Aviation Accident Summary Archive

Two Royal Malaysian Navy helicopters collided mid-air during a rehearsal for the 90th Navy Day parade at the Lumut Naval Base. The collision occurred when a Eurocopter Fennec clipped the tail rotor of an AgustaWestland AW139 while performing a tactical flypast. Both aircraft lost control and crashed within the naval base grounds, resulting in the deaths of all 10 personnel on board both helicopters. While the Navy established an investigation board to determine the formal cause, preliminary reports and secondary sources attributed the accident to pilot error by the Fennec crew who failed to maintain separation.

Pilot Error · Multi-aircraft

A Douglas C-54D Skymaster cargo aircraft crashed into a steep hill on the bank of the Tanana River following an in-flight engine failure, fire, and subsequent fuel explosion. Shortly after takeoff from Fairbanks, the number one (outboard left) engine lost power. When the crew attempted to feather the propeller, an incorrectly installed B-nut in the feathering system allowed high-pressure oil to spray onto the hot exhaust, igniting a fire. This fire then ignited fuel that had been leaking from a poorly repaired wing tank into the nacelle area, causing a catastrophic explosion. The explosion separated the aileron bell housing, leading to a total loss of control. The number one engine physically separated from the wing and landed on the frozen Tanana River, while the main wreckage impacted the adjacent hillside.

Human Factors (Maintenance)

On 5 March 2024 at about 0634 UTC a Cessna 172M (5Y-NNJ) flying circuits on runway 07 and a Safarilink Dash 8-315 (5Y-SLK) departing runway 14 with 44 people on board collided over Nairobi National Park. The Cessna crashed, killing its instructor and student pilot. The Dash 8 landed back at Wilson Airport at 0637-0638 with minor damage: a missing 99 mm section of the right horizontal stabilizer de-icing boot. Radar playback puts the collision at about 6,100 ft. Kenya's AAID has published a preliminary report only.

Mid-air Collision · Multi-aircraft

Air Serbia Flight 324, operated by Marathon Airlines, sustained substantial damage after overrunning the runway during takeoff from Belgrade. The crew mistakenly entered the runway at intersection D5 instead of the planned D6, leaving only 1,273 meters of available takeoff run. Despite air traffic control questioning the position, the crew elected to proceed. The aircraft struck approach lights and an ILS monitor antenna before becoming airborne. After circling for approximately one hour with a punctured fuselage and leaking fuel, the aircraft landed safely back at Belgrade with no injuries to the 111 occupants.

Pilot Error

A Russian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76M transport aircraft crashed near the village of Yablonovo in the Belgorod Oblast, killing all 74 people on board. Russian officials stated the aircraft was transporting 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war for a scheduled exchange, along with six crew members and three guards. U.S. officials later indicated the aircraft was shot down by a Ukrainian surface-to-air missile battery, likely a Patriot system, though Ukraine has not officially confirmed responsibility for the shootdown and has questioned the presence of POWs on the flight.

Military Action

Shortly after takeoff, a mid-cabin door plug blew out at approximately 14,800 feet, causing a rapid decompression. The aircraft returned to Portland for a safe emergency landing. The investigation revealed that four critical securing bolts were missing, having been removed during manufacturing rework at Boeing's Renton facility and never reinstalled.

Human Factors (Maintenance)

A Japan Airlines Airbus A350-941 collided with a Japan Coast Guard De Havilland Canada DHC-8-315Q on runway 34R at Haneda Airport during landing. The Coast Guard aircraft had entered the runway and held position after misinterpreting an air traffic control instruction to hold short as a takeoff clearance. All 379 occupants of the JAL aircraft successfully evacuated within 11 minutes before the airframe was destroyed by fire, while five of the six crew members aboard the Coast Guard aircraft were killed.

Human Factors (Operational) · Multi-aircraft

A Learjet 35A air ambulance operated by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance crashed and exploded after overrunning Runway 20 at Cuernavaca Airport. The aircraft reportedly touched down long, exited the runway surface, and descended a steep embankment where it struck trees and bushes. All four occupants, including two pilots and two medical personnel, were killed in the post-crash fire and explosions.

Under Investigation

A Manaus Aerotaxi Embraer EMB-110P1 Bandeirante crashed during a landing attempt at Barcelos Airport in heavy rain, killing all 14 people on board. The aircraft, carrying Brazilian tourists to a sport fishing competition, suffered a runway excursion after touching down late on a contaminated runway. The investigation concluded that the crew failed to adhere to minimum visibility requirements and lacked effective Cockpit Resource Management (CRM) during the final approach, leading to an unstable landing and subsequent overrun into an embankment.

Weather

Ural Airlines Flight 1383 performed a successful emergency landing in a wheat field after the crew miscalculated fuel reserves during a diversion. Following a failure of the green hydraulic system on approach to Omsk, the pilots elected to divert to Novosibirsk for its longer runway. However, they failed to account for the increased drag from the landing gear, which remained extended due to the hydraulic failure. The crew mistakenly believed the gear had retracted and only the doors remained open, leading them to apply a 25 percent fuel penalty instead of the required 180 percent. Realizing they lacked the fuel to reach their alternate, the crew executed a forced landing in an agricultural field. All 167 occupants survived without injury.

Human Factors (Operational)

An Embraer Legacy 600 carrying the leadership of the Wagner Group, including Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, suffered an in-flight breakup and crashed near Kuzhenkino. The aircraft was cruising at approximately 28,000 feet when it experienced a sudden and catastrophic loss of control, falling vertically with a missing wing and tail section. All ten people on board were killed. The crash occurred exactly two months after Prigozhin led a brief armed mutiny against the Russian military leadership, leading to widespread international speculation regarding the cause of the event.

Other

A Beechcraft 390 Premier I business jet crashed onto the Guthrie Corridor Expressway near Elmina while on final approach to Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, killing all eight people on board and two individuals on the ground. The Malaysian Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) determined that the flight crew inadvertently extended the lift dump spoilers during the Before Landing checklist. This action caused an immediate and catastrophic loss of lift at low altitude, leading to a sharp right bank and descent from which recovery was impossible.

Pilot Error

A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan skydiving aircraft (MSN 208B0854, manufactured in 2000) crashed into an airfield hangar during a training flight, resulting in six fatalities. The aircraft was carrying three occupants (one instructor and two trainees) while performing touch-and-go maneuvers. During a go-around, the instructor assumed control at low altitude and executed a steep left turn, causing the aircraft to stall and strike a building where people were sheltering from a storm. The fatalities included the instructor pilot and five individuals on the ground; both trainee pilots survived with minor injuries.

Under Investigation

A Cessna Citation V crashed into mountainous terrain in Virginia after the pilot and passengers were likely incapacitated by hypoxia. The aircraft, which had departed Tennessee for New York, failed to descend at its destination and instead performed a 180-degree turn, flying back toward Washington, D.C. The unresponsive jet prompted a high-speed interception by F-16 fighter jets, which observed the pilot slumped over at the controls. The aircraft eventually exhausted its fuel or lost aerodynamic control, entering a rapid, near-vertical descent into the George Washington National Forest.

Human Factors (Maintenance)

A Cessna U206G light aircraft crashed into the Colombian Amazon following a total engine failure, leading to a 40-day survival ordeal for four indigenous children. The pilot reported the engine failure via radio at 7:34 am local time before contact was lost. The pilot and an indigenous leader died on impact; the children's mother survived for four days before succumbing to her injuries. The four siblings, aged 11 months to 13 years, survived in the dense rainforest by utilizing indigenous knowledge of local flora until they were discovered by a joint military and indigenous search team on June 10, 2023.

Engine Failure

A Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) UH-60JA helicopter crashed into the sea northwest of Miyako Island during a terrain reconnaissance mission, killing all 10 personnel on board. The aircraft disappeared from radar at 15:56 JST, just two minutes after its last routine radio communication. The investigation determined that both engines lost power in rapid succession, a catastrophic sequence that left the crew with insufficient time or altitude to recover or transmit an emergency signal.

Engine Failure

On January 18, 2023, a State Emergency Service Eurocopter EC225 Super Puma carrying the leadership of Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs crashed into a kindergarten and residential area in Brovary. The accident killed all 9 people on board, including Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi, and 5 people on the ground, for a total of 14 fatalities. Investigators determined the flight was conducted in heavy fog by a crew lacking the necessary permits for adverse weather conditions. While attempting to avoid a multi-story building at extremely low altitude, the pilot performed an abrupt maneuver, lost spatial orientation, and collided with the ground.

Human Factors (Operational)

Yeti Airlines Flight 691 stalled and crashed into a gorge near the Seti Gandaki River during a visual approach to Pokhara International Airport, killing all 72 people on board. The investigation determined that the instructor pilot, acting as Pilot Monitoring (PM), accidentally moved both condition levers into the feathered position while intending to deploy the flaps. This action caused a total loss of thrust. The crew failed to identify the cause of the power loss despite multiple cockpit alerts and instead continued the approach until the aircraft reached an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude.

Pilot Error

A Piedmont Airlines ramp agent was fatally injured when she was ingested into the operating No. 1 engine of an Embraer ERJ-175 while it was parked at the gate. The aircraft was operating with its left engine running due to an inoperative auxiliary power unit (APU). Despite multiple safety briefings and warnings from the lead ramp agent, the agent walked directly in front of the engine inlet while the aircraft's red beacon lights were still illuminated. The NTSB determined the probable cause was the ramp agent's cognitive impairment, likely influenced by underlying medical conditions and recent cannabis use, which led to behavior inconsistent with established safety procedures.

Human Factors (Operational)

A LATAM Perú Airbus A320neo collided with an airport fire engine during its takeoff roll at Jorge Chávez International Airport. The fire engine was participating in a planned emergency response time exercise and entered the active runway without clear authorization from air traffic control. The collision resulted in the deaths of three firefighters and the first hull loss of an Airbus A320neo aircraft.

Human Factors (Operational)

During the Wings Over Dallas WWII airshow, a Bell P-63F Kingcobra collided with a Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress while performing a descending banked turn. The P-63 pilot, in a high-speed trail formation, lost sight of the B-17 due to the aircraft's design and the geometry of the turn. Both aircraft were destroyed on impact, and all six crew members across both planes were killed. The investigation focused on the lack of altitude deconfliction and inadequate pre-flight briefing by the air show organizers.

Human Factors (Operational) · Multi-aircraft

Precision Air Flight 494 crashed into Lake Victoria during an attempted landing at Bukoba Airport in severe weather conditions. The aircraft impacted the water approximately 500 meters short of the runway threshold after the crew attempted a third approach in heavy rain, thunderstorms, and turbulence. While 24 people were rescued by local fishermen and emergency responders, 19 individuals, including both pilots, lost their lives.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet crashed into a residential building in Irkutsk during an acceptance test flight, killing both pilots. The aircraft was observed flying at 9,000 meters during a period of crew unresponsiveness before it descended to 600 meters, entered a holding pattern, and eventually entered a near-vertical dive. Preliminary findings suggest the pilots may have been incapacitated by a malfunction in the oxygen system, possibly involving nitrogen contamination.

Under Investigation

Korean Air Flight 631 overran the runway at Mactan-Cebu International Airport following a total loss of braking capability caused by a hydraulic failure. The aircraft, an Airbus A330-322, sustained a hard landing during a second go-around attempt, which severed hydraulic lines in the nose gear bay. When the aircraft finally touched down on its third attempt, the crew found they had no brakes or nose-wheel steering, leading to a high-speed excursion into the airport perimeter fence and localizer antenna.

Mechanical Failure