Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Shortly after takeoff from Darwin Airport, while in initial climb, one of the engine failed. The pilot declared an emergency and elected to return but eventually attempted to ditch the aircraft that came to rest in shallow water about 200 metres offshore. All six occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The aircraft was taking off from a ski strip east of and parallel to Runway 36 at La Ronge. After the nose ski cleared the snow, the left wing rose and the aircraft veered to the right and the captain, who was the pilot flying, continued the take-off. The right ski, however, was still in contact with the snow. The aircraft became airborne briefly as it cleared a deep gully to the right of the runway. The aircraft remained in a steep right bank and the right wing contacted the snow-covered ground. The aircraft flew through a chain link fence and crashed into trees surrounding the airport. The five passengers and two crewmembers evacuated the aircraft with minor injuries. There was a small fire near the right engine exhaust that was immediately extinguished by the crew.

On approach to Mamuno Airstrip, the pilot decided to initiate a go-around procedure. After the undercarriage were raised, the twin engine aircraft continued to descent and hit the runway surface. It slid for few dozen metres then veered off runway to the left and came to rest in a grassy area. The high engine temperature set the grass on fire and the aircraft was destroyed by fire. There were no injuries among the occupants.

Following an uneventful flight from Bucharest-Otopeni Airport, the crew started the approach to Oradea Airport in marginal weather conditions. On final approach, the pilot-in-command established a visual contact with the runway 19 and continued the descent. The aircraft landed 761 metres past the runway threshold. After touchdown, it was unable to stop within the remaining distance, overran and came to rest in a drainage ditch located 420 metres short of runway 01 threshold. All 13 occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

During a night, northbound, international over water flight that paralleled the east coast of the southeast United States, the airplane encountered headwinds. Upon arrival at the intended destination, the weather was below forecasted conditions, resulting in multiple instrument approach attempts. After the first missed approach, the controller advised the crew that there was an airport 36 miles to the north with "much better" weather, but the crew declined, citing a need to clear customs. During the third missed approach, the left engine lost power, and while the airplane was being vectored for a fourth approach, the right engine lost power. Utilizing the global positioning system, the captain pointed the airplane toward the intersection of the airport's two runways. Approximately 50 feet above the ground, he saw runway lights, and landed. The captain attempted to lower the landing gear prior to the landing, but it would not extend due to a lack of hydraulic pressure from the loss of engine power, and the alternate gear extension would not have been completed in time. The gear up landing resulted in damage to the underside of the fuselage and punctures of the pressure vessel. The captain stated that the airplane arrived in the vicinity of the destination with about 1,000 pounds of fuel on board or 55 minutes of fuel remaining. However, air traffic and cockpit voice recordings revealed that the right engine lost power about 14 minutes after arrival, and the left engine, about 20 minutes after arrival. Federal air regulations require, for an instrument flight rules flight plan, that an airplane carry enough fuel to complete the flight to the first airport of landing, fly from that airport to an alternate, and fly after that for 45 minutes at normal cruising speed. The loss of engine power was due to fuel exhaustion, with no preaccident mechanical anomalies noted to the airplane.

The aircraft was making a charter flight from Santiago de los Caballeros to New York with an intermediate stop at Mayaguana, Bahamas. The flight departed Santiago-Cibao Airport, Dominican Republic, at 1605LT. Thirty-five minutes later, while cruising off the Turks & Caicos Islands, the pilot sent a brief mayday message and the aircraft crashed 25 km off Providenciales. SAR teams and US Coast Guards did not find any trace of the aircraft nor the 12 occupants. A spokesman from the Dominican Pilots Association later reported that the pilot's licence had been suspended in October 2006.

The Summit Air Charters Dornier 228-202 was on a charter flight from Resolute Bay to Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, under instrument flight rules. While on final approach to Runway 31 True, the aircraft collided with the ground approximately 1.5 nautical miles from the threshold at 0143 mountain standard time. Of the 2 pilots and 12 passengers on board, 2 persons received serious injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The emergency locator transmitter activated, and the crew notified the Cambridge Bay Airport radio operator of the accident via the aircraft radio. Local ground search efforts found the aircraft within 30 minutes, and all occupants were removed from the site within two hours.

The charter flight departed for the destination, where the passengers would connect with another airline flight. The instrument-rated pilot may have felt pressured as the flight departed late. The accident airplane approached the destination airport from the east, descending at 250 knots ground speed from 8,800 feet above mean sea level (msl), on a 270 degree assigned heading, and was instructed to enter the right downwind for runway 10. The airplane's altitude readout was then observed by the approach controller to change to "XXX." The pilot was queried regarding his altitude and he advised that he was descending to 3,200 feet msl. The pilot was asked to confirm that he was in visual flight rules (VFR) conditions and was advised that the minimum vectoring altitude (MVA) for the area was 5,500 feet msl. The pilot responded that “We just ahh,” at which time the controller advised that she missed his transmission and asked him to repeat it. The pilot stated “Ahh roger, could we stay right just a little, we are in and out of some clouds right now.” The controller advised the pilot to “Maintain VFR” and again of the MVA. The controller then made multiple attempts to contact the pilot without result. The wreckage was discovered on the side of a mountain, where the airplane impacted after entering instrument meteorological conditions. Because aircraft operating in VFR flight are not required to comply with minimum instrument altitudes, aircraft receiving VFR radar services are not automatically afforded Minimum Safe Altitude Warning services except by pilot request. The controller's query to the pilot about his altitude and flight conditions was based on her observation of the loss of altitude reporting information. The pilot had not indicated any difficulty in maintaining VFR flight or terrain clearance up to that point. His comment that the aircraft was "in and out of some clouds" was her first indication that the pilot was not operating in visual conditions, and came within seconds of impact with the terrain. The controller was engaged in trying to correct the situation, and despite having been advised of the minimum vectoring altitude, the pilot continued to descend. The airplane was equipped with a terrain avoidance warning system but it could not be determined if it was functional. The pilot owned the charter operation. Documents discovered in the wreckage identified the pilot and airplane as operating for a different company since the pilot did not have the permissions necessary to operate in the United Kingdom Overseas Territories.

The aircraft was on its way from Athens-Elefterios Venizelos Airport to Rome with 3 passengers and 3 crew members on board. While at cruising level over the Adriatic Sea, the crew informed ATC about burn smell on board (possible smoke), declared an emergency and elected to divert to Brindisi-Papola Casale Airport. Upon arrival at Brindisi, weather conditions were poor with rain showers and strong crosswinds. In the meantime, the runway 14/32 (3,330 meters long) was closed to traffic due to works in progress. After landing on runway 23, the aircraft skidded, veered off runway and lost its right main gear before coming to rest. Three occupants were evacuated to local hospital with minor injuries while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair due to severe damages to the right wing and the right part of the fuselage. Brand new, it was delivered this year and completed 100 flying hours only.

Following an uneventful flight from Teresina, the crew started the approach to Recife-Guararapes Airport runway 18. On final, both engines failed simultaneously. The aircraft stalled and crashed in a residential area located 5 km from the runway threshold. A passenger and a pilot were killed while eight others occupants were injured. There were no victims on the ground while the aircraft was destroyed.