Scheduled Revenue Flight

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

MSN:

T-261

YOM:

1976

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew encountered an unexpected situation and was forced to attempt an emergency landing near Grønholt Airport. Upon landing in a pasture, the airplane lost its both wings and came to rest. There were no injuries.

Crash of a Boeing 707-321B near Kem: 2 killed

Date & Time: Apr 20, 1978 at 2217 LT

Type of aircraft:

Boeing 707

Operator:

Registration:

HL7429

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Paris - Anchorage - Seoul

MSN:

19363

YOM:

1967

Flight number:

KE902

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

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Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Flight KE902 departed Paris-Orly Airport at 1339LT on a flight to Seoul with an intermediate stop in Anchorage. After passing the North Magnetic Pole, while approaching Ellesmere Island, Canada, the airplane initiated a turn to the right by 150° instead continuing straight-in to North Canada and Alaska. This caused the airplane to fly to the southeast, over the Barents Sea and then into Soviet airspace, reaching the Soviet coast approximately three hours and 2,400 km after its right turn. The aircraft was intercepted by a Soviet Air Force Sukhoi SU-15TM and was forced to land. For reasons undetermined, the Korean crew did not respond to multiple requests and initiated a turn when the Soviet pilot was instructed to shoot down the Boeing 707. One of the air/air missile struck the left wing and four meters were torn off. The missile also punctured the fuselage, causing rapid decompression and jamming one of the plane's four turbines. From an altitude of 30,000 feet, the crew initiated a rapid descent and eventually completed an emergency landing on the frozen Korpijärvi Lake located in the region of Kem, Republic of Karelia. Two passengers were killed during the attack while all other occupants were evacuated, 13 were injured. Both pilots and the navigator were arrested but released on April 29.

Probable cause:

It is believed that the airplane deviated from the prescribed flight plan directly after it passed over the North Magnetic Pole, causing major disturbance of the aircraft's magnetic compass-based navigation systems. For the Soviet Authorities, the deviation was the consequence of a navigation error on part of the flying crew.

Crash of a Yakovlev Yak-40 in Aldan

Date & Time: Apr 8, 1978 at 0652 LT

Type of aircraft:

Yakovlev Yak-40

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-87911

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Republic of Yakutia (Sakha)

Schedule:

Aldan - Yakutsk

MSN:

9 73 18 54

YOM:

1977

Flight number:

SU401

Location:

Aldan

Country:

Russia

Region:

Asia

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

422

Aircraft flight cycles:

301

Circumstances:

After a normal takeoff roll, the rotation was initiated at a speed of 178 km/h. During initial climb, the right wing dropped to an angle of 30°. Correction was attempted by ailerons but the airplane continued to descend, struck a 1,5 meter high snow wall and crash landed in a snow covered field. It lost its undercarriage and came to rest. All 12 passengers escaped uninjured while five crew members were slightly injured. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

The exact cause of the accident and the reason of the right wing drop could not be established and identified. The takeoff speed was correct.

Crash of a Grumman G-21A Goose off Red Hook: 2 killed

Date & Time: Apr 5, 1978 at 1645 LT

Type of aircraft:

Grumman G-21A Goose

Operator:

Registration:

N8777A

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Saint John - Christiansted

MSN:

1152

YOM:

1942

Flight number:

415

Location:

Red Hook

All US Virgin Islands

Country:

US Virgin Islands

Region:

Central America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

14154

Captain / Total hours on type:

5697.00

Circumstances:

Several minutes after departure from St John on flight 415 to Christiansted, both engines stopped quite simultaneously. The crew reduced his altitude and attempted to ditch the aircraft. The amphibian landed in heavy sea conditions two miles northeast of Frenchmans Cap, approximately four miles southeast of Red Hook, on the east coast of St Thomas Island. All seven passengers were rescued while both pilots were killed.

Probable cause:

The double engine failure was the consequence of a crew error after the fuel selector was positioned between both fuel tanks.

Crash of an Antonov AN-2T in Muryuk

Date & Time: Apr 4, 1978

Type of aircraft:

Antonov AN-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-13716

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Landing (descent or approach)

MSN:

1 91 473 20

YOM:

1957

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Shortly after takeoff, while in initial climb, the single engine aircraft lost speed, stalled and crashed. There were no casualties while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

The exact cause of the loss of speed could not be determined.

Crash of a Boeing 737-2A1 in São Paulo

Date & Time: Apr 2, 1978 at 2120 LT

Type of aircraft:

Boeing 737-200

Operator:

Registration:

PP-SMX

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Rio de Janeiro - São Paulo

MSN:

20969

YOM:

1974

Flight number:

VP005

Location:

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Region:

Crew on board:

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Pax on board:

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Circumstances:

The airplane departed Rio de Janeiro-Galeão Airport at 2015LT on flight VP005 to São Paulo. Following an uneventful flight, the crew was unable to lower the undercarriage and decided to complete a belly landing. Upon touchdown, the airplane slid for few hundred meters before coming to rest in flames onto the runway. All 44 occupants were evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Fokker F27 Friendship 200 in Yangon: 48 killed

Date & Time: Mar 25, 1978 at 0656 LT

Type of aircraft:

Fokker F27 Friendship

Operator:

Registration:

XY-ADK

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Yangon – Myitkyina

MSN:

10235

YOM:

1963

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

28634

Aircraft flight cycles:

30355

Circumstances:

After takeoff from Yangon-Mingaladon Airport, the twin engine airplane encountered difficulties to gain height. It struck tree tops located about 150 meters past the runway end, stalled and crashed in flames in a wooded area. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 48 occupants were killed, among them seven Germans, six Japanese, Two French, two Swiss, two Australians and one Briton.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-134 in Gabare: 73 killed

Date & Time: Mar 16, 1978 at 1300 LT

Type of aircraft:

Tupolev TU-134

Operator:

Registration:

LZ-TUB

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Landing (descent or approach)

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Sofia - Warsaw

MSN:

8 35 05 01

YOM:

1968

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

After takeoff from Sofia-Vrazhdebna Airport, the crew informed ATC about an unexpected situation and was cleared to return for an emergency landing. Control was lost from an altitude of 4,900 meters and the aircraft entered a spin and crashed in an open field located near the village of Gabare. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 73 occupants were killed.

Crash of a Douglas DC-8-63 in Santiago de Compostela

Date & Time: Mar 3, 1978 at 1725 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas DC-8

Operator:

Registration:

EC-BMX

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site: