Cargo

The crew departed Buenos Aires-Ezeiza-Ministro Pistarini Airport on a night cargo service to Campinas-Viracopos with an intermediate stop in Porto Alegre. While cruising at an altitude of 17,000 feet, smoke was detected in the cargo compartment. The crew elected to extinguish the fire but without success. The crew contacted ATC, declared an emergency and attempted to divert to Montevideo Airport but ATC suggested the crew to divert to Melo which was the nearest airport. As this airfield was closed to traffic at this time, ATC contacted a night guard who switched on the runway lights and alerted the local emergency services. The aircraft landed 340 metres past the runway 07 threshold and stopped 640 metres further. The crew evacuated via the cockpit windows and was uninjured. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

For unknown reasons, the aircraft landed hard at Shabunda Airport. Upon landing, the nose gear collapsed and the airplane came to rest on the runway. Nobody was injured but the airplane was damaged beyond repair.

During a night takeoff from Cairo-Intl Airport runway 23L, the right main gear collapsed. The aircraft went out of control, veered off runway to the right and came to rest few hundred metres further with both right engines n°3 & 4 torn off. All seven occupants escaped uninjured.

On March 31, 2004, about 1235 eastern standard time, a Cessna 402B, N269JH, registered to and operated by Tropic Air Charters, Inc., experienced collapse of all landing gears at the Walker's Cay Airport, Walker's Cay, Bahamas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and a visual flight rules flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 135 on-demand, non-scheduled, international, cargo flight from the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to the Walker's Cay Airport, Walker's Cay, Bahamas. The airplane was substantially damaged and the commercial-rated pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated about 45 minutes earlier from the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. The pilot stated that after landing, the right wing tipped down in what appeared to be a flat tire. He attempted to maintain control of the airplane using the rudder and was successful until the airplane rolled approximately 1,000 feet. The airplane then veered to the right and collided with a tree. The left wing and fuselage were damaged.

Approximately 3 minutes prior to the accident, the airplane was flying in a northeast direction, at 17,100 feet, and was instructed by air traffic controllers to contact Boston Center. He acknowledged the instruction, and no further transmissions were received from the pilot. Radar data indicated the airplane continued level at 17,100 feet on a northeasterly heading, and maintained a groundspeed of 255 knots, for approximately 2 minutes after the last transmission. The airplane then climbed 300 feet, and descended abruptly, losing 10,700 feet during the next 46 seconds, while maintaining an approximate ground speed of 255 knots. The airplane then initiated a climb from 6,700 feet to 7,600 feet, maintained an altitude of 7,600 feet for 4 seconds, and then entered a continuous descent until the last radar contact 17 seconds later, at an altitude of 2,400 feet. Several witnesses observed the airplane prior to it impacting the ground. All of the witness described the airplane in a "flat spin" with the engines running prior to impact. Examination of recorded weather data revealed several areas of light-to-moderate precipitation echoes in the vicinity of the accident site. The maximum echo tops were depicted ranging from 14,000 to 25,000 feet, with tops near 17,000 feet in the immediate vicinity of the accident site. Recorded radar images depicted the airplane traveling through an area of lower echoes for approximately 5-minutes immediately prior to the accident. AIRMET Zulu was current for icing conditions from the freezing level to 22,000 feet over the route of flight and the accident site. Four PIREPs were also issued indicating light-to-moderate rime to mixed icing in the clouds from the freezing level to 16,000 feet. Cloud tops were reported from 16,000 to 17,000 feet by two aircraft. Examination of the airplane and engines revealed no pre-impact mechanical anomalies. Additionally, examination of the cockpit overhead switch panel indicated propeller de-ice, engine intake heat, windshield anti-ice, and wing de-ice were all in the 'off' position. According to the pilot's toxicology test results, pseudoephedrine and diphenhydramine was detected in the pilot's urine. Diphenhydramine was not detected in the blood.

The copilot was flying an ILS approach at an airspeed of Vref plus 10 knots, and the captain made visual contact with the runway about 350 feet agl. The airplane then drifted high on the glideslope, and the copilot decreased engine power. The sink rate subsequently became too great. By the time the captain called for a go-around, the airspeed had deteriorated, and the stick shaker activated. Although power was applied for the go-around, the airplane impacted the runway in a level attitude before the engines spooled up. The airplane came to rest in snow, about 20 feet off the left side of the runway, near mid-field.

The aircraft departed Ankara, Turkey, on a cargo flight to Kabul, Afghanistan, with an intermediate stop in Baku, Azerbaijan. In Ankara, the airplane was loaded with 39,980 kg of cargo. At Baku Airport, 47 tons of fuel were added, bringing the takeoff weight to 189 tons, and the centre of gravity to 29,3% MAC, which was within the prescribed limits. During the eight-hour stopover the crew decided to rest in the aircraft instead of a hotel. As the aircraft started taxiing to the runway the flight engineer was heard saying that he would select the flaps at 30 degrees and slats at 14 degrees for takeoff. This however was not done. Prior to takeoff the position of the flaps was not verified by any of the crew members. Takeoff was thus commenced with flaps and slats retracted and the stabilizer trimmed at the takeoff position -4 degrees (corresponding to actual takeoff weight, CofG and flaps at 30°). At a speed of 210 km/h the pilot pulled on the control column to lift off the nose gear. At a calculated unstick speed of 265 km/h the angle of attack reached 9 degrees but the plane did not lift off the runway. Accelerating through 290 km/h the angle of attack of the aircraft reached 14,5 degrees, setting off the angle of attack warning on the flight deck. Some 1750 meters down the runway, the aft fuselage struck the runway. Seventy meters further on, at a speed of 300 km/h and an angle of attack of 19,4°, the Ilyushin lifted off the runway. The air traffic controller who witnessed the departure advised the crew to abort the takeoff, but the captain apparently continued. The airplane rolled to the left until the wing contacted the runway. Then the flight engineer noted his error and, without informing the captain, began extending the flaps and slats. Again without informing the captain, the flight engineer brought back the power levers of the four engines to idle. After three seconds he moved them from idle to the 'engine shutdown' position. The captain three times yelled "takeoff" but the engines were already shut down. After flying for 490 meters the aircraft struck the ground and crashed.

Following an uneventful cargo flight from Dubai, the crew started the descent to Colombo-Bandaranaike Airport by night and good weather conditions, using a GPS and DME systems. After being cleared to descend to FL150, the crew received the QNH and QFE values for Colombo: 1009 mb (hectopascals) and 756 mm Hg. The copilot mistakenly input 765 mm Hg instead of 756 mm Hg in the altimeters. At a distance of 14 km from the airport, the aircraft was 60 metres above the sea. It continued to descend until the undercarriage struck the water surface at a distance of 10,7 km from the runway 04 threshold. The captain decided to initiate a go-around procedure but shortly later, at a height of about 60-90 metres, he continued the approach. Assuming the undercarriage may have been damaged, he decided to carry out a belly landing. The aircraft landed 50 metres to the right of the main runway and 450 metres past its threshold. The aircraft then slid for a distance of 2,230 before coming to rest. All seven occupants escaped uninjured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

On final approach to Mulia Airport, during the last segment, the aircraft was caught by downdrafts and lost height, causing the nose gear to land first. The aircraft went out of control, ground looped and came to rest in a ditch. The pilot, sole on board, escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The Title 14, CFR Part 135 cargo flight departed for a destination airport about 20 miles downriver. Although weather at the departure airport was VFR, no reports of the actual weather along the route of flight were available. Unable to locate the destination airport due to deteriorating weather conditions, the pilot attempted to return to the departure airport following the river for ground reference. The airplane entered fog and whiteout weather conditions, and collided in-flight with the frozen surface of the river.