Douglas DC-9

The crew was cleared to takeoff from runway 27L. During the takeoff roll completed by night and a visibility limited to 250 feet due to fog, the captain called for rotation and the copilot, the pilot-in-command, started the rotation when one of the wing struck the tail of a Delta Airlines Convair CV-880. Registered N8807E, the Convair just landed at O'Hare Airport on flight DL954 from Tampa and its crew was cleared to cross runway 27L to roll to the gate. The collision caused the tail of the Convair to be torn off. Out of control, the DC-9 landed back onto the runway then veered off and came to rest in flames. The Convair was damaged beyond repair and the DC-9 was destroyed by a post crash fire. While 10 people on board the Convair were injured, 10 passengers on board the DC-9 were killed and 35 others were injured, some of them seriously.

The crew (three company pilots and a FAA pilot) were completing a local training flight at Fort Worth-Greater Southwest (Amon Carter Field) Airport. Following a normal approach to runway 13, the airplane passed over the threshold when it rolled left and right, causing the right wing struck the runway surface. Out of control, the airplane rolled to the right and crashed in flames. All four crew members were killed.

The aircraft was completing flight EA346 from Miami to Cleveland with an intermediate stop in Fort Lauderdale. On approach to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with thunderstorm activity and limited visibility due to rain showers. Following a wrong approach configuration, the aircraft landed hard on runway 09L with a rate of descent of 2,000 feet per minute. On impact, the undercarriage and the tail were torn off and the airplane slid on the wet runway before coming to rest in flames. Three occupants were injured while seven others escaped unhurt. The aircraft was destroyed by a ground fire.

While approaching Aden Airport in limited visibility, the airplane struck the slope of Mt Shamsan located about 5 km south of runway 08 threshold. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 30 occupants have been killed. At the time of the accident, weather conditions were considered as marginal with limited visibility. For unknown reason, the crew was attempting to land under VFR mode.

The airplane was completing a scheduled flight from Stockholm to Belgrade with intermediate stops in Copenhagen and Zagreb. After it passed the Czech border, while cruising at an altitude of 33,000 feet, the airplane disappeared from radar screens without the pilots having been able to transmit all or part of an emergency message. Debris were found near the city of Česká Kamenice, in the north of Czechoslovakia, near the East German border. 27 occupants were killed and a flight attendant, Mrs. Vesna Vujovic, was found alive on her seat located by the tail. Seriously wounded, she passed 18 months in a hospital.

En route from Damascus to Ankara, the crew informed ATC about cabin pressurization problems and was cleared to divert to Adana-Şakirpaşa Airport for an emergency landing. On approach, the pilot encountered poor visibility due to snow falls and as he was unable to locate the runway, he decided to make a go-around. Few minutes later, while in a second attempt to land, the crew failed to realize his altitude was too low when the airplane struck the ground. Upon impact, the airplane lost its undercarriage and slid for dozen yards before coming to rest in flames 2 km short of runway 05 threshold. Four crew members were injured while one of the pilot was killed.

Airwest flight 706, a DC-9, was to fly from Los Angeles, CA (LAX) to Seattle, WA (SEA) with intermediate stops at Salt Lake City (SLC), Boise (BOI), Lewiston (LWS), Pasco (PSC) and Yakima (YKM). The aircraft departed Los Angeles at 18:02. At 18:09 the crew reported leaving FL120 and Los Angeles ARTCC cleared them direct to Daggett. At 17:16 h a US Marine Corps McDonnell F-4B Phantom 151458 departed Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Fallon for a flight to MCAS El Toro at low altitude. The aircraft had several technical difficulties, including an inoperative transponder and a leak in the oxygen system. Due to deteriorating visibility northwest of Palmdale, the crew climbed to 15,500 feet . Shortly after level-off, aircraft was 50 miles from MCAS El Toro. The pilot executed a 360° aileron roll at this time, which took approximately 3 seconds to complete. The Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) estimated that the true airspeed in the climb and after level-off was 420 knots. The F-4B collided with the Airwest DC-9 about 1 minute and 20 sec after the roll, at 15150 feet. After the collision, the F-4 began to tumble violently about the lateral axis. The RIO waited about 5 seconds, and, after seeing numerous warning lights in the cockpit, he ejected from the aircraft . The ejection was successful, and he parachuted to the ground without injury. The other F-4 crewmember did not survive the accident.

The airplane departed Kinston-Stallings Field, North Carolina, at 1838LT on a charter flight to Huntington, West Virginia, carrying players and fans of the Marshall University Football Team based in Huntington. Following an uneventful flight, the crew contacted Huntington Approach Control at 1923LT and was cleared for a runway 11 localizer approach. At 1934LT, the airplane passed the Outer Marker and the crew was cleared to land. In marginal weather conditions (mist and rain), the airplane descended below the minimum descent altitude and the crew failed to realize his altitude was too low when the aircraft struck trees and crashed in flames on the slope of a hill located one mile short of runway 11 threshold. The aircraft was totally destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and none of the 75 occupants survived the crash. At the time of the accident, there were scattered clouds at 300 feet, broken overcast at 500 feet and solid overcast at 1,000 feet. Among the 75 occupants were 36 players, nine coaches and administrators, 26 fans and four crew members.

ALM flight 980, from New York-JFK International Airport to Juliana Airport, St.Maarten, was being operated under terms of a lease agreement, utilizing an ONA aircraft and flight crew, and an ALM cabin crew. ALM 980 established radio contact with Juliana Tower and received clearance for an Automatic Direction Finding (ADF) approach to runway 09. The weather was reported as scattered clouds at 800 feet, estimated ceiling 1,000 feet broken, 5,000 feet overcast, and visibility 2 to 3 miles. The crew sighted the runway too late to land successfully on this approach, and attempted two left turn, visual circling approaches. The first circling approach was abandoned because of poor alignment with the runway again and on the second one the captain was unable to maintain the proper descent profile without reducing power and increasing the sink rate beyond acceptable limits. The captain executed a missed approach, made a low altitude return to the St. Maarten Radio Beacon, and was given clearance to St. Thomas at an assigned altitude of 4,000 feet. The fuel gauges were reported to have been acting erratically during the climb, but momentarily stabilized at 850 pounds of fuel remaining. A higher altitude was requested and a course adjustment was made for St. Croix, which was closer. Although the captain doubted the accuracy of the fuel gauge reading, he decided to descend in order to establish visual contact with the water. He also advised the purser that they were low on fuel, and to prepare the cabin for ditching. The purser made this announcement, and no other warning was given to the passengers prior to impact. The ditching site was confirmed on radar with the assistance of a PanAm flight that diverted for that purpose. Other fixed-wing aircraft orbited the area until the US Coast Guard, Navy, and Marine Corps helicopters began picking up survivors. Weather in the area during the rescue operation was estimated to be 400 to 500 feet overcast and visibility as low as three-eighths of a mile in rain. The aircraft sank in water more than 5,000 feet deep, and was not recovered.

Two minutes after takeoff from runway 16 at Santo Domingo-Las Américas Airport, while in initial climb, the pilot informed ATC that the right engine failed and was cleared to return for an emergency landing. Shortly later, the left engine failed as well. Out of control, the airplane entered a dive and crashed into the Caribbean Sea about three km offshore. Few debris were floating on water and others sank by a depth of 300 meters. All 102 occupants were killed among them the Dominican boxer Carlos Teo Cruz, world lightweight champion as well as a large part of the Puerto Rico's National Women's Volleyball Team.