Crash of a Hindustan Aeronautics HAL-748-219-2 in Dubagunta: 22 killed

Date & Time: Dec 24, 1996 at 1540 LT
Operator:
Registration:
H1032
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Tambaram – Hyderabad
MSN:
528
YOM:
1971
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
17
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
22
Circumstances:
En route from Tambaram to Hyderabad, while in cruising altitude, the captain declared an emergency and informed ATC about the failure of an engine. Shortly later, the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed near Dubagunta, killing all 22 occupants.
Probable cause:
It was determined that an engine failed in flight and later detached, causing the separation of a wing. The failure of the high compressor disk was the consequence of fatigue cracks that were not detected during the last maintenance inspection.

Crash of an Antonov AN-12RR in Andreapol: 17 killed

Date & Time: Dec 17, 1996
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
21 red
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Saint-Petersburg – Andreapol – Krasnodar
MSN:
3 34 14 04
YOM:
1963
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
11
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
17
Circumstances:
The aircraft was completing a cargo flight from St Petersburg-Levashovo to Krasnodar with an intermediate stop in Andreapol, carrying 11 passengers, six crew members and a load of construction materials and the personal car of General Sergei Seleznyov who was building a private cottage in the region of Krasnodar. During initial climb, the aircraft became unstable and started to pitch up and down. When the crew retracted the flaps, the aircraft nosed down, entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in a wooded area located some 8 km from the airport. All 17 occupants were killed, among them the General and his wife.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the aircraft weight was 1,5 ton above MTOW at the time of the accident. Also, it was reported that wings surfaces were contaminated with frost and snow, which was considered as a contributing factor.

Crash of a Lockheed HC-130P Hercules in the Pacific Ocean: 10 killed

Date & Time: Nov 22, 1996 at 1846 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
64-14856
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Portland - North Island
MSN:
4072
YOM:
1965
Flight number:
King 56
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
11
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
10
Circumstances:
Based upon digital flight data recorded (DFDR) information, the mishap aircraft departed Portland IAP at 1720 PST on 22 Nov 96 on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight en route to North Island Naval Air Station. The purpose of the sortie was to conduct an overwater navigation evaluation. King 56 began the sortie with a normal takeoff, departure and climbout. One hour and 24 minutes after takeoff in level flight at FL 220 the mishap sequence began with the engineer commenting on a torque flux on the number 1 engine. Nothing on the cockpit voice recorder (CVR), the DFDR, or the survivor’s testimony suggested any unusual events prior to the engineer’s comment. Over the next three minutes, the operations of all four engines became unstable and eventually failed. Crew actions during these critical three minutes are known only by verbal comments on the CVR and the survivor’s testimony. The following discusses what we know of those actions. The engineer called for n°1 propeller to be placed in mechanical governing. This would normally remove electrical inputs to the propeller through the synchrophaser. The pilot then called for all four propellers to be placed in mechanical governing. This action was consistent with treating this emergency as a four-engine rollback. There is no indication on the DFDR or the CVR as to whether or not the crew selected mechanical governing on any of the remaining three propellers. At the same time the crew was analyzing the emergency, they also declared an in-flight emergency with Oakland ARTCC and turned the mission aircraft east to proceed toward Kingsley Field, Klamath Falls, OR, approximately 230 miles away and approximately 80 miles from the coast. The Radio Operator radioed the USCG Humboldt Bay Station and notified them of the in-flight emergency. During the turn toward the shore the number 3 and number 4 engines once briefly recovered most of their torque. These increases are recorded by the flight data recorder. When the RPM on number 3 (the aircraft’s last functioning engine) finally decreased below 94% RPM the last generator producing electrical power dropped off line due to low frequencies. As a result, at 1846 Pacific Standard Time all electrical power was lost. After a brief period, power was restored to the equipment powered by the battery bus. From this point on, the aircraft glided to the attempted ditching. There is no record of that portion of the flight, except the survivor’s testimony.The outboard wing sections and all four engines separated from the center wing section that in turn separated from the fuselage. Subsequently, the engines and fuselage went straight to the ocean floor at a depth of approximately 5500 feet. The outer wing and the center wing sections floated on the surface for several days and sank more than 50 nm from the impact location. The radio navigator was rescued while 10 other crew members were killed.
Probable cause:
Fuel starvation for unknown reasons.

Crash of an Embraer P-95B Bandeirante in Caruaru: 9 killed

Date & Time: Nov 17, 1996 at 1700 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
7102
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Salvador - Natal
MSN:
110-487
YOM:
1989
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
7
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
9
Circumstances:
The aircraft was completing a flight from Salvador to Natal in formation with three other similar aircraft. En route, while in cruising altitude, the aircraft's tail was struck by the propeller of another aircraft positioned behind. A part of the tail detached and the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent before crashing, bursting into flames. All nine occupants were killed.

Crash of a Lockheed C-130H Hercules on Mt Sleeping Indian: 9 killed

Date & Time: Aug 17, 1996 at 2250 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
74-1662
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Jackson Hole - New York
MSN:
4597
YOM:
1975
Flight number:
Havoc 58
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
9
Captain / Total flying hours:
1744
Captain / Total hours on type:
904.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
188
Copilot / Total hours on type:
149
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed Jackson Hole Airport at 2245LT on a flight to New York-JFK, carrying eight crew members and a U.S. Secret Service agent. The purpose of the flight was to transport a U.S. Secret Service communications vehicle to New York after President Bill Clinton spent some vacations in Jackson Hole. Five minutes after takeoff, while climbing by night, the four engine aircraft struck the slope of Mt Sleeping Indian (Mt Sheep - 3,427 metres high) located about 18 km southeast of the airport. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all nine occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain after the crew's failure to properly plan for a night departure from an unfamiliar airport. The crew did not follow the published instrument departure procedures and was relatively inexperienced.
Final Report:

Crash of a Gulfstream GIII in Vágar: 9 killed

Date & Time: Aug 3, 1996 at 1345 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
F-330
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Keflavik – Vágar
MSN:
330
YOM:
1981
Location:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
5
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
9
Circumstances:
On final approach to Vágar Airport runway 12, the crew encountered extreme atmospheric turbulences. Control was lost and the aircraft crashed on the slope of a mountain located 2 km short of runway. All nine occupants were killed, among them Admiral Hans Jørgen Garde, Chief of the Danish Army, and his wife Anna garde. At the time of the accident, the visibility was good but severe turbulences were present in the approach path.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2T in Czarna Dąbrówska

Date & Time: Jul 30, 1996
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
1319
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
1G113-19
YOM:
1969
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
9
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The engine failed in flight, forcing the crew to attempt an emergency landing. The aircraft crashed in a wooded area located near Czarna Dąbrówska. All 11 occupants were rescued.
Probable cause:
Engine failure in flight for unknown reasons.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-5D Buffalo in Nairobi: 5 killed

Date & Time: Jul 17, 1996
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
JW9022
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
MSN:
94
YOM:
1979
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
Crashed on takeoff for unknown reasons, killing all five crew members.

Crash of a Lockheed C-130H Hercules in Eindhoven: 34 killed

Date & Time: Jul 15, 1996 at 1802 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CH-06
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Rimini - Eindhoven
MSN:
4473
YOM:
1972
Flight number:
610
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
37
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
34
Captain / Total flying hours:
2102
Captain / Total hours on type:
1436.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
582
Copilot / Total hours on type:
138
Aircraft flight hours:
10914
Circumstances:
The aircraft was chartered by the Dutch Air Force (Koninklijke Luchtmacht) to fly the Dutch Air Force's brass band from Italy back to the Netherlands. The transport plane arrived at Verona-Villafranca at 13:33. Forty passengers boarded the plane and at 15:04 the Hercules took off from Villafranca for a short flight to Rimini, where it landed at 15:31. Three passengers deplaned at Rimini and the Hercules was back in the air at 15:55 heading for Eindhoven. The Hercules descended into Eindhoven and contacted Eindhoven Tower at 18:00. Eindhoven Tower cleared the flight for the approach: "Okay, you may continue descent for 1000, as number one in traffic, for a direct final course runway 04, QNH 1027." After reported the runway in sight, the Hercules was cleared to land: "610 is cleared to land runway 04, the wind from 360° 10 knots." Possibly as a result of the presence of a large number of birds near the runway, the copilot initiated a go around. Birds were ingested by both left hand engines (n°1 and 2), causing both engines to lose power. For reasons unknown the crew shut down engine n°3 and feathered the propeller. The plane then turned left and crashed off the left side of the runway. Within seconds a fire erupted which was fed by the oxygen from the airplane's oxygen system. Some emergency exits in the main cabin were unreachable because of the fire while other exits could not be opened because of twisting of the fuselage. The fact that there were a large number of passengers on board the plane was not immediately clear tot the fire fighters. It took some 23 minutes before passengers were noted in the main cabin.
Probable cause:
The accident was initiated, most probably as a reaction to observing birds, by the go-around which was made at a low altitude during which a flock of birds could no longer be evaded.
The accident became inevitable when:
- Bird ingestion in the two left engines occurred due to which the power of these two engines was lost,
- As a result of power loss, the aircraft became uncontrollable at a very low altitude and crashed.
The relative low experience of the crew was a contributing factor.

Crash of a Boeing E-3A Sentry in Preveza

Date & Time: Jul 14, 1996
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
LX-N90457
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Preveza - Geilenkirchen
MSN:
22852
YOM:
1984
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
11
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The aircraft was completing a flight from Preveza to the Geilenkirchen NATO Air Base in Germany. During the takeoff roll at Preveza-Aktion Airport, after V1 speed, the pilot-in-command heard a loud noise. Thinking this was the consequence of a bird strike, he decided to abandon the takeoff procedure and started an emergency braking manoeuvre. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran, struck a dyke and came to rest partially submerged in the sea. All 16 occupants escaped uninjured.
Probable cause:
Investigations revealed there were no indications of a possible bird striked during takeoff.