Aviation Accident Summary Archive

Tower Air Flight 41, a Boeing 747-136, veered off the left side of runway 4L during a takeoff attempt at JFK International Airport on a slippery, snow-covered runway. The captain applied excessive nosewheel steering tiller inputs, which led to a loss of directional control. Despite the aircraft veering, the captain briefly reapplied thrust before eventually rejecting the takeoff. The aircraft skidded across taxiway Kilo and runway 13R/31L, striking an electrical transformer and losing its number four engine. All 468 occupants survived, with only one serious injury reported among the crew.

Pilot Error

American Airlines Flight 965 crashed into a mountain during a night approach to Cali, Colombia, after the crew inadvertently entered an incorrect waypoint into the Flight Management System (FMS), causing the aircraft to turn away from the established path while descending.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Lockheed L-188C Electra crashed two minutes after takeoff from Jamba Airport, killing 141 of the 144 people on board. The aircraft was severely overloaded, carrying 139 passengers despite being certified for a maximum of 97. Investigators believe the excessive weight, possibly exacerbated by shifting cargo, caused the aircraft to stall and crash during its initial climb. The flight was a special charter reportedly repatriating Congolese refugees, though some reports suggested it was linked to UNITA operations.

Human Factors (Operational)

Banat Air Flight 166 crashed shortly after takeoff from Verona Airport due to a loss of control caused by wing icing and a significant aircraft overload. The flight crew elected not to de-ice the aircraft despite continuous snowfall and freezing temperatures. Shortly after lifting off, the aircraft suffered aerodynamic degradation, entered a steep right bank of 67 degrees, and struck the ground 1.5 kilometers from the runway.

Pilot Error

On December 7, 1995, an Air Saint Martin Beechcraft 1900D crashed into a mountain near Belle-Anse, Haiti, while on a deportation charter flight for the French government. The aircraft was transporting 18 illegal immigrants from French Guiana and Guadeloupe back to Port-au-Prince. During the approach, the aircraft drifted approximately ten nautical miles off its intended course. Despite being cleared by air traffic control to descend to 4,000 feet, the aircraft struck a mountain at an elevation of 5,030 feet, killing all 20 people on board.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Tupolev Tu-154B-1 crashed into Bo-Dzhausa Mountain after entering a steep, high-speed spiral dive during cruise. The aircraft had a known mechanical defect causing a left-wing-low roll tendency, which the crew attempted to correct by creating a fuel imbalance. While flying on autopilot on a leg from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Khabarovsk, the crew failed to notice the aircraft banking excessively to the right as the fuel shifted, leading to a complete loss of control.

Human Factors (Operational)

Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 56 crashed shortly after takeoff from Nakhchivan when the crew mistakenly shut down the aircraft's only functioning engine. Following a mechanical failure of the number 1 (left) engine, the flight engineer incorrectly identified the failure as occurring in the number 2 (right) engine. The captain, lacking physical sensory cues because the co-pilot had already corrected the initial yaw, ordered the shutdown of the healthy engine. The aircraft stalled and crashed into a field while attempting an emergency landing, narrowly avoiding an apartment complex.

Human Factors (CRM)

Cameroon Airlines Flight 3701 crashed into a mangrove swamp during a second approach to Douala after suffering a power loss in the left engine. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-200 named Nyong, experienced a structural fatigue failure of a fan blade in the No. 1 engine. During a subsequent go-around attempt, the crew failed to manage the resulting thrust asymmetry and degraded performance, leading to a loss of control and a steep dive into the terrain. Five people survived the accident.

Engine Failure

Nigeria Airways Flight 357 crashed during a landing attempt at Kaduna Airport after the captain insisted on landing with a tailwind on runway 23 despite controller warnings. The aircraft conducted a highly unstable, steep approach and touched down approximately 7,820 feet down the runway, leaving insufficient distance to stop. During the resulting runway excursion, the captain attempted a high-speed turn into a taxiway to avoid runway end lights, causing the aircraft to skid uncontrollably. The right wing struck the ground, rupturing fuel tanks and igniting a massive fire that destroyed the airframe and killed 11 passengers.

Pilot Error

American Airlines Flight 1572 struck trees on Peak Mountain and an ILS antenna while performing a non-precision VOR approach to Bradley International Airport during a severe storm. The impact caused both engines to ingest debris and fail, but the flight crew successfully glided the aircraft onto the runway. The accident was caused by the crew's failure to maintain the Minimum Descent Altitude (MDA), exacerbated by an incorrect altimeter setting and rapidly falling barometric pressure that was not communicated to the pilots.

Pilot Error

LADE Flight 072, a Fokker F27 Friendship 400M operated by the Argentine Air Force's state airline, crashed into the Cerro Los Linderos mountain while attempting to navigate around a thunderstorm front. The aircraft was performing a charter flight carrying military personnel and their families to a graduation ceremony. After a weather-related delay at an intermediate stop, the crew elected to proceed at a lower altitude to avoid storm activity. While flying this modified route, the aircraft struck a mountainside at approximately 2,400 meters (7,874 feet) elevation, killing all 53 occupants. The investigation determined the cause was controlled flight into terrain resulting from the crew's decision to fly at an altitude insufficient to clear the mountainous terrain along their path.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Boeing E-3B Sentry crashed shortly after takeoff from Elmendorf Air Force Base after ingesting multiple Canada geese into its number 1 and 2 engines. The aircraft, callsign Yukla 27, was beginning a training mission when it encountered a flock of birds that had been disturbed by a preceding C-130 Hercules. The loss of power from two engines on the left wing, combined with a heavy fuel load, prevented the aircraft from maintaining altitude. It reached a maximum height of 250 feet before descending into a wooded area, resulting in the deaths of all 24 crew members on board.

Bird Strike

MIAT Mongolian Airlines Flight 557 crashed into a mountain during its approach to Mörön Airport, resulting in the deaths of 42 of the 43 people on board. The aircraft, an Antonov An-24RV, struck the slope of Choho Geologloh Uul at approximately 12:30 local time. Investigators determined that the crew initiated a premature descent while operating under visual flight rules in marginal weather conditions. The accident remains the deadliest aviation disaster in Mongolian history.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Fokker 50 overran the runway at Tawau Airport and crashed into a shanty town after the captain insisted on landing despite a high, fast approach. The aircraft touched down with only 800 feet of runway remaining, resulting in a hull loss and 34 fatalities.

Pilot Error

A Royal Air Force Nimrod MR2 crashed into Lake Ontario during the Canadian International Air Show after stalling during a low-altitude display maneuver. The aircraft was performing a 'dumb-bell' turn when the captain reduced engine power to flight idle while in a steep climb. This caused the airspeed to drop significantly below the recommended safety margin. The combination of low speed and G-loading led to an aerodynamic stall at an altitude from which recovery was impossible. All seven crew members on board were killed instantly upon impact with the water.

Pilot Error

Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529 crashed in a field near Carrollton, Georgia, following the in-flight fatigue fracture and separation of a propeller blade on the left engine. The separation caused the propeller assembly to wobble violently, deforming the engine nacelle and significantly increasing drag while reducing lift on the left wing. Although the crew attempted an emergency landing at West Georgia Regional Airport, the aircraft was unable to maintain altitude and struck trees before impacting the ground. While most occupants survived the initial impact, a post-crash fire fueled by a leaking oxygen bottle led to the majority of the fatalities. The official NTSB death toll is eight, though a ninth victim succumbed to burn injuries four months after the accident.

Human Factors (Maintenance)

Aviateca Flight 901, a multi-leg international service from Miami to San Jose with stops in Guatemala City, San Salvador, and Managua, crashed into the San Vicente volcano during a night approach in heavy rain and thunderstorms. The flight crew had deviated from the standard approach path to avoid weather but failed to maintain situational awareness regarding their proximity to the 7,159-foot peak. Air Traffic Control, unaware of the aircraft's precise position, cleared the flight to descend to 5,000 feet, an altitude that did not provide sufficient terrain clearance. The aircraft struck the volcano at approximately 5,900 feet, killing all 65 people on board.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

On August 3, 1995, a Russian-registered Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft operated by Tatarstan-based Airstan was intercepted by a Taliban MiG-21 fighter jet and forced to land at Kandahar International Airport. The aircraft was carrying 30 tons of weapons intended for the government of Burhanuddin Rabbani. The seven-man crew was held captive for 378 days until August 16, 1996, when they successfully staged a daring escape by overpowering their guards during a maintenance visit, starting the aircraft, and flying out of Afghan airspace. After initially landing in the United Arab Emirates, the crew returned to Russia as national heroes.

Security / Sabotage

A Harka Air Services Tupolev Tu-134A, wet-leased from Komi Avia, overran the runway at Lagos-Murtala Muhammed International Airport during a landing in severe weather. The aircraft touched down approximately 1,000 metres past the threshold on a water-covered runway, leading to aquaplaning and a loss of braking efficiency. The jet struck a concrete drainage ditch and burst into flames. While all six crew members survived, 15 passengers were killed after they moved to the rear of the aircraft to escape the fire but became trapped in the baggage compartment and lavatories.

Pilot Error

Ansett New Zealand Flight 703 crashed into the Tararua Range during a non-precision instrument approach in inclement weather after the flight crew became distracted by a landing gear malfunction. While descending toward Palmerston North, the right main landing gear failed to lock down. The captain elected to continue the approach while the first officer attempted an alternate gear extension procedure. During this process, the captain failed to monitor the aircraft's altitude and flight profile, allowing it to descend below the safe minimum altitude. A malfunction in the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) resulted in an alarm sounding only four seconds before impact, providing insufficient time for the crew to recover.

Human Factors (CRM)

Knight Air Flight 816 crashed shortly after takeoff from Leeds Bradford Airport following the failure of one or both artificial horizons during flight in poor weather conditions. The crew reported instrument problems less than two minutes after departure while operating in turbulent instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). Disoriented by conflicting attitude information and lacking a third standby instrument, the pilots lost control of the aircraft. The Embraer 110 entered a high-speed spiral dive, leading to a partial structural break-up before impacting the ground at Dunkeswick Moor.

Sensor / Instrument Failure

A Sri Lanka Air Force Avro 748 was shot down by a SA-7 surface-to-air missile (SAM) fired by Tamil separatists (LTTE) shortly after departing Palaly Air Force Base. The aircraft was hit during its initial climb, causing an engine explosion and fire. While the crew attempted an emergency return to the airfield, the wing failed on final approach, and the aircraft crashed approximately 200 meters short of the runway. All 47 occupants were killed. While some reports specify the number 2 (right) engine was hit, others indicate the left engine was the site of the explosion.

Military Action

TAROM Flight 371 crashed shortly after takeoff from Bucharest when a known autothrottle defect caused asymmetric thrust during a critical phase of flight. The situation was compounded by the sudden medical incapacitation of the Captain. The First Officer, overwhelmed by the emergency and potentially confused by the aircraft's Western-style flight instruments, failed to correct the resulting steep roll and dive in instrument meteorological conditions.

Human Factors (CRM)

On March 29, 1995, a Grand Airways Douglas DC-9-32 performed an emergency diversion to Abilene, Texas, following the mid-flight medical incapacitation and subsequent death of the first officer. The first officer initially reported feeling ill while at cruise altitude, briefly resumed duties after symptoms appeared to subside, but suffered a fatal cardiac arrest shortly thereafter during the descent. A passenger performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until the aircraft landed, but the first officer was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Human Factors (Operational)