Aviation Accident Summary Archive

LANSA Flight 501 crashed into Mount Talaula after the captain deviated from the prescribed airline route to fly a more direct path toward Cusco. The aircraft, heavily loaded and operating at a high takeoff weight, lacked the climb performance necessary to clear the Andean peaks on the direct trajectory chosen by the pilot. All 49 people on board were killed when the Constellation struck the mountainside at approximately 12,600 feet.

Pilot Error

A Lockheed L-188C Electra carrying 92 U.S. soldiers and 6 crew members crashed into a hill during a circling approach to Ardmore Municipal Airport. The investigation revealed that the Captain suffered a fatal heart attack at a critical point in the approach. Post-accident analysis discovered the Captain had a long-standing history of heart disease and diabetes, which he had deliberately concealed from the FAA to maintain his flight medical certification.

Pilot Error

BOAC Flight 911 disintegrated in mid-air near Mount Fuji after encountering exceptionally severe clear-air turbulence. The aircraft, a Boeing 707, was performing a scenic flyby of the mountain under visual meteorological conditions when it was struck by powerful mountain waves. The resulting gust loads exceeded the structural design limits of the airframe, causing the vertical stabilizer to fail and leading to a total break-up of the aircraft.

Weather

Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 402 crashed while attempting to land in dense fog at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. After initially diverting due to poor visibility, the crew returned for a second attempt when conditions reportedly improved. During a Ground Controlled Approach (GCA), the aircraft descended below the glide path, striking approach lights and a seawall before disintegrating on the airfield.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

On February 28, 1966, a NASA Northrop T-38A Talon carrying the primary crew for the Gemini 9 mission crashed into a McDonnell Aircraft assembly building while attempting to land at Lambert Field in St. Louis. The pilot, Elliot See, and his crewmate, Charles Bassett, were killed instantly when the aircraft struck the roof of Building 101, where their Gemini spacecraft was being prepared. The accident occurred during a visual circling approach in deteriorating weather conditions characterized by rain, snow, and low visibility. An investigation led by Alan Shepard concluded the cause was pilot error, specifically See's failure to maintain visual reference during the landing attempt.

Pilot Error

Aeroflot Flight 65 was a Tupolev Tu-114 that crashed during takeoff from Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow on February 17, 1966. The aircraft, registration CCCP-74691, was relatively new with only 93 flight hours at the time of the accident.

Pilot Error

All Nippon Airways Flight 60 crashed into Tokyo Bay during a night visual approach to Haneda Airport, killing all 133 people on board. At the time, it was the deadliest single-aircraft accident in history. Despite the recovery of the tail section and engines, the lack of flight recorders and the aircraft's disintegration upon impact left investigators unable to determine a definitive cause.

Unknown

Lufthansa Flight 005 stalled and crashed during a go-around at Bremen Airport, killing all 46 people on board. The aircraft was performing an ILS approach in poor weather when a suspected instrument malfunction caused it to fly above the glide path. Upon transitioning to visual flight, the captain realized the aircraft was too high and poorly positioned for landing, initiating a late go-around. During the maneuver, the aircraft entered an extreme nose-up attitude and stalled at a very low altitude, striking the ground left-wing first.

Pilot Error

Air India Flight 101, a Boeing 707 named Kanchenjunga, crashed into the Mont Blanc massif during its descent toward Geneva. The pilot initiated a premature descent after miscalculating the aircraft's position relative to the mountain peak. All 117 people on board were killed, including Homi J. Bhabha, the father of India's nuclear program. The crash occurred remarkably close to the site of another Air India disaster that took place 16 years earlier.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A United States Air Force B-52G Stratofortress carrying four thermonuclear bombs collided with a KC-135A Stratotanker during a mid-air refueling operation at 31,000 feet. The collision occurred when the B-52 approached the tanker too quickly, causing the refueling boom to strike the bomber's fuselage and snap off its left wing. The KC-135 was destroyed in a massive explosion, killing all four crew members, while the B-52 broke apart, resulting in three fatalities among its seven crew members. The accident resulted in the release of four nuclear weapons, two of which suffered conventional explosive detonations upon impact, contaminating the Spanish countryside with plutonium.

Mid-air Collision · Multi-aircraft

Japan Air Lines Flight 813 experienced an uncontained failure of its number one engine shortly after departing San Francisco for Tokyo via Honolulu. The explosion caused severe structural damage, including the loss of nearly half of the left aileron and the loss of hydraulic pressure. Despite significant lateral control difficulties and an engine fire, the crew successfully diverted to Metropolitan Oakland International Airport, where all 41 occupants landed safely without injury.

Human Factors (Maintenance)

A U.S. Navy Douglas A-4E Skyhawk carrying a one-megaton B43 nuclear bomb rolled off the elevator of the aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga and sank into the Philippine Sea. The pilot, Lieutenant (j.g.) Douglas M. Webster, was strapped into the cockpit as the aircraft was being moved from the hangar bay to the elevator during a training exercise. The aircraft, pilot, and weapon were never recovered and remain at a depth of approximately 16,000 feet. The incident, classified as a 'Broken Arrow,' was kept secret by the U.S. Department of Defense until 1989.

Human Factors (Operational)

A mid-air collision occurred between Eastern Air Lines Flight 853 and TWA Flight 42 over Carmel, New York, due to an optical illusion and altimeter discrepancies that led both crews to believe they were on a collision course.

Mid-air Collision

United Airlines Flight 227 crashed short of the runway at Salt Lake City after the captain conducted an excessively steep approach. Despite the first officer's attempt to add power, the captain initially blocked the input, leading to a high-sink-rate impact that ruptured fuel lines and ignited a fatal cabin fire.

Pilot Error

Aeroflot Flight 99 crashed into the frozen Lake Kilpyavr during a night approach to Murmansk in deteriorating weather. The flight crew mistook lights from a nearby neighborhood for runway lights, leading them to believe they were too high. In response, they increased their rate of descent and flew below the glidepath, impacting the ice 2,127 meters short of the runway. The fuselage broke in two and sank, while the cockpit came to rest in shallow water. Soldiers from a nearby beacon station rescued survivors from the freezing water, but 32 of the 64 occupants perished.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

American Airlines Flight 383 crashed into a wooded hillside during a visual approach to Greater Cincinnati Airport in deteriorating weather. The Boeing 727 descended below the required altitude while the crew was preoccupied with maintaining visual contact with the runway amidst rain and thunderstorms. The aircraft struck a slope in the Ohio River valley, 225 feet below the airport's elevation, resulting in 58 fatalities and 4 survivors.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Vickers Vanguard crashed during its third attempt to land in thick fog at London Heathrow Airport. After two missed approaches, the crew attempted a third landing but decided to overshoot (go-around) at the last moment. During the maneuver, the aircraft was rotated abruptly, causing it to dive into the runway and disintegrate. All 36 people on board were killed.

Pilot Error

A Boeing 707-121B, the first production 707 ever built, crashed into the side of Chances Peak on the island of Montserrat during a short flight from Martinique to Antigua. The aircraft was operating in poor weather conditions including thunderstorms and heavy rain. While attempting to navigate toward Antigua, the crew deviated from the direct track to avoid weather and subsequently descended below the safe minimum altitude before accurately establishing their position. The aircraft struck the mountain at 2,760 feet, just 242 feet below the summit, killing all 30 people on board.

Pilot Error

United Air Lines Flight 389 crashed into Lake Michigan during a night descent toward Chicago O'Hare International Airport. The aircraft was cleared to descend to and maintain 6,000 feet, but it continued past this altitude at a steady rate of 2,000 feet per minute until impacting the water. Despite an extensive investigation and the recovery of 82 percent of the wreckage, the Civil Aeronautics Board was unable to determine why the crew failed to level off at their assigned altitude. A leading theory suggests the pilots may have misread their three-pointer altimeters by 10,000 feet, which was a known vulnerability of that specific instrument design.

Unknown

Allegheny Airlines Flight 604 crashed shortly after takeoff from Williamsport Regional Airport following a catastrophic failure of the right engine. Although the crew successfully feathered the failing engine, the aircraft failed to maintain sufficient altitude and airspeed to clear a nearby ridge. The aircraft struck a hill at an elevation of 1,100 feet, skidded approximately 320 feet over the crest of the rise, and slid down a steep slope before being destroyed by a post-crash fire. All 40 occupants survived the impact and subsequent fire, largely due to the successful evacuation led by the flight attendant.

Pilot Error

A Vickers Viscount cargo flight crashed into the Thompson & Capper factory (often referred to as a mothball factory) during a radar-assisted approach to Liverpool International Airport. The aircraft was approximately half a mile from the runway threshold when it suddenly banked steeply to the right, rolled onto its back, and plunged through the roof of the facility. Both crew members and two factory workers on the ground were killed in the ensuing fire. Despite a full investigation, the specific reason for the sudden loss of control could not be determined.

Unknown

On July 11, 1965, an Avro 748 operated by Skyways Coach-Air overturned during a heavy landing at Lympne Airport. The aircraft encountered severe turbulence and drizzle during a radar-assisted approach, leading to a steeper than normal descent. Upon touchdown, the aircraft struck the ground heavily on its starboard undercarriage, causing the starboard wing and gear to separate. The nose wheels then dug into the soft grass runway surface, causing the aircraft to flip onto its back and slide for 400 yards. Both wings and the starboard tailplane were sheared off during the slide. Despite the total destruction of the airframe, all 52 occupants survived the accident.

Pilot Error

Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 21 was destroyed by an in-flight explosion while cruising at 16,000 feet. A bomb, placed in the left aft lavatory, caused the tail section to separate from the fuselage, leading to an uncontrollable spiral and crash into a wooded area near Dog Creek. All 52 people on board were killed. Despite an extensive investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that identified four potential suspects among the passengers, no one was ever charged, and the motive remains unknown.

Security / Sabotage

A Royal Air Force Handley Page Hastings transport aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from RAF Abingdon when the elevator control system failed due to metal fatigue. The aircraft climbed steeply out of control, stalled, and dived into a field at Little Baldon, killing all 41 personnel on board, including 35 paratroopers and instructors.

Mechanical Failure