Crash of a Yakovlev Yak-40 in Zheleznogorsk: 33 killed

Date & Time: Sep 18, 1981 at 1213 LT
Type of aircraft:
Yakovlev Yak-40
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-87455
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Irkutsk - Zheleznogorsk
MSN:
9 43 12 36
YOM:
1974
Flight number:
SU652
Location:
Zheleznogorsk
Krasnoyarsk Krai
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
29
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
33
Aircraft flight hours:
10455
Aircraft flight cycles:
9784
Circumstances:
Following an uneventful flight from Irkutsk-Magan Airport, the crew started the descent to Zheleznogorsk-Ilimskiy Airport in relative good weather conditions with a horizontal visibility of 20 km. On final, at an altitude of 400 meters, the three engine airplane collided with a Soviet Air Force Mil Mi-8 helicopter registered CCCP-22268. Inbound from Bratsk, the helicopter was completing a training mission with seven people on board. Following the collision, both aircraft dove into the ground and crashed in a wooded and hilly terrain located about 11 km from the airport, bursting into flames. All 40 occupants in both aircraft were killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the collision was the consequence of a poor ATC surveillance, causing both aircraft to initiate an approach without ensuring that they each maintained a minimum separation in accordance with published procedures. This situation allowed the helicopter to cut off the approach path of the aircraft. The lack of radio communications between the three parties concerned remained a contributing factor.

Crash of an Embraer EMB-110P1 Bandeirante in Paipa: 21 killed

Date & Time: Sep 2, 1981 at 0955 LT
Type of aircraft:
Embraer EMB-110 Bandeirante
Operator:
Registration:
HK-2651
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Paipa - Cartagena
MSN:
110-206
YOM:
1979
Location:
Paipa-Juan José Rondón
Boyacá
Country:
Colombia
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
20
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
21
Circumstances:
After takeoff from Paipa-Juan Jose Rondon Airport, the twin engine airplane encountered serious difficulties to gain height. It passed closely over trees and several houses. Following a course of 3 km, the pilot-in-command initiated a left turn when the left wingtip struck the ground, causing the airplane to crash, bursting into flames. Five occupants were rescued while 17 others were killed. Within 24 hours following the crash, four of the survivors died from their injuries. It was determined that the total weight of the aircraft was about 1 ton above MTOW at the time of the accident.

Crash of a Yakovlev Yak-40 in Zeya: 3 killed

Date & Time: Aug 29, 1981 at 2031 LT
Type of aircraft:
Yakovlev Yak-40
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-87346
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Irkutsk - Chita - Zeya - Blagoveshchensk
MSN:
9 51 15 39
YOM:
1975
Flight number:
SU674
Location:
Zeya
Amur oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
29
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The three engine airplane was completing flight SU674 from Irkutsk to Blagoveshchensk with intermediate stops in Chita and Zeya. While approaching Zeya Airport, the crew encountered marginal weather conditions with limited visibility (less than 2 km). On final, the GPWS warning sounded in the cockpit while the aircraft was descending below the minimum descent altitude. The pilot-in-command decided to continue the approach when the airplane struck trees and crashed in a wooded area located 350 meters short of runway threshold and 125 meters to the right of the extended centerline, bursting into flames. Two crew members and one passengers were killed while 26 other occupants were injured. Five passengers escaped uninjured.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the crew decided to continue the approach after passing the minimum descent altitude in below minimum visibility conditions. The crew failed to respond to the GPWS warning sound and to initiate a go-around despite the fact they did not establish a visual contact with the ground and runway. It was reported that weather conditions were worse than forecast in the bulletin transmitted to the crew and there were local patches of fog in the last segment of the approach path which was considered as contributing factors.

Crash of a Vickers 745D Viscount near Florencia: 50 killed

Date & Time: Aug 27, 1981 at 1545 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers Viscount
Operator:
Registration:
HK-1320
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Florencia - Neiva
MSN:
112
YOM:
1956
Location:
Florencia
Caquetá
Country:
Colombia
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
44
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
50
Circumstances:
Few minutes after takeoff from Florencia-Gustavo Artunduaga Paredes Airport, while cruising in bad weather conditions, the four engine airplane struck the slope of Mt Santa Elena shrouded in clouds and located about 48 km north of Florencia. The wreckage was found few hours later. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 50 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the crew continued to fly under VFR mode in IMC conditions below the minimum safe altitude as published in the procedures.

Crash of a Britten-Norman BN-2A-21 Islander in Sekakes

Date & Time: Aug 25, 1981
Type of aircraft:
Britten-Norman Islander
Operator:
Registration:
7P-LAE
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Sekakes - Maseru
MSN:
556
YOM:
1977
Location:
Sekakes
Mohale's Hoek
Country:
Lesotho
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
5
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Crashed for unknow reasons while taking off from an 'airsptrip' in Sekakes, Lesotho. All six occupants were injured and the aircraft was written off.

Crash of an Antonov AN-24RV near Zavitinsk: 31 killed

Date & Time: Aug 24, 1981 at 1521 LT
Type of aircraft:
Antonov AN-24
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-46653
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk - Komsomolsk-on-Amur - Blagoveshchensk
MSN:
47309204
YOM:
1974
Flight number:
SU811
Location:
Zavitinsk
Amur oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
27
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
31
Circumstances:
The aircraft was completing flight SU811 from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Blagoveshchensk with an intermediate stop in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, carrying 27 passengers and five crew members. It departed Komsomolsk-on-Amur Airport at 1456LT for the second leg of the trip and was cleared to climb to 5'200 meters. In the same time, two Tupolev TU-16K of the Soviet Air Force departed Zavitinsk Air Base on a weather reconnaissance mission. Registered CCCP-07034 and CCCP-07514, both military airplanes were carrying a crew of six. While cruising at an altitude of 5,220 meters in good weather conditions, the AN-24 and the TU-16 registered CCCP-07514 collided. They entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in an uninhabited area located about 70 km east of Zavitinsk. Both aircraft were totally destroyed. All six crew members of the TU-16 were killed as well as 31 occupants on board the AN-24. Three days after the accident, a man aged 20 who was seating in the AN-24 was found slightly injured in the taiga.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the collision was the consequence of a poor organization and management of flights in the area of the Zavitinsk and the non-compliance of the published procedures. The collision was made possible by a lack of interaction, coordination and communication between the civilian and military air controllers.

Crash of a Boeing 737-222 in Sanyi: 110 killed

Date & Time: Aug 22, 1981 at 1000 LT
Type of aircraft:
Boeing 737-200
Operator:
Registration:
B-2603
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Taipei - Kaohsiung
MSN:
19939
YOM:
1969
Flight number:
FE103
Location:
Sanyi
Miaoli County (苗栗縣)
Country:
Taiwan
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
104
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
110
Aircraft flight cycles:
33313
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Taipei-Songshan Airport bound for Kaohsiung. Fourteen minutes later, while cruising at FL220, radar contact was lost with the airplane and the crew did not send any distress message. The airplane entered an uncontrolled descent, suffered an explosive cabin decompression, partially disintegrated in the air and crashed in Sanyi, in the Miaoli County. Debris scattered on a large area (10 km2) and all 110 occupants were killed, among them the Japanese writer Kuniko Mukōda.
Probable cause:
Extensive corrosion damage in the lower fuselage structures, and at a number of locations there were corrosion penetrated through pits, holes and cracks due to intergranular corrosion and skin thinning exfoliation corrosion, and in addition, the possible existence of undetected cracks because of the great number of pressurization cycles of the aircraft (a total of 33,313 landings), interaction of these defects and the damage had so deteriorated that rapid fracture occurred at a certain flight altitude and pressure differential resulting rapid decompression and sudden break of passenger compartment floor beams and connecting frames, cutting control cables and electrical wiring. And eventually loss of power, loss of control, midair disintegration.

Crash of a Hindustan Aeronautics HAL-748-2-224 in Mangalore

Date & Time: Aug 18, 1981 at 1502 LT
Type of aircraft:
Hindustan Aeronautics HAL-748
Operator:
Registration:
VT-DXF
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Bangalore - Mangalore
MSN:
511
YOM:
1967
Flight number:
IC557
Location:
Mangalore-Bajpe
Karnataka
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
22
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
4439
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed Bangalore for flight IC557 to Mangalore. After the aircraft became airborne, Mangalore weather was passed to the aircraft indicating deterioration in weather with conditions below minima. The aircraft arrived near Mangalore uneventfully and ATC informed that it was raining and the visibility was 1,000 metres. Therefore, the commander decided to hold the aircraft. A few minutes later, ATC informed that the visibility had improved to 2,000 meters and clouds were 4/8 at 700 feet. Thereafter, the aircraft was instructed to descend to 3,550 feet. Having sighted the runway, the captain turned right to position the aircraft for a left-hand downwind leg of the runway. However, ATC cautioned that the south of the runway was full of low cloud. Therefore, the aircraft took a left-hand circuit for landing. The aircraft landed almost on the middle of the runway at high speed, under adverse weather conditions. The aircraft could not be stopped within the available field length. Its nose wheel was sheared off and the aircraft continued skidding forward and nosed over into a valley beyond the airport plateau and came to stop against two huge boulders on the steep rocky terrain. The aircraft was substantially damaged. Five passengers and two cabin crew received minor injuries. There was a fire under the left-hand engine/wing which was extinguished.
Probable cause:
The pilot persisted in landing under deteriorating weather conditions resulting in unsteady approach and late touchdown at a high speed. The contributory factors were non-extension of flaps to 'land' position, resulting in increasing landing roll, and the choice of landing on down-sloping runway with a tail-component.

Crash of a Douglas DC-4 in Neiva

Date & Time: Aug 11, 1981
Type of aircraft:
Douglas DC-4
Operator:
Registration:
HK-136
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Florencia - Neiva
MSN:
10407
YOM:
1944
Location:
Neiva
Huila
Country:
Colombia
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
While descending to Neiva Airport, the crew encountered unknown technical problems and completed an emergency landing in an open field. All occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2TP off Palana: 1 killed

Date & Time: Aug 9, 1981 at 0950 LT
Type of aircraft:
PZL-Mielec AN-2
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-29354
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Palana - Lesnaya
MSN:
1G77-37
YOM:
1966
Location:
Palana
Kamchatka Krai
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Aircraft flight hours:
9283
Circumstances:
The crew departed Palana on a flight to Lesnaya. Approaching Lesnaya, weather conditions were poor and due to limited visibility, the crew was unable to locate the landing zone and decided to return to Palana. While flying at an altitude below 50 meters, the pilot-in-command initiated a right turn when the airplane lost height and crashed into the sea about 270 meters offshore. Five occupants swum to shore while a passenger drowned.
Probable cause:
Failure of the crew to prepare the flight according to published procedures and without any contact with local ATC. Control was lost during a turn completed at an unsafe altitude in turbulences and relative strong winds.
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