Aviation Accident Summary Archive

Aeroflot Flight 141 crashed short of the runway at Prague Ruzyne Airport after an abrupt nose-down pitch during final approach. The aircraft struck frozen ground, broke apart, and was consumed by fire. While the Czechoslovak commission could not definitively determine the cause, Soviet investigators attributed the accident to the captain erroneously moving the horizontal stabilizer from the landing to the flight position at a low altitude, which created an unrecoverable nose-down moment.

Pilot Error

EgyptAir Flight 741 crashed into the Kyrenia Mountains during a night approach to Nicosia International Airport, killing all 37 people on board. The aircraft struck the mountain slope at approximately 2,600 feet, just 117 meters below the summit, while the crew was attempting a visual approach in darkness.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Boeing 707 carrying Nigerian pilgrims from Jeddah crashed while attempting to land at Kano International Airport during a period of high winds and dust. The aircraft touched down nose-wheel first, causing the nose gear to collapse and the aircraft to veer off the runway and catch fire.

Pilot Error

Aeroflot Flight 6263 entered a sudden, high speed downward spiral while cruising toward Perm, leading to an in-flight structural breakup. Although four individuals initially survived the impact, they succumbed to extreme cold before rescue teams could reach the remote site. The official investigation remained inconclusive, though evidence suggested a possible mid-air collision with a projectile.

Unknown

A Pacific Western Airlines Boeing 707 crashed during a back-course ILS approach to Edmonton International Airport, killing all five occupants and 86 cattle. The aircraft was being operated by Pacific Western on behalf of Trans International Airlines. The investigation determined that the flight crew was suffering from severe fatigue and that the first officer, who was flying the aircraft, was inexperienced on the type and returning from a six-week holiday. During the final stages of the approach in turbulent air and blowing snow, the aircraft descended below the required altitude and struck trees and a ridge approximately 3 kilometers short of the runway. The five fatalities included three crew members and two cattle handlers acting as passengers.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

On December 31, 1972, a Douglas DC-7 cargo aircraft carrying relief supplies for earthquake victims in Nicaragua crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after takeoff from San Juan. The flight was carrying Major League Baseball star Roberto Clemente, who had personally organized the mission. The NTSB determined that the aircraft suffered a total failure of the number 2 engine and a partial power loss on the number 3 engine. The aircraft, which was approximately 4,193 pounds overweight and lacked a properly certified crew, was unable to maintain altitude during a turn and impacted the water at high speed. The investigation revealed the number 2 engine had suffered internal damage during a previous taxiing accident on December 2, 1972, which had not been adequately inspected or repaired.

Mechanical Failure

Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 crashed into the Florida Everglades after the flight crew became preoccupied with a burnt-out landing gear indicator light, failing to notice that the autopilot had been inadvertently disengaged.

Human Factors (CRM)

Braathens SAFE Flight 239 crashed into a wooded hillside in Vestmarka during a night approach to Oslo Airport, Fornebu, killing 40 of the 45 people on board. The crew took a shortcut during the approach and, distracted by non-essential conversation with air traffic control, failed to notice they were significantly off course and below the minimum safe altitude. Navigational errors were compounded by false ILS signals and an incorrectly tuned radio compass, leading the aircraft to strike terrain 16 kilometers west of the airport.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A North Central Airlines DC-9 collided with a Delta Air Lines Convair 880 on an active runway at O'Hare International Airport during dense fog. The collision occurred because the Delta crew, acting on an ambiguous instruction from ground control, taxied across Runway 27L while the North Central flight was in the middle of its takeoff roll. The DC-9 struck the Convair's tail and left wing, then crashed and caught fire, resulting in 10 fatalities among the DC-9's passengers.

Human Factors (Operational) · Multi-aircraft

United Air Lines Flight 553 stalled and crashed into a residential neighborhood during a non-precision approach to Chicago Midway International Airport, an intermediate stop on its route to Omaha. The crew failed to manage the aircraft's configuration and airspeed while attempting to level off and subsequently execute a go-around, leading to an aerodynamic stall at an altitude too low for recovery. The accident resulted in 45 fatalities, including 43 of the 61 people on board and 2 individuals on the ground.

Pilot Error

Seven members of the Eritrean Liberation Front attempted to hijack Ethiopian Airlines Flight 708 shortly after its departure from Addis Ababa. During a firefight with onboard security guards, a hijacker armed a hand grenade which was subsequently rolled down the aisle by a passenger to move it away from people. The resulting explosion caused significant damage to the aircraft's flight controls and engines, but the crew successfully returned to the airport and landed. All seven hijackers were killed or died of their injuries; all passengers and crew survived, though some sustained injuries.

Security / Sabotage

A Spantax charter flight carrying West German tourists crashed seconds after takeoff from Tenerife in near-zero visibility. Shortly after liftoff, the aircraft entered a steep, unusual bank at low altitude, lost control, and struck the ground beyond the runway. The investigation determined that the captain suffered from spatial disorientation (somatogyral illusion) while flying in thick fog, leading to the loss of control. At the time, it was the deadliest aviation accident in Spanish history.

Human Factors (Operational)

Ansett Airlines Flight 232 was hijacked by a passenger armed with a sawn-off rifle and a knife during its descent into Alice Springs. The hijacker, Miloslav Hrabinec, demanded a light aircraft and a parachute to facilitate a spectacular suicide in the desert. After the aircraft landed, a standoff ensued involving an undercover police officer and a civilian pilot. During a confrontation at a secondary aircraft, the hijacker shot and seriously wounded the undercover officer. Hrabinec was then wounded by return fire from the civilian pilot and police marksmen before fleeing into a ditch and committing suicide. While the hijacker died, all passengers and crew survived the ordeal.

Security / Sabotage

Southern Airways Flight 49 was hijacked by three armed men shortly after departing Birmingham, Alabama, initiating a 30 hour ordeal that spanned 4,000 miles across the United States, Canada, and Cuba. The hijackers, Melvin Cale, Louis Moore, and Henry Jackson, burst into the cockpit with a gun to a flight attendant's head, declaring, "Billy Bob we're taking over the airplane." Demanding a $10 million ransom, they threatened to crash the aircraft into the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. After receiving a partial ransom of approximately $2 million in Chattanooga, the aircraft flew to Havana, then Orlando, and finally back to Havana. Despite the FBI shooting out the aircraft's tires in Orlando and the hijackers shooting the first officer in the arm, the crew successfully landed the plane on a flat tire in Cuba, where the hijackers were apprehended.

Security / Sabotage

Aero Trasporti Italiani Flight 327 crashed into a hillside at an elevation of 1,450 feet while descending toward Bari-Palese Airport, killing all 27 people on board, including 24 passengers and 3 crew members. The aircraft, a Fokker F-27 Friendship, was operating a domestic scheduled service from Naples when it impacted terrain approximately 35 kilometers west-southwest of the airport. Investigators determined the accident was a Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) caused by pilot error during a visual approach. Despite the airport lacking radar and an Instrument Landing System (ILS), the captain reported visual contact with the runway and descended below a safe altitude without adequate navigational guidance.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Air Inter Flight 696 crashed into the Forez mountains during a night approach to Clermont-Ferrand in stormy weather. The crew, misled by an erroneous radio compass indication caused by electrical discharges in the atmosphere, believed they were over the Clermont-Ferrand NDB when they were actually 30 km to the east. They initiated a premature descent and struck the Pic du Picot at an altitude of approximately 1,100 meters. Eight passengers survived the impact and were rescued seven hours later.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, a chartered Fairchild FH-227D carrying members of the Old Christians Club rugby team from Montevideo to Santiago, crashed into a remote glacier in the Andes on October 13, 1972. After an overnight weather delay in Mendoza, Argentina, the crew began a premature descent in instrument meteorological conditions. The pilots mistakenly believed they had passed the Curicó radiobeacon and were clear of the high peaks when they were actually still deep within the mountain range. The initial impact sheared off the wings and tail section, while the fuselage slid down a glacier, coming to rest at an altitude of approximately 3,500 metres. Of the 45 people on board, 12 died in the crash or shortly after, and 17 more succumbed to injuries, exposure, and an avalanche during the subsequent 72-day ordeal. The 16 survivors were only rescued after two passengers, Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa, completed a ten-day trek across the mountains to find help in Chile.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Aeroflot Flight 217, a non-scheduled international flight, crashed during its final approach to Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport, killing all 174 people on board. At the time, it was the deadliest aviation disaster in history. Despite a thorough investigation, Soviet authorities were unable to determine a definitive cause for why the aircraft failed to level off at its assigned altitude and instead continued a high-speed descent into the ground.

Unknown

Aeroflot Flight 1036 crashed into the Black Sea shortly after departing Sochi International Airport, killing all 109 people on board. During the initial climb, the aircraft unexpectedly veered from a planned right turn into a steep left bank and nosedive. The wreckage settled in an underwater canyon at a depth of approximately 600 meters, making recovery and investigation extremely difficult. While bird strikes were considered a likely factor due to seasonal migrations, the official cause remains undetermined.

Unknown

A privately owned Canadair Sabre Mk. 5 jet overran the runway during a failed takeoff attempt at the Golden West Sport Aviation Air Show, crashing into a crowded Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor. The pilot, who had fewer than four hours of experience in the aircraft type, prematurely rotated the nose during the takeoff roll, a known handling hazard for the F-86 Sabre series. The aircraft failed to become airborne, struck an earthen berm and a perimeter fence, and crossed a four-lane road at approximately 150 mph before slamming into the restaurant. The disaster resulted in 22 fatalities, all of whom were on the ground, including 12 children. The event led to significant changes in FAA regulations regarding the operation of ex-military jets over populated areas.

Pilot Error

Japan Air Lines Flight 472 mistakenly landed at Juhu Aerodrome, a small general aviation airfield, instead of the nearby Santacruz Airport in Bombay. The Douglas DC-8, which required a much longer runway than Juhu's 1,143-meter strip, overran the runway and suffered significant structural damage, including the loss of both port engines and the collapse of the landing gear. All 122 occupants survived the excursion, though 11 people sustained injuries.

Pilot Error

Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 130 was hijacked by three members of the Croatian National Resistance (CNR) shortly after departing Gothenburg for Stockholm. The hijackers redirected the McDonnell Douglas DC-9-21 to Bulltofta Airport in Malmö, where they held 86 passengers and 4 crew members hostage. They demanded the release of seven Croatian nationalists imprisoned in Sweden for the 1971 attack on the Yugoslavian embassy and consulate. Following a 23 hour standoff and negotiations involving the Swedish cabinet, six prisoners were released and flown to the aircraft. In exchange for the prisoners and SEK 500,000, all hostages were released. The aircraft then flew to Madrid, Spain, where the hijackers surrendered to authorities.

Security / Sabotage

Aeroflot Flight 558 crashed into a field after a fire broke out in the rear cargo compartment during cruise. The fire, likely caused by pyrotechnic devices or flammable materials in passenger baggage, filled the cabin and cockpit with thick, toxic smoke. The crew attempted to reach Magnitogorsk for an emergency landing, but the smoke incapacitated the passengers and severely hindered the pilots' ability to control the aircraft. After an emergency descent, the aircraft performed a final, desperate climb maneuver while the crew was blinded by smoke before eventually impacting the ground. All 102 people on board perished, with investigators concluding that most passengers died from smoke inhalation before the impact.

Other

A Union of Burma Airways Douglas C-47B crashed into the sea shortly after departing Thandwe Airport on a scheduled domestic flight. The aircraft came down south of the airport, resulting in the deaths of 28 of the 31 people on board. Only three individuals survived the impact and subsequent immersion in the water.

Other