Aviation Accident Summary Archive

Western Air Express Flight 7 crashed into Los Pinetos Peak during a heavy rainstorm while attempting to land at Union Air Terminal in Burbank. The Boeing 247D struck the mountain at an elevation of approximately 3,500 feet, just below the summit. The accident resulted in five fatalities, including the co-pilot and four passengers, while eight others survived, including the captain and the stewardess. The crash was attributed to the pilot's decision to descend through a heavy overcast without positive knowledge of his position, leading to controlled flight into terrain.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

United Air Lines Flight 34 crashed into the mountains near Newhall, California, during a night approach to Burbank, killing all 12 people on board. The aircraft struck a ridge in Rice Canyon at an elevation of 2,620 feet at approximately 7:38 p.m. while the pilot was attempting to navigate the Newhall Pass at an altitude lower than the surrounding terrain. Investigators determined the pilot failed to confirm local weather conditions via radio before attempting a visual transit of the pass under low cloud cover; however, this was significantly exacerbated by a technical radio failure or atmospheric interference that prevented the crew from receiving critical ground transmissions during the final 20 minutes of flight. The impact occurred while the aircraft was in a 28-degree right bank, suggesting the crew was attempting to turn away from the terrain at the moment of collision.

Pilot Error

A KLM Douglas DC-2 crashed into a residential neighborhood shortly after taking off from Croydon Air Port in dense fog. The aircraft, named Lijster, was attempting a takeoff using a white line painted on the grass to maintain direction under instrument flight rules (QBI) conditions. During the takeoff run, the aircraft veered left of the line and became airborne heading south toward rising terrain rather than the intended westerly path. It struck a chimney on Hillcrest Road and crashed into two empty houses, resulting in a fire that destroyed the aircraft and the buildings. The accident killed 15 of the 17 people on board, including the inventor of the autogyro, Juan de la Cierva, and former Swedish Prime Minister Arvid Lindman.

Pilot Error

Chicago and Southern Flight 4 crashed into a cornfield shortly after departing St. Louis, killing all eight people on board. The aircraft, a Lockheed 10B Electra named City of Memphis, encountered heavy ground fog near the Missouri River. While attempting a low-altitude turn, likely to return to the airport due to poor visibility, the aircraft's wingtip struck the ground, causing the plane to cartwheel and disintegrate at high speed.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

On June 16, 1936, a Junkers Ju-52 floatplane operated by Norwegian Air Lines (DNL) crashed into the south face of Mount Lihesten during a scheduled mail and passenger flight. The aircraft, named Havørn, was flying in marginal weather conditions with low cloud cover and poor visibility. While en route from Bergen to Tromsø, the flight drifted approximately 15 to 20 kilometers east of its intended course. The aircraft impacted the mountain at an elevation of approximately 600 meters (2,000 ft) above sea level, killing all seven people on board. The accident is noted for the extreme difficulty of the subsequent salvage operation, which required the first recorded use of climbing bolts in Norway to reach the wreckage on a steep mountain shelf.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

TWA Flight 1, known as the Sun Racer, crashed into the south side of Chestnut Ridge while attempting to land at Pittsburgh in heavy fog and icing conditions. The pilot, relying on instruments due to thick cloud cover, drifted approximately 8 degrees south of his intended course. Believing he was closer to the airport than he actually was, the pilot descended to a dangerous altitude to attempt visual navigation. The aircraft struck the mountain at high speed, killing 11 of the 14 people on board immediately. Flight attendant Nellie Granger, despite her own injuries, pulled two survivors from the burning wreckage and walked four miles through freezing rain to find help. One of the rescued passengers, C.A. Challinor, died several days later from his injuries, bringing the final death toll to 12.

Pilot Error

American Airlines Flight 1, a Douglas DC-2 named the Southerner, crashed into a swamp near Goodwin, Arkansas, killing all 17 people on board. The flight was a multi-stop transcontinental service originating in Newark, New Jersey, and destined for Los Angeles, California. The aircraft departed its Memphis stop at 7:04 p.m. and made its last radio contact at 7:18 p.m. while en route to Little Rock. The wreckage was found disintegrated and scattered over 400 yards in shallow water. Despite a federal inquiry, investigators could not definitively determine why the aircraft descended into the trees, though they considered factors ranging from fuel tank management to possible passenger interference in the cockpit.

Unknown

A SABENA Savoia-Marchetti S.73 crashed into a hillside in Tatsfield while attempting to land at Croydon Airport in poor visibility. The pilot, who had not requested radio bearings, apparently became lost and descended prematurely below a 100-meter cloud ceiling. While carburettor icing was ruled out, other aircraft in the area reported significant wing icing, providing context for the difficult atmospheric conditions. Upon realizing the aircraft was dangerously low or misidentifying local lights, the pilot executed a steep climbing turn that resulted in an aerodynamic stall. The aircraft impacted a north-sloping hillside at approximately 500 feet, killing all 11 people on board, including prominent British tank designer Sir John Carden.

Pilot Error

United Air Lines Flight 4 crashed into a knoll during a night approach to Cheyenne, Wyoming, killing all 12 people on board. The aircraft was flying in darkness under visual navigation aided by tower-mounted rotating beacons, a standard method for night mail and passenger flights in the 1930s. The crew had recently reported their position relative to the Silver Crown beacon but failed to maintain sufficient altitude. Investigators found the cockpit lights were set to maximum intensity, which likely impaired the pilots' night vision and their ability to see the terrain outside. The accident is a classic early example of Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT).

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

TWA Flight 6 crashed into rolling terrain near Atlanta, Missouri, while maneuvering at extremely low altitude in fog and darkness. The flight had encountered deteriorating weather at its destination, Kansas City, which dropped below authorized landing minimums. Due to a known radio malfunction on the western night frequency, the crew was unable to communicate effectively with ground stations to receive updated weather or instructions. After failing to land at Kansas City, the pilot diverted toward Kirksville but descended through a low ceiling to maintain visual contact with the ground. While following the contour of the terrain, the left wing struck the ground during a turn, causing the aircraft to cartwheel into a road bank.

Pilot Error

A de Havilland Dragon Rapide dived into the English Channel at high speed during a scheduled flight to Paris, killing all seven people on board. The pilot, who lacked experience in instrument flying and navigation, attempted to fly at low altitude in poor visibility rather than climbing above the cloud layer as advised. While attempting to regain his course after becoming lost in mist and rain, the pilot likely lost visual reference to the glassy sea surface and flew the aircraft into the water.

Pilot Error

An Airspeed Courier crashed into a valley north of Shoreham, Kent, after the pilot likely lost control while flying through an isolated storm. The aircraft emerged from a low cloud base in a vertical dive and struck the ground at Timberden Bottom, killing all four people on board and injuring two bystanders on the ground. While an inquest suggested pilot error due to disorientation or an attempt to avoid power lines, the manufacturer, Airspeed, formally disputed the findings, and the exact sequence of events remains unconfirmed.

Human Factors (Operational)

A Swissair Curtiss AT-32C Condor II suffered an in-flight structural failure and crashed near Tuttlingen, Germany, while flying through a thunderstorm. The aircraft's right wing separated at an altitude of approximately 3,000 meters (9,800 feet), leading to an uncontrolled descent into a forest where the wreckage exploded on impact. All 12 occupants, including Europe's first official flight attendant Nelly Diener, were killed. The accident was Swissair's first fatal crash since its founding in 1931.

Structural Failure

An Air France Wibault 282T-12 crashed into the English Channel during a scheduled flight from Paris to London, killing all six people on board. The aircraft was operating in conditions of low cloud and thick fog when it disappeared. Investigators concluded the pilot likely descended in an attempt to maintain visual contact with the sea surface, subsequently striking the water. Wreckage was sighted 12 miles southeast of Dungeness, but the main airframe was never recovered, and only limited items, including a mailbag and one body, were later found washed ashore.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A United Air Lines Boeing 247 crashed into the Wasatch Mountains during a scheduled flight from Salt Lake City to Cheyenne, killing all eight people on board. The aircraft encountered severe winter weather, including snow, sleet, and fog, shortly after departure. The wreckage was discovered two days later in Parley's Canyon, nose-down and nearly buried in deep snow between two pine trees. Investigators concluded that unfavorable weather was a major contributing factor, though the near-total destruction of the aircraft made a definitive determination of the primary cause difficult.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

The Osoaviakhim-1 stratospheric balloon crashed during its maiden flight after reaching a record-breaking altitude of 22,000 meters. During the descent, the balloon suffered a catastrophic loss of buoyancy because lifting gas had been vented at peak altitude to prevent the envelope from bursting. As the remaining gas cooled and contracted during the descent, the vertical speed increased beyond design limits, causing the suspension cables to snap and the gondola to separate from the envelope. All three crew members were killed upon impact.

Other

An Imperial Airways Avro 618 Ten, named Apollo, crashed after striking a guy wire of a radio mast at Ruysselede during a flight from Brussels to London. The aircraft was flying at a low altitude of approximately 250 feet due to heavy fog, which had also forced the pilot to deviate north of the standard route. Upon impact with the 870 foot tall mast's support wire, the aircraft demolished the top section of the mast, lost a wing, and plummeted to the ground, where it exploded and was consumed by fire. All ten occupants were killed, and several local rescuers sustained serious burns while attempting to reach survivors.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

United Air Lines Flight 23 was destroyed by an on-board explosive device, marking the first proven act of air sabotage in commercial aviation history. The Boeing 247 was en route from Cleveland to Chicago when a nitroglycerin-based bomb detonated in the rear baggage compartment, severing the tail section and causing the aircraft to crash in a wooded area near Chesterton, Indiana. All seven people on board were killed instantly. Despite an extensive investigation by the Bureau of Investigation (later the FBI), no suspect was ever identified or charged.

Security / Sabotage

The City of Liverpool, an Imperial Airways Argosy II, crashed near Diksmuide while operating the Brussels to London leg of a scheduled Cologne–Brussels–London service. An intense fire broke out in the rear of the cabin, leading to the deaths of all 15 people on board, including a passenger who was seen jumping from the aircraft before impact. The investigation narrowed the cause to the ignition of a combustible substance in the lavatory or luggage area, but could not definitively prove whether the fire was accidental or a deliberate act of sabotage. At the time, it was the deadliest accident in British civil aviation history.

Other

An Aeroflot Junkers PS-5 crashed onto the frozen Amur River near Nizhne-Tambov after its right wing separated during descent. The aircraft was severely overloaded by a total of 562kg and had been improperly repaired during a previous overhaul in 1931.

Structural Failure

On November 19, 1931, a Stinson Detroiter SM-1F mail plane operated by China Airways Federal crashed into West Mountain near Jinan during a flight from Nanjing to Beiping. The aircraft encountered severe fog, causing the crew to lose visual reference to the Jing Pu Railway they were following for navigation. While attempting to locate Wujiapu Airport, the aircraft descended below the minimum safety altitude and struck a mountain peak. All three occupants, including the renowned Chinese poet Xu Zhimo and two pilots, were killed.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Fokker F.10 Trimotor operated by Transcontinental & Western Air (TWA) crashed into a wheat field near Bazaar, Kansas, after a wing separated in flight. The accident gained national prominence because one of the eight victims was Knute Rockne, the legendary Notre Dame football coach. Investigators determined that moisture had seeped into the wooden laminate wing structure, causing the glue to deteriorate and the internal wooden spar to fail. The crash fundamentally changed aviation safety by ending the era of wood-framed airliners, leading to the development of all-metal aircraft like the Boeing 247 and Douglas DC-2, and forcing the U.S. government to begin publicly releasing accident investigation findings.

Structural Failure

The Southern Cloud, an Avro 618 Ten tri-motor, disappeared during a scheduled flight from Sydney to Melbourne in severe weather. The aircraft encountered hazardous conditions, including heavy rain and gale-force winds, which were significantly worse than predicted. Despite an 18 day search involving over 20 aircraft, no trace of the plane was found at the time. The disappearance remained one of Australia's greatest aviation mysteries for 27 years until the wreckage was accidentally discovered by a hiker in 1958. The investigation concluded that the aircraft had crashed into a heavily timbered mountain ridge while off course, likely due to the extreme weather conditions.

Weather

A Junkers F.13ge disintegrated in mid-air while flying through clouds over Kent, killing all six people on board, including several prominent members of the British aristocracy. The aircraft emerged from a cloud layer and broke apart, with the engine, wings, and tailplane falling in separate locations near the village of Meopham. This accident was significant in British aviation history as the first instance where the government made a crash investigation report public.

Structural Failure