Aviation Accident Summary Archive

Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810-9 crashed into the third peak of Mount Slesse after the crew shut down the number 2 engine due to a fire warning. While attempting to return to Vancouver, the aircraft encountered severe icing, turbulence, and mountain wave subsidence. For reasons that remain undetermined, the pilots deviated from their cleared airway and flew into high terrain. The aircraft impacted the mountain at high speed, likely due to a loss of control or a steep descent caused by the severe weather conditions and engine failure. The wreckage was so remote it was not discovered until five months later.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Linee Aeree Italiane Douglas DC-6B crashed into a residential area shortly after takeoff from Paris-Orly Airport, killing 34 of the 35 people on board. The aircraft, which was nearly new and on only its fourth flight, failed to maintain altitude after liftoff, striking two houses and an electricity cable before exploding. Despite a thorough investigation, the direct cause for the loss of altitude remains undetermined, though unmarked obstructions in the flight path were cited as an aggravating factor.

Unknown

A de Havilland Heron crashed into Hummelfjell mountain after encountering severe atmospheric icing and downdrafts that exceeded the capabilities of the aircraft's de-icing systems. The aircraft lost lift and altitude rapidly while flying through a blizzard, eventually striking the mountain tail-first at 1,350 meters above sea level. The captain was killed on impact, and one passenger died later from heart failure related to the stress of the accident. Ten survivors, including famous radio host Rolf Kirkvaag, endured a day in freezing conditions before being reached by rescuers.

Weather

Pan Am Flight 6 was a successful ditching in the Pacific Ocean after the failure of two engines during the final leg of a round-the-world flight originating in New York. While cruising at 21,000 feet after departing Honolulu, the number 1 engine suffered an overspeed condition that could not be corrected by feathering the propeller. The resulting drag forced a descent and increased fuel consumption. When the number 4 engine subsequently failed, the crew determined they had insufficient fuel to reach land. Captain Richard Ogg circled the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Pontchartrain at Ocean Station November until daylight to improve the chances of a successful water landing. All 31 passengers and crew were rescued by the Coast Guard shortly after the aircraft broke apart and sank.

Mechanical Failure

An Avro Vulcan B.1, the first delivered to the RAF, crashed short of the runway at London Heathrow during a Ground Controlled Approach (GCA) in heavy rain. The aircraft was returning from 'Tasman Flight', a high-profile 26,000-mile route proving and survey flight to Australia and New Zealand. During the final approach, the pilot descended below the glide path and struck the ground approximately 1,000 yards short of the runway, shearing off the undercarriage. The pilot and co-pilot successfully ejected after the aircraft bounced back into the air and became uncontrollable, but the four crew members in the rear, who were not equipped with ejection seats, were killed when the aircraft crashed.

Pilot Error

A Vickers Viscount suffered a catastrophic propeller separation after a bevel gear failure in the oil pump drive caused the No. 4 engine to lose lubrication and overspeed. During an emergency descent, the windmilling propeller broke loose from the engine hub. One of the four blades sliced through the forward passenger cabin, killing one passenger and injuring five others, while one crew member also sustained a minor head injury. The flight crew successfully performed an emergency landing at Windsor, Ontario, unaware until after touchdown that a blade had penetrated the fuselage and caused casualties.

Mechanical Failure

Two commercial airliners collided in uncontrolled airspace over the Grand Canyon, killing all 128 people on board. The accident occurred when United Flight 718, a Douglas DC-7, struck the tail of TWA Flight 2, a Lockheed Super Constellation, while both were flying 'off-airways' to provide passengers with a scenic view. The disaster, the first commercial crash to exceed 100 fatalities, exposed the dangerous inadequacies of the 'see and be seen' principle and the lack of a modern air traffic control system.

Pilot Error · Multi-aircraft

A BOAC Canadair C-4 Argonaut crashed shortly after takeoff from Kano Airport when it encountered an unpredictable thunderstorm cell. The aircraft reached an altitude of approximately 250 feet before encountering a sudden reversal of wind direction and heavy rain, causing a rapid loss of airspeed and height. Despite the application of full power, the aircraft descended until it struck a tree 1.5 miles from the runway, resulting in the deaths of 32 of the 45 people on board.

Weather

A Lockheed Super Constellation crashed into the Atlantic Ocean after a runaway propeller led to a catastrophic fire during an emergency fuel dump. The aircraft was returning to New York after the crew reported they were unable to feather the overspeeding number 2 propeller. While jettisoning fuel to reach a safe landing weight, the fuel ignited, causing a massive fireball and loss of control. All 74 people on board were killed in what was, for ten days, the deadliest disaster in commercial aviation history.

Mechanical Failure

A Royal Canadian Air Force CF-100 Canuck interceptor crashed at high speed into the Villa St-Louis convent, killing both crew members and 13 people on the ground for a total of 15 fatalities. The aircraft was returning from a Cold War scramble mission to identify an unknown radar contact, which was later identified as a friendly RCAF North Star. After the identification, the aircraft remained airborne to burn off excess fuel before it suddenly entered a vertical dive from 33,000 feet. The resulting impact and fire, fueled by aviation gas and the building's coal supply, completely destroyed the convent.

Unknown

Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2 ditched into the cold waters of Puget Sound shortly after takeoff from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. During the initial climb, the flight engineer failed to close the engine cowl flaps, a critical step for maintaining aerodynamic lift during flap retraction. When the wing flaps were retracted, the open cowl flaps disrupted airflow over the wings, causing severe buffeting and a partial stall. The captain, misidentifying the vibration as an asymmetric flap condition, determined the aircraft was unairworthy and executed a successful water landing. Although all 38 occupants evacuated the fuselage, five people (four passengers and one flight attendant) died from hypothermia in the 42 F (6 C) water before rescue vessels could reach them.

Human Factors (Operational)

TWA Flight 400 crashed shortly after takeoff from Greater Pittsburgh International Airport following a mechanical failure that led to uncoordinated emergency actions by the flight crew. During the initial climb, an exhaust connector clamp failure triggered a fire warning for the number one engine. The crew's subsequent attempts to manage the emergency resulted in the propeller remaining unfeathered, creating excessive drag that the aircraft could not overcome. The aircraft crashed only 1,690 feet past the end of the runway, killing 22 of the 36 people on board.

Human Factors (CRM)

A Scottish Airlines Avro York carrying British servicemen from the Suez Canal Zone crashed shortly after takeoff from Luqa Airport, Malta, following an engine failure. While the number one engine suffered a mechanical failure and fire, the accident was primarily attributed to the pilot's failure to maintain flying speed and feather the propeller, leading to a stall and unrecoverable dive.

Pilot Error

A United States Marine Corps Douglas R5D-2 Skymaster crashed into a canyon wall during a low-visibility approach to Naval Air Station Alameda, killing all 40 personnel on board. The aircraft was one of five transports ferrying Marines from Camp Pendleton to Alameda for deployment to Hawaii. After holding for thirty minutes due to poor weather, the flight was cleared for descent but deviated significantly from the prescribed flight path and radio beacon. The aircraft struck Sunol Ridge (adjacent to Walpert Ridge) at an elevation of 1,330 feet, approximately six miles northeast of the intended approach lane.

Pilot Error

United Airlines Flight 629 was destroyed by a dynamite bomb placed in a passenger's checked luggage. The aircraft exploded 11 minutes after departing Denver, killing everyone on board. Investigation revealed that John Gilbert Graham had planted the device in his mother's suitcase to collect a life insurance payout and settle a childhood grudge. The event led to the first major use of aircraft wreckage reconstruction in a criminal investigation and prompted the creation of federal laws specifically criminalizing the bombing of commercial aircraft.

Security / Sabotage

United Airlines Flight 409 was a multi-stop transcontinental service from New York to San Francisco. While operating the leg from Denver to Salt Lake City, the Douglas DC-4 struck the near-vertical rock face of Medicine Bow Peak while operating under Visual Flight Rules. The aircraft was approximately 20 miles off its assigned course and flying at an altitude insufficient to clear the 12,005-foot mountain. At the time, it was the deadliest commercial aviation accident in United States history. The investigation concluded the pilot deviated from the planned route for unknown reasons, though theories include an attempt to make up time, mountain obscuration by clouds, or crew incapacitation.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Two United States Air Force Fairchild C-119G Flying Boxcars collided in mid-air near Altensteig after one aircraft suffered an engine failure during a formation flight. The stricken aircraft lost altitude before abruptly climbing into another aircraft in the formation. Both aircraft crashed in a wooded area, resulting in the deaths of all 66 personnel on board both planes.

Engine Failure · Multi-aircraft

Aeroflot Flight SU214 crashed during an emergency approach to Voronezh after a fatigue crack in a cylinder caused an in-flight fire in the number 2 engine. The fire severely weakened the wing structure, leading to the engine falling off and the subsequent separation of the wing at an altitude of approximately 800 meters. The aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed 4 kilometers from the runway, killing all 25 people on board.

Engine Failure

American Airlines Flight 476 crashed during an emergency landing attempt at Fort Leonard Wood after an unairworthy engine cylinder failed, triggering an uncontrollable in-flight fire. The fire originated in the right engine's No. 12 cylinder, which had been improperly returned to service by maintenance personnel despite a history of stud failures that had warped its flange. The resulting blaze burned through the nacelle and weakened the front wing spar, causing the right wing to detach just half a mile short of the runway. All 30 people on board were killed.

Human Factors (Maintenance)

An El Al Lockheed Constellation operating a flight from London to Tel Aviv via Paris, Vienna, and Istanbul strayed into Bulgarian airspace and was shot down by two Bulgarian MiG-15 fighter jets. The aircraft broke apart in mid-air after being hit by cannon fire, killing all 58 people on board. The incident occurred during a period of high Cold War tensions, leading to a diplomatic crisis between Israel and the People's Republic of Bulgaria.

Military Action

Air India Flight 300, a chartered Lockheed L-749A Constellation named Kashmir Princess, was destroyed by a time bomb while transporting delegates to the Bandung Conference. The explosion occurred approximately five hours after departure from Hong Kong, causing a fire in the right wing that led to a loss of control and a crash into the South China Sea. The bombing was an assassination attempt targeting Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, who had changed his travel plans at the last minute. Sixteen of the nineteen people on board were killed, while three crew members survived the ditching.

Security / Sabotage

A United Air Lines Douglas DC-6 crashed shortly after takeoff during a training flight when the No. 4 propeller was unintentionally moved into reverse pitch. The flight was conducting instrument rating checks for two pilots under the supervision of a check captain. During a simulated engine failure, the throttle for the No. 4 engine was retarded past the idle position into the reverse range. As the aircraft climbed through 150 feet, it began a sharp right bank. The crew likely applied power to the No. 4 engine to compensate, but because the propeller was in reverse and the safety flag had not been raised to allow unreversing in flight, the increased power generated more reverse thrust. The aircraft rolled through 90 degrees and dove into the ground, killing all three crew members.

Pilot Error

A Pan American World Airways Boeing 377 Stratocruiser ditched in the Pacific Ocean after its number 3 engine and propeller tore loose from the wing, causing severe vibration and loss of control. The aircraft, named Clipper United States, was approximately 35 miles off the coast of Oregon when the failure occurred. The crew successfully executed a water landing, and the aircraft remained afloat for approximately 20 minutes. Nineteen survivors were rescued by the USS Bayfield two hours later, while four occupants perished.

Mechanical Failure

A U.S. Navy Douglas R6D-1 Liftmaster, operating for the Military Air Transport Service, crashed into a mountain peak on Oahu while attempting to return to Hickam Air Force Base. The aircraft had departed for California but turned back due to radio failure. During the return approach in heavy rain and darkness, the crew committed a navigational error that placed them eight miles off course, leading to a collision with a sheer cliff 200 feet below the summit of Pali Kea Peak.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)