Aviation Accident Summary Archive

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

Three high-ranking Provisional IRA members escaped from Mountjoy Prison in Dublin after a hijacked Aérospatiale Alouette II helicopter landed in the prison's exercise yard. The helicopter, hired under the guise of a photographic shoot, was diverted at gunpoint to the prison during a football match. The escapees, including IRA Chief of Staff Seamus Twomey, were flown to a disused racecourse in Baldoyle and subsequently transferred to getaway vehicles. The event was a major security embarrassment for the Irish government and led to significant changes in prison security protocols.

Security / Sabotage

Aeroflot Flight 964, a Tupolev Tu-104B, crashed during its approach to Moscow-Domodedovo Airport after an electrical power failure disabled the aircraft's compass system and main gyros. In conditions of poor visibility and night, the crew lost spatial orientation. While attempting to navigate the approach, the aircraft entered a steep left bank of approximately 70 to 75 degrees and spiraled into a field 16 kilometers northwest of the airport. All 122 people on board were killed.

Sensor / Instrument Failure

Aeroflot Flight 3932 crashed shortly after takeoff from Sverdlovsk following a total failure of the aircraft's electrical supply to the flight instruments. While climbing through clouds, the crew lost spatial orientation when their artificial horizons and compass system provided incorrect indications. The aircraft entered a steep bank, reaching angles of 80 degrees, before plunging into a forest at high speed. All 108 people on board were killed.

Sensor / Instrument Failure

Texas International Airlines Flight 655 crashed into the north slope of Black Fork Mountain after the crew attempted to navigate around a line of thunderstorms at night under Visual Flight Rules (VFR). Despite having an IFR flight plan available, the captain chose to fly visually at low altitudes through mountainous terrain in instrument meteorological conditions. The aircraft deviated approximately 100 nautical miles north of its intended course before striking the ridge at 2,025 feet, killing all 11 people on board.

Pilot Error

JAT Flight 769 crashed into the Medvjeđi vrh peak of the Maganik mountain range while on approach to Titograd (now Podgorica). The aircraft was cleared to descend to 6,000 feet despite being in a mountainous region where the peaks exceeded 7,000 feet. The investigation highlighted significant failures in Air Traffic Control, including the absence of qualified staff in the tower and the lack of functional radar at the time of the accident.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

World Airways Flight 802, a Military Airlift Command cargo flight, crashed into the snow-covered slopes of Mount Dutton during an instrument approach to Cold Bay Airport. The aircraft struck the mountain at 3,500 feet, killing all six people on board. Investigators determined that the captain deviated from approved instrument approach procedures, descending to a minimum altitude prematurely while in an area where mountainous terrain blocked and reflected navigation signals. This led the crew to rely on erroneous azimuth information while attempting to intercept the localizer back course.

Pilot Error

Aeroflot Flight 13 crashed shortly after takeoff from Baku following an uncontained failure of the left engine. During the subsequent emergency climb and turn, the aircraft struck a cable on an oil rig in the Caspian Sea, leading to a loss of control and impact with a pipeline and highway.

Engine Failure

Aviaco Flight 118 crashed into a residential area in Montrove while attempting to land at Alvedro Airport in heavy fog. After several failed approach attempts and periods of holding, the crew initiated a final approach during which the aircraft struck eucalyptus trees and houses. All 85 occupants perished, and one person on the ground was killed.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Delta Air Lines Flight 723 crashed into a seawall while attempting an ILS approach to Runway 4R at Boston Logan International Airport in heavy fog. The aircraft descended below the glidepath during an unstabilized approach, striking a concrete barrier approximately 3,000 feet short of the runway threshold. All 89 occupants eventually perished, including one survivor who died four months later from his injuries. The investigation cited a combination of nonstandard air traffic control services, poor crew monitoring of altitude, and preoccupation with a malfunctioning or improperly set flight director system.

Pilot Error

Ozark Air Lines Flight 809 crashed into a wooded ravine in Normandy, Missouri, while on final approach to St. Louis Lambert International Airport during a severe thunderstorm. The flight was a multi-stop regional service that had most recently departed from Marion, Illinois. The aircraft encountered a powerful downdraft and windshear that forced it below the glide slope, striking trees approximately two miles short of the runway. The investigation highlighted the captain's decision to continue the approach into known severe weather, influenced by a lack of timely storm warnings from air traffic control and the weather service.

Weather

Thirty seconds after a night takeoff from Papeete, the aircraft reached an altitude of approximately 300 feet before entering a descending left turn and crashing into the Pacific Ocean. The flight had been delayed by 90 minutes due to a reported crack in the cockpit windshield; as a precaution, the crew planned to fly at a lower altitude, which required a significantly higher fuel load due to increased fuel burn at lower levels. This resulted in a much higher takeoff weight. Because the wreckage sank to a depth of approximately 700 meters, the flight recorders were not recovered, leaving the exact cause of the descent undetermined.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Varig Flight 820 was destroyed during an emergency belly landing in an onion field near Paris after a fire broke out in a rear lavatory. The fire produced thick, toxic smoke that quickly filled the cabin and cockpit, incapacitating almost all passengers and making the flight instruments unreadable for the crew. Although the pilots successfully performed a forced landing 5 km short of the runway, 123 of the 134 people on board died, primarily from carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation. Only 11 people survived, 10 of whom were crew members who evacuated through the cockpit windows and forward galley.

Human Factors (Operational)

Aeroflot Flight 512 crashed during a rejected takeoff at Amman-Marka International Airport after the captain erroneously perceived an engine failure. Despite both engines functioning normally, the pilot aborted the takeoff at 265 km/h, which was above the calculated V1 speed of 252 km/h. The aircraft overran the runway, descended into a ravine, and struck a residential building. The accident occurred during a partial solar eclipse, which investigators believe may have psychologically influenced the pilot's perception of speed and light, leading to the unfounded decision to abort.

Pilot Error

Aeromexico Flight 229, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15, crashed into the side of Las Minas Mountain during its approach to Licenciado Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport in Puerto Vallarta. The aircraft was operating a multi-leg international service from Houston to Mexico City with stops in Monterrey and Puerto Vallarta; the accident occurred during the leg from Monterrey to Puerto Vallarta. During the descent for landing on runway 04, the aircraft struck the mountain approximately 20 miles (32 km) south-southeast of the airport. The impact and subsequent fire destroyed the aircraft, resulting in the deaths of all 27 occupants. Investigators determined the pilot failed to sufficiently reduce speed during the descent procedure, leading to the controlled flight into terrain.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Tupolev Tu-144S supersonic transport disintegrated in mid-air and crashed into the town of Goussainville during a demonstration flight at the Paris Air Show. The aircraft performed a low pass followed by a steep climb, then entered a sudden, violent dive. During the attempt to recover from the dive, the airframe was subjected to excessive structural loads, causing the left wing to separate and the aircraft to break apart. All six crew members and eight people on the ground were killed. The investigation was heavily influenced by Cold War politics, eventually concluding that while no technical defect was found, the crew may have been startled by a French Mirage III fighter jet photographing the flight, leading to an abrupt maneuver that exceeded the aircraft's structural limits.

Human Factors (Operational)

Aeroflot Flight 109 was destroyed by a mid-air bomb detonation following a failed hijacking attempt. A passenger, Chingis Yunusogly Rzayev, demanded to be flown to China and threatened the crew with an explosive device. An on-board air marshal shot the hijacker in an attempt to stop him, but Rzayev managed to detonate approximately 5.5 to 6 kilograms of TNT as he was dying. The resulting explosion caused immediate structural failure and explosive decompression, killing everyone on board.

Security / Sabotage