Aviation Accident Summary Archive

On January 5, 2002, a 15-year-old student pilot stole a Cessna 172R from St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport and intentionally crashed it into the Bank of America Plaza in downtown Tampa. The pilot, Charles J. Bishop, was the sole fatality; there were no injuries on the ground despite the aircraft impacting the 28th floor of the 42-story skyscraper. Investigators recovered a suicide note from the pilot's person expressing support for the September 11 attacks and claiming to act on behalf of Al Qaeda, though no actual links to terrorist organizations were found. The NTSB determined the cause was the unauthorized use of an aircraft for the purpose of committing suicide.

Other

A Britten-Norman Islander stalled and crashed into the Weser River shortly after takeoff from Bremerhaven Airport, killing eight of the nine people on board. The investigation determined that the pilot failed to adequately remove snow from the wings following a winter shower, leading to a critical loss of lift during the initial climb. The aircraft reached a maximum height of approximately 195 feet before losing altitude and impacting the water.

Pilot Error

A transatlantic flight was the target of a failed terrorist attack when a passenger attempted to detonate plastic explosives concealed in his shoes. Shortly after meal service, flight attendants and passengers discovered Richard Reid attempting to light a fuse protruding from his footwear. Reid was subdued and restrained by the cabin crew and passengers after a violent struggle. The aircraft, escorted by F-15 fighter jets, diverted to Boston where the perpetrator was arrested. The explosives, consisting of TATP and PETN, failed to ignite due to dampness caused by foot perspiration and rainy weather during the perpetrator's wait at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.

Security / Sabotage

Crossair Flight 3597 crashed into a wooded hillside during a night approach to Zurich Airport, killing 24 of the 33 people on board (28 passengers and 5 crew members). The accident occurred after the flight was redirected to runway 28 to comply with late-night noise abatement regulations. The captain deliberately descended the aircraft below the Minimum Descent Altitude (MDA) without having the required visual contact with the runway or approach lights. The aircraft struck trees 4.05 kilometers short of the runway while the crew was attempting a late go-around maneuver.

Pilot Error

ELK Airways Flight 1007 crashed into marshland and trees approximately 1.5 kilometers short of the runway at Kärdla Airport during a domestic flight from Tallinn. The crew, encountering icing conditions, abandoned their planned instrument approach in favor of a visual approach without air traffic control clearance. During this transition, the aircraft maintained an excessive descent rate and insufficient airspeed, leading to a controlled flight into terrain. One passenger died on impact, and a 10 year old boy died of his injuries six days later.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Fishtail Air Eurocopter AS350 crashed into Rara Lake shortly after takeoff from Gamgadhi Army Base, killing four of the six people on board. The flight was a private charter carrying Princess Prekshya Shah of Nepal and her entourage. According to reports, the Princess requested the pilot to circle over the lake for a better view, and the aircraft plunged into the water while performing the turn. Two passengers survived the impact after being thrown from the helicopter mid-air.

Pilot Error

American Airlines Flight 587 crashed into a residential neighborhood in Belle Harbor shortly after takeoff from JFK Airport. The accident was caused by the in-flight separation of the vertical stabilizer and rudder following excessive and unnecessary rudder pedal inputs by the first officer while attempting to counter wake turbulence from a preceding Boeing 747. All 260 people on board and five people on the ground were killed.

Pilot Error

Flightline Flight 101 crashed into the Mediterranean Sea following a suspected total electrical failure caused by a lightning strike. The aircraft was operating a charter flight from Barcelona to Oran when it encountered a severe thunderstorm. After requesting a course deviation to avoid the weather, the aircraft disappeared from radar. Investigators believe the lightning strike disabled critical flight systems, including instruments and elevator trim, which led to a loss of control or spatial disorientation in conditions of zero visibility and heavy turbulence.

Weather

A Scandinavian Airlines MD-87 collided with a Cessna Citation CJ2 on a fog-shrouded runway at Linate Airport. The Cessna had inadvertently taxied onto the active runway via the wrong taxiway due to inadequate signage and ground markings. After the collision, the MD-87 crashed into a baggage handling building.

Human Factors (Operational) · Multi-aircraft

Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 was accidentally shot down by a Ukrainian S-200 surface-to-air missile during a joint military exercise. The aircraft was cruising at 36,000 feet over the Black Sea when the missile, which had missed its intended target drone, locked onto the airliner instead. The warhead detonated approximately 15 meters above the aircraft, causing catastrophic structural damage and an immediate loss of control. All 78 people on board were killed when the aircraft crashed into the sea.

Other

A Russian Mil Mi-8 VIP transport helicopter was shot down by a surface-to-air missile over Grozny, killing all 13 personnel on board. The victims included two high-ranking generals and eight colonels from the Russian General Staff and Ministry of Defence who were conducting a commission in the region. The aircraft was targeted shortly after departing Grozny for the Khankala airbase, from where the officers intended to return to Moscow.

Military Action

American Airlines Flight 11 was the first of four aircraft hijacked as part of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Five al-Qaeda terrorists breached the cockpit approximately 15 minutes after takeoff, fatally stabbing a passenger and injuring flight attendants. Lead hijacker Mohamed Atta took control of the aircraft, eventually flying it into the North Tower (WTC 1) of the World Trade Center in New York City. The impact killed all 92 people on board and approximately 1,600 people on the ground and in the tower.

Security / Sabotage

United Airlines Flight 175 was a scheduled domestic flight hijacked by five al-Qaeda terrorists and deliberately crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center. The impact killed all 65 people on board and approximately 600-900 people within the building and on the ground. The crash was televised live globally as news crews were already filming the burning North Tower, which had been struck 17 minutes earlier by American Airlines Flight 11.

Security / Sabotage

American Airlines Flight 77 was a scheduled domestic flight hijacked by five al-Qaeda terrorists as part of the September 11 attacks. The hijackers took control of the aircraft approximately 31 minutes after takeoff and deliberately crashed it into the western side of the Pentagon. The impact and subsequent fire killed all 64 people on board (including the five hijackers) and 125 individuals inside the building.

Security / Sabotage

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

A ground refueler was fatally injured when a pressurized refueling hose broke loose from a British Airways Boeing 777-236, creating a fuel mist that ignited into a fireball. The aircraft was parked at Gate A37 at Denver International Airport with 26 occupants remaining on board when the inboard refueling adapter ring failed under an abnormal angular load. The investigation determined the refueler had improperly positioned the hydrant truck and routed the hose over a railing, which then snagged and applied excessive off-axis force to the adapter as the lift platform was lowered.

Human Factors (Operational)

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

On June 25, 2001, a Cessna 206 operated by Taxis Aéreos de Sinaloa crashed during a maneuvering approach to Cinco Llagas Airport in Mexico, resulting in the deaths of all six people on board. The investigation into the accident is ongoing, and no official cause has been determined by the NTSB.

Under Investigation

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)

On April 28, 2001, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan operated by Les Grands Jorasses crashed into farmland near Roque Pérez, Argentina, during a charter flight. The aircraft was carrying eight passengers and two crew members, all of whom were killed in the impact. The Argentine JIAAC investigation concluded that the aircraft encountered severe icing conditions while climbing through 10,000 feet, leading to a stall and a right-hand spiral dive. Contributing factors included an overweight operation, inadequate pilot rest, and the limited capability of the aircraft to operate in the prevailing icing conditions.

Under Investigation