Aviation Accident Summary Archive

TWA Flight 841 was a scheduled multi-leg flight from Tel Aviv to New York with stops in Athens and Rome. While cruising at 28,000 feet over the Ionian Sea during the leg from Athens to Rome, a bomb detonated in the aft cargo compartment. The explosion caused catastrophic damage to the cabin floor and severed or jammed critical flight control cables. The aircraft was observed by a passing Pan Am crew to pitch up violently, roll over, and spiral into the sea. All 88 people on board were killed.

Security / Sabotage

A Canadian Armed Forces CC-115 Buffalo, operating as United Nations Flight 51, was shot down by three Syrian surface-to-air missiles while on a routine supply mission. The aircraft was flying a cleared route from Beirut to Damascus in support of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF II) when it was engaged by Syrian air defenses near Ad Dimas. All nine personnel on board were killed, marking the largest single-incident loss of life in Canadian peacekeeping history.

Military Action

A Royal Air Force Phantom FGR2 and a Piper Pawnee crop sprayer collided at low altitude over Norfolk, killing all three occupants. The Phantom was conducting a high-speed, low-level reconnaissance flight when it struck the Pawnee, which was returning to its temporary base after finishing a spraying run. The investigation highlighted the inadequacy of the see and be seen principle at high closing speeds and the lack of coordination between military and civil low-level flight operations.

Mid-air Collision · Multi-aircraft

An EgyptAir Tupolev Tu-154 stalled and crashed during a training flight at Cairo International Airport after a touch-and-go maneuver. The aircraft, named Nefertiti, was performing a practiced overshoot on Runway 23 when it entered a steep pitch-up attitude from which the crew could not recover. Investigators determined that the stall was caused by excessive pitch-up inputs combined with an inaccurate center of gravity calculation. It was also suspected that shifting ballast weights during the maneuvers may have contributed to the unrecoverable pitch-up. All six crew members, including two Egyptian pilots and four Soviet instructors, were killed.

Human Factors (Operational)

An Aeroflot Ilyushin Il-18V crashed shortly after takeoff from Leningrad following a catastrophic engine failure and subsequent fire. While attempting an emergency return to Pulkovo Airport, the aircraft suffered an asymmetrical flap condition during the final approach, causing it to roll inverted and strike the ground just 2.5 kilometers from the runway.

Mechanical Failure

Pan Am Flight 812 crashed into Mount Mesehe while attempting a night approach to Denpasar, Bali. The flight crew prematurely initiated a right-hand turn to join the outbound track after misinterpreting a single ADF needle swing as a station passage. In reality, the aircraft was still approximately 30 nautical miles north of the beacon when the turn began. The Boeing 707 struck the mountain at an elevation of approximately 4,500 feet, killing all 107 people on board.

Pilot Error

A Court Line BAC One-Eleven collided with a McAlpine Aviation Piper Aztec during its takeoff run at Luton Airport after the Aztec entered the active runway without clearance. The One-Eleven was accelerating through 100 knots when the Aztec taxied into its path from the left. The One-Eleven commander took control, attempted to steer right and lift the port wing, but the wing sliced through the Aztec's cabin, killing the pilot. The One-Eleven successfully aborted its takeoff and evacuated all 91 occupants without injury, despite difficulties with the forward emergency exits.

Human Factors (Operational) · Multi-aircraft

Sterling Airways Flight 901 suffered a catastrophic structural failure of its right main landing gear while taxiing for takeoff at Mehrabad International Airport. The collapse caused the right wing to strike the ground, rupturing a fuel tank and sparking an intense fire. While 81 occupants successfully evacuated the burning aircraft, 15 passengers (7 Danish and 8 Swedish citizens) were unable to escape and perished in the fire, while 37 others sustained injuries.

Structural Failure

Sierra Pacific Airlines Flight 802, a Convair CV-440, crashed into a mountain ridge shortly after departing Bishop Airport on a dark night. The flight was a charter carrying a film crew from Wolper Productions who had been filming a television special. Despite clear visibility, the aircraft struck the northern slope of a ridge in the White Mountains at an elevation of approximately 6,100 feet. The NTSB was unable to determine why the crew failed to maintain a safe distance from the hazardous terrain during their visual climb, as no mechanical malfunctions were found and the aircraft was operating normally until impact.

Unknown

A McDonnell Douglas DC-10 crashed into the Ermenonville Forest after an aft cargo door blew out, causing explosive decompression and a total loss of flight control. The failure was rooted in a design flaw in the cargo door latching mechanism that allowed the door to appear locked when it was not. The resulting collapse of the cabin floor severed vital hydraulic lines, rendering the aircraft uncontrollable.

Mechanical Failure

A Soviet Aeroflot Antonov An-24 performed an emergency landing at Gambell Airport on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, after the crew became lost in heavy fog and ran low on fuel. The aircraft was operating a flight from Anadyr to Magadan when it strayed significantly off course, crossing into United States airspace. All 15 occupants survived without injury, and the incident was resolved through diplomatic channels during the Cold War.

Human Factors (Operational)

A U.S. Army private first class, Robert Kenneth Preston, stole a Bell UH-1B Huey helicopter from Tipton Field and flew it to the White House in a major security breach. After a high-speed chase involving Maryland State Police helicopters, Preston landed on the South Lawn under fire from the Secret Service. He was lightly wounded by shotgun fire and arrested upon landing. Preston, who had failed to graduate from helicopter training and was serving as a mechanic, claimed he performed the stunt to demonstrate his piloting skills and protest the perceived unfairness of his military career.

Security / Sabotage

Pan Am Flight 806 crashed into jungle terrain approximately 3,865 feet short of Runway 5 at Pago Pago International Airport during a night instrument approach in heavy rain. The aircraft, a Boeing 707 named Clipper Radiant, struck trees at an elevation of 113 feet and was destroyed by impact and a subsequent post-crash fire. The investigation highlighted a failure to recognize an excessive descent rate caused by wind shear and the 'black hole' effect, compounded by inadequate crew monitoring and callouts.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Turkish Airlines Flight 301 stalled and crashed shortly after lifting off from Izmir Cumaovasi Airport. The aircraft reached an altitude of approximately 8 to 10 meters before banking left and striking the ground near a drainage ditch. The investigation determined that the crew failed to detect frost accumulation on the wings during their pre-flight inspection. This atmospheric contamination, combined with an excessive angle of attack during rotation, caused the aircraft to stall at a low altitude from which recovery was impossible.

Human Factors (Operational)

A Togolese Air Force Douglas C-47 carrying President Gnassingbé Eyadéma crashed during approach to Sara Kawa, killing six people. The aircraft nosed down at an altitude of approximately 50 meters and struck the ground 800 meters short of the runway threshold. While the President survived, several high ranking military officers were killed. The exact cause of the crash was never determined, though the Togolese government alleged sabotage by French interests following the President's decision to nationalize phosphate mines.

Unknown

Air East Flight 317, operating as a Commonwealth Commuter flight, crashed short of the runway at Johnstown-Cambria County Airport after a premature descent below the safe approach slope. The aircraft struck approach lights 300 feet from the threshold and an ILS antenna before impacting a steep embankment 200 feet short of Runway 33. The crash killed 12 of the 17 people on board, including the captain. Investigators determined the aircraft stalled and the pilots lost control during the final approach, though the specific reason for the premature descent could not be definitively established.

Pilot Error

On January 1, 1974, an Itavia Fokker F28 Fellowship crashed during a final approach to Turin Caselle Airport in marginal weather conditions. The aircraft struck a tree and a building under construction before coming to rest upside down approximately 3.7 kilometers short of the runway threshold. The accident resulted in 38 fatalities, while four occupants survived the crash and subsequent fire.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Sud Aviation Caravelle, operated by Sobelair for Royal Air Maroc, crashed into Mount Mellaline during a night approach to Tangier in rainy weather. The flight crew initiated a procedural turn too late, causing the aircraft to fly east of the protected approach zone and into mountainous terrain. While descending to land, the aircraft encountered severe turbulence and a significant wind gradient, losing 400 feet of altitude before impacting the mountainside. All 106 people on board were killed.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Iberia Flight 933 struck approach light piers and a dike while landing at Logan International Airport during heavy rain and fog. The aircraft encountered low-level wind shear during the transition from instrument to visual flight, causing an increased rate of descent that the crew failed to recognize in time. Although the aircraft was destroyed by the impact and a subsequent fire, all 168 occupants survived the evacuation.

Weather

A group of Palestinian militants attacked Rome's Fiumicino Airport, firebombing a Pan Am Boeing 707 and subsequently hijacking a Lufthansa jet. The attack began in the terminal departure lounge where gunmen opened fire before running onto the tarmac. They threw phosphorus incendiary grenades into the open doors of Pan Am Flight 110 as it prepared for taxi, causing a massive fire that killed 30 people on board. The attackers then seized a Lufthansa aircraft, taking hostages and flying to Athens, Damascus, and finally Kuwait, where they eventually surrendered.

Security / Sabotage

Aeroflot Flight 2022 crashed during its descent to Moscow after a spontaneous short circuit caused the elevator trim tab to deflect to a full upward position. This malfunction sent the aircraft into a steep, uncontrollable dive. Although the crew briefly stabilized the plane at low altitude, a combination of failed gyroscopic instruments and extreme aerodynamic loads led to a final stall and spin, killing all 51 people on board.

Mechanical Failure

An Italian Air Force Douglas C-47, code-named Argo 16, crashed into a petrochemical complex shortly after takeoff from Venice, killing all four crew members. The aircraft was a specialized platform used by the Italian Secret Service (SID) and reportedly by the CIA for electronic surveillance and covert operations, including the repatriation of Palestinian militants. While a 1999 judicial ruling officially attributed the crash to technical failure or pilot error, the event remains a central mystery of Italy's 'Years of Lead,' with persistent allegations of sabotage by either the Mossad or the clandestine Gladio network.

Other

National Airlines Flight 27 suffered an uncontained failure of its number 3 engine while cruising at 39,000 feet. Debris from the disintegrating fan assembly struck the fuselage, causing a cabin window to fail and leading to an explosive decompression. One passenger was ejected through the window opening and killed, while 24 others sustained minor injuries including smoke inhalation and ear problems. Despite substantial damage to the aircraft's wings, fuselage, and other engines, the flight crew successfully performed an emergency descent and landed the aircraft at Albuquerque International Sunport.

Mechanical Failure

Aeroflot Flight 19 was hijacked by four armed men during a domestic flight from Moscow to Bryansk. The hijackers demanded US$1.5 million and safe passage to Sweden. After the aircraft returned to Moscow and landed at Vnukovo Airport, Soviet authorities initiated a tactical storming of the plane. During the assault, one hijacker was fatally wounded by police fire and another committed suicide. While all 28 passengers and the three crew members survived the hijacking, two passengers and one crew member were injured during the flight, and two additional passengers were injured during the tactical storming, totaling five non-fatal injuries.

Security / Sabotage