Aviation Accident Summary Archive

Alitalia Flight 771 crashed into Davandyachi Hill during its descent toward Bombay after the flight crew initiated a premature descent based on a navigation error. The aircraft was on a multi-leg journey from Sydney to Rome and was approaching Bombay at night in instrument conditions. The pilot believed the aircraft was much closer to the airport than it actually was, leading to a descent below the minimum safe altitude in mountainous terrain. All 94 people on board were killed when the DC-8 struck the hill at an elevation of approximately 3,600 feet.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Aeroflot Flight 902 was a scheduled domestic flight that crashed near Krasnoyarsk after being struck by a surface-to-air missile during a Soviet military exercise. While the official Soviet report cited a stall and loss of spatial orientation in clouds, physical evidence and later investigations revealed the aircraft was accidentally targeted by a missile that had gone astray after passing through a storm front. All 84 people on board were killed when the aircraft entered a tailspin and impacted the ground upside-down.

Military Action

Air France Flight 117, a Boeing 707, crashed into a hill known as Dos D'Ane while on approach to Pointe-à-Pitre during a violent thunderstorm. The aircraft was significantly off course due to a combination of an unserviceable VOR beacon and atmospheric interference affecting the Automatic Direction Finder (ADF) readings. All 113 people on board were killed.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Air France Flight 007, a Boeing 707 named 'Chateau de Sully', crashed during a rejected takeoff at Orly Airport after a mechanical failure in the pitch trim system made rotation impossible. The aircraft overran the runway at high speed, struck approach lights and a house, and was consumed by fire. The disaster was particularly tragic for the city of Atlanta, as 103 of the passengers were members of the Atlanta Art Association returning from a European tour.

Mechanical Failure

Continental Airlines Flight 11 was a scheduled flight from Chicago to Kansas City that crashed following the detonation of a dynamite bomb in the rear lavatory. The explosion caused the tail section to separate at 39,000 feet, leading to a violent breakup and uncontrolled descent. All 45 people on board were killed. The FBI determined the bombing was a suicide committed by passenger Thomas G. Doty as part of an insurance fraud scheme to provide for his family while facing armed robbery charges.

Security / Sabotage

A Channel Airways Douglas C-47 Dakota struck the cloud-shrouded slopes of St Boniface Down while attempting a visual descent in poor weather conditions. The aircraft was operating a scheduled passenger service from Jersey to Southend via Portsmouth when it descended to 1,000 feet, significantly below the safe altitude for the area. The impact occurred just 50 feet below the summit of the hill, resulting in a post-crash fire that destroyed the airframe. Twelve of the eighteen people on board, including all three crew members, were killed.

Pilot Error

A chartered Lockheed Super Constellation carrying 93 U.S. Army personnel and 3 South Vietnamese military personnel disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while en route to Saigon. Despite one of the largest search operations in history, covering over 200,000 square miles, no wreckage or debris was ever recovered. A civilian tanker in the area reported witnessing an intense mid-air explosion at the time and position estimated for the aircraft's next scheduled report, suggesting a catastrophic in-flight breakup.

Unknown

A Turkish Airlines Fairchild F-27, operating the second leg of a scheduled service from Istanbul to Adana via Ankara, crashed into Mount Medetsiz in the Taurus Mountains. The flight crew had deviated from the standard civilian air route to take a more direct path reserved for military aircraft. While maneuvering to avoid cumulus clouds and turbulence, the pilots lost track of their exact position and altitude, leading to a controlled flight into terrain at approximately 6,800 feet above sea level.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

American Airlines Flight 1 crashed into Jamaica Bay shortly after takeoff from Idlewild Airport when a manufacturing defect in the rudder control system caused an uncommanded full-left rudder deflection. The aircraft rolled past 90 degrees and entered a vertical dive from which recovery was impossible. All 95 people on board were killed.

Human Factors (Maintenance)

A Fairchild F-27 turboprop airliner operated by Avensa crashed into San Juan Mountain shortly after departing Porlamar Airport on February 25, 1962. The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight to Cumaná when it impacted the slope of the mountain while climbing. All 23 people on board, including 20 passengers and 3 crew members, were killed in the accident. Investigators determined that the crew failed to follow the published departure procedures for Porlamar Airport for unknown reasons, leading to the collision with terrain.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Aeroflot Flight 245 crashed near Millerovo after the flight engineer inadvertently deployed the flaps to the full 40 degree position while cruising at high speed. The resulting aerodynamic forces caused a violent pitch-down and an uncontrollable dive. High negative g-forces prevented the crew from reaching the controls to retract the flaps, leading to a high-speed impact that killed all 59 people on board.

Human Factors (Operational)

Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 322 crashed shortly after takeoff from Viracopos-Campinas International Airport during a scheduled international service to New York. The aircraft reached an altitude of approximately 100 meters before losing height and striking eucalyptus trees. The investigation concluded that the co-pilot was likely receiving flight instruction from the captain at the time, and the crew failed to follow proper instrument flight rules (IFR) and climb procedures during a night departure.

Pilot Error

A Zantop Air Transport Douglas DC-4 cargo flight crashed and burned during its landing at Covington-Greater Cincinnati Airport. Upon touchdown, the aircraft went out of control, veered off the runway, and came to rest in flames in a nearby orchard. Despite the destruction of the aircraft by fire, both crew members on board survived the accident with injuries.

Other

Imperial Airlines Flight 201/8, a military charter carrying 74 U.S. Army recruits, crashed during an attempted emergency landing at Byrd Field after three of its four engines failed. The investigation revealed that the flight crew mismanaged the fuel system, causing the two right-side engines to fail due to fuel starvation. During the subsequent emergency approach, a lack of command coordination and a failure to understand the aircraft's hydraulic systems led to a botched go-around, during which a third engine failed from overboosting. Although the impact was survivable, 77 occupants died from carbon monoxide asphyxiation in the resulting fire.

Human Factors (Operational)

A Douglas Dakota IV operated by Derby Aviation struck the side of Mount Canigó in the Pyrenees while en route from London to Perpignan, killing all 34 people on board. The aircraft was flying significantly below the required safety altitude for the region during a night flight in cloudy conditions. The official inquiry attributed the disaster to a navigational error, though the specific cause of the error could not be determined due to a lack of evidence. The investigation highlighted discrepancies in safety altitude calculations, the use of dead reckoning over radio navigation, and a flight plan that did not comply with French regulations.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Turkish Airlines Flight 835, a brand-new Fokker F27 Friendship, crashed into Karanlıktepe hill during its final approach to Ankara. The aircraft was approximately 18 kilometres short of the runway when it struck the terrain. The investigation determined that the flight was operating well below its designated altitude and outside the normal approach pattern for Esenboğa International Airport. Of the 29 people on board, only one passenger survived the impact.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A United Nations chartered Douglas DC-6B carrying Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld crashed during a night approach to Ndola, Northern Rhodesia, resulting in the deaths of 16 people. The aircraft was flying a circuitous route to avoid Congolese territory during the Congo Crisis and was maintaining radio silence for security. While performing a visual approach, the aircraft descended below the safe altitude and struck trees approximately 15 kilometers from the airport. Although the Rhodesian Commission of Inquiry attributed the crash to pilot error, the cause remains one of the most significant mysteries in aviation history, with persistent allegations of an external attack or sabotage. Fifteen occupants died at the scene, while one passenger, Sergeant Harold Julian, initially survived the impact but succumbed to his injuries five days later.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 706 crashed shortly after takeoff from Chicago-O'Hare International Airport when the aircraft entered an uncontrollable right bank. The Lockheed L-188C Electra reached an altitude of approximately 200 to 300 feet before striking power lines and a railroad embankment, cartwheeling into the ground. All 37 people on board were killed. The investigation revealed that a mechanical failure in the aileron boost assembly, caused by improper maintenance, prevented the pilots from correcting the roll.

Mechanical Failure

Two West German F-84F Thunderstreak fighter-bombers inadvertently crossed into East German airspace and flew deep into Soviet-controlled territory before successfully landing at West Berlin's Tegel Airport. The incident occurred during a NATO exercise when the pilots became disoriented due to a combination of a malfunctioning compass, stronger-than-forecasted winds, and a failure to monitor radio instructions while discussing their position. Despite being pursued by Soviet fighter jets, the pilots utilized heavy cloud cover and guidance from a Berlin air traffic controller to reach safety, sparking a major international diplomatic crisis and domestic political scandal in West Germany.

Human Factors (Operational) · Multi-aircraft

Air France Flight 2005 crashed into a hill during a night approach to Rabat-Sale Airport in thick fog, killing all 77 people on board. The investigation determined that the crew likely misread their Kollsman window altimeter, leading them to believe they were 1,000 feet higher than their actual altitude. Despite warnings from air traffic control that the non-directional beacon (NDB) was not aligned with the runway and that visibility had dropped below 100 meters, the crew continued the descent until the aircraft struck the ground four miles short of the runway.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A President Airlines Douglas DC-6B crashed into the River Shannon shortly after takeoff from Shannon Airport, killing all 83 people on board. The aircraft was on a non-scheduled flight from Düsseldorf to Chicago with a planned refueling stop at Gander. After departing runway 24 at night, the crew was cleared for a right-hand turn but instead entered a steep left-hand bank that exceeded 90 degrees. The aircraft plummeted into the river approximately 5,000 feet from the end of the runway. The accident remains the deadliest aviation disaster to occur on Irish territory.

Sensor / Instrument Failure

TWA Flight 529 crashed shortly after takeoff from Chicago Midway Airport when a critical bolt fell out of the elevator boost linkage. The resulting mechanical failure caused the aircraft to pitch up violently, enter an accelerated stall, and suffer structural failure of the horizontal stabilizer before impacting a field in Willowbrook, Illinois. All 78 people on board were killed.

Mechanical Failure

An Eagle Airways Vickers Viking, carrying a school group from Lanfranc Secondary Modern School in Croydon on a camping trip, crashed into the Holtaheia mountain during an instrument approach to Stavanger. The aircraft deviated significantly from its prescribed flight path for reasons that remain officially undetermined, though high winds and potential instrument misinterpretation are suspected factors. All 39 people on board, including 34 schoolboys, were killed in what was then Norway's deadliest aviation accident.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Malév Douglas C-47A Skytrain crashed into a residential building in the Zugló district of Budapest during a local sightseeing flight, killing all 27 people on board (23 passengers and 4 crew) and three individuals on the ground. The accident occurred after the flight crew performed a series of unauthorized, dangerous maneuvers at low altitude, including steep turns and wing rolls. During these maneuvers, the aircraft lost speed and stalled while inverted, subsequently entering a corkscrew spin before striking the roof of an apartment building at 224 Lumumba Street (now Róna Street). The aircraft did not catch fire upon impact, which prevented the total collapse of the building. Of the 23 passengers, 17 were adults and six were children.

Pilot Error