Test

The crew (pilots, technicians and engineers) were involved in a local test flight at Kiev-Gostomel Airport. The goal of the mission was to test the JATO propulsion system in case of an engine failure on the Antonov AN-8. For this test program, the aircraft was renamed AN-8RU version. Twenty seconds after takeoff, while climbing to a speed of 220 km/h, the JATO system was ignited. Six seconds later, once the speed of 264 km/h was reached, the left engine was voluntarily shut down. At this time, the crew was unable to feather the propeller that went into auto-rotation. The airplane banked left to a 70-80° angle then dove into the ground and crashed in a field located 1,850 meters past the runway end. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all seven crew members were killed.

The aircraft was deliberately crashed on takeoff at Deer Valley Airport for a FAA experimental program. During the takeoff roll, the aircraft hit several obstacles and eventually crashed onto a hill, broken in three. Both wings and all four engine were sheared off at impact.
Special thanks to Chris Baird - www.arizonawrecks.com

The pilot, sole on board, was involved in a local test flight. Shortly after takeoff from Kankakee-Greater Kankakee Airport, while climbing, both engines failed simultaneously. The pilot reduced his altitude and was able to complete an emergency belly landing in a field. The airplane slid for several yards and came to rest. The pilot was unhurt while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The crew was completing a local test flight at Washington-Dulles Airport. Upon landing, the nose gear collapsed and the airplane slid for several yards before coming to rest. All eight occupants were uninjured while the aircraft was considered as damaged beyond repair.

The crew was engaged in a local test flight at Wichita Airport on this first model of the Lear 23. At liftoff, the airplane encountered difficulties to gain height. Out of control, it struck the ground, rolled for several yards and came to rest in flames in a wasteland. Both pilots were seriously injured and the aircraft was destroyed.

The aircraft was voluntarily crashed by FAA for experimental purposes. The 'accident' occurred on takeoff from Deer Valley, at a speed of 140 knots, when the aircraft hit a hill and disintegrated. There were no occupants on board.
Thanks to Chris Baird - www.arizonawrecks.com

The crew was engaged in a local post-maintenance test flight. At liftoff, the airplane banked left, struck the ground and came to rest. All three crew members were uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The aircraft took off at 1017 hours GMT from runway 10, at Wisley Aerodrome on its fifty third test flight. It was to carry out stalling tests in all configurations with the centre of gravity at 0.38 SMC (standard mean chord), the furthest aft limit for which the aircraft had then been cleared. Based on the radio-telephony conversations recorded in the Wisley Tower and the flight recorders carried aboard the aircraft, the flight was reconstructed. Following take-off the aircraft climbed in visual meteorological conditions on a westerly heading to 17 000 ft while monitored by Wisley radar. At 1026 the co-pilot reported that they were about to commence tests at flight level 170. By 1035, four stalls had been completed with the undercarriage and flaps up. The co-pilot acknowledged a fix from Wisley at 1036 hours and nothing further was heard from the aircraft. The flaps were then lowered to to investigate the stalling characteristics in this configuration. The stall was initiated about two minutes after the last contact, when the aircraft was between 15 000 and 16 000 ft. Approach to the stall appears to have been normal. When attempting recovery, the elevators responded initially to the control movement but subsequently floated to the fully up position in spite of a large push force on the control column. The aircraft then descended in a substantially horizontal fore and aft attitude at about 180 ft/sec (54 meters per sec). During the descent it banked twice to the right and once to the left and at one stage the engines were opened up to full power. This action resulted in a large nose-up pitch which was followed by a pitch down when power was taken off. The aircraft then assumed the substantially horizontal attitude in which it made impact with the ground. The final portion of the flight was observed by numerous eye witnesses who commented on the low level of engine noise and a sharp report from the aircraft which was heard while it was in the air. The aircraft had approached from the southwest, in a stable stalled condition, and crashed at about 1040 hours in a flat attitude. Following impact, the aircraft moved forward about 70 ft and some 15 ft to the right before coming to rest. It exploded and caught fire. All seven crew members, four engineers and three test pilots, were killed.

After a flight of some two hours, made for the purpose of testing radio navigation equipment, the aircraft returned to London-Gatwick Airport, U.K.. Before, and during, the flight, undercarriage operation was normal, as was the functioning of the undercarriage light and horn warning system. During the approach, the undercarriage extended normally, and the green lights indicated that it was locked down. Some 50 yards after touch down, the aircraft began to sink on the starboard side and the captain noticed that the starboard green light was no longer showing. There were, however, no reds, and the horn was not sounding. The starboard main undercarriage leg eventually retracted and the aircraft swung off the runway to the right, on to the grass.

The crew departed the WSK-Okęcie factory at Warsaw-Okęcie Airport for a test flight on this first prototype built on 21 of July 1959. The goal of the mission was to measure the pressure distribution on the hull in order to select the optimal position of the static pressure sensor. En route, in unknown circumstances, control was lost and the airplane crashed in a field, killing all five crew members.