Aviation Accident Summary Archive

On 14 November 1946, a KLM Douglas C-47A crashed during its third landing attempt at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in dense fog, killing all 26 people on board. The aircraft stalled and struck the ground at a steep angle while the pilot was performing a sharp left turn to align with the runway at low speed. Investigators determined that the captain was not sufficiently familiar with the DC-3's vulnerability to asymmetrical stalls during low-speed steep turns, nor was he sufficiently proficient in low-visibility approaches.

Pilot Error

An American Overseas Airlines Douglas DC-4, named Flagship New England, crashed into a ridge shortly after taking off from Stephenville, Newfoundland. The flight had diverted to Stephenville due to poor weather at its planned stop in Gander. During a pre-dawn departure from Runway 07, the pilots failed to execute a required right-hand turn to avoid rising terrain. The aircraft continued straight ahead in darkness and overcast conditions, striking a steep ridge at an elevation of 1,160 feet. All 39 people on board, many of whom were the families of U.S. servicemen, were killed.

Pilot Error

A Sabena Douglas DC-4 crashed into a densely wooded bog 35 kilometers southwest of Gander during a visual approach in poor weather conditions. The aircraft was on a proving flight from Brussels to New York with a scheduled refueling stop at Gander. In an attempt to establish visual contact with the ground under a low cloud base, the pilot descended too far and struck trees. The accident is historically significant as the first major civilian aviation rescue to utilize helicopters, which were disassembled and flown to Newfoundland specifically to evacuate survivors from the inaccessible terrain.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Douglas C-47A Skytrain crashed into the eastern face of Mistberget during an approach to Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, killing three crew members. The investigation determined the aircraft was under pilot control when it struck trees at an altitude of 620 meters (2,030 feet) while heading south. The accident was classified as a controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) resulting from the crew beginning their descent too early, exacerbated by insufficient training in radio range navigation and missing onboard equipment.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Lockheed L-049 Constellation on a training flight suffered a catastrophic in-flight fire caused by electrical arcing in the baggage compartment. The fire produced intense smoke that filled the cockpit, blinding the crew and making it impossible to maintain control of the aircraft. The plane crashed in Bern Township, killing five of the six crew members on board. The accident led to a landmark 42-day grounding of the entire Lockheed Constellation fleet for safety modifications.

In-flight Fire

A converted B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, operating as a military transport for service members returning from World War II, crashed into the southern face of Mount Tom during a heavy rainstorm. The aircraft was attempting to land at Westover Field after circling for nearly two hours due to poor visibility and engine trouble. All 25 occupants—comprising 8 crew members, 15 Coast Guardsmen, one Red Cross official, and one U.S. Public Health Service doctor—were killed when the aircraft struck a stone ledge at an elevation of approximately 900 feet and exploded.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A U.S. Army B-17 Flying Fortress crashed into White Hill near Fairfax, California, after the crew became lost in dense fog and the aircraft suffered fuel exhaustion. The aircraft was en route to Hamilton Army Airfield when the pilot reported being low on fuel. Due to a mutual misunderstanding of the aircraft's position, Naval Air Station Oakland operators, believing the plane was over their station, instructed the crew to descend to 1,500 feet for radar identification. However, the aircraft was actually over mountainous terrain in Marin County. The bomber's engines quit due to fuel starvation, and it struck the hillside at approximately 140 mph, resulting in three fatalities and serious injuries to the remaining crew.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A United States Army Air Forces C-47 transport carrying high-ranking Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials crashed into Heicha Mountain during a flight from Chongqing to Yan'an. The aircraft had stopped to refuel in Xi'an and encountered poor visibility and mountainous terrain during its final descent. All 17 occupants, including General Ye Ting and CCP General Secretary Bo Gu, were killed. The event, known in China as the April 8 Incident, significantly impacted the CCP leadership and their ongoing negotiations with the Kuomintang.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Vickers Wellington bomber crashed into a residential area in Rabat, Malta, during a fighter affiliation training exercise, killing all four crew members and 16 civilians on the ground for a total of 20 fatalities. The aircraft was performing evasive maneuvers against a Supermarine Spitfire when it entered a port turn and descended at a 20 degree angle until impact. A magisterial inquiry suggested that a hydraulic fluid leak may have released toxic fumes, incapacitating the crew and leaving them unable to control the aircraft or transmit a distress call.

Mechanical Failure

An Australian National Airways DC-3 crashed into Frederick Henry Bay less than two minutes after departing Cambridge Aerodrome, killing all 25 people on board. The aircraft reached an altitude of approximately 425 feet before suddenly entering a steep descent and striking the water at high speed. Investigators concluded the most likely cause was the captain inadvertently engaging the autopilot while attempting to operate the fuel cross-feed lever, which were similar in appearance and located near each other. The captain's undisclosed diabetes and recent insulin use were cited as potential contributory factors that may have impaired his judgment or physical coordination.

Human Factors (Operational)

American Airlines Flight 6-103 crashed into the eastern slope of Thing Mountain during its final leg from El Paso to San Diego, killing all 27 people on board. The aircraft was operating a transcontinental multi-stop service and was flying in instrument conditions when it descended below the required altitude to clear terrain. At the time, it was the deadliest accident in the history of American commercial aviation. The exact crash site remained undocumented for decades until it was rediscovered by researchers in 2015.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Pennsylvania Central Airlines Flight 105 crashed into Village Creek while attempting to land at Birmingham Municipal Airport during a period of severe weather and thunderstorms. The aircraft touched down with only 1,500 feet of runway remaining after an approach that was both too high and too fast. All three crew members in the cockpit perished when the aircraft overran the runway, performed a ground loop, and plunged into the swollen creek. The passenger cabin remained largely intact, and all 15 passengers survived the impact.

Pilot Error

A Douglas C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft operated by the United States Army Air Forces crashed near El Paso, Texas, on December 18, 1945. The accident resulted in the deaths of all 17 personnel on board.

Unknown

Flight 19 was a routine combat navigation training mission involving five TBM Avenger torpedo bombers that disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean. The flight leader, Lieutenant Charles C. Taylor, became geographically disoriented after his compasses allegedly failed, leading him to mistake the Bahamas for the Florida Keys. This misidentification caused him to believe the flight was over the Gulf of Mexico rather than the Atlantic. Despite suggestions from student pilots and ground controllers to fly west toward the Florida mainland, Taylor led the squadron further out to sea. All five aircraft eventually ran out of fuel and ditched in deteriorating weather conditions. A PBM-5 Mariner search aircraft dispatched to locate the squadron also disappeared, likely due to a mid-air explosion. No wreckage or remains from any of the six aircraft have ever been recovered.

Human Factors (Operational) · Multi-aircraft

A Royal Air Force Consolidated Liberator C Mk VIII crashed into a hill shortly after takeoff from RAF Merryfield during a trooping flight to India. The aircraft struck high ground near Broadway, Somerset, in conditions of poor visibility and low cloud. All 27 occupants, including 22 passengers and five crew members, were killed in the accident.

Pilot Error

A United States Army Air Forces Curtiss C-46 Commando crashed near Beiping after striking a radio antenna during a low-visibility approach to Nanyuan Airport. The aircraft was transporting 55 passengers and 4 crew members from Hankou when it encountered a cloud ceiling of approximately 300 feet. While descending, the aircraft collided with a 300-meter tall radio antenna that was reportedly not marked on the crew's navigation charts, resulting in the deaths of everyone on board.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Consolidated Liberator transport aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from RAF Blackbushe when a fuel leak in the port inner engine ignited, leading to a catastrophic fire and loss of control. The flight was part of a repatriation effort to return Czechoslovak nationals and their families to Prague following the end of World War II. All 23 people on board, including five crew members and 18 passengers, were killed. Investigators determined that a ruptured fuel pipe caused the fire, which was exacerbated when the co-pilot mistakenly attempted to extinguish the fire in the wrong engine.

Mechanical Failure

National Airlines Flight 16 crashed into Lake Parker after overshooting the runway during a botched missed approach at Lakeland Municipal Airport (Lodwick Field). The flight, which originated in Miami and made stops at Fort Myers, Sarasota, St. Petersburg, and Tampa, was on its final leg to Lakeland. While on a straight-in approach to the northeast runway, the aircraft entered a small, unexpected cloud at approximately 600 feet while two miles from the field. The captain decided to initiate a go-around but failed to apply sufficient power or establish a climb in a timely manner. The aircraft flew the length of the runway at an altitude of only 30 to 40 feet before settling into the lake 1,000 feet beyond the airfield boundary. Two passengers drowned when the aircraft sank in 10 feet of water.

Pilot Error

A United States Army Air Forces B-25 Mitchell bomber crashed into the north side of the Empire State Building after the pilot became disoriented in heavy fog over Manhattan. The aircraft struck primarily at the 79th floor, with the impact zone spanning the 78th through 80th floors, at approximately 9:49 a.m. The crash killed all three occupants on board and 11 people inside the building for a total of 14 fatalities. The impact triggered a massive fire and sent one engine entirely through the structure, where it fell onto a neighboring roof. Despite the severity of the impact and subsequent fuel-fed fire, the building's structural integrity remained intact, and it reopened for business within 48 hours.

Pilot Error

An Eastern Air Lines DC-3 and a USAAF A-26 Invader collided in mid-air approximately 12 miles west-northwest of Florence, South Carolina. The DC-3 was operating a scheduled passenger flight (Flight 45) originating in Boston with a final destination of Miami; the accident occurred on the leg from Washington, D.C. to Columbia. The A-26 was conducting aural null training maneuvers at the time of impact. The collision resulted in the death of one infant passenger on the DC-3 and two of the three occupants on the A-26. Despite losing its left engine and suffering severe fuselage damage, the DC-3 crew successfully performed an emergency landing in a cornfield near Lamar.

Mid-air Collision · Multi-aircraft

A USAAF Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress crashed into the southern slope of North Barrule on the Isle of Man, killing all 31 personnel on board. The aircraft was conducting a ferry flight to transport ground crew and support personnel to Northern Ireland for a period of leave. While the aircraft carried seven qualified aircrew members, only the two pilots were acting as the active flight crew for the mission. Flying in low cloud at an altitude of approximately 500 feet, the bomber struck the hill about 200 feet below its summit and exploded. The accident remains the deadliest aviation disaster in the history of the Isle of Man.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Deutsche Lufthansa Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor, named Hessen, crashed in a forest near Egglkofen during a flight from Berlin to Munich in the final days of World War II. All 21 people on board were killed. The aircraft was operating one of the last scheduled civilian flights out of Berlin when it crashed under circumstances attributed to the conflict, though the exact cause remains a subject of historical research due to the conditions at the end of the war.

Military Action

A brand new Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress crashed into the eastern face of Beinn Edra on the Isle of Skye while being ferried from Iceland to Wales. The aircraft was flying at a low altitude in poor visibility caused by a low-lying overcast cloud base when it struck the Trotternish Ridge at approximately 2,000 feet. All nine crew members on board were killed instantly. Local residents in Staffin reported seeing the aircraft flying into the clouds at roughly 800 feet shortly before hearing an explosion and seeing burning wreckage roll down the steep basalt crags.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

American Airlines Flight 9, a Douglas DC-3, crashed into the wooded summit of Glade Mountain while en route from Washington to Nashville, the next scheduled stop on its transcontinental service from New York to Los Angeles. The aircraft was flying in instrument conditions through rain, clouds, and turbulence when it impacted terrain at approximately 3,910 feet above sea level. The investigation determined that the pilot failed to maintain a safe instrument altitude for the mountainous terrain along the airway. The crash killed 17 of the 22 people on board, including both pilots. Five survivors, including the flight attendant and four passengers, were rescued nearly 14 hours after the impact after enduring freezing conditions on the mountainside.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)