Aviation Accident Summary Archive

Myanma Airways Flight 635 crashed into a hillside during a low-visibility approach to Tachileik Airport, killing all 36 people on board. The flight, primarily carrying military personnel and their families, disappeared from radar amid poor weather conditions. Initial search efforts were hampered by conflicting reports, including a false claim that the aircraft had landed safely in Laos. The wreckage was eventually discovered in a mountainous, densely forested area just two miles from the destination airport.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Proteus Airlines Beechcraft 1900D collided with a Cessna 177 Cardinal over Quiberon Bay after the commercial crew deviated from their flight plan to view the ocean liner SS Norway. The collision occurred because the Cessna's transponder was inactive, rendering it invisible to radar and the Beechcraft's (recently removed) TCAS, while the Proteus crew failed to maintain adequate visual lookout during a 360 degree turn.

Mid-air Collision · Multi-aircraft

A Boeing 737-200, leased from the Peruvian Air Force and operated for Occidental Petroleum, crashed into a dense wooded area during a night NDB approach to Andoas. The aircraft was carrying oil company employees and subcontractors when it descended below the minimum safe altitude in poor weather conditions, including heavy rain and limited visibility. The impact occurred approximately 3 kilometers short of the runway, resulting in the deaths of 75 of the 88 people on board.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Air France Flight 422, operated by a TAME Boeing 727 under a wet-lease agreement, crashed into the Cerro el Cable mountain shortly after departing Bogotá. The flight crew failed to execute a mandatory right turn required by the Girardot 1 departure procedure, instead continuing on the runway heading into mountainous terrain. The accident resulted in the deaths of all 53 people on board.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Philippine Airlines Flight 137 overran the runway at Bacolod City Domestic Airport after the flight crew failed to retard the number one engine to idle during landing. The aircraft was operating with the number one engine's thrust reverser inoperative per the Minimum Equipment List (MEL). Upon touchdown, the pilot retarded only the number two engine to reverse thrust while leaving the number one engine in the climb detent. This configuration inhibited the deployment of ground spoilers and caused the autothrottle to disengage, which commanded the number one engine to increase to climb power. The resulting asymmetrical thrust caused the aircraft to veer off the runway, jump a small river, and plow into a residential area, destroying approximately 30 houses. While all 130 occupants survived, three people on the ground were killed.

Pilot Error

An Ariana Afghan Airlines Boeing 727-200 crashed into a mountain during a low-visibility approach to Kabul International Airport, killing all 45 people on board. The flight, which originated in Sharjah and stopped in Kandahar, was operating in poor weather conditions including snow and rain. The accident occurred during the Taliban regime's control of Afghanistan, and the site was complicated by the presence of Soviet-era landmines. No formal accident report was ever released due to the country's international isolation at the time.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Formosa Airlines Flight 7623 crashed into the Taiwan Strait shortly after takeoff from Hsinchu Airport following a total loss of control. The crew initiated the flight despite a failure of the right-hand main electrical bus, which disabled the autopilot, the first officer's primary flight instruments (EFIS), and the yaw damper. While flying manually in dark, instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), the captain became spatially disoriented and fatigued, failing to notice the aircraft entering a steepening right-hand bank. The crew's failure to follow the Minimum Equipment List (MEL) and standard operating procedures led to the fatal loss of situational awareness.

Human Factors (Operational)

A Bell 212 helicopter, operated by Alpine Helicopters for the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA), crashed into mountainous terrain near Aguacatán. Of the nine occupants on board, five were killed and four survived with injuries.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

China Airlines Flight 676 stalled and crashed into a residential neighborhood during a botched go-around at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport. The flight crew inadvertently disconnected the autopilot while attempting to correct a high approach but failed to take manual control of the aircraft. This led to an extreme nose-up pitch and a subsequent deep stall from which the crew could not recover.

Pilot Error

A Sudanese Air Force Antonov An-32 carrying high-ranking government officials overshot the runway at Nasir Airport and plunged into the Sobat River. The aircraft was attempting to land in poor weather conditions characterized by fog and strong winds. The crew touched down too far down the runway, leaving insufficient distance to stop the turboprop. Of the 57 people on board, 27 died (though some sources report 26), primarily due to drowning, including Sudan's Vice President, Zubair Mohamed Salih.

Pilot Error

A United States Marine Corps EA-6B Prowler, callsign EASY 01, struck and severed the support cables of an aerial lift near Cavalese, Italy, during a low-altitude training mission. The aircraft was flying at approximately 470 to 540 knots at an altitude between 80 and 100 meters (260 to 330 feet), significantly below the mandated minimum altitude of 2,000 feet. The impact caused a cable car cabin containing 20 people to plunge over 80 meters to the ground, killing everyone on board. While all four crew members on the aircraft survived, the disaster resulted in 20 ground fatalities. The aircraft sustained damage to its right wing and tail but was able to return to Aviano Air Base.

Pilot Error

Cebu Pacific Flight 387 struck the slopes of Mount Sumagaya while on approach to Cagayan de Oro, killing all 104 people on board. The aircraft was performing an unscheduled stopover in Tacloban to deliver spare tires for another aircraft before continuing its journey. During the final leg, the flight deviated from its intended path in marginal weather conditions and impacted the mountain approximately 45 kilometers from the destination airport.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A United Airlines Boeing 747-122 encountered severe clear air turbulence approximately 870 nautical miles east-southeast of Narita, Japan, while en route to Honolulu. The aircraft experienced rapid vertical acceleration excursions, reaching +1.81 G followed by -0.82 G, which threw unbuckled passengers and crew against the cabin ceiling. One passenger was killed and 18 others sustained serious injuries, with over 160 others sustaining minor injuries. The investigation determined that the flightcrew inadvertently entered an area of turbulence that had not been forecast, and that a Japanese-speaking flight attendant failed to fully translate a critical safety advisory regarding seat belts. Although the NTSB officially classified the aircraft damage as 'Minor' due to a lack of structural failure, the aircraft was retired and written off for economic reasons following the accident, as it was already slated for salvage in early 1998 and the cost of interior repairs was not justified.

Weather

SilkAir Flight 185 entered a rapid, nearly vertical dive from its cruise altitude of 35,000 feet and crashed into the Musi River, killing everyone on board. The aircraft broke up in flight due to extreme forces as it exceeded the speed of sound during the descent. Both flight recorders had stopped functioning minutes before the dive began, leading to a highly contentious investigation. While the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) officially concluded that the evidence was insufficient to determine a cause, the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued a dissenting opinion, stating the crash was the result of intentional pilot action, most likely by the captain.

Pilot Error

Aerosvit Flight 241, a Yakovlev Yak-42 chartered from Lviv Airlines, crashed into the Pierian Mountains during a missed approach to Thessaloniki. The flight crew, who were unfamiliar with the airport, became profoundly disoriented after failing to follow the published arrival procedure and overshooting the runway. A combination of an inoperative No. 1 VHF/NAV receiver, confusion over metric versus imperial distance units, and a lack of radar at the airport led the crew to fly away from the airport into mountainous terrain while believing they were established on a second approach.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Tajikistan Airlines Flight 3183 crashed into the desert during approach to Sharjah International Airport, killing 85 of the 86 people on board. The aircraft descended below its assigned altitude and the Minimum Descent Altitude (MDA) while the crew was distracted by turbulence and failed to adhere to standard approach procedures. The sole survivor was the flight navigator.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Sowind Air Flight 301 crashed into trees during a second approach to Little Grand Rapids in marginal weather conditions, including low ceilings and fog. The aircraft was being flown significantly below the minimum descent altitude (MDA) and was approximately 1,000 pounds over its maximum allowable weight. While maneuvering at low level, the crew increased engine power and executed abrupt banking maneuvers before striking terrain. The investigation highlighted systemic failures in the airline's safety management and inadequate oversight by Transport Canada.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

On December 6, 1997, a Russian Air Force Antonov An-124-100 transport aircraft, leased by Ukrainian Cargo Airways (operating for Cargotrans), crashed into a residential neighborhood in Irkutsk seconds after takeoff. The aircraft was carrying two Sukhoi Su-27UBK fighters destined for Vietnam when three of its four Lotarev D-18T engines failed in rapid succession. The heavy transport reached a maximum altitude of 66 meters before stalling and crashing into apartment blocks and an orphanage. All 23 people on board and approximately 49 people on the ground were killed. The investigation identified compressor surges in two engines and a fuel shutoff valve activation in a third, though the underlying trigger for these simultaneous failures remains a subject of technical debate due to severe flight recorder damage.

Engine Failure

Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 2553 crashed during a domestic flight from Posadas to Buenos Aires after the crew received erroneous airspeed indications. While flying through a storm, the aircraft's pitot tubes iced over, causing the airspeed indicators to show a decrease in speed. Misinterpreting this as a genuine loss of speed, the pilots increased engine power and eventually extended the slats at a high velocity. The aerodynamic forces caused the slats to fail asymmetrically, leading to a total loss of control and a near-vertical high-speed impact.

Sensor / Instrument Failure

Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 crashed into a mountainous forest during its approach to Medan in conditions of extremely low visibility caused by the 1997 Southeast Asian haze. The accident remains the deadliest aviation disaster in Indonesian history.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A United States Air Force C-141B Starlifter and a German Luftwaffe Tupolev Tu-154M collided in mid-air at 35,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 65 nautical miles west of the Namibian coast. The collision occurred because the German aircraft was flying at an incorrect altitude for its direction of flight, in violation of the semicircular rule, while operating in an area with severely deficient air traffic control coordination. Both aircraft were destroyed and all 33 occupants were killed. Neither aircraft was equipped with a Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), which investigators concluded could have prevented the disaster.

Pilot Error · Multi-aircraft

Helikopter Service Flight 451 crashed into the Norwegian Sea after a fatigue failure in the right-hand engine's high-speed transmission shaft led to a catastrophic turbine burst. The disintegration of the shaft and subsequent turbine failure destroyed the adjacent engine and severed flight control rods, rendering the helicopter uncontrollable. All 12 occupants were killed when the aircraft fell from approximately 1,800 feet into the sea. The investigation highlighted that Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS) data, if analyzed, could have detected the developing fatigue cracks days before the accident.

Mechanical Failure

Royal Brunei Airlines Flight 839, a Dornier 228 operated by Merpati Intan, crashed into a slope in Lambir Hills National Park during a visual approach to Miri Airport in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The aircraft struck treetops at approximately 500 meters (1,600 feet) elevation, roughly 13.7 kilometers south of the airport. All 10 occupants were killed. The investigation determined that the crew attempted a visual approach despite a reported cloud ceiling below the approved initial approach level, leading to a loss of visual reference and subsequent collision with terrain.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Vietnam Airlines Flight 815 crashed during a heavy rainstorm while attempting to land at Phnom Penh's Pochentong International Airport. The captain ignored multiple warnings from his flight crew to abort the approach despite having no visual contact with the runway. The aircraft struck palm trees and a house before crashing into a rice field, leaving a 14-month-old boy as the sole survivor.

Pilot Error