Aviation Accident Summary Archive

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

Aeroflot Flight 6551 disintegrated in mid-air and crashed into the Kazakh steppe after an unexplained loss of control during cruise. The aircraft suddenly entered a rapid descent from 7,800 metres, reaching speeds and load factors that caused the right wing and fuselage to fail structurally. Despite an extensive investigation into potential external factors, including military activity and explosive decompression, the underlying cause for the initial upset remains undetermined.

Unknown

A NASA Convair CV-990 and a U.S. Navy Lockheed P-3C Orion collided at approximately 300 feet while on final approach to Moffett Field. The collision occurred after an approach controller cleared the NASA jet to land on Runway 32L, the same runway where the Navy Orion was performing touch-and-go landings. Both aircraft crashed onto the Sunnyvale Municipal Golf Course, approximately 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) short of the runway, resulting in 16 fatalities. One crew member from the P-3 survived after being ejected from the tail section during the impact.

Human Factors (Operational) · Multi-aircraft

A Vickers Vanguard charter flight carrying members of several British women's guilds crashed into a wooded hillside during a snowstorm while attempting to land at Basel. The flight crew became hopelessly disoriented, misidentifying radio beacons and performing multiple erratic loops south of the airport. Despite warnings from air traffic control and spurious instrument readings, the pilots believed they were established on the localizer. The aircraft struck trees on a ridge near Hochwald, 16 km south of the airport, and somersaulted into a forest. While 108 people perished, 37 survivors were rescued from the severed tail section.

Pilot Error

A mid-air collision occurred over Nantes when a Spantax Convair 990 and an Iberia DC-9 were both assigned to the same flight level and arrival time at the Nantes VOR. Due to a civilian air traffic controller strike, the airspace was managed by military personnel under the Clément Marot Plan. Communication difficulties and poor radar coverage led the Spantax crew to perform an unauthorized 360-degree turn to delay their arrival, placing them directly in the path of the Iberia DC-9. The DC-9 was destroyed, while the Convair managed an emergency landing.

Human Factors (Operational) · Multi-aircraft

Aeroflot Flight X-167 crashed shortly after takeoff from Semipalatinsk Airport, killing all 32 people on board, including the Kyzylorda Region women's basketball team. The aircraft reached an altitude of approximately 100 meters before entering a rapid descent and striking a snow-covered field. Although witnesses reported seeing sparks and a flash of flame, investigators found no evidence of an in-flight explosion or fire. The exact cause remains undetermined, though investigators focused on a spontaneous nose-down stabilizer deflection or pilot incapacitation.

Unknown

On February 26, 1973, a Learjet 24 crashed shortly after takeoff from DeKalb-Peachtree Airport after ingesting a large flock of cowbirds into both engines. The aircraft suffered a total loss of thrust, stalled in a nose-high attitude, and struck an apartment building before coming to rest in a wooded ravine. All seven people on board were killed, and one person on the ground was seriously injured. The investigation revealed that a nearby sanitary landfill had attracted large numbers of birds to the airport environment, a hazard that both the FAA and airport authorities were aware of but had failed to mitigate.

Bird Strike

An Ilyushin Il-18V crashed during a domestic flight after entering a steep spiral dive following a navigation error. The aircraft disintegrated at low altitude due to extreme dynamic loads, killing all 79 people on board.

Human Factors (Operational)

Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114 was shot down by Israeli F-4 Phantom II fighter jets after the aircraft strayed off course due to navigational errors and entered Israeli-occupied Sinai airspace. The flight crew, believing they were still over Egypt, failed to follow instructions to land at an Israeli airbase, leading the Israeli Defense Forces to believe the airliner was a hostile threat.

Military Action