Crash of a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain in Kambala: 10 killed

Date & Time: Dec 5, 1980 at 1445 LT
Registration:
5H-TAL
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Dodoma - Dar es-Salaam
MSN:
31-7652016
YOM:
1976
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
9
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
10
Circumstances:
The twin engine airplane was completing a special flight from Dodoma to Dar es-Salaam, carrying nine members of the UNO taking part to a humanitarian mission in Tanzania. While cruising at an altitude of 4,000 feet, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions with thunderstorm activity. In clouds, he suffered a spatial disorientation and lost control of the airplane. During the uncontrolled descent, the airplane suffered an overload failure and partially disintegrated before crashing in a pasture. All 10 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The accident was caused by midair disintegration owing to structure overload caused by diving speed in excess of the structural design limits. The rest of the fuselage and the remaining part of the empennage then floated downwards as the occupants were flung out of the cabin, some with the seats and seat rails. The following contributing factors were reported:
- The penetration speed was not selected prior to entering the thunderstorm area,
- The pilot suffered a spatial disorientation while flying in clouds,
- The aircraft was overloaded,
- The onboard weather radar was unserviceable at the time of the accident.

Crash of an Antonov AN-12 in Teseney: 8 killed

Date & Time: Oct 9, 1978
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Dzhankoi - Teseney
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a special cargo flight from Dzhankoi, Crimea, to Teseney, with a cargo consisting of food. On final approach, the four engine aircraft was hit by two Strela SAM's and crashed in flames few hundred meters short of runway. All eight occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Shot down by two Strela missiles on final approach.

Crash of a Lockheed C-130H Hercules at Doshan Tappeh AFB: 9 killed

Date & Time: Sep 18, 1978
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
5-8532
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
4457
YOM:
1972
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
8
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
9
Circumstances:
The crew was returning to Doshan Tappeh AFB after taking part to a humanitarian mission following a recent earthquake. On final approach, the pilot decided to make a go-around when an engine failed. The airplane lost height and crashed. Four occupants were seriously injured while nine others were killed.
Probable cause:
Engine failure on final approach for unknown reasons.

Crash of a Lockheed C-5A Galaxy in Saigon: 155 killed

Date & Time: Apr 4, 1975 at 1630 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
68-0218
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Saigon - Clark - Los Angeles
MSN:
500-0021
YOM:
1970
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
16
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
314
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
155
Circumstances:
The airplane was engaged in a humanitarian flight, taking part to the 'Operation Babylift', a mission consisting to bring Vietnamese orphans back to the US in the few remaining days before the Republic of Vietnam fell. At 1603LT, the airplane departed Saigon-Tan Son Nhat Airport bound to the east. Twelve minutes later, while cruising at an altitude of 23,000 feet over the South China Sea, a technical issue occurred on the rear access ramp doors followed by a rapid decompression of the cabin. A crew member fell out of the airplane and shortly later, the access ramp door detached and fell into sea as well. The captain contacted ATC, declared an emergency and was cleared to return to Saigon Airport. At that time, two of the four hydraulic systems were out of order and control and trim cables to the rudder and elevators were severed, leaving only one aileron and wing spoilers operating. Nevertheless, the crew was able to descend to runway 25L when the rate of descent increased to 4,000 feet per minute. The airplane struck the ground a first time at a speed of 250 knots about 4 km short of runway 25L, bounced for three seconds and then crashed 500 meters further in a rice paddy field. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and debris scattered on a wide area. There were on board 149 orphans, 10 members of a medical team, 155 military personnels and 16 crew members. It was reported that 141 orphans were killed as well as six soldiers, five crew members and three of the medical team. The United States Navy amphibious cargo ship USS Durham, frigate USS Reasoner and command ship USS Blue Ridge were assigned to search for the flight data recorder in the South China Sea. The recorder was found and US Navy ships and helicopters also discovered debris from the doors in the South China Sea as well as the body of a crew member.
Probable cause:
When the rear doors were eventually recovered from the sea, investigation determined that some of the locks had not engaged properly. Maintenance records showed that locks had been cannibalized for spares, then subsequently improperly refitted so that not all the door locks were engaging correctly. Accounts also indicated the initial maintenance inspection noticed 5 of the 7 locks were not operating and failed the aircraft for flight. With external organizational pressure to get the flight airborne, a second off-shift maintenance team was called in. They subsequently missed the locks during inspection and the aircraft was cleared for flight. Furthermore, the flight crew confirmed that they had encountered difficulty closing the doors before takeoff. As the air pressure differential increased with altitude, the few locks that were working correctly were unable to bear the load, and the door failed.

Crash of a Douglas C-47 near Guatemala: 6 killed

Date & Time: Oct 3, 1974
Operator:
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Guatemala City-La Aurora Airport on a humanitarian flight to Honduras, carrying various goods for the victims of the hurricane 'Fifi'. Few minutes after takeoff, the crew encountered engine problems when the airplane crashed 14 km from the airport. All six occupants were killed, among them both Guatemalan businessman Afonso Bosch and Dionisio Gutiérrez.

Crash of a De Havilland CC-115 Buffalo in Al-Dimass: 9 killed

Date & Time: Aug 9, 1974
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
115461
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Beirut - Damascus
MSN:
16
YOM:
1968
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
7
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
9
Circumstances:
The airplane was engaged in a special flight from Beirut to Damascus, carrying UNO personnel and various logistical equipment. While descending to Damascus Airport, the airplane was mistakenly shot down by three Syrian surface-to-air missiles and crashed near Al-Dimass. All nine occupants were killed. At the time of the accident, Syria was engaged in military combat with Israel fighters at the border with Lebanon.
Probable cause:
Shot down by Syrian surface-to-air missile.

Crash of a Douglas DC-7CF off San Juan: 5 killed

Date & Time: Dec 31, 1972 at 1923 LT
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
N500AE
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Miami - San Juan - Managua
MSN:
45130
YOM:
1957
Country:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Captain / Total flying hours:
12400
Captain / Total hours on type:
3000.00
Circumstances:
The four engine airplane was engaged in a humanitarian flight from Miami to Managua with an intermediate stop in San Juan, carrying three crew members, two passengers (among them the famous American Baseball player Roberto Clemente aged 38) and various goods for the victims of the recent earthquake in Nicaragua. The crew was cleared to takeoff from runway 08 at 1920LT. After rotation, the crew was instructed to turn to left according to departure procedures. Three minutes after takeoff, while in initial climb by night, the airplane suffered various technical problems, lost height, stalled and crashed into the sea few hundred meters offshore. Some debris were found floating on water and all five occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the loss of control was caused by the failure of the engine n°2 and a loss of power on engine n°3. The failure of the engine n°2 was caused by engine structure problems with master and connecting rods, cylinder assembly and piston rings. Investigations also determined that the aircraft was not properly maintained and inspected in accordance with the rules in force. Also, the flight engineer was not qualified for this type of aircraft. The following factors were reported:
- The aircraft was overloaded by 4,193 pounds (1,902 kg),
- Improperly loaded aircraft,
- Powerplant structure,
- Inadequate maintenance and inspection,
- Deficiency in the company maintenance program, violating services regulation,
- Previous damages.

Crash of a Douglas C-47 on Mt Guachanama: 8 killed

Date & Time: Dec 13, 1970
Operator:
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Loja - Guayaquil
Country:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
5
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed Loja on an airlift to Guayaquil, carrying civilians (doctors) and various equipments following the recent earthquake. While cruising at an altitude of 3,000 meters et marginal weather conditions, the aircraft struck the slope of Mt Guachanama located in the region of Celica. All eight occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Canadair CL-44J in Dhaka: 8 killed

Date & Time: Dec 2, 1970 at 1600 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
TF-LLG
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Hamburg – Tehran - Dhaka
MSN:
36
YOM:
1964
Location:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
The aircraft was completing a humanitarian flight from Hamburg to Dhaka with an intermediate stop in Tehran, carrying a crew of four and 27,5 tons of foods on behalf of the International Red Cross Comity. On final approach to Dhaka-Tejgaon Airport, the airplane went out of control and crashed onto several houses located in a district 10 km northwest of the airport. All four crew members were killed as well as four people on the ground.
Probable cause:
It appeared that the hydraulic gust lock system activated in flight, causing the controls to lock. It is believed the rudder was blocked in neutral position and the ailerons in a upper position. Also, it is believed that hydraulic back pressure had built up because of a malfunctioning switch valve when hydraulics where armed on descent. The aircraft already suffered a major hydraulic contamination during a previous flight in the Azores Islands. On takeoff, both hydraulic pumps failed, causing a total hydraulic loss and forcing the crew to fly gear down to Madrid.