Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

The purpose of the flight was for the commercial pilot/owner to pick up passengers at the destination airport and return to the departure airport. The airplane was 33 miles from its destination in cruise flight at 3,300 ft mean sea level (msl) and above a solid cloud layer when the pilot declared to air traffic control (ATC) that he had the destination airport "in sight" and cancelled his instrument flight rules (IFR) clearance. During the 13 minutes after cancellation of the IFR clearance, the airplane's radar track made an erratic sequence of left, right, and 360° turns that moved the airplane away from the destination airport in a westerly direction. The altitudes varied between about 4,000 and 900 ft msl. Later, the pilot reestablished communication with ATC, reported he had lost visual contact with the airport, and requested an instrument approach to the destination airport. The controller then provided a sequence of heading and altitude assignments to vector the airplane onto the approach, but the pilot did not maintain these assignments, and the controller provided several corrections. The pilot expressed his inability to identify the initial approach fix (IAF) and asked the controller for the correct spelling. The radar target then climbed and subsequently entered a descending right turn at 2,500 ft msl and 180 knots ground speed near the IAF, before radar contact with the airplane was lost. Although a review of airplane maintenance records revealed that the airplane was overdue for several required inspections, examination of the wreckage revealed signatures consistent with both engines being at high power at impact, and no evidence of any preimpact mechanical anomalies were found that would have precluded normal operation. Examination of the airplane's panel-mounted GPS, which the pilot was using to navigate the flight, revealed that the navigation and obstruction databases were expired. During a weather briefing before the flight, the pilot was warned of low ceilings and visibility. The weather conditions reported near the destination airport about the time of the accident also included low ceilings and visibilities. The restricted visibility conditions and the high likelihood of inadvertent entry into instrument meteorological conditions were conducive to the development of spatial disorientation. The flight's erratic track, which included altitude and directional changes inconsistent with progress toward the airport, were likely the result of spatial disorientation. After reestablishing contact with ATC and being cleared to conduct an instrument approach to the destination, the airplane's flight track indicated that the pilot was not adequately prepared to execute the controller's instructions. The pilot's subsequent loss of control was likely the result of spatial disorientation due to his increased workload and operational distractions associated with his attempts to configure his navigation radios or reference charts. Postaccident toxicological testing of samples obtained from the pilot revealed the presence of ethanol; however, it could not be determined what percentage was ingested or produced postmortem. The testing also revealed the presence of amphetamine, an opioid painkiller, two sedating antihistamines, and marijuana. Although blood level quantification of these medications and drugs could not be made from the samples provided, their combined effects would have directly impacted the pilot's decision-making and ability to fly the airplane, even if each individual substance was only present in small amounts. Based in the reported weather conditions at the time the pilot reported the airport in sight and canceled his IFR clearance, he likely was not in a position to have seen the destination airport even though he may have been flying between cloud layers or may have momentarily observed the ground. His decision to cancel his IFR clearance so far from the destination, in an area characterized by widespread low ceilings and reduced visibility, increased the pilot's exposure to the hazards those conditions posed to the successful completion of his flight. The pilot showed other lapses in judgment associated with conducting this flight at the operational, aircraft, and the personal level. For example, 1) the pilot did not appear to recognize the significance of widespread low ceilings and visibility along his route of flight and at his destination (nor did he file an alternate airport even though conditions warranted); 2) the accident airplane was being operated beyond mandatory inspection intervals; and 3) toxicological testing showed the pilot had taken a combination of multiple medications and drugs that would have likely been impairing and contraindicated for the safe operation of an airplane. The pilot's decision-making was likely affected by the medications and drugs.

The aircraft departed Sharm el-Sheikh at 0549LT bound for Saint Petersburg-Pulkovo Airport and was cleared to climb to FL350. On board were 217 passengers and a crew of seven. Some 23 minutes after takeoff, the aircraft entered a steep descent and reached a descent rate of 6,000 feet per minute with a simultaneous reduction of speed before all radar and radio contact were lost at 0613LT. The aircraft crashed in a desert area located about 50 km southeast of Hasna, in the Sinai. None of the 224 occupants survived the accident. It appears the aircraft crashed in a slightly flat attitude and was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire (the central part of the fuselage and wings). Based on the debris scattered on a zone of 16 km2, it is now understood that the engines and the tail have been found few hundred metres from the main wreckage. It is believed the aircraft partially disintegrated in the air but probably during the last phase of the descent and not at high altitude.

The twin engine aircraft departed Bogotá-El Dorado on a short flight to Bogotá-Guaymaral Airport, carrying three passengers and one pilot. Three minutes after takeoff from runway 13L, while climbing to a height of 200 feet in VFR conditions, the airplane entered a left turn then descended into the ground and crashed into several houses located in the district of Engativá, near the airport, bursting into flames. The aircraft as well as several houses and vehicles were destroyed. All four occupants as well as five people on the ground were killed. Thirteen others were injured, seven seriously.

The twin engine aircraft, operated by STS Avijacija (STS Aviation), departed Banja Luka on a charter flight to Tuzla, carrying two passengers and one pilot taking part to a foxes vaccination program. While cruising at low altitude, the airplane entered an area of clouds when it impacted trees and crashed on the slope of a mountain located near the Monastery of Ozren, southeast part of the Serbian Republic of Bosnia, bursting into flames. Both passengers were seriously injured and the pilot was killed.

On September 15, 2015, about 0606 Alaska daylight time, a single-engine, turbine-powered, float-equipped de Havilland DHC-3T (Otter) airplane, N928RK, impacted tundra-covered terrain just after takeoff from East Wind Lake, about 1 mile east of the Iliamna Airport, Iliamna, Alaska. Of the 10 people on board, three passengers died at the scene, the airline transport pilot and four passengers sustained serious injuries, and two passengers sustained minor injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by Rainbow King Lodge, Inc., Lemoore, California, as a visual flight rules other work use flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. Dark night, visual meteorological conditions existed at the departure point at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed for the flight. At the time of the accident, the airplane was en route to a remote fishing site on the Swishak River, about 75 miles northwest of Kodiak, Alaska.

Following an uneventful flight from Salzburg, the crew was cleared to descent to Vienna-Schwechat Airport. On approach to runway 34, the crew completed the checklist and lowered the landing gear when he realized the the left main gear remained stuck in its wheel well and that the green light failed to come on on the cockpit panel. The crew agreed to continue. After touchdown on runway 34, the aircraft deviated to the left, veered off runway and came to rest in a grassy area located near taxiway D and taxiway B5 and B6. All five occupants evacuated safely and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The crew was performing a charter flight from Oranjestad (Aruba) to Charallave with an intermediate stop in Barcelona. While on a night approach to runway 10, the captain initiated a go-around procedure for unknown reasons. During the second attempt to land, the aircraft landed long and the touchdown point appeared to be half way down the runway 10 which is 2,000 meters long. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran, went down an embankment and came to rest. All eight occupants evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. The passengers were members of the pop band 'Los Cadillac's' accompanied by the Venezuelan singer and actor Arán de las Casas.

The float-equipped de Havilland DHC-2 Mk. 1 Beaver (registration C-FKRJ, serial number 1210), operated by Air Saguenay (1980) inc., was on a visual flight rules sightseeing flight in the region of Tadoussac, Quebec. At 1104 Eastern Daylight Time, the aircraft took off from its base on Lac Long, Quebec, for a 20-minute flight, with 1 pilot and 5 passengers on board. At 1127, on the return trip, approximately 2.5 nautical miles north-northwest of its destination (7 nautical miles north of Tadoussac), the aircraft stalled in a steep turn. The aircraft descended vertically and struck a rocky outcrop. The aircraft was substantially damaged in the collision with the terrain and was destroyed by the post-impact fire. The 6 occupants received fatal injuries. No emergency locator transmitter signal was captured.

On 16 August 2015, a Maritime Air Charter Limited Beechcraft King Air A100 (registration C-FDOR, serial number B-103) was on a charter flight from Halifax Stanfield International Airport, Nova Scotia, to Margaree Aerodrome, Nova Scotia, with 2 pilots and 2 passengers on board. At approximately 1616 Atlantic Daylight Time, while conducting a visual approach to Runway 01, the aircraft touched down hard about 263 feet beyond the threshold. Almost immediately, the right main landing gear collapsed, then the right propeller and wing contacted the runway. The aircraft slid along the runway for about 1350 feet, then veered right and departed off the side of the runway. It came to rest about 1850 feet beyond the threshold and 22 feet from the runway edge. There were no injuries and there was no post-impact fire. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The occurrence took place during daylight hours. The 406-megahertz emergency locator transmitter did not activate.

On 12 August 2015, a PAC-750XL aircraft, registered PK-KIG, was being operated by PT. Komala Indonesia on an unscheduled passenger flight from Wamena Airport (WAJW) Papua to Ninia Airstrip , Yahukimo, Papua that was located on radial 127° from Wamena with a distance of approximately 26 Nm. At 0733 LT (2233 UTC), the aircraft departed from Wamena Airport with an estimated time of arrival at Ninia of 2248 UTC. The flight was uneventful until approaching Ninia. On board the aircraft were one pilot, one engineer and 4 passengers. According to the pilot statement, an airspeed indicator malfunction occurred during flight. Video footage taken by a passenger showed that, during the approach at an altitude of approximately 6,500 feet, the airspeed indicators indicated zero and the aural stall warning activated. The aircraft then flew on the left side and parallel to the runway. Thereafter the aircraft climbed, turned left and impacted the ground about 200 meters south-west of the runway. The engineer on board was fatally injured, one passenger had minor injuries and the other occupants, including the pilot, were seriously injured. Two occupants were evacuated to a hospital in Jayapura Airport and four others, including the fatally injured, were evacuated to a hospital in Wamena.