Mountains

On a mission for Special Forces, the four engine aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances in a snow covered area of the Hindu Kush Mountain Range, Afghanistan. All eight occupants were rescued while the aircraft was destroyed. USAF confirmed that the accident was not caused by hostile action.

Following an uneventful flight from Tehran, the crew started the descent to Khorramabad Airport runway 11 in bad weather conditions. In poor visibility, the crew failed to realize he was off course when the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located few km northeast from the city of Sarab-e Dowreh, about 25 km northwest from the runway 11 threshold. The wreckage was found few hours later on a snow covered rock wall. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 119 occupants were killed, among them four Spanish citizens.

The aircraft was completing a cargo flight from Dakar to Athens with intermediate stops in Agadir and Algiers, carrying a load of fish and eight crew members. While cruising by night at an altitude of 9,900 feet in marginal weather conditions, the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located 80 km northeast of Agadir. All eight occupants were killed.

The aircraft departed Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport runway 17 at 1001LT on a flight to Cali with an intermediate stop in Tulcán, carrying 87 passengers and 7 crew members. The flight was completed at an altitude of 18,000 feet on airway G-675 towards Ipiales, south Colombia. At a distance of 29 NM from Tulcán, the crew was cleared to descend to 14,000 feet and was briefed about the last weather conditions at destination. For unknown reasons, the crew failed to comply with the company SOP's and started the descent at an excessive speed of 230 knots while the approach procedure called for a speed of 180 knots. Also, the crew was not following the proper approach track for the Tulcán-Teniente Coronel Luis A. Mantilla Airport. In poor visibility due to clouds, at an altitude of 14,700 feet, the aircraft struck the slope of Mt El Cumbal located about 30 km northwest of Ipiales. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 94 occupants were killed. The wreckage was found 1,400 feet below the summit.

The airplane collided with mountainous terrain during approach to the destination airport. While approaching the airport, the pilot requested vectors for a localizer approach to runway 19. Due to traffic, air traffic control (ATC) issued the pilot a holding clearance. The airplane was approaching the holding fix about 8,000 feet, when the pilot advised ATC that the airplane was picking up a little ice. ATC initially offered an amended clearance of 9,000 feet, but the pilot declined. Subsequently, he accepted the clearance and climbed back to 9,000 feet. ATC then told the pilot that after one more airplane had landed, he would be issued an approach clearance. The airplane was about 9,200 feet when the pilot replied "thank you." Review of radar data revealed that the accident airplane made one complete 360-degree turn, and one 270-degree turn on the non-holding side of the published holding pattern. During the two turns, the airplane descended to approximately 8,400 feet, climbed to 8,900 feet, then descended again to 8,300 feet. The two turns were tighter than the expected standard 2-minute turns in a holding pattern, with radii ranging from 0.3 to 0.4 nautical miles and 0.1 to 0.2 nautical miles respectively. Following the two holding turns, no more radio transmissions or radar returns were received by ATC. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. Another pilot flying in the area reported moderate rime ice at 8,000 feet, but added that he climbed out of the ice and was between cloud layers at 9,000 to 10,000 feet.

On Saturday, 19 January 2002, at 0931, ZK-SEV, a Cessna 207, took off from Te Anau Aerodrome for Milford Sound Aerodrome. At about 1000 the aircraft collided with the side of a mountainous valley, approximately 4400 feet above sea level and 500 metres southeast of Gertrude Saddle, some 11 kilometres from Milford Sound. The pilot and 5 passengers on board died in the collision. The aircraft probably had not reached a suitable altitude to safely cross over Gertrude Saddle, and the pilot probably left his decision too late to turn back in the valley in order to gain more height.

The twin engine aircraft departed Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport at 1038LT on a charter flight to Nueva Loja-Lago Agrio Airport, carrying 21 oil workers and and five crew members on behalf of the Texaco Oil Company. While cruising under VFR mode at an altitude of 15,500 feet, the crew was instructed by ATC to change heading to 094° in order to descent to Nueva Loja for a landing on runway 23. But the crew failed to comply with this instruction and continued straight ahead. Few minutes later, the crew started the descent in foggy conditions when the aircraft struck the slope of Mt El Tigre located in the south part of Colombia, near the border with Ecuador. The wreckage was found three days later at an altitude of 4,500 metres. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 26 occupants were killed.

The twin engine airplane departed Madrid-Barajas at 0635LT on a cargo service (flight IBT1278) to Bilbao, carrying one company mechanic, two pilots and a load of cargo consisting of 2,873 kilos of various goods. Following an uneventful flight, the crew was cleared to start the descent to Bilbao-Sondica Airport for an ILS approach to runway 30. During the descent, the crew encountered control problems which he attributed to an autopilot malfunction. While trying to identify the problem, the crew failed to realized that the rate of descent increased when the GPWS alarm sounded three times. Shortly later, while attempting to gain height, the aircraft struck the slope of Mt Santa Marina Vieja located 33 km from Bilbao Airport. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and all three occupants were killed. The wreckage was found near the village of Zaldíbar.

Following an uneventful flight from Jacobabad, the crew started a night approach to Shamsi AFB. While descending in limited visibility at the altitude of 3,200 feet, the four engine aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located few km from the airfield. All seven occupants were killed.

The pilot was on a visual rules flight from Culebra, Puerto Rico to San Juan, Puerto Rico. No flight plan was filed and a weather briefing was not obtained. The pilot contacted San Juan Radar Approach Control 10 miles east of Fajardo, Puerto Rico and the controller stated the airplane was in radar contact 3 miles east of Fajardo airport. The pilot was instructed to enter a right downwind for runway 10 south of plaza Carolina. The pilot acknowledged the transmission and reported he was at 1,600 feet. Two minutes later the controller stated on the radio frequency, radar contact was lost. The airplane was located by ground personnel on the side of El Yunque Mountain. Review of weather data revealed a weak cold front extended over Puerto Rico. Satellite imagery at the time of the accident revealed a band of low clouds obscuring the accident site. A police helicopter pilot who attempted to reach the crash site reported instrument flight conditions. Examination of the airframe, flight controls, engine assemblies and accessories revealed no anomalies.