Aviation Accident Summary Archive

A Russian Sukhoi Su-34 fighter-bomber crashed into a nine-story apartment building in Yeysk shortly after takeoff, resulting in 15 ground fatalities. The aircraft was on a training flight when one of its engines ignited during the climb. Both crew members successfully ejected before the impact and survived. The crash triggered a massive fuel fire and secondary explosions that engulfed multiple floors of the residential complex, destroying at least 17 apartments and injuring 26 others.

Bird Strike

A de Havilland DHC-3 Otter plummeted vertically into Mutiny Bay after the horizontal stabilizer trim actuator unthreaded in flight, causing a total loss of pitch control. The mechanical separation occurred because a critical lock ring, designed to prevent the assembly from unscrewing, was missing. All 10 people on board were killed.

Mechanical Failure

A Cessna 551 Citation II/SP crashed into the Baltic Sea after the pilot reported cabin pressure issues and subsequently became incapacitated. The aircraft, carrying four people, continued to fly on autopilot for over three hours across Europe, escorted by multiple NATO fighter jets, until it exhausted its fuel and entered a spiral dive off the coast of Latvia.

Mechanical Failure

On 16 July 2022 at 19:47 UTC an Antonov An-12BK (UR-CIC) of Meridian, operating flight MEM3032 from Nis, Serbia to Amman with 12,102 kg of dangerous commercial cargo, crashed near Paleochori west of Kavala, Greece. All eight Ukrainian crew were killed. Ukraine's NBAAI recorded a visible fuel leak in engine No. 4 reported at 19:25Z, a fire after the engine was shut down, an unsuccessful fire drill and a Mayday during the descent. Greece's AAIASB/HARSIA has published no report and no cause has been established.

In-flight Fire

A Russian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76MD crashed and caught fire shortly after taking off from Dyagilevo Air Base following an uncontained engine fire. The aircraft was performing a training flight from Orenburg to Belgorod with a refueling stop at Ryazan. Immediately after departure, the number 4 engine caught fire, leading the crew to attempt an emergency landing in a nearby field. The aircraft struck power lines and trees during the descent, resulting in a breakup and post-crash fire that killed five of the nine crew members on board.

Engine Failure

A Tara Air Twin Otter crashed into a mountainside at 13,290 feet while operating a domestic flight in the Himalayas. The aircraft entered clouds while flying under Visual Flight Rules (VFR), and the crew lost situational awareness. Despite the presence of a Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS), the system was inhibited (muted) by the crew, preventing an audible warning before the aircraft struck the terrain. All 22 people on board were killed.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Tibet Airlines Flight 9833 suffered a high speed runway excursion and subsequent fire after the crew aborted a takeoff at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport. During the takeoff roll, the Captain became distracted by falling objects in the cockpit and inadvertently applied left rudder input. This input, superimposed on the First Officer's steering, caused the aircraft to veer sharply left. Despite an attempted rejected takeoff, the aircraft exited the runway at 127 knots, striking a drainage ditch which caused the engines and landing gear to detach. A fire erupted near the front of the aircraft, but all 122 occupants evacuated safely.

Pilot Error

A Viking Air DHC-6 Twin Otter 400, operated by Caverton Helicopters on behalf of the Cameroon Oil Transportation Company (COTCO), crashed into a remote rainforest during a domestic charter flight. The aircraft was traveling from Yaoundé to Bélabo with a planned stopover in Dompta when contact was lost at approximately 14:00 local time. Search and rescue teams discovered the wreckage near Nanga Eboko, confirming that all 11 occupants had perished. The crash site was so remote that emergency responders had to cut a path through dense vegetation to reach the wreckage.

Under Investigation

A Boeing 757 cargo aircraft suffered a total loss of the left hydraulic system shortly after takeoff, necessitating an emergency return to San José. During the landing roll, the aircraft suffered a loss of directional control, veered off the runway, and spun 180 degrees before sliding into a ditch and breaking in two. Both crew members survived without injury.

Mechanical Failure

China Eastern flight MU5735, a Boeing 737-800 (B-1791) flying Kunming to Guangzhou, crashed in Teng County, Guangxi on 21 March 2022, killing all 132 people on board. The CAAC's preliminary summary of 20 April 2022 records that the aircraft left its cruising altitude of 8,900 m at 14:20:55 and that the last radar return, at 14:21:40, showed 3,380 m and 1,010 km/h with no response from the crew. No cause has been published and there is no final report.

Under Investigation

A Gulfstream G-IVSP crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Las Américas International Airport after suffering severe controllability issues shortly after takeoff. The investigation revealed that maintenance performed just hours before the flight to replace ground spoiler actuators was conducted improperly. During the pre-flight control check, the spoilers on the right wing failed to retract, remaining extended while the left wing spoilers retracted normally. The flight crew failed to notice this asymmetry during taxi and takeoff, leading to a loss of control as they attempted to return to the airport.

Human Factors (Maintenance)

An Indian Air Force Mil Mi-17V-5 transport helicopter crashed into a wooded hillside near Coonoor while transporting General Bipin Rawat, India's first Chief of Defence Staff. The aircraft encountered an unexpected and rapid change in weather conditions, entering thick cloud cover in a valley. This led to the pilot becoming spatially disoriented, resulting in a Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT). All 14 people on board, including General Rawat, his wife, and senior military staff, were killed.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Beechcraft C90A King Air carrying Brazilian singer Marília Mendonça crashed into a waterfall after striking high-voltage power lines during a visual approach to Caratinga Airport. The investigation by CENIPA determined that the flight crew initiated their landing approach significantly further out than standard for their aircraft category, leading to an elongated downwind leg at a low altitude. This non-standard flight path brought the aircraft into contact with a lightning arrester cable on a power grid that was not required to be marked as an obstacle. All five people on board were killed in the subsequent impact with rocky terrain.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A McDonnell Douglas MD-87 overran the runway and was destroyed by fire after the flight crew was unable to rotate the aircraft during takeoff. The investigation determined that both elevators had become jammed in a trailing-edge-down position due to localized high winds while the aircraft was parked. Although Boeing had issued revised preflight procedures to detect this specific failure mode following a similar 2017 accident, the flight crew was unaware of the updates because their primary employer had not incorporated the new procedures into their manuals or training.

Mechanical Failure

A Let L-410UVP-E3 transport aircraft carrying 20 parachutists and two crew members crashed shortly after takeoff from Menzelinsk Airport following a failure of the left engine. At an altitude of approximately 70 meters, the pilots reported the technical failure and attempted to return to the airfield. During the emergency descent, the aircraft struck a GAZ vehicle and a concrete wall before coming to rest on a pile of logs in an industrial area. The impact destroyed the fuselage and wings, killing 16 people, including both pilots.

Engine Failure

A private Pilatus PC-12/47E crashed into an empty office building shortly after takeoff from Milan Linate Airport, killing all eight people on board, including Romanian billionaire Dan Petrescu. The aircraft departed runway 36 and began a climbing right turn before deviating from its assigned instrument departure path. While flying manually in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), the pilot lost control, and the aircraft entered a steep, high-speed descent. The investigation was hampered by a non-functional Lightweight Data Recorder (LDR) that had been left unrepaired by the owner, but authorities concluded the crash was likely caused by pilot task saturation and a loss of situational awareness while navigating through clouds.

Pilot Error

A scheduled passenger flight struck a coastal cliff while attempting to land at Palana Airport in marginal weather conditions. The crew deviated significantly from the established instrument approach procedure, descending below the minimum safe altitude while in fog. The aircraft impacted the top of a rocky wall approximately 4 kilometers from the runway, causing it to disintegrate and fall into the sea and onto the shore. All 28 people on board, including the head of the local Palana government, were killed.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Transair Flight 810 ditched in the Pacific Ocean after the flight crew misidentified which engine had failed and subsequently shut down the only functioning engine. Shortly after takeoff from Honolulu, the right engine suffered a turbine blade failure, causing a partial loss of thrust. During the ensuing emergency, the first officer mistakenly identified the left engine as the failed unit. The captain, distracted by radio communications and relying on the first officer's assessment, failed to verify the engine status. The crew operated the aircraft using only the damaged right engine while the healthy left engine remained at idle. As the right engine overheated and lost further power, the aircraft was unable to maintain altitude and ditched approximately 5.5 miles southwest of the airport. Both pilots were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Human Factors (CRM)

A Nigerian Air Force Beechcraft King Air 350i crashed during its final approach to Kaduna International Airport, killing all 11 people on board. The flight was transporting high-ranking military officials, including Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, the Chief of Army Staff, to attend a recruit passing out parade. The aircraft reportedly encountered poor weather conditions before crashing and bursting into flames less than 10 kilometers from the airport.

Under Investigation

A Key Lime Air Metroliner and a private Cirrus SR22 collided in mid-air while on simultaneous approaches to parallel runways at Centennial Airport. The Cirrus pilot overshot the final approach course for runway 17R due to excessive speed, crossing into the path of the Metroliner which was established on final for runway 17L. Despite a massive hole torn through its fuselage, the Metroliner landed safely. The Cirrus pilot deployed the airframe parachute system, and the aircraft drifted to a safe landing in a nearby park. There were no injuries to the three people involved.

Pilot Error · Multi-aircraft

An Airbus AS350 B3 helicopter crashed into a ridgeline during a heli-skiing excursion after the pilot encountered whiteout conditions and lost visual reference with the terrain during a second landing attempt. The helicopter struck an outcrop approximately 15 feet below the top of a ridge at 5,500 feet and rolled roughly 900 feet down the mountain. Five of the six occupants were killed, including Czech billionaire Petr Kellner. The investigation revealed that the pilot lacked specific training for whiteout conditions and ridgeline landings, and that a series of communication failures between the lodge, the guiding company, and the operator delayed search and rescue efforts by over two hours.

Pilot Error

An Airbus AS350B helicopter crashed during takeoff from a private landing site in Touques after its main rotor blades struck tree branches. The pilot was attempting a vertical departure from a confined area restricted by trees, the tallest of which reached 23 meters. During the climb at a height of approximately 19 meters, the rotor made contact with the trees, causing the tail boom to separate and the aircraft to fall to the ground. Both occupants, including French politician and billionaire Olivier Dassault, were killed.

Pilot Error

A Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter crashed at night while attempting to arrive at a game ranch, resulting in the death of Motswana musician Sasa Klaas. The pilot, who survived with minor injuries, was flying at tree-top level in dark conditions without adequate night flying experience or visual references. The helicopter's tail rotor struck a tree, leading to a loss of control and a subsequent collision with the ground.

Human Factors (Operational)

A Turkish Air Force Eurocopter AS532UL Cougar (serial 95-0445) crashed into a hillside near Tatvan, Bitlis Province, during a flight from Bingöl. The accident resulted in the deaths of 11 Turkish servicemen, including Lieutenant General Osman Erbaş. The investigation concluded that the helicopter encountered sudden, severe weather conditions including thick fog and snow, leading to spatial disorientation. While two personnel survived the impact, the aircraft was destroyed.

Weather