Aviation Accident Summary Archive

Viasa Flight 742 crashed shortly after takeoff from Maracaibo's Grano de Oro Airport, striking power lines and plunging into the La Trinidad residential district. The aircraft was severely overloaded for the prevailing high temperatures, a condition caused by faulty runway temperature sensors that provided the crew with erroneous performance data. All 84 people on board and 71 people on the ground were killed, making it the deadliest aviation disaster in the world at the time.

Human Factors (Operational)

Prinair Flight 277 crashed into the Sierra de Luquillo mountains after an air traffic control trainee mistakenly identified the aircraft's position, vectoring it into high terrain at an unsafe altitude. The controller believed the aircraft was three miles east of the Isla Verde intersection, when it was actually three miles east of the Fajardo intersection, approximately 10 miles further east than assumed. Following the controller's instructions to descend to 3,000 feet while on a heading for the final approach, the pilots flew into a mountain peak at an elevation of approximately 2,400 feet. All 19 people on board were killed.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Hawthorne Nevada Airlines Flight 708 struck a sheer cliff face on the eastern slope of Mount Whitney during a night flight in deteriorating weather. The crew had deviated from their FAA-authorized route to fly a more direct path through the Owens Valley. Encountering unforecast headwinds and poor visibility, the pilots likely miscalculated their position using dead reckoning and turned toward their destination prematurely, flying directly into high mountainous terrain. The wreckage remained undiscovered for nearly six months due to heavy snow and the remote location.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

United Airlines Flight 266 crashed into Santa Monica Bay following a total loss of electrical power shortly after takeoff. The aircraft was operating with one inoperative generator under MEL provisions when a fire warning on engine #1 prompted the crew to shut it down, losing a second generator. The final remaining generator then failed for undetermined reasons. In total darkness and without functioning attitude instruments, the crew suffered spatial disorientation and lost control of the aircraft, which impacted the water in a steep nose-down attitude.

Sensor / Instrument Failure

Scandinavian Airlines Flight 933 crashed into the Santa Monica Bay during an instrument approach to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) after the crew became distracted by a landing gear indicator malfunction. While descending toward runway 07R in darkness and fog, the pilots failed to monitor their altitude as they attempted to troubleshoot a nose gear light that remained red. The aircraft struck the water approximately six nautical miles west of the airport, breaking into three sections. Of the 45 people on board, 15 perished, primarily due to drowning as sections of the fuselage sank.

Human Factors (CRM)

Allegheny Airlines Flight 737 crashed while attempting an instrument approach to Bradford Regional Airport, coming to rest inverted on a snow-covered golf course. The accident occurred just 13 days after another Allegheny CV-580, Flight 736, crashed while approaching the same airport under similar conditions. Despite an extensive investigation, the NTSB was unable to determine a definitive cause, narrowing the possibilities to three undetermined factors: a misread altimeter, a mechanical altimeter malfunction, or a misinterpretation of the approach chart. The crash resulted in the deaths of both pilots and nine passengers.

Unknown

Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashed into a house in Fernhill while attempting a low-visibility approach to London-Gatwick Airport in freezing fog. The aircraft descended below the glide slope after the captain disconnected the autopilot and incorrectly configured the flaps, leading to a rapid loss of altitude that was not detected until it was too late to recover. The accident resulted in the deaths of 48 people on board and two residents on the ground.

Pilot Error

MacRobertson Miller Airlines Flight 1750 suffered a catastrophic structural failure of the right wing during its descent into Port Hedland, resulting in the deaths of all 26 people on board. The starboard outer wing separated in flight, followed by the tail section and the remaining engines due to extreme aerodynamic loads. Investigators determined that a maintenance error involving the improper installation of a steel bush had introduced severe scoring and eliminated the necessary interference fit in the wing's main spar lower boom. This defect accelerated metal fatigue, causing the spar to fracture at only 70% of its mandated retirement life.

Structural Failure

North Central Airlines Flight 458 crashed into a hangar during an instrument approach to Chicago O'Hare International Airport in low visibility conditions. The aircraft was performing a normal approach until it reached approximately 210 feet above the ground, at which point it entered a sustained climb. The captain eventually initiated a go-around, but the aircraft stalled, rolled nearly inverted, and struck a hangar door. The investigation determined the captain suffered spatial disorientation caused by atmospheric refraction of the approach or landing lights while transitioning from instrument to visual flight. Of the 45 people on board, 27 were killed (24 passengers and 3 crew members). Additionally, one person on the ground died from their injuries, resulting in a total of 28 fatalities.

Human Factors (Operational)

Pan Am Flight 799, a Boeing 707 cargo flight, crashed shortly after takeoff from Elmendorf Air Force Base when the crew attempted to depart with the flaps fully retracted. The aircraft stalled immediately after liftoff, banked right, and struck the ground less than a minute into the flight. The investigation revealed that the flaps had been retracted by the captain to prevent icing during taxi, but the crew failed to re-extend them because the 'lower flaps' item was missing from the pre-takeoff checklist. Additionally, the aircraft's takeoff warning system failed to sound because the airline had not implemented a manufacturer service bulletin that would have ensured the warning triggered under cold-weather thrust settings.

Human Factors (Operational)

Allegheny Airlines Flight 736 crashed into a wooded ridge during a non-precision approach to Bradford Regional Airport in a snowstorm. The aircraft descended below the Minimum Descent Altitude (MDA) while both pilots were looking outside the cockpit to establish visual contact with the runway. The Convair CV-580 struck trees approximately 2.1 nautical miles short of the runway and came to rest inverted. Despite the severity of the impact and a blinding snowstorm that delayed rescuers, 27 occupants survived, many by huddling around a bonfire made from luggage and seat cushions.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Pan Am Flight 217 crashed into the Caribbean Sea during a night visual approach to Caracas, killing all 51 people on board. The aircraft disappeared from radar approximately 18 miles from the airport. Investigators believe the crew succumbed to an optical illusion caused by city lights on upsloping terrain, leading them to descend prematurely into the water.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Wien Consolidated Airlines Flight 55 suffered a catastrophic in-flight structural failure when it encountered unforecast extreme turbulence near Pedro Bay. The right wing, weakened by pre-existing fatigue cracks that had gone undetected during maintenance, separated from the fuselage, leading to an uncontrollable spinning descent into Foxies Lake.

Structural Failure

Japan Airlines Flight 2 landed in the shallow waters of San Francisco Bay, approximately 2.5 miles short of the runway, during a heavy fog approach. The captain, attempting an automatic-coupled ILS approach for the first time in a DC-8-62, failed to follow prescribed procedures and descended below the glide slope without realizing the aircraft's proximity to the water. All 107 occupants evacuated without injury, and the nearly new aircraft was successfully salvaged, repaired, and returned to service. The event is famously remembered for Captain Kohei Asoh's candid admission of responsibility, often referred to as the Asoh Defense.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A United States Air Force B-52D Stratofortress crashed and exploded during an aborted takeoff at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. The aircraft, heavily laden with fuel and 30,000 pounds of conventional bombs for an Operation Arc Light mission, overran the runway and caught fire. The subsequent detonation of the bomb load created a massive crater and caused significant damage to surrounding civilian structures. Two crew members, the Electronic Warfare Officer and the Crew Chief, later died from burn injuries.

Other

Northeast Airlines Flight 946 crashed into the cloud-shrouded side of Moose Mountain during an instrument approach to Lebanon Municipal Airport, killing 32 of the 42 people on board. The aircraft was flying nearly 600 feet below its required minimum altitude when it struck trees approximately 57 feet below the mountain summit. Investigators determined the crew had performed a nonstandard, abbreviated approach and initiated a premature descent based on premature navigational instrument indications of station passage. The crash remains the deadliest commercial aviation accident in New Hampshire history.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Air France Flight 1611 plunged into the Mediterranean Sea while on approach to Nice after the crew reported a fire on board. All 95 people on board were killed. While the official investigation attributed the crash to a fire originating in the rear lavatory or galley, persistent evidence and witness testimony suggest the aircraft may have been accidentally shot down by a French military missile during a training exercise.

Other

Los Angeles Airways Flight 417 crashed in a residential park in Compton, California, after a main rotor blade separated from the aircraft in flight. The Sikorsky S-61L helicopter became uncontrollable following the loss of the yellow designated blade, falling from an altitude of approximately 1,200 to 1,500 feet. All 21 people on board, including the grandson of the airline's founder, were killed. The investigation identified a fatigue fracture in the rotor blade spindle, which had been manufactured with substandard metal hardness and improper shot peening.

Mechanical Failure

Alitalia Flight 660 crashed into a wooded hillside on Mount San Giacomo in Cuirone during a storm-impacted approach to Milan Malpensa Airport. Although all 95 occupants survived the initial impact, 12 passengers died in the subsequent post-crash fire (some sources report 13 fatalities). The flight crew, attempting to land in severe turbulence and heavy rain, became disoriented and overshot the airport, mistaking the terrain north of the field for the approach path to the south. The accident was attributed to a combination of pilot error, instrument interference caused by the storm, and air traffic control errors.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A BKS Air Transport Airspeed Ambassador, converted for horse transport, crashed at Heathrow Airport after a fatigue failure in the port flap operating rod caused severe asymmetrical lift. During the landing approach, the left wing dropped, leading the crew to attempt a go-around. The aircraft's bank angle increased uncontrollably, causing it to strike two parked Hawker Siddeley Tridents and a Vickers Viscount before cartwheeling into the terminal building. The accident killed six of the eight people on board (the three crew members and three of the five grooms) and all eight racehorses being transported.

Mechanical Failure

Los Angeles Airways Flight 841 crashed into a dairy farm in Paramount, California, after a catastrophic mechanical failure of the main rotor system. While cruising at 2,000 feet, the main rotor blades underwent extreme lead/lag excursions, leading to the detachment of a pitch change control rod. The uncontrolled blades struck the fuselage and tail section, causing the helicopter to disintegrate in mid-air. All 23 people on board, many of whom were returning from Disneyland, were killed.

Mechanical Failure

A U.S. Air Force C-130B Hercules was shot down by North Vietnamese Army (NVA) forces during the emergency evacuation of the Kham Duc Special Forces camp. The aircraft, overloaded with 150 South Vietnamese civilians and a Special Forces officer, took off into a concentrated zone of NVA anti-aircraft fire. The plane was struck by heavy machine gun fire, lost control, and crashed into a nearby ravine, killing all 155 people on board. At the time, it was the deadliest aviation disaster in history.

Military Action

Braniff Flight 352 disintegrated in midair and crashed near Dawson, Texas, after the crew attempted a high-stress recovery maneuver following an encounter with a severe thunderstorm. The aircraft entered an area of heavy weather despite ATC warnings that other flights were deviating. During a steep 180-degree turn intended to escape the storm, the aircraft entered an unusual attitude. The subsequent recovery attempt generated 4.35g of force, exceeding the airframe's ultimate strength and causing the right wing to fail.

Pilot Error

A Boeing 707 crashed into the desert shortly after a night takeoff from Windhoek, Namibia. The aircraft, which was only six weeks old, climbed to approximately 650 feet before entering a steady descent and impacting the ground at high speed. The investigation revealed that the crew, likely disoriented by the 'black hole' conditions of the moonless desert night, failed to monitor their instruments and inadvertently trimmed the aircraft into a descent while believing they were still climbing.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)