Aviation Accident Summary Archive

Aeroflot Flight 8556 crashed short of the runway at Pulkovo Airport during a destabilized approach in heavy rain. The aircraft struck the ground with a high sink rate just 13 meters before the runway threshold, causing the fuselage to break into three sections. The investigation cited inconsistent crew coordination, a wrong approach configuration, and the failure to initiate a go-around despite significant deviations from the glideslope. A total of 13 passengers were killed and 38 other occupants were injured in the accident.

Pilot Error

Air Tahiti Flight 805 ditched into the sea near Nuku Hiva Airport following an uncontained engine failure and subsequent crew mismanagement. During the approach to runway 06, the number 1 engine failed, but the crew focused on a low oil pressure warning rather than properly managing the failure. The pilots attempted to maneuver for runway 24 at low altitude, but the aircraft lost height and crashed into the water approximately 400 meters from the runway. The investigation highlighted inappropriate crew response, possible alcohol impairment, and systemic failures in training and oversight as primary factors.

Pilot Error

Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311 crashed during a visual approach to Brunswick Golden Isles Airport after a mechanical failure in the left propeller control unit (PCU) caused the blades to move into an ultra-low pitch position. This created extreme asymmetric drag, causing the aircraft to roll violently to the left and dive into the ground. All 23 people on board were killed, including former U.S. Senator John Tower and NASA astronaut Sonny Carter. The investigation revealed a design flaw in the Hamilton Standard propeller system that allowed a worn component to bypass safety stops, leading to an uncommanded pitch change that was unrecoverable at low altitude.

Mechanical Failure

A Piper Aerostar carrying U.S. Senator John Heinz collided in mid-air with a Bell 412SP helicopter over Merion Elementary School. The collision occurred while the helicopter crew was attempting a visual inspection of the Aerostar's nose landing gear, which the airplane pilots feared was not locked. Both aircraft disintegrated and fell onto the school grounds during recess, killing all five people on board the aircraft and two children on the ground.

Human Factors (Operational) · Multi-aircraft

Singapore Airlines Flight 117 was hijacked by four Pakistani militants shortly after departing Kuala Lumpur for Singapore. The hijackers, claiming allegiance to the Pakistan Peoples Party, demanded the release of political prisoners, including Asif Ali Zardari, and requested refueling to fly to Australia. After a tense overnight standoff at Changi Airport, the hijackers threatened to execute one passenger every ten minutes. In response, commandos from the Singapore Special Operations Force launched Operation Thunderbolt, a 30 second tactical assault that neutralized all four hijackers without any fatalities among the passengers or crew.

Security / Sabotage

Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela Flight 108 (often cited as Flight 109) was a multi-leg domestic service originating in Caracas with intermediate stops in Porlamar, Maracay, and Maracaibo. The aircraft crashed into a foggy mountainside known as 'The Guillotine' (or 'Russian roulette of the Andes') shortly after departing Maracaibo for Santa Barbara del Zulia. The flight crew inadvertently entered the wrong radial into their navigation system, causing the aircraft to deviate from its intended course while flying in instrument meteorological conditions. All 45 passengers and crew were killed when the DC-9 struck the Páramo Los Torres at high speed and burst into flames.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

United Airlines Flight 585 rolled violently to the right and dove vertically into a park while on final approach to Colorado Springs. The initial investigation ended without a conclusive cause, but the case was reopened years later following similar 737 accidents. The final determination identified a design flaw in the rudder Power Control Unit (PCU) that could cause the rudder to jam and reverse direction, moving opposite to pilot input.

Mechanical Failure

LAN Chile Flight 1069 overran the runway at Puerto Williams Airport and slid into the Beagle Channel, resulting in 20 fatalities. The aircraft, a BAe 146-200, was conducting a regional flight from Punta Arenas when the captain elected to change the approach from a VOR A approach on runway 26 to a direct approach on runway 08. The aircraft touched down too far down the runway at an excessive speed on a wet surface with a negative slope. While all 6 crew members survived, 20 of the 66 passengers were killed when the aircraft entered the water.

Pilot Error

A McDonnell Douglas DC-9 cargo flight stalled and crashed seconds after takeoff from Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport due to wing ice contamination. The flight crew did not perform an external inspection of the wings despite landing in icing conditions and remaining on the ground for 35 minutes during active snowfall. While the aircraft's Flight Crew Operations Manual reportedly required such an inspection, the NTSB investigation highlighted that the operator lacked specific requirements and training regarding wing contamination for the DC-9-10 series. This aircraft type is exceptionally sensitive to even minute amounts of wing contamination, a fact known to the manufacturer and the FAA but not effectively communicated to the operator.

Pilot Error

A USAir Boeing 737-300 landing on Runway 24L at Los Angeles International Airport collided with a SkyWest Fairchild Metroliner (scheduled as Flight 5569, though the official NTSB report AAR-91/08 refers to it as Flight 4459) that had been cleared to position and hold on the same runway. The collision occurred at night, with the smaller Metroliner blending into the background airport lighting. The impact and subsequent fire destroyed both aircraft, killing all 12 people on the SkyWest flight and 23 people on the USAir flight (one additional USAir passenger died 31 days later, bringing the total death toll to 35).

Human Factors (Operational) · Multi-aircraft

An Italian Air Force Aermacchi MB-326 trainer jet crashed into the Gaetano Salvemini Technical Institute after being abandoned by its pilot due to an in-flight fire and engine failure. The pilotless aircraft struck a first-floor classroom where a German lesson was in progress, killing 12 students and eventually a teacher, while injuring 88 others. The pilot, who ejected minutes before impact, survived with spinal injuries. The disaster led to a high-profile criminal trial of the pilot and two superior officers, who were initially convicted of manslaughter but later acquitted on appeal.

Mechanical Failure

On December 3, 1990, Northwest Airlines Flight 1482, a DC-9, taxied onto an active runway in dense fog and was struck by Northwest Airlines Flight 299, a Boeing 727, which was on its takeoff roll. The DC-9 crew had become disoriented due to poor visibility and confusing taxi instructions; after missing a turn, they were instructed to turn onto Taxiway X-ray but mistakenly entered Runway 03C instead. The 727's right wing sliced through the right side of the DC-9 fuselage, destroying the aircraft and causing a fire. Eight people on the DC-9 were killed, while all 154 occupants of the Boeing 727 survived without injury.

Human Factors (CRM) · Multi-aircraft

Bangkok Airways Flight 125 crashed into a coconut plantation during a heavy rainstorm while attempting to land at Koh Samui Airport. The pilots became spatially disoriented while performing a missed approach in poor visibility, leading to a loss of control.

Human Factors (Operational)

An Aeroflot Tu-154M cargo flight, nicknamed the Cigarette Flight, was destroyed during a forced landing in a field after an in-flight fire broke out in the galley. The aircraft was carrying over 1,200 boxes of cigarettes, which were packed into the aisles and galley, obstructing crew access to the rear of the fuselage. While cruising at 10,600 meters, smoke filled the cabin and cockpit, disorienting the crew and leading to a flapless emergency landing at high speed. Despite the aircraft breaking into three pieces and burning, all six crew members survived.

Other

Alitalia Flight 404 crashed into Stadlerberg Mountain during approach to Zurich after a faulty navigation receiver provided false glide slope information. The captain's instrument falsely indicated the aircraft was on the correct path, while the first officer's working instrument showed they were dangerously low. A breakdown in crew resource management occurred when the captain vetoed the first officer's attempt to initiate a go-around, leading the aircraft to strike terrain 5.2 nautical miles short of the runway at an elevation of 1,660 feet.

Human Factors (CRM)

Eastern Air Lines Flight 791 encountered severe turbulence at 31,000 feet while flying through the anvil overhang of a thunderstorm near Cape Canaveral, Florida. Although the seat belt sign had been illuminated since departure, several passengers were not restrained, resulting in 26 injuries. One 84-year-old passenger sustained blunt trauma that led to fatal complications 20 days later; occlusive coronary atherosclerosis was cited as a contributing factor to the death. The NTSB determined the captain failed to follow company procedures regarding thunderstorm avoidance and flight attendants failed to enforce seat belt usage.

Pilot Error

A hijacked Xiamen Airlines Boeing 737 collided with two other aircraft while attempting an emergency landing at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. After a struggle in the cockpit between the hijacker and the captain, the aircraft touched down hard, veered off the runway, and struck a parked China Southwest Airlines Boeing 707 before slamming into a CAAC Boeing 757 that was waiting for takeoff. The collision and subsequent fire killed 128 people across two of the aircraft.

Security / Sabotage · Multi-aircraft

On August 27, 1990, a Bell 206B JetRanger carrying blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan and members of Eric Clapton's entourage crashed into a ski hill shortly after departing the Alpine Valley Music Theatre. The helicopter was one of four aircraft transporting performers and staff to Chicago following a concert. In conditions of dense fog and low visibility, the pilot initiated a turn but failed to gain sufficient altitude to clear rising terrain. The aircraft struck a 300-foot ski slope approximately 0.6 miles from the takeoff point, killing all five occupants instantly. The NTSB determined the cause to be controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) due to the pilot's failure to avoid the hill while operating in reduced visibility.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

During climb at 17,300 feet, the left-hand windscreen blew out, causing an explosive decompression. The captain was partially sucked out of the aircraft and held by cabin crew while the co-pilot performed an emergency descent and landing. All on board survived.

Human Factors (Maintenance)

Aerolift Philippines Flight 075 crashed into a residential house in Parañaque shortly after takeoff from Manila, killing all 21 people on board and four members of a family on the ground for a total of 25 fatalities. During the initial climb, the aircraft suffered a failure of the right (number 2) engine. The crew attempted to return to the airport but failed to maintain adequate airspeed and altitude while the aircraft was in a high-drag configuration with the landing gear and flaps extended. The aircraft stalled, banked sharply to the right, and plunged into a suburban neighborhood at a steep angle.

Pilot Error

A Boeing 737-300 suffered a catastrophic center wing fuel tank explosion while preparing for departure at Manila. The aircraft was parked in high ambient temperatures (35 degrees Celsius) with its air conditioning packs running for approximately 30 to 45 minutes. These packs, located directly beneath the center fuel tank, heated the residual fuel and vapors within the tank. Shortly after pushback, the vapors ignited, causing an explosion that pushed the cabin floor upward and ruptured the wing tanks, leading to a fire that consumed the aircraft within four minutes. Eight passengers were killed and 82 others were injured.

Mechanical Failure

An RAF Avro Shackleton AEW2 crashed into the 800-foot peak of Maodal on the Isle of Harris during a military exercise, killing all 10 personnel on board. The aircraft was attempting an approach to RAF Benbecula in poor weather conditions with its radar deactivated for training purposes. The Board of Inquiry determined the aircraft was flown below a safe altitude for the prevailing weather, though it could not establish the specific reason for the crew's navigation error, which placed them 12 miles north of their reported position.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Widerøe Flight 839 crashed into the Norwegian Sea approximately one minute after departing Værøy Airport. The aircraft encountered extreme turbulence and wind shear generated by a nearby 500-meter tall mountain, which caused structural failure of the tail section. The crew initiated the flight despite reports of a moderate gale upon landing and peak gusts of 57 knots while parked, which exceeded both the aircraft's ground operation limits and the airport's specific departure restrictions. All five people on board were killed, and the accident led to the permanent closure of Værøy Airport for fixed-wing commercial operations.

Weather

Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2254, an Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia carrying 7 people (3 crew and 4 passengers), collided head-on with a Civil Air Patrol Cessna 172 carrying 2 people at 5,000 feet near Gadsden, Alabama. The collision tore the right horizontal stabilizer from the Embraer, but the crew managed to maintain control and return to Northeast Alabama Regional Airport for a safe landing with no injuries. The Cessna 172 crashed into a field, killing both occupants. The NTSB determined the cause was an inadequate visual lookout by both flight crews, exacerbated by sun glare affecting the Cessna pilot's vision.

Human Factors (Operational) · Multi-aircraft