Birmingham–Shuttlesworth

The pilot departed Tampa Executive Airport at 1550LT on a cargo flight to Birmingham, Alabama. About two hours and a half into the flight, while approaching Birmingham-Shuttlesworth Airport from the southeast at an altitude of 5,800 feet, the pilot initiated a 180 turn in an apparent attempt to divert to Sylacauga Airport. Shortly later, the twin engine airplane impacted the ground and crashed into trees some 5 km north of Sylacauga Airport which is located 60 km southeast of Birmingham-Shuttlesworth Airport. The pilot was transported to local hospital but seems to be uninjured.

On August 14, 2013, about 0447 central daylight time (CDT), UPS flight 1354, an Airbus A300-600, N155UP, crashed short of runway 18 during a localizer non precision approach to runway 18 at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM), Birmingham, Alabama. The captain and first officer were fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces and postcrash fire. The scheduled cargo flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 on an instrument flight rules flight plan, and dark night visual flight rules conditions prevailed at the airport; variable instrument meteorological conditions with a variable ceiling were present north of the airport on the approach course at the time of the accident. The flight originated from Louisville International Airport-Standiford Field, Louisville, Kentucky, about 0503 eastern daylight time. A notice to airmen in effect at the time of the accident indicated that runway 06/24, the longest runway available at the airport and the one with a precision approach, would be closed from 0400 to 0500 CDT. Because the flight's scheduled arrival time was 0451, only the shorter runway 18 with a non precision approach was available to the crew. Forecasted weather at BHM indicated that the low ceilings upon arrival required an alternate airport, but the dispatcher did not discuss the low ceilings, the single-approach option to the airport, or the reopening of runway 06/24 about 0500 with the flight crew. Further, during the flight, information about variable ceilings at the airport was not provided to the flight crew.

The flight was climbing from 5,000 to 10,000 feet and the pilot obtained a maximum altitude of 6,300 feet. The airplane then began to lose altitude and deviate off course. The pilot declared a mayday and reported the airplane was in a spin. Several witnesses near the accident site reported hearing airplane engine noises and seeing the airplane descend from the clouds in a nose-down spiral to the ground. Two AIRMETs were valid at the time of the accident and included the accident location: "AIRMET TANGO update 3 for turbulence ... . Occasional moderate turbulence below a flight level of 18,000 feet due to wind shear ... ." "AIRMET ZULU update 2 for ice and freezing level ... . Occasional moderate rime and/or mixed icing in clouds and precipitation below 8,000 feet." Two pilots who departed in separate Beech 200 airplanes about the time of the accident airplane stated they encountered "moderate rime" icing between 5,000 and 6,000 feet, and one pilot reported instrument meteorological conditions and light turbulence between 1,800 to 6,000 feet. Examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of airframe or engine malfunction. The de-ice ejector flow control valves for the left wing, right wing, and empennage pneumatic boots were removed for examination, and all valves functioned when power was supplied.

At 2045 the military flight, Dixie 06, contacted Birmingham approach and obtained clearance for a low approach followed by a full-stop landing on runway 05. At 2053, Dixie 06 reported a 4 mile final for a low approach to the local controller. At 2054:19, the local controller cleared ABX74, N19T, '...taxi position and hold five.' ABX74 was awaiting takeoff instructions on runway 05 when the collision occurred. Investigation revealed the local controller forgot ABX74. She became preoccupied with other traffic using runway 36. The local controller termed the traffic as busier than normal for a night operation. At the time of the accident, the tower was staffed with two air traffic controllers and an air traffic assistant. No supervisor or coordinator was available in the cab to detect controller overload and offer assistance. The pilot, sole on board, was killed. The military aircraft involved in the collision was a USAF Douglas RF-4C Phantom II registered 64-1032 with two pilots on board. They escaped uninjured.

On a night approach to Birmingham Airport, the crew reported trim trouble to ATC and decided to initiate a go-around. While trying to gain altitude, the crew lost control of the airplane that stalled and crashed near the airport. Both pilots were killed while both passengers were seriously injured.