Aviation Accident Summary Archive

On June 28, 1984, an Embraer EMB-110 Bandeirante operated by TAM – Transportes Aéreos Regionais (now LATAM Brasil) crashed into São João Hill during a visual descent in poor weather conditions. The aircraft was on a domestic charter flight for the state oil company Petrobras, carrying two employees and 14 members of various Brazilian television crews. While attempting to land at Macaé, the crew cancelled their Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flight plan to descend visually despite rain and low clouds. The aircraft struck the hillside and was destroyed by impact and fire, killing all 18 people on board.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

During the takeoff roll at Calgary International Airport, the left engine suffered an uncontained compressor disc failure, leading to a massive fuel-fed fire. A fragment of the thirteenth stage compressor disc punctured a wing fuel cell, causing an immediate blaze that engulfed the left side and rear of the aircraft. The crew successfully rejected the takeoff and initiated an emergency evacuation. Although the aircraft was destroyed by the fire, all 119 passengers and crew survived, with 27 people sustaining injuries (5 serious and 22 minor) during the evacuation.

Mechanical Failure

Scandinavian Airlines Flight 901 overran Runway 04R at John F. Kennedy International Airport and came to rest in the shallow waters of Thurston Basin. The accident was caused by the flight crew's failure to monitor their airspeed during the final approach, leading to a touchdown nearly halfway down the runway at excessive speed. The crew relied on an autothrottle system that had a documented history of malfunctions, which failed to reduce engine power as expected. Despite the high speed and late touchdown, the crew elected to continue the landing rather than execute a missed approach. All 177 occupants survived the excursion, though 12 people sustained minor injuries.

Human Factors (Operational)

A Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Tupolev Tu-134A crashed during a night approach to Sofia Airport in heavy snow. The flight crew descended below the decision altitude without establishing visual contact with the runway. During a late attempt to execute a go-around, the aircraft struck a power line and crashed into a forest near the village of Krivina, approximately 4 kilometers from the runway threshold, killing all 50 people on board.

Pilot Error

Aeroflot Flight 601 stalled and crashed during a late go-around attempt at Leshukonskoye Airport. After deviating significantly to the left during the final approach, the captain attempted to correct the flight path at a low altitude rather than aborting. When a go-around was finally initiated at just 30 meters, the aircraft entered a critical slip angle, stalled, and struck the ground with a 90 degree left bank.

Pilot Error

A Korean Air Lines DC-10 cargo flight attempted to take off from the wrong runway in dense fog, colliding head-on with a Southcentral Air Piper Chieftain that was holding in position. Despite the destruction of both aircraft and a post-impact fire on the DC-10, all 12 occupants across both aircraft survived. The collision occurred because the Korean Air crew became disoriented during taxi, failed to verify their heading using cockpit instruments, and initiated a takeoff roll on Runway 24R while believing they were on Runway 32.

Pilot Error · Multi-aircraft

Ozark Air Lines Flight 650 struck a snowsweeping vehicle while landing at Sioux Falls Regional Airport during a snowstorm. The aircraft's right wing collided with the vehicle, designated Sweeper 7, approximately 1,000 feet beyond the runway threshold. The impact killed the snow plow driver and sheared the wing from the DC-9. Leaking fuel briefly created a fireball that engulfed the airplane but rapidly died out. All 86 occupants of the aircraft survived the crash and subsequent evacuation, though two flight attendants sustained minor injuries. The aircraft was later repaired and returned to service.

Human Factors (Operational)

Malaysian Airline System Flight 684 crashed 2 kilometers short of the runway at Subang International Airport during a heavy rainstorm. Despite visibility being below company minima, the crew continued a manual descent without the Instrument Landing System (ILS) engaged. The aircraft struck trees and slid into a stream embankment, losing its landing gear and engines. All 247 passengers and crew successfully evacuated the airframe before it was destroyed by a post-crash fire, though 20 occupants sustained injuries.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A TAMPA Colombia Boeing 707 cargo jet crashed into a factory shortly after takeoff from Olaya Herrera Airport, killing all three crew members and 22 people on the ground for a total of 25 fatalities. The aircraft was attempting a ferry flight to Miami for repairs following an earlier engine failure caused by foreign object ingestion. During the second takeoff attempt, a second engine failed on the same side of the aircraft, causing a loss of control and a steep bank into a residential and industrial area.

Engine Failure

A departing Iberia Boeing 727 collided with an Aviaco DC-9 that had inadvertently taxied onto the active runway in dense fog at Madrid-Barajas Airport. The DC-9 crew, disoriented by low visibility and inadequate taxiway markings, missed their intended turn and entered the runway just as the 727 reached V1 speed. The collision and subsequent fire destroyed both aircraft, killing all 42 people aboard the DC-9 and 51 people aboard the 727.

Human Factors (Operational) · Multi-aircraft

Nigeria Airways Flight 250 crashed into a cassava field approximately 3.3 kilometers short of the runway while attempting a VOR approach to Enugu in thick fog. The flight crew elected to continue the approach despite visibility being below the required minima. During the final stages of the approach, the aircraft descended below the Minimum Descent Altitude (MDA) and impacted level terrain. The impact and subsequent fire resulted in the deaths of 53 of the 72 people on board.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Avianca Flight 011 crashed into a series of hills during its approach to Madrid-Barajas Airport after the crew failed to follow established instrument approach procedures and ignored Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) alerts.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Seven hijackers, including members of the Georgian intellectual elite, attempted to seize control of a Tupolev Tu-134 to defect to Turkey. The flight crew successfully repelled the hijackers from the flight deck using violent evasive maneuvers, eventually returning to land at Tbilisi. Following a standoff on the ground, Soviet Alpha Group special forces stormed the aircraft. The incident resulted in the deaths of three crew members, two passengers, and three hijackers, while the airframe was written off due to structural damage and over 100 bullet holes sustained during the assault.

Security / Sabotage

TAAG Flight 462 crashed shortly after takeoff from Lubango Airport when it suddenly lost altitude and struck the ground. While Angolan authorities officially attributed the disaster to a mechanical failure, UNITA rebels claimed they shot the aircraft down with a surface-to-air missile, believing it was a military transport. All 130 people on board were killed.

Mechanical Failure

Air Illinois Flight 710, originating from Chicago Meigs Field, crashed into a hilly, wooded area near Pinckneyville after a total loss of electrical power led to the failure of flight instruments and cockpit lighting during a night approach in instrument meteorological conditions. The emergency began approximately two minutes after takeoff from a scheduled stopover in Springfield when the left generator's drive shaft sheared. During the troubleshooting process, the first officer erroneously isolated the functioning right generator, leaving the aircraft dependent solely on battery power. Despite being only six minutes from Springfield, the captain elected to continue the 45-minute flight to Carbondale. The batteries were exhausted before the aircraft reached the destination, causing a loss of situational awareness and a subsequent impact with the ground.

Pilot Error

Gulf Air Flight 771 was a scheduled flight from Karachi to Abu Dhabi that crashed in the desert near Jebel Ali after a bomb exploded in the baggage compartment. The explosion triggered a violent fire and loss of control during the aircraft's approach. All 112 people on board were killed. The Abu Nidal Organization, a Palestinian militant group, was widely held responsible for the bombing, which was reportedly intended to pressure the Gulf states into paying protection money to the group.

Security / Sabotage

On September 14, 1983, a CAAC Hawker Siddeley Trident 2E was taxiing for takeoff at Guilin Qifengling Airport when it was struck by a Harbin H-5 bomber belonging to the People's Liberation Army Air Force. The bomber, which was in its landing roll, veered into the Trident on the taxiway, ripping a large hole in the passenger aircraft's forward fuselage. The accident resulted in the deaths of 11 passengers on board the Trident, all of whom were foreign citizens, and injured between 21 and 27 others. The collision occurred at an airport that served both civilian and military traffic, highlighting significant coordination failures between air traffic control and the two flight crews.

Human Factors (Operational) · Multi-aircraft

Korean Air Lines Flight 007 was shot down by a Soviet Su-15TM interceptor after the aircraft strayed significantly off course into prohibited Soviet airspace. The journey began at New York-JFK on August 31, 1983, for a multi-leg flight to Seoul via Anchorage. During the second leg on September 1, the Boeing 747 deviated from its assigned North Pacific route R-20 and overflew the Kamchatka Peninsula and Sakhalin Island. Soviet military authorities, mistaking the airliner for a U.S. RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft, ordered the shootdown. The aircraft was struck by at least one R-98 air-to-air missile, resulting in a decompression and loss of control. All 269 passengers and crew were killed when the aircraft crashed into the Sea of Japan near Moneron Island.

Military Action

Aeroflot Flight 5463 crashed into the western slope of Dolan Mountain during a night approach to Alma Ata. The accident was caused by a combination of air traffic control errors and the flight crew's failure to maintain a safe altitude over mountainous terrain. Despite receiving a ground proximity warning, the crew delayed evasive action until seconds before impact, resulting in the deaths of all 90 people on board.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Air Canada Flight 143 ran out of fuel at 41,000 feet due to a conversion error between metric and imperial units. The crew successfully glided the Boeing 767 to an emergency landing at a former air force base in Gimli.

Human Factors (Maintenance)

A British Airways Helicopters Sikorsky S-61N crashed into the sea while attempting a visual approach to St Mary's Aerodrome in poor visibility. The flight crew failed to notice and correct an unintentional descent from their intended altitude of 250 feet, eventually flying the aircraft into the water at approximately 80 to 100 knots. The accident resulted in 20 fatalities (19 passengers and one crew member) and was the deadliest civilian helicopter accident in the United Kingdom at the time.

Pilot Error

TAME Flight 173 crashed into a hillside during a visual approach to Cuenca, Ecuador, killing all 119 people on board. Despite being cleared for an instrument approach, the crew opted for a direct visual approach in conditions with ground fog and low clouds. During the descent, the crew ignored multiple Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) alerts and descended below the minimum safe altitude. The aircraft struck a ridge with its tail just one mile from the runway. It remains the deadliest aviation accident in Ecuadorian history.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Chosonminhang Ilyushin Il-62M crashed into the Fouta Djallon mountain range in Guinea while attempting to land at Conakry International Airport. The aircraft was transporting North Korean construction workers and materials intended for the completion of the Palace of Nations conference hall. During its descent in poor weather conditions, the crew failed to monitor their altitude, resulting in a controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) approximately 160 miles northwest of their destination. All 23 occupants were killed in what remains the deadliest aviation accident in Guinean history.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8 suffered a catastrophic propeller separation while climbing through 19,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean. The number four propeller detached, struck the fuselage, and tore an eight-foot gash in the belly, causing rapid decompression and jamming the primary flight and engine controls. Despite the loss of manual control and jammed throttles, the crew utilized the autopilot and creative engine management to perform a successful emergency landing at Anchorage International Airport with no fatalities.

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