Aviation Accident Summary Archive

A Pinnacle Airlines CRJ-200 crashed into a residential area after both engines flamed out at the aircraft's service ceiling of 41,000 feet. The repositioning flight, carrying only two pilots, was conducted with extreme and unprofessional maneuvers as the crew attempted to join the informal 410 club by reaching the aircraft's maximum altitude. During the climb, the crew used an improper vertical speed mode that allowed airspeed to decay significantly. Upon reaching 41,000 feet, the aircraft entered an aerodynamic stall; the pilots repeatedly overrode the automatic stick pusher, leading to a dual engine flameout. The engines then suffered a core lock condition, preventing a restart, and the crew failed to glide to several available airports in a timely manner.

Human Factors (Operational)

Air Tahoma Flight 185, a Convair 580 cargo flight operating for DHL, crashed one mile short of the runway in Florence, Kentucky, following a dual-engine flameout caused by fuel starvation. The captain had opened the fuel crossfeed valve to balance the tanks but failed to follow approved procedures, leading to a pressure differential that caused both engines to draw fuel exclusively from the left tank while simultaneously transferring unused fuel into the right tank. The left tank eventually ran dry during the approach, while the right tank remained nearly full but inaccessible to the engines due to the crossfeed configuration and air entering the lines.

Pilot Error

On August 13, 2004, a Bell 407 helicopter operated by Golden Aviation was destroyed when it impacted terrain near Santa Cruz Ayotusco, Mexico. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, was fatally injured during the positioning flight from Toluca to Atizapan. The investigation is ongoing, and no cause has been determined.

Under Investigation

Gabon Express Flight 221 ditched into the Gulf of Guinea shortly after takeoff from Libreville following a dual failure of the aircraft's engine and hydraulic systems. After the right-hand engine failed due to a loss of oil pressure, the crew attempted to return to the airport but found they could not extend the landing gear. The left engine's hydraulic pump, which should have provided backup power, also failed to function. Unable to confirm the gear was locked and having overflown the runway, the pilot ditched the aircraft approximately 100 meters offshore and 3 kilometers (1.6 nmi) from the airport. Nineteen of the 30 people on board died, many trapped in the wreckage, while survivors were rescued by local fishermen and military divers.

Human Factors (Maintenance)

Rico Linhas Aéreas Flight 4815 crashed into the Amazon rainforest during a night approach to Manaus after being vectored to give priority to a medical evacuation flight. The aircraft descended below its assigned altitude of 2,000 feet without the crew noticing, eventually impacting terrain at 550 feet. Investigators cited a total breakdown in cockpit resource management, lack of situational awareness, and failure to respond to multiple GPWS warnings.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Kish Air Flight 7170 crashed during approach to Sharjah International Airport after the flight crew inadvertently selected ground reverse thrust while still airborne. The aircraft was flying an unstable, high-speed approach when the Captain took control and attempted to rapidly reduce altitude by overriding the thrust lever locks. Due to a known but uncorrected design flaw in the anti-skid unit, the secondary flight stops failed to prevent the propellers from entering the reverse range, leading to a total loss of control and a steep spiral dive.

Pilot Error

Uzbekistan Airways Flight 1154 crashed while attempting to land at Tashkent International Airport in heavy fog. The crew failed to maintain the correct glideslope, flying too high over the runway threshold before attempting a late go-around. The aircraft struck approach lighting and a concrete wall, flipped over, and caught fire, killing everyone on board.

Pilot Error

Flash Airlines Flight 604 crashed into the Red Sea shortly after a nighttime takeoff from Sharm El Sheikh, killing all 148 people on board. The aircraft entered a steep right bank that went unnoticed and uncorrected by the crew until it reached an irrecoverable angle. The investigation became a subject of significant international friction, as Egyptian, French, and American investigators could not agree on whether the primary cause was a mechanical failure of the spoiler/autopilot system or pilot spatial disorientation.

Human Factors (Operational)

A Boeing 727-223 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after failing to gain altitude during takeoff from Cotonou. The aircraft was severely overloaded with passengers and baggage, and its center of gravity was unknown to the crew. During the takeoff roll, the plane struck a small technical building at the end of the runway before plunging into the sea, breaking apart upon impact.

Human Factors (Operational)

FedEx Express Flight 647 crashed during landing at Memphis International Airport when the right main landing gear collapsed, leading to a runway excursion and a post-crash fire. The accident occurred during a line check for the first officer, who was the pilot flying. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the first officer failed to properly apply crosswind landing techniques and arrest the aircraft's descent rate, resulting in a touchdown that exceeded the design limits of the landing gear. The captain was also cited for failing to adequately monitor the first officer's performance and intervene during the final approach.

Pilot Error

A Polish Air Force Mil Mi-8P carrying Prime Minister Leszek Miller and other government officials suffered a dual engine failure due to icing while en route to Warsaw. The pilot, Major Marek Miłosz, successfully performed an emergency autorotation landing into a wooded area near Pilawa. Although the helicopter was destroyed, all 15 occupants survived, with eight individuals, including the Prime Minister, sustaining injuries. The investigation determined that the engines failed because the deicing system had not been manually activated during flight.

Human Factors (Operational)

A DHL cargo aircraft was struck by a surface to air missile shortly after departing Baghdad, resulting in a total loss of all three hydraulic systems. The crew achieved a successful emergency landing at Baghdad International Airport by using differential engine thrust as their only means of flight control. This was the first time a commercial airliner was successfully landed without any hydraulic flight controls following a catastrophic failure.

Military Action

A Northwest Airlines ground employee was fatally injured when a pushback tractor she was operating collided with a standing McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51. The employee was attempting to connect the tractor to a towbar already attached to the aircraft's nose gear while passengers were still boarding. During the maneuver, the towbar failed to engage with the tug and instead buckled, allowing the open-cab tractor to drive directly into the aircraft's radome, trapping the driver between the vehicle and the fuselage. The investigation determined the employee was not qualified or authorized to perform pushback operations and had not received specific training for the task since 1992.

Human Factors (Operational)

Colgan Air Flight 9446 crashed into the water shortly after takeoff from Barnstable Municipal Airport when the flight crew lost control due to a reversed elevator trim system. The aircraft had just undergone maintenance to replace the forward elevator trim cable and trim tab actuators. Because maintenance personnel skipped required steps and relied on an erroneous diagram in the manufacturer's manual, the trim system was cross-wired. This caused the elevator trim tabs to move in the opposite direction of the pilots' inputs. The flight crew also failed to perform a proper preflight trim check, which would have identified the reversal before departure.

Human Factors (Maintenance)

Tropical Airways Flight 1301 stalled and crashed into a sugarcane field shortly after takeoff from Cap-Haitien when the forward cargo door opened in flight. While some witnesses reported seeing fire during the initial climb, investigators later found no evidence of a pre-impact fire. During an emergency attempt to return to the airport, the crew was cleared for a right downwind leg but instead performed an uncoordinated left turn while extending the flaps to the maximum 42-degree position at a low altitude. The resulting drag, combined with a possible overweight condition and pilot fatigue, caused the aircraft to stall and impact the ground 2 kilometers from the airport. All 21 people on board were killed in the crash and subsequent fire.

Pilot Error

Sudan Airways Flight 139 crashed into a wasteland while attempting an emergency return to Port Sudan after suffering an engine failure shortly after takeoff. The flight crew reported the loss of power in one engine approximately 15 minutes into the flight. During the subsequent ILS approach to runway 35, which was hampered by low visibility due to blowing sand, the pilots missed the runway. The aircraft descended prematurely during the missed approach and disintegrated upon impact, leaving a two-year-old boy as the sole survivor.

Engine Failure

Brit Air Flight 5672, operating for Air France, crashed during an instrument approach to Brest-Guipavas Airport in poor weather conditions. The crew failed to arm the autopilot's approach mode, causing the aircraft to miss the localizer and glideslope capture. The pilots did not notice the resulting flight path deviations until the aircraft was dangerously low. Despite a late attempt to go-around after Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) alerts, the aircraft struck a wooded embankment and burst into flames. The captain was the sole fatality.

Pilot Error

A chartered Yakovlev Yak-42D carrying Spanish peacekeepers from Afghanistan crashed into Pilav Mountain during its third attempt to land at Trabzon Airport in dense fog. The aircraft was attempting a refueling stop when it struck terrain approximately 23 kilometers (14 miles) from the airport, killing everyone on board. The accident sparked significant political controversy in Spain regarding the identification of remains and the safety of chartered military transport.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

On May 25, 2003, a Boeing 727-223 registered as N844AA was stolen from Quatro de Fevereiro Airport in Luanda, Angola, and disappeared without a trace. Shortly before sunset, the aircraft began taxiing erratically without lights or communication with the air traffic control tower. It entered the runway without clearance and took off toward the southwest over the Atlantic Ocean. Despite a massive international search involving the FBI and CIA, neither the aircraft nor the two men believed to be on board, Ben C. Padilla and John M. Mutantu, have ever been located.

Other

An Ilyushin Il-76MD transport aircraft suffered a catastrophic decompression when its rear cargo door burst open while en route from Kinshasa to Lubumbashi. The aircraft was carrying Congolese soldiers and their families in a cargo hold that lacked proper seating, with many passengers sitting on benches or the floor near the rear ramp. When the door opened at altitude, a large number of passengers were sucked out of the aircraft into the darkness. Despite the loss of the door and the decompression, the flight crew managed to maintain control and return the aircraft to Kinshasa for a safe landing. The exact number of occupants and the resulting death toll remain heavily disputed; official government figures cited as few as 7 to 17 deaths, while airport officials and survivors estimated between 129 and 170 fatalities. Total occupants on board are variously reported between 115 and 200.

Mechanical Failure

Air Algérie Flight 6289 crashed shortly after takeoff from Tamanrasset when a turbine failure in the left engine led to a breakdown in cockpit coordination and a fatal stall. During the initial climb, the captain took control from the first officer without a clear diagnosis of the emergency. A conflict in control inputs followed, where the captain repeatedly reduced power on the remaining functional engine while the first officer attempted to increase it. The crew failed to retract the landing gear, increasing drag and causing the aircraft to lose speed and altitude. Despite a 'Don't Sink' GPWS alarm and stick shaker activation, the aircraft struck rocky terrain 1,645 metres past the runway.

Human Factors (CRM)

Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during atmospheric reentry on February 1, 2003, killing all seven crew members. The disaster was caused by a breach in the Thermal Protection System (TPS) on the leading edge of the left wing. This breach allowed superheated plasma to enter the wing structure during reentry, leading to structural failure and the eventual breakup of the orbiter. The damage originated 81.9 seconds after launch when a piece of insulating foam broke off the External Tank bipod ramp and struck the wing's Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panel 8.

Structural Failure

TANS Perú Flight 222 crashed into the vertical face of Cerro Collorque while on approach to Chachapoyas Airport, killing all 46 people on board. The aircraft, a Fokker F28 Fellowship, was executing a turn to align with the runway in poor visibility when it struck the mountain just 35 meters below the summit. Investigators determined the crew lost situational awareness due to overconfidence and a failure to follow standard operating procedures, including the omission of landing checklists and briefings.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Turkish Airlines Flight 634 crashed into a slope approximately 900 metres short of the runway threshold while attempting a non-precision VOR/DME approach in dense fog. The aircraft broke into three main sections and caught fire. Despite reaching the Minimum Descent Altitude (MDA) without visual contact with the runway or approach lights, the flight crew continued the descent, leading to a controlled flight into terrain. Of the 80 people on board, 75 were killed, including all five crew members.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)