Aviation Accident Summary Archive

United Airlines Flight 93 was hijacked by four al-Qaeda terrorists as part of the September 11 attacks. Unlike the other three hijacked flights, the passengers and crew of Flight 93, informed of the earlier attacks via phone calls, launched a counter-attack to retake the cockpit. During the struggle, the hijackers deliberately crashed the aircraft into a field in Pennsylvania to prevent the passengers from regaining control, successfully averting a strike on the hijackers' intended target in Washington, D.C.

Security / Sabotage

Binter Mediterráneo Flight 8261 crashed short of the runway at Málaga Airport after the flight crew inadvertently shut down both engines in response to a false fire alarm. During the final approach, a warning light indicated a fire in the left engine, which was later attributed to moisture or dirt in the circuitry. While attempting to follow emergency procedures, the first officer activated the fire handles for both the left and right engines, causing a total loss of power. The aircraft first struck an approach light stanchion approximately 540 meters short of the runway threshold before sliding and coming to rest against the embankment of the N-340 highway. The captain and three passengers were killed.

Human Factors (CRM)

A Cessna 402B crashed shortly after takeoff from Marsh Harbour Airport, killing all nine people on board, including American singer Aaliyah. The investigation determined the aircraft was significantly overloaded and its center of gravity was beyond the aft limit, causing it to pitch up steeply and stall at an altitude of approximately 40 feet. The pilot, who was not authorized to fly for the operator and had falsified his flight experience, was found to have traces of cocaine and alcohol in his system.

Human Factors (Operational)

Air Transat Flight 236 became the longest unpowered glide in commercial aviation history after a massive fuel leak caused both engines to flame out over the Atlantic Ocean. The leak was triggered by a rupture in a fuel line that had been improperly installed during maintenance, allowing it to rub against a hydraulic line. The flight crew, initially suspecting a computer glitch rather than a leak, exacerbated the situation by cross-feeding fuel from the healthy left tank into the leaking right side. After losing all power, the pilots successfully glided the aircraft for 65 nautical miles to a dead-stick landing at Lajes Air Base in the Azores, saving all 306 people on board.

Human Factors (Maintenance)

A ramp agent was fatally struck by the right propeller of a de Havilland Dash 8-100 while attempting to remove landing gear chocks from the path of the taxiing aircraft. The investigation determined that the agent's performance was likely impaired by inadequately controlled Graves' hyperthyroidism, high ambient heat, and the potential side effects of antianxiety medication. Despite warnings from a marshaller and a coworker, the agent walked into the rotating propeller blades as the aircraft began its departure taxi.

Human Factors (Operational)

Vladivostok Air Flight 352 stalled and entered a flat spin during its third turn on approach to Irkutsk International Airport. The crash was caused by a series of pilot errors, including poor speed management and inappropriate control inputs that led to an excessive bank angle. While attempting to recover from a steep left bank in IMC conditions, the crew overcorrected and pulled the control column too sharply, inducing a deep stall from which they could not recover due to low altitude.

Pilot Error

A Faraz Qeshm Airlines Yakovlev Yak-40, carrying Iran's Minister of Transportation and other high-ranking officials, crashed into the Alborz Mountains during poor weather conditions. The flight was en route from Tehran to Gorgan for the inauguration of a new airport when it encountered heavy rain and lightning. Approximately ten minutes before its scheduled arrival, the pilot reported an emergency situation and the need to divert or land immediately. The aircraft subsequently struck a heavily forested mountain slope southeast of Sari, killing all 30 people on board.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A U.S. Navy EP-3E signals intelligence aircraft and a People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) J-8II interceptor collided in mid-air approximately 70 miles off Hainan Island. The collision occurred during a routine U.S. surveillance flight in international airspace when the Chinese fighter, piloted by Lt. Cdr. Wang Wei, performed a series of close-proximity maneuvers. The J-8II broke apart and crashed into the sea, resulting in the death of the pilot. The severely damaged EP-3E, missing its nose radome and suffering engine damage, performed an unauthorized emergency landing at Lingshui Airfield on Hainan. The 24 U.S. crew members were detained for 11 days, sparking a major diplomatic crisis between the United States and China.

Mid-air Collision · Multi-aircraft

A chartered Gulfstream III crashed into sloping terrain approximately 2,400 feet short of the runway threshold at Aspen-Pitkin County Airport during a night approach in snow showers. The investigation revealed that the flight crew descended below the minimum descent altitude (MDA) without having the required visual reference for the runway. The flight was operating under significant pressure from the charter customer to land at Aspen despite a looming night curfew and a NOTAM that prohibited the specific instrument approach at night. All 18 occupants, including 15 passengers and 3 crew members, were killed.

Pilot Error

Air Caraïbes Flight 1501 crashed into a house during a steep approach to Gustaf III Airport, resulting in 20 total fatalities. All 19 people on board (17 passengers and 2 crew) were killed, along with one person on the ground. The investigation determined that the captain likely selected the propellers into the reverse beta range while still in flight to control the aircraft's speed and trajectory on short final. This action created a significant thrust asymmetry as the aircraft exited the beta range, leading to a sudden loss of yaw and roll control at an altitude too low for recovery.

Pilot Error

A Boeing 737-400 exploded at the gate while being prepared for a flight to Chiang Mai. The explosion originated in the center wing tank (CWT) and was followed by a second explosion in the right wing tank 18 minutes later. The fire gutted the aircraft, killing one flight attendant. Six people on board and one person on the ground were injured, for a total of seven injuries. The investigation focused on the ignition of fuel vapors in the CWT, which had been heated by the continuous operation of air conditioning packs located directly beneath the tank during high ambient temperatures.

Mechanical Failure

Iberia Flight 1456 suffered a landing gear collapse and hull loss after the aircraft's flight control software prevented the crew from flaring during a high-turbulence approach. While attempting to land at Bilbao Airport in gusty conditions, the Airbus A320 encountered a microburst and windshear. The combination of rapid environmental changes and simultaneous nose-up inputs from both pilots triggered the Alpha Protection (AoA) law. The software, interpreting the high rate of change in the angle of attack as an impending stall, overrode the pilots' commands and commanded a nose-down pitch to prevent the stall. This prevented the aircraft from flaring, resulting in a hard landing at 1,200 feet per minute that collapsed the nose gear and destroyed the airframe.

Human Factors (Operational)

Two Japan Airlines wide-body aircraft narrowly avoided a mid-air collision over Suruga Bay after an air traffic control trainee issued conflicting instructions that counteracted the onboard Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS). Flight 907 (a Boeing 747) was climbing toward FL390 while Flight 958 (a DC-10) was cruising at FL370 on a converging course. The controller mistakenly ordered Flight 907 to descend, while its TCAS issued a 'Climb' Resolution Advisory (RA). Simultaneously, Flight 958's TCAS issued a 'Descend' RA. Because Flight 907 followed the controller's instruction to descend instead of the TCAS RA, both aircraft descended toward each other. A collision was only averted when the Flight 907 pilot performed a last-second visual evasive dive, passing within approximately 135 meters of the other aircraft. The violent maneuver caused 100 injuries on the 747, including 9 serious injuries and 91 minor injuries, as unbelted occupants and service carts struck the cabin ceiling.

Human Factors (Operational) · Multi-aircraft

On January 27, 2001, the sole surviving Antonov An-70 prototype suffered a double engine failure shortly after takeoff from Omsk, Russia. During the initial climb, a hydraulic line rupture in the number 3 engine caused its propfan to malfunction, generating significant negative thrust. As the crew increased power to the remaining engines to compensate, an RPM sensor failure on the number 1 engine triggered an automatic shutdown. With only two engines functioning and one creating massive drag, the crew performed a remarkable 180-degree turn and belly-landed the aircraft in deep snow. All 33 people on board survived, and despite the fuselage fracturing, the aircraft was later recovered, restored to flight, and remained the only flying An-70 prototype for over a decade.

Mechanical Failure

A Beechcraft Super King Air 200 carrying members of the Oklahoma State University basketball team crashed into a field during a snowstorm after experiencing a total loss of A.C. electrical power. The power failure disabled the pilot's primary flight instruments, including the attitude indicator and HSI. In the resulting instrument meteorological conditions, the pilot suffered spatial disorientation and entered a high-speed descending spiral. Although the pilot likely regained visual reference near the ground and attempted a recovery, the resulting aerodynamic loads caused an in-flight structural breakup just before impact.

Pilot Error

RUTACA Airlines Flight 225 crashed into a residential area shortly after takeoff from Ciudad Bolivar following an engine failure. The aircraft, a Douglas C-47A built in 1943, was performing a refueling stop during a tourist charter flight from Canaima to Isla Margarita. Witnesses observed one of the engines on fire as the crew attempted an emergency return to Tomas de Heres Airport. During the climb, the aircraft stalled and crashed approximately 3 kilometers short of the runway, striking a large tree and exploding in the El Peru district and Abobo shantytown. All 24 people on board were killed. While initial reports indicated three injuries on the ground, later records confirm one person on the ground also died from injuries sustained during the impact and subsequent fire, bringing the total death toll to 25.

Mechanical Failure

Yemenia Flight 448 was a domestic scheduled flight from Sanaa to Hodeidah, via Taiz, that was hijacked shortly after takeoff on January 22, 2001, by an Iraqi national armed with a pen gun. The hijacker demanded to be flown to Baghdad, Iraq, and claimed to have explosives in his luggage. The flight crew successfully convinced the hijacker to divert to Djibouti for refueling, where they subsequently overpowered him after landing. All 101 people on board survived, with the only injury being a flight engineer who was grazed by a bullet during the struggle to subdue the perpetrator.

Security / Sabotage

Sabena Flight 877 was struck by machine gun fire from Hutu rebels during its final approach to Bujumbura International Airport. Despite the aircraft being hit by 13 bullets at an altitude of approximately 100 meters, the crew landed the plane safely. Two individuals sustained minor injuries, and the aircraft suffered damage to its nose wheel hydraulic system.

Military Action

An American Airlines Airbus A300 experienced a fatal ground decompression during an emergency evacuation after returning to Miami due to pressurization issues. The flight crew failed to follow checklists for manual pressurization control and emergency landing, which required depressurizing the aircraft before landing. When the captain ordered an evacuation on a taxiway due to suspected fire warnings, the cabin remained significantly pressurized. As the purser attempted to open the L1 door, the internal pressure caused the door to open explosively, ejecting the purser from the aircraft and resulting in fatal injuries.

Pilot Error

An Asa Pesada Antonov An-24RV crashed shortly after takeoff from Luanda, killing all 57 people on board. The aircraft banked sharply to the left and climbed to approximately 200 feet before losing altitude and impacting an open field in the Golfe II district. Eyewitnesses reported seeing smoke or fire coming from the aircraft before it hit the ground. Investigators attributed the crash to a failure of the left engine during the initial climb. The investigation also highlighted significant operational negligence, including the airline's failure to maintain accurate passenger manifests and weight and balance records.

Engine Failure

Singapore Airlines Flight 006, a scheduled passenger flight from Singapore Changi Airport to Los Angeles with a stopover at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport (now Taoyuan International Airport), crashed during a takeoff attempt from a closed runway during Typhoon Xangsane. The flight crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 05R, which was closed for construction, instead of the intended Runway 05L. During the takeoff roll in heavy rain and low visibility, the Boeing 747-400 collided with concrete barriers and construction equipment, including excavators. The aircraft broke apart and caught fire, resulting in 83 fatalities. All three flight crew members survived the crash.

Pilot Error

Aeroméxico Flight 250 overran the runway during a landing attempt in severe weather conditions caused by the remnants of Hurricane Keith. The aircraft touched down nearly halfway along the 1,900-meter runway at excessive speed following an unstable non-precision approach. The DC-9 broke through the airport perimeter, destroyed at least two cars and three houses in the Francisco Sarabia neighborhood, and came to rest in a ditch near the Rhode Canal. While all 88 occupants survived the crash, four people on the ground were killed when the aircraft struck their home.

Pilot Error

A Beechcraft Super King Air 200, chartered by the Sons of Gwalia mining company, crashed in remote Queensland after flying for five hours with an incapacitated pilot and passengers. The aircraft departed Perth for Leonora but failed to level off at its assigned altitude of 25,000 feet, continuing to climb until it reached approximately 34,300 feet. Air traffic control recordings captured the pilot's speech and breathing patterns deteriorating in a manner consistent with hypoxia. The aircraft eventually exhausted its fuel and impacted the ground at high speed near Burketown. All eight people on board were killed.

Human Factors (Operational)

Gulf Air Flight 072 crashed into the Persian Gulf during a go-around following an unstable approach to Bahrain International Airport. The flight crew, led by a relatively inexperienced captain, attempted a non-standard 360-degree orbit at low altitude to lose speed and altitude. During the subsequent go-around, the captain suffered from spatial disorientation (somatogravic illusion), falsely perceiving the aircraft was pitching up during acceleration. He responded by pushing the nose down, driving the aircraft into the sea despite Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) alerts.

Human Factors (Operational)