Crash of a Canadair CL-215-1A10 off Zadar: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jul 11, 1984
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
72201
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
1066
YOM:
1981
Location:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
Engaged in a fire fighting mission, the crew was completing a scoop maneuver off Zadar when the left float struck the water surface and was torn off. Out of control, the airplane water looped and sank. Two crew members were rescued while the third was killed.

Ground accident of a Fairchild-Hiller FH-227B in Zagreb

Date & Time: Jun 19, 1977
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
YU-ALA
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
525
YOM:
1966
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
43
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Suffered a ground accident while taxiing at Zagreb-Pleso Airport. All 47 occupants were evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Hawker Siddeley HS.121 Trident 3B in Vrbovec: 63 killed

Date & Time: Sep 10, 1976 at 1114 LT
Operator:
Registration:
G-AWZT
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
London - Istanbul
MSN:
2320
YOM:
1972
Flight number:
BA476
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
54
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
63
Captain / Total flying hours:
10781
Captain / Total hours on type:
399.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
3655
Copilot / Total hours on type:
1592
Aircraft flight hours:
8627
Aircraft flight cycles:
6952
Circumstances:
Hawker Siddeley HS-121 Trident 3B operated by British Airways as flight BE476 and a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32, operated by Inex-Adria Aviopromet, were destroyed when both aircraft crashed near Vrobec following a mid-air collision. All 176 on board both aircraft were killed. The Trident was on a scheduled flight from London-Heathrow Airport in England to Istanbul-Yesilköy Airport in Turkey, carrying 54 passengers and a crew of 9. The aircraft took off at 08:32 GMT and the flight proceeded normally. First contact with the Zagreb Area Control Centre was established on the Upper Sector frequency 134,45 MHz at 10:04 GMT. The flight was requested to report passing the Zagreb VOR at flight level 330. The aircraft flew along the centreline of airway UB5 with slight side deviation 1-2 km to the right due to wind. At 2 minutes and 50 seconds before the collision, the aircraft changed heading to 115° to head back towards the airway centreline. Airspeed was 295 Kts. The DC-9 departed Split Airport at 09:48 GMT to fly 108 West German tourists back to Cologne. Flight JP550 was issued instructions to climb to FL180. At 09:54 the flight, on passing flight level 130, switched to the Zagreb Area Control Centre lower sector east frequency of 124.6 MHz, receiving clearance to climb to FL240 and later to FL260. At 10:03 the crew switched to the frequency of the middle sector controller, responsible for safety and regulation of traffic between flight levels 250 and 310. This controller cleared to flight to FL350. The aircraft assumed a heading of 353° and a speed of 273 Kts as it passed a beam and to the west of the KOS NDB, approximately 2-3 km from the airway centreline. While heading towards the Zagreb VOR, the flight crew radioed the Upper Sector controller on frequency 134,45 MHz at 10:14:04 GMT and reported that they were climbing through FL325. The controller then requested, in Serbo-Croatian, flight JP550 to maintain their present altitude and report passing the Zagreb VOR. The controller stated that an aircraft was in front passing from left to right at FL335, while in fact BE476 was at FL330. At 10:14:38 the crew replied, also in Serbo-Croatian, that they where maintaining FL330. Three seconds later both aircraft collided. The outer five meters of the DC-9's left wing cut through the Trident's cockpit. Due to the sudden decompression, the forward part of the Trident's fuselage disintegrated. The remaining part of the fuselage struck the ground tail-first. With it's left wing torn off, the DC-9 tumbled down and hit the ground right-wing first.
Probable cause:
Direct cause of the accident was the struck of the DC-9 wing into the middle side of the Trident 3B fuselage which occurred at the height of 33.000 feet above Zagreb VOR so that both aircraft became uncontrollable and fell on the ground.
- Improper ATC operation,
- Non-compliance with regulations on continuous listening to the appropriate radio frequency of ATC,
- Non-performance of look-out duty from the cockpits of either aircraft.
Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas DC-9-32 in Vrbovec: 113 killed

Date & Time: Sep 10, 1976 at 1114 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
YU-AJR
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Split - Cologne
MSN:
47649/741
YOM:
1974
Flight number:
JP550
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
108
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
113
Captain / Total flying hours:
10157
Captain / Total hours on type:
3250.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
2951
Copilot / Total hours on type:
1583
Aircraft flight hours:
1345
Aircraft flight cycles:
990
Circumstances:
Hawker Siddeley HS-121 Trident 3B operated by British Airways as flight BE476 and a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32, operated by Inex-Adria Aviopromet, were destroyed when both aircraft crashed near Vrobec following a mid-air collision. All 176 on board both aircraft were killed. The Trident was on a scheduled flight from London-Heathrow Airport in England to Istanbul-Yesilköy Airport in Turkey, carrying 54 passengers and a crew of 9. The aircraft took off at 08:32 GMT and the flight proceeded normally. First contact with the Zagreb Area Control Centre was established on the Upper Sector frequency 134,45 MHz at 10:04 GMT. The flight was requested to report passing the Zagreb VOR at flight level 330. The aircraft flew along the centreline of airway UB5 with slight side deviation 1-2 km to the right due to wind. At 2 minutes and 50 seconds before the collision, the aircraft changed heading to 115° to head back towards the airway centreline. Airspeed was 295 Kts. The DC-9 departed Split Airport at 09:48 GMT to fly 108 West German tourists back to Cologne. Flight JP550 was issued instructions to climb to FL180. At 09:54 the flight, on passing flight level 130, switched to the Zagreb Area Control Centre lower sector east frequency of 124.6 MHz, receiving clearance to climb to FL240 and later to FL260. At 10:03 the crew switched to the frequency of the middle sector controller, responsible for safety and regulation of traffic between flight levels 250 and 310. This controller cleared to flight to FL350. The aircraft assumed a heading of 353° and a speed of 273 Kts as it passed a beam and to the west of the KOS NDB, approximately 2-3 km from the airway centreline. While heading towards the Zagreb VOR, the flight crew radioed the Upper Sector controller on frequency 134,45 MHz at 10:14:04 GMT and reported that they were climbing through FL325. The controller then requested, in Serbo-Croatian, flight JP550 to maintain their present altitude and report passing the Zagreb VOR. The controller stated that an aircraft was in front passing from left to right at FL335, while in fact BE476 was at FL330. At 10:14:38 the crew replied, also in Serbo-Croatian, that they where maintaining FL330. Three seconds later both aircraft collided. The outer five meters of the DC-9's left wing cut through the Trident's cockpit. Due to the sudden decompression, the forward part of the Trident's fuselage disintegrated. The remaining part of the fuselage struck the ground tail-first. With it's left wing torn off, the DC-9 tumbled down and hit the ground right-wing first.
Probable cause:
Direct cause of the accident was the struck of the DC-9 wing into the middle side of the Trident 3B fuselage which occurred at the height of 33.000 feet above Zagreb VOR so that both aircraft became uncontrollable and fell on the ground.
- Improper ATC operation,
- Non-compliance with regulations on continuous listening to the appropriate radio frequency of ATC,
- Non-performance of look-out duty from the cockpits of either aircraft.
Final Report:

Crash of a Tupolev TU-134A in Rijeka: 78 killed

Date & Time: May 23, 1971 at 2000 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
YU-AHZ
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
London-Gatwick – Rijeka
MSN:
1 35 12 05
YOM:
1971
Flight number:
JJ130
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
76
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
78
Captain / Total flying hours:
9230
Captain / Total hours on type:
138.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
2563
Copilot / Total hours on type:
899
Aircraft flight hours:
111
Aircraft flight cycles:
47
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed London-Gatwick Airport on a charter flight (JJ130) to Rijeka, Croatia, carrying 76 British tourists and a crew of seven. While approaching runway 14 at Rijeka Airport, the crew encountered very bad weather conditions with cumulonimbus, heavy rain falls and turbulences. As the aircraft passed through the area, it was carried upwards and rolled to the right. The aircraft was now above the ILS glide slope. Some 800 meters short of the runway, at a height of 60 meters, the crew decided to continue the approach. Power was reduced and the angle of descent increased to 10°. The aircraft struck the runway surface with its right main gear at a speed of 260 km/h with 4 g deceleration force. On impact, the right wing was torn off, the airplane slid for about 760 meters and came to rest upside down, in flames. Three crew members and 75 passengers were killed. Brand new, the aircraft was totally destroyed.
Probable cause:
It is considered that the probable main cause of the accident was a heavy landing on the right leg of the main landing gear, emphasised by an irregular position of the wheels and 0.7% slope up of the runway at the point of touchdown. The Commission consider that the described deviation from the flight technique in itself, did not cause the crash of the aircraft, but that loading which resulted from the conditions under which the landing was performed made a greater contribution to the crash. However, non-adequate handling of controls of the aircraft and engines could be explained only by false perceptions (illusions) of the crew concerning the aircraft position in respect to the runway. The last minute of the flight was analysed on the basis of:
- Flight recorder oscillogram,
- Results obtained during the investigation on the flight on board of the same type of aircraft,
- Study of aerodynamic characteristics and stability of TU-134A - analysis of meteorological situation,
- Analysis of crew members' statement.
According to the opinion of the Commission this was an exceptional and complex case of many unfavourable circumstances which resulted in this catastrophe.
Final Report:

Crash of an AAC.1 Toucan on Mt Risnjak: 14 killed

Date & Time: Jun 29, 1951
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
YU-ACE
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Rijeka – Zagreb
MSN:
316
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
11
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
14
Circumstances:
Few minutes after takeoff from Rijeka Airport, while flying over the dinariques Alps, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with thunderstorm activity and turbulences. The three engine airplane went out of control, nosed into the ground and crashed at a speed of 200 km/h in a wooded area located on the slope of Mt Risnjak, about 27 km northeast of the Rijeka Airfield. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact and all 14 occupants were killed.
Crew:
Cpt Boža Miletić 2.
Probable cause:
Loss of control in stormy weather with heavy turbulences.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-25-DK in Zagreb: 10 killed

Date & Time: Sep 21, 1950
Operator:
Registration:
YU-ABC
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Belgrade – Zagreb
MSN:
13254
YOM:
1944
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
7
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
10
Circumstances:
On approach to Zagreb-Lučko Airport, at an altitude of 600 meters in clouds, the aircraft went out of control and crashed onto a hill located few km south of the airfield. A passenger was seriously injured and evacuated while all ten other occupants were killed.
Crew:
Cpt Bora Marković 3.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-50-DL near Šibenik: 5 killed

Date & Time: Nov 12, 1944
Operator:
Registration:
42-24203
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
MSN:
10065
YOM:
1943
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances near Šibenik, killing all five crew members.

Crash of a Lockheed 10A Electra in Osijek: 7 killed

Date & Time: Oct 22, 1940
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
YU-SBE
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Belgrade – Osijek – Zagreb
MSN:
1137
YOM:
1937
Location:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
9
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
On final approach to Osijek Airport, the twin engine aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances in Borovo, about 10 km east of the airport. All three crew members and four passengers were killed.