Ground fire of a Boeing 737-2K3 in Kaduna

Date & Time: Feb 23, 1998 at 1623 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
YU-ANU
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Kaduna - Kaduna
MSN:
24139
YOM:
1988
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
21
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The Boeing 737 completed a flight from Lagos (LOS) through Abuja (ABV) to Kaduna (KAD) and was parked for over an hour. At 14:45 UTC, the Chief Pilot of Chanchangi Airline approached the Air Traffic Controller stating that he would like to fly around the circuit for a training flight. He was told that the visibility was 600 meters which was below the landing minima and was then advised against it. The pilot then suggested that he would carry out a "Rejected Takeoff" training. Additional persons boarded the flight to witness the exercise. At 15:37 UTC the pilot requested a take off clearance which was granted, and was directed to proceed to the holding point of runway 05. The prevailing visibility was 600 meters and the wind was 090 at 10 knots. Four rejected take off training runs were carried out within an interval of twelve minutes. In the conditions at Kaduna, a single exercise of a rejected take off would have required a cooling period of at least ten minutes. At the end of the fourth run, the left main landing gear number 2 brake unit had started to burn. The pilot steered the airplane off the runway into the last taxiway. Fifty meters from the runway 05 threshold the left inner wheel failed and leaving a molten rubber footprint on the taxiway and at the same time the hydraulic fluid of the brake units started to spill tracing an oily track along. Pieces of broken wheel rim were randomly shed for a distance of 150 meters when the rims appeared to undergo a major collapse. The footprint of the two left wheels became more pronounced for a distance of 120 meters when there was a positive turn to the left indicating a total failure in roll from the left wheel assembly. The zigzag motion continued for about 699 meters until the aircraft could no longer be easily moved and the pilot called for the fire trucks. The aircraft burnt to ashes on the spot.
Probable cause:
The decision of the instructor pilot to carry out four rejected take-off exercises within a time interval of twelve minutes was the main cause of the accident. His estimate of reducing the brake temperatures by avoiding the use of brakes was a fabrication which is contradicted by the fact that the brake units on the left main landing gear did heat up and started the fire.

Crash of a Boeing 737-268A in Najran

Date & Time: Sep 6, 1997 at 0945 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
HZ-AGM
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Riyadh – Najran – Sharurah
MSN:
21282
YOM:
1976
Flight number:
SV1861
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
79
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
During the takeoff roll from Najran Airport runway 06/24, at a speed of 95 knots, the right engine thrust suddenly increased. Few seconds later, at a speed of 120 knots, the exhaust gas temperature warning came on in the cockpit panel. The captain decided to abort and initiated an emergency landing procedure. Speed brakes were deployed but the thrust reversers could not be activated. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran, lost its undercarriage and right engine before coming to rest. All 85 occupants evacuated safely.

Crash of a Boeing 737-242C in Douala

Date & Time: Aug 3, 1997 at 1748 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
TU-TAV
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Douala – Bangui – N’Djamena
MSN:
19848
YOM:
1969
Flight number:
RK816
Location:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
106
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
During the takeoff roll on runway 23 at Douala Airport, at a speed of 110 knots, the crew noted a loud bang and decided to abort. The crew initiated an emergency braking procedure but the aircraft was unable to stop within the remaining distance. It overran, lost its undercarriage and both engines before coming to rest 130 metres further, bursting into flames. All 114 occupants were evacuated, among them 20 were slightly injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
Rejected takeoff after a tyre burst on the left main gear.

Crash of a Boeing 737-2C3 in Carajás: 1 killed

Date & Time: Feb 14, 1997 at 1234 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
PP-CJO
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Belém – Marabá – Carajás – Brasília
MSN:
21013
YOM:
1974
Flight number:
RG265
Country:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
48
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Captain / Total flying hours:
6138
Captain / Total hours on type:
2478.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
1720
Copilot / Total hours on type:
1464
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed Belém-Val de Cans Airport on a flight to Brasília with intermediate stops in Marabá and Carajás, carrying 48 passengers and a crew of six. The approach to Carajás-Parauapebas Airport was completed in poor weather conditions with rain falls, clouds down to 120 metres and a limited visibility due to rain and fog. On final the aircraft was unstable and landed hard on runway 10. On touchdown, the right main gear was torn off and the aircraft went out of control. It veered off runway to the right, collided with trees and eventually came to rest in a wooded area. The copilot was killed as the right side of the cockpit was destroyed upon impact. Ten other people were injured and 43 escaped unhurt. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
The following findings were identified:
- Lack of crew coordination,
- The captain was overconfident,
- The copilot showed a lack of self confidence,
- The environment developed in the cockpit on approach allowed the pilots to deviate from the operational tasks primarily related to mutual controls,
- Poor approach and landing planning which required a higher sink rate than normal,
- The crew failed to make an approach briefing,
- Insufficient application of controls,
- The crew completed an unstable approach,
- Weather conditions were below minimums,
- The runway was not equipped with a lighting system but only with PAPIs,
- The crew failed to initiate a go-around procedure as the landing was obviously missed.
Final Report:

Crash of a Boeing 737-2D6C in Tlemcen

Date & Time: Aug 2, 1996
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
7T-VED
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Tlemcen - Algiers
MSN:
20650
YOM:
1972
Location:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
100
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Aircraft flight hours:
43293
Circumstances:
During the takeoff roll, the captain noted a difference in the engine N1 readings. He decided to abandon the takeoff procedure and initiated an emergency braking manoeuvre. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran, lost its nose gear and came to rest 40 metres further. All 106 occupants escaped uninjured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Boeing CT-34A in Dubrovnik: 35 killed

Date & Time: Apr 3, 1996 at 1457 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
73-1149
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Tuzla - Dubrovnik
MSN:
20696
YOM:
1973
Flight number:
IFO21
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
29
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
35
Circumstances:
A United States Air Force Boeing T-43A (USAF designation for the Boeing 737-200) was destroyed after impacting a hillside during an NDB approach to Dubrovnik Airport, Croatia. All 35 on board were killed. The aircraft was engaged in a mission to fly United States Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown and a delegation of industry executives around the region for visits. The party was to be flown from Zagreb to Tuzla and Dubrovnik before returning to Zagreb. Operating with a call sign of IFO21, the accident aircraft departed Zagreb at 06:24 hours. The crew landed at Tuzla at 07:15 after an uneventful flight. The passengers deplaned, and the aircraft was then repositioned to Split because of insufficient ramp space at Tuzla to park the aircraft for the duration of the visit. At 12:47, the aircraft landed at Tuzla, where the passengers reboarded. The accident flight departed Tuzla for Dubrovnik at 13:55. After crossing Split at 14:34 the flight was cleared to descend from FL210 to FL140. Further descent clearance was given to FL100. After the aircraft reached FL100 at 14:45, south of Split VOR, Zagreb Center transferred control to Dubrovnik Approach/Tower. The controller cleared IFO21 direct to the Kolocep (KLP) NDB. After opposite-direction traffic had been cleared, IFO21 was cleared to descend to 5000 feet. At 14:52, the crew told Dubrovnik Approach/Tower that they were 16 NM from the airport. They were cleared to descend to 4,000 feet and told to report crossing the KLP beacon. At 14:53, the aircraft crossed KLP, which was the Final Approach Fix (FAF), at 4100 feet and began the approach without approach clearance from Dubrovnik Tower. At that point the aircraft was slightly high and fast and not completely configured for the approach, as it should have been. At 14:54, the copilot of IFO21 called Dubrovnik Approach/Tower and said, "We’re inside the locator, inbound." IFO21 was then cleared for the NDB approach to runway 12. The aircraft tracked a course of 110 degrees after crossing KLP, instead of tracking the published course of 119 degrees. The aircraft maintained this track from KLP to the point of impact. The accident aircraft descended to 2200 feet which was consistent with the published minimum descent altitude of 2,150 feet. At 14:57, the aircraft impacted a rocky mountainside approximately 1.7 NM to the left (northeast) of the extended runway centerline and 1.8 NM north of the approach end of runway 12 at Dubrovnik Airport.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain. The following findings were reported:
- The command failure to comply with directives that required a review of all instrument approach procedures, not approved by the Defense Dept,
- Preflight planning errors, combined with errors made during the flight made by the aircrew,
- Improper design of the Dubrovnik NDB.

Crash of a Boeing 737-222 in Arequipa: 123 killed

Date & Time: Feb 29, 1996 at 2025 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
OB-1451
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Lima – Arequipa – Tacna
MSN:
19072
YOM:
1968
Flight number:
CF251
Country:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
117
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
123
Circumstances:
The approach to Arequipa-Rodríguez Ballón Airport was completed by night and poor weather conditions with heavy rain falls. On final approach, the crew failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when the aircraft struck a hill and crashed 6,3 km from runway 09 threshold. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 123 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain. It was reported that during his last communication with ATC, the pilot reported his altitude at 9,500 feet while the real altitude of the aircraft was 8,644 feet. It is believed that the accident may have been caused by an altimeter misreading or a wrong altimeter setting. The lack of visibility was considered as a contributing factor.