Aviation Accident Summary Archive

A Douglas DC-3 ditched into Botany Bay shortly after takeoff from Sydney Airport following a power loss in the left engine. During the initial climb at approximately 200 feet, an inlet valve stuck open, causing the engine to fail. The First Officer, who was the handling pilot, was unable to maintain altitude or airspeed while operating on the remaining engine. The Captain subsequently took control and performed a controlled ditching into the bay. All 25 occupants successfully evacuated the aircraft before it sank and were rescued by nearby pleasure craft.

Pilot Error

On the evening of April 6, 1994, a Dassault Falcon 50 carrying Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian President Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down by surface-to-air missiles during its final approach to Kigali. The aircraft was struck by two missiles and crashed into the gardens of the Presidential Palace. All 12 people on board, including the two heads of state and a French flight crew, were killed. The assassination is widely cited as the immediate catalyst for the Rwandan genocide, which began within hours of the crash.

Military Action

KLM Cityhopper Flight 433 crashed during an attempted go-around while performing an emergency return to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. The crew had misinterpreted a false engine oil pressure warning caused by a short circuit. The captain unilaterally reduced the right engine to flight idle, and the crew failed to recognize that the subsequent oil pressure drop was a normal result of the lower power setting. During the emergency approach, the aircraft was in an asymmetric thrust configuration. When the captain initiated a go-around at 45 feet, he applied full power only to the left engine while leaving the right at idle. The resulting thrust imbalance caused a sharp roll to the right, leading to a stall and impact with the ground.

Pilot Error

Aeroflot Flight 593 crashed in the Kuznetsk Alatau mountain range after the relief captain's 15-year-old son was allowed to sit at the controls. While the aircraft was on autopilot, the son applied enough force to the control column to partially disengage the autopilot's aileron control without triggering an audible alarm. The aircraft entered a steep bank and stall; despite the pilots eventually regaining control, they had lost too much altitude to avoid impacting the terrain.

Pilot Error

A mid-air collision between a U.S. Air Force F-16D Fighting Falcon and a C-130E Hercules led to a catastrophic ground disaster at Pope Air Force Base. While both aircraft were on short final approach, the F-16's nose struck the C-130's tail, severing its right elevator. The F-16 crew ejected, but the abandoned fighter, under full afterburner, crashed into a parked C-141B Starlifter on the 'Green Ramp' staging area. The resulting fireball and wreckage swept through a mass of 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers who were waiting to board aircraft for training exercises. The disaster killed 24 soldiers on the ground and injured over 80 others; there were no fatalities among the crews of the aircraft in flight.

Human Factors (Operational) · Multi-aircraft

Aviaco Flight 260 crashed short of the runway at Vigo-Peinador Airport after the crew descended below the glide path in foggy conditions. Despite six Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) alerts, the pilots continued an unstable approach, striking approach lights and impacting the ground 50 meters short of the threshold. The landing gear collapsed and a post-crash fire broke out, but all 116 occupants successfully evacuated the aircraft.

Pilot Error

A British Army Lynx helicopter was shot down by a Provisional IRA unit using an improvised Mark 15 'barrack buster' mortar while attempting to land at the Crossmaglen security base. The mortar round struck the aircraft's tail boom while it was hovering approximately 100 feet (30 meters) above the helipad, causing the tail to sever and the machine to spin out of control. The pilot managed to crash-land the aircraft within the perimeter of the base, where it was subsequently destroyed by fire and exploding ammunition. All four occupants survived the impact and subsequent blaze, though one police officer required rescue from the wreckage.

Military Action

An Iranian Air Force C-130H Hercules transport aircraft, carrying embassy personnel and their families from Moscow to Tehran, was shot down by Armenian military forces over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. The aircraft had veered approximately 65 miles east of its intended flight corridor after reporting mechanical trouble. Armenian forces, who were engaged in an armed conflict with Azerbaijan at the time, mistook the Hercules for an Azerbaijani military aircraft and engaged it with surface-to-air missiles. All 32 people on board, including ten children, were killed when the aircraft exploded in mid-air and crashed near Stepanakert.

Military Action

A Sahara India Airlines Boeing 737-200 crashed during a training flight at Indira Gandhi International Airport after a trainee pilot applied incorrect rudder input during a simulated engine failure. The aircraft banked sharply left, lost altitude, and struck a parked Aeroflot Ilyushin Il-86 on the international terminal apron. The resulting collision and fire destroyed both aircraft, killing all four occupants on the Boeing and all four Aeroflot employees on board the Il-86. One ground worker from Bharat Petroleum was also killed, bringing the total death toll to nine.

Pilot Error · Multi-aircraft

Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise Flight 9045 crashed during approach to Nalchik after experiencing a sudden loss of control caused by tailplane icing. The aircraft, carrying a heavy cargo of coins, entered a steep nose-down dive shortly after the crew extended the flaps to 35 degrees. The investigation revealed that the air traffic controller failed to warn the crew of icing conditions, leading the pilots to keep the de-icing systems inactive during the descent. All 13 people on board were killed when the aircraft struck the ground at high speed.

Weather

On January 24, 1994, a Cessna 425 Conquest I crashed into Lake Constance (Bodensee) during a night approach to St. Gallen-Altenrhein Airport. The aircraft, carrying five occupants, disappeared from radar approximately 4 kilometers short of runway 10. Despite a major recovery operation that located the wreckage at a depth of 160 meters, investigators were unable to determine the exact cause of the sudden loss of altitude. The accident gained significant international attention due to unfounded rumors that the aircraft was carrying nuclear material, a theory fueled by the backgrounds of the businessmen on board.

Unknown

United Express Flight 6291 stalled and crashed 1.2 miles short of the runway during an instrument approach to Port Columbus International Airport. The flight crew failed to monitor their airspeed, which decayed significantly below the required approach speed while the autopilot trimmed the nose up to maintain the glideslope. Upon encountering the stall warning, the pilots failed to follow standard recovery procedures, instead fighting the stick pusher and prematurely retracting the flaps. The crash and subsequent fire killed all three crew members and two passengers; while four passengers initially survived the impact, only three were able to escape the wreckage before it was engulfed in flames.

Pilot Error

Kuban Airlines Flight 5719 stalled and crashed during a late go-around attempt at Shirak International Airport. The aircraft was severely overloaded, carrying 31 passengers despite only 6 being listed on the manifest, along with two cars and heavy luggage. During a night approach in weather conditions below safety minimums, the crew failed to align with the runway and initiated a go-around too late, leading to a stall and impact in a river bed.

Pilot Error

Northwest Airlink Flight 5719 crashed into a ridge during a night instrument approach to an intermediate stop at Chisholm-Hibbing Airport, killing all 18 people on board. The flight was scheduled to continue to International Falls Airport. The investigation revealed that the captain, who had a history of intimidating behavior and poor crew resource management, conducted an unstabilized, high-rate descent that led to a loss of altitude awareness. The first officer, who had only 65 hours on the aircraft type, failed to challenge the captain's deviations from safe altitudes. The aircraft struck trees and two ridges before coming to rest inverted, approximately northwest of the airport.

Human Factors (CRM)

A New Zealand Police helicopter and a traffic-spotting airplane collided at low altitude over central Auckland during the Friday evening rush hour. The collision occurred as the helicopter, Eagle, was maneuvering and climbing westbound near the Southern Motorway to observe a car crash, while the Piper Archer was conducting a routine southbound traffic patrol. Both aircraft plummeted into the densely populated Spaghetti Junction motorway interchange and surrounding areas. All four people aboard the two aircraft were killed, and debris caused minor injuries and vehicle damage on the ground. The investigation determined that neither pilot saw the other aircraft in time to avoid the collision, exacerbated by the helicopter's failure to maintain an agreed-upon altitude separation and the inherent limitations of the see and avoid principle in uncontrolled airspace.

Mid-air Collision · Multi-aircraft

Avioimpex Flight 110 crashed into Mount Trojani during a missed approach at Ohrid Airport after diverting from Skopje due to a blizzard. The flight crew, operating a Yakovlev Yak-42D leased from Saratov Airlines, deviated from the established traffic pattern while attempting a second approach in mountainous terrain. Navigational difficulties were compounded by a non-functional VOR beacon at the airport and a language barrier between the Russian crew and Macedonian air traffic controllers. All 116 people on board perished, including one survivor who died twelve days later.

Pilot Error

China Northern Airlines Flight 6901 crashed during a foggy approach to Urumqi after the crew mismanaged the autopilot and failed to respond to Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) alerts. Following an automatic autopilot disconnection, the captain re-engaged the system, which defaulted to vertical speed mode with a descent rate of 800 feet per minute rather than the expected approach mode. The crew, lacking English proficiency, did not understand the GPWS 'Pull Up' warnings and continued the descent until the aircraft struck power lines and a wall, coming to rest in a field 2.2 miles short of the runway.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

China Airlines Flight 605 overran Runway 13 at Kai Tak Airport during a tropical storm, coming to rest in Victoria Harbour. The Boeing 747-400 touched down 2,100 feet past the threshold, which was within the normal touchdown zone for the runway, amidst severe windshear and crosswinds. During the rollout, the captain inadvertently advanced the thrust levers while attempting to assist the first officer with directional control, which disarmed the autobrakes and retracted the speedbrakes. The aircraft failed to stop on the remaining runway, and the captain performed a ground loop to the left to avoid the approach lighting system, causing the nose to drop into the water. All 296 occupants evacuated safely; while most escaped unharmed, 23 people received minor injuries and one passenger suffered a serious injury.

Pilot Error

On October 27, 1993, Widerøe Flight 744 crashed into a swampy area near Berg during a night approach to Namsos Airport in heavy rain and wind. The De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter struck the ground approximately 6 kilometers short of the runway, killing both pilots and four passengers; 13 others survived the impact. The investigation determined the accident was a Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) caused by the crew descending below the minimum safe altitude without adequate visual reference. The probe highlighted significant failures in the airline's operational routines, cockpit resource management (CRM), and internal quality assurance systems.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

China Eastern Airlines Flight 5398 crashed during a landing attempt at Fuzhou Yixu Airport in heavy rain and poor visibility. The crew failed to maintain the proper approach path, becoming significantly offset to the right and high above the glide slope. Instead of executing a timely go-around, the pilots attempted to correct the approach at a dangerously low altitude. The aircraft eventually struck the runway late, overran the threshold, and broke into three pieces in a nearby pond. Two passengers were killed.

Pilot Error

On 23 September 1993 a Transair Georgia Tupolev Tu-134A (CCCP-65001) was struck by BM-21 Grad rocket fire while passengers were boarding on the apron at Sukhumi-Babusheri Airport. The aircraft was destroyed. One person was killed and the remaining occupants and ground personnel escaped as the airport came under sustained bombardment.

Military Action

On 22 September 1993 an Orbi Georgian Airways Tupolev Tu-154B (CCCP-85163) arriving from Tbilisi was struck by a surface-to-air missile fired from an Abkhaz patrol boat during approach to Sukhumi-Babusheri Airport. The aircraft crash-landed on the airstrip and caught fire, killing 108 of the 132 people on board. It remains the deadliest aviation disaster in Georgian history.

Military Action

On 21 September 1993 a Transair Georgia Tupolev Tu-134A-3 (CCCP-65893) inbound from Sochi was hit by a Strela 2 man-portable missile fired from an Abkhaz patrol boat while on approach to Sukhumi-Babusheri Airport at about 980 feet. The aircraft crashed into the Black Sea short of the runway. Twenty-seven of the twenty-eight people on board were killed; the flight was carrying journalists and personnel into the besieged city.

Military Action

Lufthansa Flight 2904 overran Runway 11 at Warsaw Chopin Airport during a landing in heavy rain and wind shear conditions. The aircraft touched down far beyond the normal point at high speed, but its automated braking systems, including ground spoilers and thrust reversers, failed to activate for several seconds because the aircraft's computer logic did not recognize it had landed. The A320 skidded off the runway, struck an embankment and a localizer antenna, and caught fire. This resulted in the deaths of the supervising captain and one passenger, with 56 others injured.

Human Factors (Operational)