visibility. The flight was transporting six members of parliament and other government officials to mediate a conflict between warring clans. As the aircraft descended toward Marsabit Airport in heavy fog and rain, it struck a hill approximately three kilometers from the town and burst into flames. Fourteen of the seventeen occupants were killed, including prominent political leaders and a bishop. The investigation concluded that adverse weather conditions and poor visibility led to the controlled flight into terrain.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

TEAM Linhas Aéreas Flight 6865 crashed into Pico da Pedra Bonita after the crew elected to cancel their instrument flight plan and descend to 2,000 feet under visual flight rules despite deteriorating weather conditions. The aircraft struck tree tops while in a left bank, killing all 19 people on board. Investigators determined the crew was not aware of the local weather conditions prior to the flight and made poor decisions regarding altitude and visibility requirements.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Slovak Air Force Antonov An-24V carrying peacekeepers home from a NATO mission in Kosovo crashed into forested terrain on Borsó Hill in Hungary, just 20 kilometers from its destination. The aircraft struck trees at an elevation of 700 meters during a night approach to Košice. Investigators determined the flight crew descended prematurely and strayed approximately 3 kilometers off the planned flight path. The sole survivor was found in the aircraft's lavatory, which remained relatively intact despite a post-crash fire that destroyed the fuselage.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A contract mechanic was fatally injured when he was ingested into the right engine of a Boeing 737-524 during a high-power ground engine run at the gate. The maintenance crew was investigating an oil leak discovered during preflight and requested the captain to run the engine at 70 percent power. During the run, the mechanic stood up and stepped into the engine's inlet hazard zone. The NTSB determined the cause was the mechanic's failure to maintain clearance and the failure of contract personnel to follow the airline's written maintenance procedures.

Human Factors (Operational)

Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 217 crashed on the shore of the Caspian Sea shortly after a night-time departure from Baku when all three of the aircraft's independent gyroscopes failed. The total loss of attitude and heading information in dark, overcast conditions led the crew to lose spatial orientation, resulting in a steep downward spiral. Investigators determined the catastrophic failure was caused by the installation of counterfeit components during the aircraft's manufacture at the Kharkiv State Aircraft Manufacturing Company.

Mechanical Failure

Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101 suffered a catastrophic in-flight breakup when its right wing separated shortly after takeoff from Miami. The aircraft plunged into the Government Cut channel in full view of witnesses, killing all 20 people on board. The investigation revealed that the wing failed due to pre-existing fatigue cracks in the internal wing structure that had been improperly repaired and concealed by sealant. The NTSB cited systemic failures in the airline's maintenance program and inadequate oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration as the primary causes of the accident.

Human Factors (Maintenance)

Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145 crashed during a landing attempt at Port Harcourt International Airport in adverse weather conditions. The aircraft struck a concrete drainage culvert near the runway, leading to its disintegration and a massive post-crash fire. The accident is particularly noted for the high number of school children among the victims, with 59 students from Loyola Jesuit College losing their lives.

Pilot Error

A Boeing 737-700 overran Runway 31C at Chicago Midway International Airport during a snowstorm, crashing through a blast fence and onto a public roadway. The aircraft struck an automobile, killing a six year old boy who was a passenger in the vehicle. The investigation focused on the flight crew's delayed deployment of thrust reversers and their reliance on an on-board performance computer that assumed immediate reverser use and lower tailwinds than actually existed.

Pilot Error

An Iranian Air Force C-130E Hercules carrying dozens of journalists crashed into a ten-story apartment building in a densely populated Tehran suburb while attempting an emergency return to Mehrabad Airport. The pilot had reported a failure of the number 4 engine shortly after takeoff. All 94 people on board were killed, along with 12 people on the ground.

Engine Failure

On November 18, 2005, a Britten-Norman BN2A-21 Islander crashed into a wooded hillside while en route to a private resort airstrip in Belize. The flight was a non-scheduled charter carrying two passengers and one pilot. The investigation is ongoing, and no official cause has been determined by the NTSB or local authorities.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

On November 14, 2005, a Cessna U206E operated by Servicios Aereos Ltda. collided with elevated terrain near Ituango, Colombia, during a non-scheduled domestic passenger flight. The aircraft was destroyed and all six occupants, including the pilot and five passengers, were fatally injured. The investigation is currently ongoing, and no official cause has been determined by the NTSB.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)