Nord 262

Following an uneventful flight from Kinshasa, the crew started the approach to Kikwit Airport in heavy rain falls. After touchdown, the aircraft deviated to the left, veered off runway, lost its left main gear and came to rest in bushes. All occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The aircraft departed Kinshasa-Ndolo Airport on a cargo flight to Tembo, carrying 18 passengers, three crew members and a load of diamonds for a total price of 150 M of Zaire. Just after liftoff, at a height of one metre, both engines lost power. The captain decided to land back on runway and initiated an emergency braking procedure. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran at high speed, rolled through a road where it struck several vehicles and eventually came to rest, bursting into flames. Six passengers and eight people on the ground were killed while other occupants were injured.

Suffered an accident at Libreville Airport. There were no casualties.

En route from Pointe-Noire to Brazzaville, the crew encountered poor weather conditions. The aircraft went out of control, entered a dive and crashed in an open field located in the region of Kinkala, about 70 km southwest of Brazzaville. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 28 occupants were killed, among them several civilians. At the time of the accident, weather conditions were poor with heavy rain falls and wind gusting to 40 knots.

On March 10, 1979, Swift Aire Lines, Inc., Flight 235, an Aerospatiale Nord 262, N418SA, was being operated as a scheduled passenger flight from Los Angeles, California, to Santa Maria, California. About 1745 PST, flight 235 departed the commuter passenger terminal at the Los Angeles International Airport to taxi to the end of runway 24L via the parallel taxiway. The flight was operating on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan; there were four passengers and three crew members on board. At 1748:11, the crew reported that it was ready for takeoff, and at 1749:04, the flight was cleared to taxi into position on runway 24L and hold. At 1749:34, the tower controller cleared the flight for takeoff and cautioned "possible turbulence, preceding heavy departure. You'll be more than 6 miles in trail." The crew acknowledged the clearance and began the takeoff roll. At 1750:27, the flight was changed over to the departure control radio frequency. At 1751:08, the crew of Flight 235 reported, "We got an emergency, we are going down." The departure controller asked if the flight wanted to return to land. At 1751:14, the crew replied, "We lost both of them." Witnesses who were located along the flightpath of the aircraft at the time of the accident stated that when the aircraft lifted off the runway exhaust smoke from both engines was visible, and when the aircraft crossed the departure end of the runway, the right propeller was observed slowing to a stop. As the aircraft crossed the shoreline, popping sounds were heard from the left engine, and the aircraft stopped climbing and turned north paralleling the shoreline. The witnesses did not hear any engine sounds after the aircraft turned parallel to the shoreline. The witnesses also stated that as the aircraft flew north along the shoreline, it descended in a wings-level attitude, it contacted the water smoothly, bounced twice, impacted the water in a nose down attitude, and sank almost immediately. The flight attendant, who was seated in a rear passenger seat during the takeoff, said that she listened to the crew over the intercom until she heard the gear-up call by the captain and that, until the gear-up call, everything had been normal. At that point, she removed her headset. Shortly thereafter, she noticed that there was no engine noise, and she looked out of the window. Seeing that the aircraft was over water, she then briefed the passengers on crash landing and ditching procedures. She stated that before the aircraft struck the water, the crew had given her two aural warnings of an emergency landing. One passenger stated that acceleration was good during the takeoff and climb out to about 300 to 400 ft. Ile said that shortly after he heard the landing gear go up, he heard a pop, and the right engine lost power and stopped running. This was followed by an increase in power on the left engine, and the aircraft continued to climb momentarily. Then, as it leveled off, the left engine quit. He said it appeared that the captain tried to restart the left engine. The accident occurred during the hours of dusk.

On February 12, 1979, Allegheny Airlines Flight 561 (N29824) had originally departed Benedum Airport, Clarksburg, West Virginia, for Morgantown, West Virginia, at 1116, but the pilot decided not to make an approach at Morgantown because the instrument landing system's (ILS) glide slope was out of service, and the visibility was 1/2 mi. Thereafter the flight returned to Benedum Airport and landed at 1146. The aircraft was on the ground for about 1 hr 14 min at Benedum Airport. During that time the aircraft was refueled to 3,000 lbs of Jet-A fuel (1,500 lbs in each wing tank), and all surfaces were deiced with a mixture of unheated ethylene glycol and water. Although the Safety Board could not determine the precise time of deicing, the persons involved stated that it was performed between 1220 and 1235. The persons involved stated that it was performed between 1220 and 1235. The persons who deiced the plane stated that there was no snow or ice on the aircraft when they finished decing it. Flight 561 was rescheduled as a passenger flight from Benedum Airport to National Airport, Washington, D.C. There were 22 passengers and a crew of 3 on board. Before the captain started the engines for taxiing, the station agent asked him if he wanted the aircraft deiced again, since it was still snowing. The captain declined the offer and about 1257 he taxied the aircraft from the parking ramp. According to the station agent, the aircraft had about 1/4 in. of wet snow on all its horizontal surfaces when it left the parking ramp. He said that some of the snow blew off as the aircraft moved toward the departure runway, but some of the snow appeared to stick to the aircraft's horizontal surfaces. Twelve of the passengers recalled that shortly after liftoff, the aircraft rolled to the right, back to the left, and back to the right. After the last roll, the right wingtip struck the ground and impact followed shortly thereafter. The aircraft crashed in an inverted position off the right side of the departure end of runway 21. According to other witnesses, the ground roll appeared normal. The Clarksburg Tower local controller said that he saw Flight 561 taxi to runway 21, and he cleared the flight for takeoff. He saw the aircraft during takeoff until it reached taxiway D, which is about 1,000 ft from the tower, but he did not see the aircraft after that point. He had spoken with the captain by telephone before the takeoff and had given him the 1215 special observation weather. He also radioed the same weather to Flight 561 when it was taxiing for takeoff. He stated that he saw no snow on the aircraft but that moderate snow was falling at the time. The Clarksburg approach controller said that he saw Flight 561 as it turned to line up for takeoff on runway 21. He watched the aircraft through binoculars and saw nothing abnormal as the takeoff roll began. He thought the aircraft was rotated about 1,900 ft down the runway and the liftoff appeared to him to be normal. He lost sight of the aircraft at 50 ft of altitude because of the poor visibility. He recalled that during Flight 561's takeoff, the runway lights were set at their highest intensity. He also stated that he saw no snow blow off the aircraft during its takeoff roll. Shortly after the aircraft disappeared from his view, he heard the sound of an emergency locator transmitter on 121.5 MHz. He asked the Cleveland Center controller if Flight 561 had established contact with him. Since his reply was negative, the approach controller closed the airport and activated the airport emergency plan. The control tower chief observed Flight 561 during takeoff. He lost sight of the aircraft when it was at an altitude of about 20 ft above the runway. At that time the aircraft's attitude appeared to be normal. A pilot in the terminal restaurant said that when the aircraft left the parking ramp, he saw about 1/2 to 1 in. of snow on the wing and tail surfaces of the aircraft. He said that the takeoff appeared normal; but, just before the aircraft disappeared into the overcast, it appeared to pitch up sharply. Another witness who had experience as a pilot was located on taxiway C about 75 ft from the runway. He thought the aircraft lifted off about 200 to 300 ft past taxiway C. Shortly after liftoff, he saw the right wing of the aircraft dip about 45°, then the left wing dipped about the same amount, and the right wing dipped again before the aircraft disappeared from his view about 100 ft above the runway. Shortly thereafter, he heard two separate and distinct sounds of impact. The witness heard no unusual engine noises from the aircraft. The aircraft crashed during daylight hours at an elevation of 1,203 ft ms1. A passenger and a crew member were killed while 23 other occupants were injured, some of them seriously.

On approach to Béchar Airport by night, the crew failed to realize his altitude was too low when the airplane struck the ground and crashed in a desert area located about 15 km from the runway threshold. 14 passengers were killed while nine other occupants, among them all three crew members, were injured.

Shortly after takeoff from Cherbourg-Maupertus Airport, while in initial climb, engine problems forced the crew to attempt an emergency landing. The aircraft crash landed in an open field near the airport and came to rest. There were no casualties.

The crew was completing a ferry flight from Philadelphia to Reading. 54 seconds after being cleared for an approach to runway 31 at Reading-General Spaatz Airport, while flying at an altitude of 4,500 feet, the twin engine airplane collided with a Cessna 195 registered N4377N and owned by the Hagerstown Cash Register Company. His pilot was performing a private flight from Lincoln Park to York, Pennsylvania. Following the collision, both aircraft went out of control, entered a dive and crashed. All four occupants on both aircraft were killed.

The crew was engaged in a calibration mission on behalf of the DGAC/SFACT (Service de Formation Aéronautique & de Contrôle Technique). In unknown circumstances, the aircraft belly landed at Saint-Yan Airport and slid for several meters before coming to rest. All four crew members escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.