Scheduled Revenue Flight

During the last segment on final approach to Mexico City-Benito Juarez Airport, while passing over the runway threshold, the four engine airplane entered an area of heavy rain falls. The pilot-in-command apparently lost visual contact with the runway and decided to initiate a go-around manoeuvre when the airplane stalled, nosed down and struck the runway surface nose gear first. Upon impact, the nose gear was torn off and the airplane slid for several metres before coming to rest. All 127 occupants were evacuated safely.

The airplane departed Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport at 0806LT on a regular schedule flight EH232 to Cuenca, carrying four crew members and 55 passengers. At 0827LT, while cruising at 18,000 feet, the crew reported over Ambato. Eight minutes later, while cruising in limited visibility, the four engine airplane struck the slope of Mt Chimborazo (6,263 metres high). As the airplane failed to arrive at destination, SAR operations were initiated but eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the 59 occupants was found. The wreckage was apparently localized on 17 October 2002 and a team of 20 alpinists was able to reach the crash site on 18 February 2003. Debris of the airplane were found, confirming this was flight EH232.

While descending to Uelen Airstrip, the crew encountered foggy conditions but decided to continue the approach when the airplane struck the water surface and crashed in the Uelen lagoon. The wreckage was found 415 metres short of runway threshold and 35 metres to the left of its extended centerline. There were no casualties. At the time of the accident, the visibility was below minimums.

On a night approach to Guryev Airport (now Atyrau), the aircraft passed below the glide path following an error on part of the flying crew and hit the ground at a speed of 210 km/h some 45 meters short of the runway threshold. The aircraft bounced twice and hit the runway surface on a nose down attitude, causing the nose gear to hit the runway with a positive acceleration force of 3,5 g. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair while all 43 occupants were unhurt.

En route, the crew encountered marginal weather conditions and was forced to modify his altitude several times between 400 and 800 metres. Approaching Labinsk, the crew was informed about thunderstorm activity on the route but decided to continue. The airplane entered the thunderstorm area at 1503LT, lost speed and altitude. Eventually, it went out of control and crashed in a cornfield located in Krasnyy, about 35 km southeast of Labinsk. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact. While four passengers were seriously injured, all five other occupants were killed.

While descending to runway 22 at Bratislava-Ivanka-Milan Rastislav Štefánik Airport, the crew adopted a wrong approach configuration and descended with a rate of descent of 22 m/s instead of 10 m/s. This caused the airplane to be unstable while its speed varied from 435 to 225 km/h. Flaps were directly selected from zero to full down position, which caused the airplane's speed to decrease. Reverse thrust were activated on both engines n°2 and 3 below the altitude of 1,000 metres. At this time, the engine n°3 failed and in a certain confusion, the crew inadvertently feathered the propeller on engine n°4. During the last segment, about 50 metres above the runway threshold, the captain considered a missed approach and decided to initiate a go-around manoeuvre. The airplane climbed to an altitude of 40 metres and turn to the right when the engine n°4 was restarted. The airplane rolled to the right then stalled and crashed in the Zlaté piersky Lake located one km short of runway 13 threshold, northwest of the airport. Four passengers were rescued while 75 other occupants were killed. Few hours later, one of the survivor died from his injuries.

Shortly after takeoff from Covilhã Airport, while in initial climb, one of the engine failed. The pilot elected to make an emergency landing in an open field. The aircraft crash landed and came to rest. While all occupants were evacuated safely, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

For unknown reason, the pilot got distracted and lost control of the airplane that crashed near Astrakhan. There were no casualties but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The airplane landed hard and bounced. It rolled to the right and struck the runway surface again with its right wing. Upon touchdown, the nose gear tyre burst and the airplane veered off runway and came to rest. All 23 occupants were evacuated and the aircraft was considered as damaged beyond as the right wingtip and the right engine were torn off.

After a long roll at Chita-Kadala Airport, the aircraft took off very late at a speed of 275 km/h. During initial climb, it struck the embankment of a railway road located 322 metres past the runway end. It crash landed in a field, slid for dozen metres then turn to the left and came to rest. Four passengers and a flight attendant were injured while 112 other occupants escaped uninjured. The aircraft was written off.