Crash of a Beechcraft 65-90 King Air off Marseille

Date & Time: Jan 13, 1994
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
N46WA
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
LJ-65
YOM:
1965
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The pilot, sole on board, was completing a ferry flight from Germany to the US via Lisbon and the Azores Islands. While cruising at FL130 off Martigues, smoke spread in the cockpit. The pilot started en emergency descent and eventually ditched the aircraft in the Gulf of Lion off Marseille. The pilot was rescued while the aircraft sank and was lost.

Crash of a Piper PA-31-310 Navajo C in Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jan 11, 1994 at 1854 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
C-GDOU
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Saint Anthony - Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon
MSN:
31-7612033
YOM:
1976
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Captain / Total flying hours:
8000
Captain / Total hours on type:
1550.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
1079
Copilot / Total hours on type:
650
Aircraft flight hours:
11050
Circumstances:
On 11 January 1994, the crew were on a chartered round-robin flight on a PA-31 Navajo, between Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon airport, Quebec, and St. Anthony, Newfoundland, in accordance with visual flight rules (VFR) . During the return flight, at night, the crew advised the St. Anthony flight service station (FSS) that they departed at 1813 Newfoundland standard time (NST). At 1846 NST, the crew transmitted that they were flying at 2,500 feet and that they were 32 nautical miles (nm) and 13 minutes southeast of Blanc-Sablon. Seven minutes later, the crew called the Sept-Iles FSS through the Blanc-Sablon repeater. They requested airport information and reported being 16 nm and six minutes from the airport. After receiving information on the winds and the altimeter setting, the crew reported that they would use runway 05 and would call back on final. No further transmissions were received from the crew. Fishermen found the wreckage seven months later.
Probable cause:
The cause of the occurrence could not be determined; however, it is probable that the pilots did not monitor the altimeter properly and allowed the aircraft to descend until it struck the surface of the ice.
Final Report:

Crash of a Piper PA-31T Cheyenne II in Norwich: 2 killed

Date & Time: Dec 2, 1993 at 1341 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N515WB
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Easton - Des Moines - Hayward
MSN:
31-7720023
YOM:
1977
Location:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Captain / Total flying hours:
5200
Captain / Total hours on type:
3.00
Aircraft flight hours:
6685
Circumstances:
En route at FL240, the plane entered a left spiraling descent and subsequently experienced an inflight break-up at 7,000 feet with separation of outboard wings, tail sections and internal vinyl from the nose baggage door. There was no distress call. Witnesses heard the engines and an explosive sound, then they saw the plane in a spin, trailed by falling debris. Debris was strewn over a distance of about 3.5 miles. Light weight pieces including vinyl from the baggage door, wing skin, and tail skin pieces were among the 1st debris on the wreckage path. Tail sections were found about 2.5 miles from the main wreckage with evidence of overload failure; pieces of the wings were found with evidence of downward/overload separation. No preexisting airframe failure was found that would have led to loss of control, inflight breakup, loss of pressurization or hypoxia. The plane was inactive for about 2 years before being purchased 2 months before accident. Last annual inspection was on 6/8/92. Icing was forecast from 9,000 feet to 17,000 feet msl; turbulence was forecast below 8,000 feet msl. Both occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
the pilot's loss of aircraft control for an unknown reason, and subsequent flight that exceeded the design stress limits of the airplane, which resulted in an in-flight airframe breakup.
Final Report:

Crash of an Antonov AN-124-100 near Kerman: 17 killed

Date & Time: Nov 15, 1993 at 1907 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
RA-82071
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Dubai - Kerman - Tashkent
MSN:
435913
YOM:
1993
Flight number:
ATL051
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
14
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
17
Aircraft flight hours:
116
Circumstances:
Completing its first commercial flight, the aircraft was returning to Tashkent on a ferry flight from Dubai with three passengers and 14 crew members on board. A fuel stop at Kerman was scheduled. On approach to Kerman, while in the holding pattern, the crew transmitted to ATC conflicting information about their position. In the meantime, he failed to follow the flight track in the holding pattern, causing a deviation from the prescribed route of 47 km to the north. After being cleared to descend to runway 34 from 8,200 metres to 5,200 metres in limited visibility, the crew followed an opposite route. After passing over the airfield, the crew started the descent from 3,300 metres, but failed to complete a standard turn and departed the approach path, flying towards the mountains up to 4,100 metres, with a deviation to the south of the airport by 43.5 km. Four minutes later, while completing a left turn to join the approach path at an unsafe altitude, the radio altimeter sounded in the cockpit. At a speed of about 385 km/h, the aircraft collided with Mt Jupar (3,400 metres high) located about 37 km southeast of the airport. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 17 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The Commission found that during the descent from the flight level for the approach, the crew incorrectly made the decision to approach according to the ALMEK-1A scheme (erroneously proposed by the controller of the Kerman aerodrome with violation of the meteorological minimum); making a mistake in determining his position during the approach (report 'following on the VOR Kerman', while the aircraft was actually moving away from the VOR); could not withstand the speed and flight time established for this scheme. Presumably, the crew did not use the airborne radar in the 'mountain' mode, made a mistake in determining their location due to the 180° pointer indication of the current value of the VOR beacon bearing on the PNP, as well as the large (more than a year) interruption in flights on the MVL on the plane An-124-100. ATC based at Kerman Airport did not respond to conflicting messages from the crew, transmitted at an interval of 9 seconds ('our distance is 20 miles' and 'standing in the area above Kerman') and offered the crew an approach pattern with a violation of the minimum.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-3 Otter off Thorne Bay

Date & Time: Nov 10, 1993
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
N98AT
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Thorne Bay - Ketchikan
MSN:
181
YOM:
1956
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The single engine airplane was returning to its base in Ketchikan following maintenance in Thorne Bay. Shortly after takeoff, while climbing, the engine lost power, forcing the pilot to attempt an emergency landing. While landing on water, a control wire snapped, causing the airplane to nose down in the water, coming to rest upside down. All three occupants were rescued by coastguard 20 minutes later and the aircraft sank.
Probable cause:
Loss of engine power on climb out for unknown reasons.

Crash of a Piper PA-31-310 Navajo off Hilo

Date & Time: Oct 13, 1993 at 1414 LT
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
N7079J
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Christmas Island - Hilo
MSN:
31-663
YOM:
1970
Location:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
3500
Captain / Total hours on type:
100.00
Aircraft flight hours:
4356
Circumstances:
During an oceanic ferry flight, the right engine developed magneto problems which resulted in only residual power being available. The pic increased the power on the remaining left engine, but it soon overheated. The pic elected to ditch the airplane into the pacific ocean. Both crewmembers were successfully rescued.
Probable cause:
Failure of the right engine's magnetos for undetermined reasons and the resulting overtemperature of the remaining left engine.
Final Report:

Crash of a Mitsubishi MU-2B-60 Marquise near Beucherling: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jan 22, 1993
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
N407MA
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Cologne - Vienna
MSN:
1503
YOM:
1981
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
While in cruising altitude in a flight from Cologne-Bonn to Vienna, the pilot lost control of the airplane that entered a dive. He was able to send a brief maybay message but give no indication about the situation he was facing. The aircraft crashed in a field located near Beucherling and was destroyed. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-3 Otter at Patriot Hills Base Camp

Date & Time: Nov 3, 1992
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
N58JH
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
131
YOM:
1956
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The single engine airplane has to be ferried back to its base following repairs after it suffered an incident last February 1992. It crashed upon takeoff in unknown circumstances. There were no casualties but the aircraft was written off.

Crash of a Cessna 425 Conquest I off Málaga

Date & Time: Sep 4, 1992
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
EC-ETH
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Melilla - Málaga
MSN:
425-0151
YOM:
1982
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The pilot, sole on board, was completing a ferry flight from Melilla to Málaga. While on approach to Málaga-Pablo Ruiz Picasso Airport runway 32, both engines stopped simultaneously. The pilot reduced his altitude and ditched the aircraft 80 metres offshore. The pilot was quickly rescued while the aircraft sank.
Probable cause:
Failure of both engines on final approach due to fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a Vickers 798D Viscount near Mexico City: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jul 27, 1992 at 1612 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
XA-SCM
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Puebla - Mexico City
MSN:
392
YOM:
1958
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Captain / Total flying hours:
1839
Captain / Total hours on type:
63.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
2639
Aircraft flight hours:
17213
Circumstances:
While approaching Mexico City-Benito Juarez Airport, the crew was cleared to descent from FL150 to FL120. In poor weather conditions, the crew continued the descent below FL120 when, at an altitude of 10,130 feet, the aircraft struck the slope of Mt Xocotlihuipa located 30 km east of the airport. The aircraft was destroyed and all four occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain after the crew failed to maintain FL120 as instructed by ATC while completing an IFR approach. It was reported that the copilot was not certified to act as a pilot on this type of aircraft. Also, the experience of the captain was limited.
Final Report: