Training

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Saltillo - Saltillo

MSN:

AC-736

YOM:

1989

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was completing a training flight at Saltillo-Plan de Guadalupe Airport. After touchdown on runway 17, the airplane veered off runway to the left, lost its right main gear and came to rest about 600 metres from the runway threshold. All three crew members evacuated safely and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Gulfstream G200 in Yangzhou

Date & Time: May 20, 2018 at 1507 LT

Type of aircraft:

Gulfstream G200

Operator:

Registration:

B-8129

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Yangzhou - Yangzhou

MSN:

134

YOM:

2006

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

16075

Captain / Total hours on type:

1181.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

538

Copilot / Total hours on type:

246

Aircraft flight hours:

2235

Aircraft flight cycles:

1114

Circumstances:

The aircraft departed Yanzhou-Taizhou Airport runway 35 at 1359LT on a local training flight, carrying two pilots under supervision and one instructor. The crew completed six landings without any incidents. and then changed seats, the instructor seating in the left front seat and the pilot under training in the right front seat. On final approach to runway 35, at a height of about 50 feet, the aircraft followed a steep descent and landed 500 metres past the runway threshold to the right of the runway centerline with a 4,5° deviation to the right. The copilot elected to correct this when the aircraft veered to the left, exited the runway then deviated to the right and came back on the runway. Then it veered off runway to the right, lost its both main gears and came to rest in a grassy area. All thre crew members evacuated safely and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

The accident was the consequence of a series of errors on part of the crew. The following findings were identified:
- The rate of descent on short final was escessive (sink rate),
- The aircraft landed to the right of the runway centerline with a 4,5° deviation to the right,
- The copilot actions were excessives and the aircraft veered to the left,
- The instructor did not intervene in due time to expect recovery.

Final Report:

Crash of a Beechcraft C99 Airliner in Ibagué: 4 killed

Date & Time: May 2, 2018 at 1830 LT

Type of aircraft:

Beechcraft 99 Airliner

Operator:

Registration:

PNC-0203

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Bogotá – Ibagué – Mariquita

MSN:

U-199

YOM:

1983

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew departed Bogotá on a training flight to Mariquita with an intermediate stop at Ibagué-Perales Airport. While on approach by night, the twin engine aircraft went out of control and crashed in a field located few km from the airport, bursting into flames. The aircraft was totally destroyed by a post crash fire and all four crew members were killed.
Crew:
Maj Andrés Valbuena Cadena,
Lt Carlos Andrés León Caicedo,
Lt Juan Alcides Sosa Triana,
Sub John Wílfer Parra Solano.

Crash of an Airbus A320-214 in Tallinn

Date & Time: Feb 28, 2018 at 1711 LT

Type of aircraft:

Airbus A320

Operator:

Registration:

ES-SAN

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Tallinn-Lennart Meri-Ülemiste

Schedule:

Tallinn - Tallinn

MSN:

1213

YOM:

2000

Flight number:

MYX9001

Location:

Harjumaa

Country:

Estonia

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

228

Captain / Total hours on type:

0.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

24046

Copilot / Total hours on type:

Aircraft flight hours:

44997

Aircraft flight cycles:

21839

Circumstances:

On 28th February 2018 at 10:021, the Smartlynx Airlines Estonia Airbus A320-214 registered ES-SAN took off from Tallinn airport Estonia to perform training flights with 2 crew members (captain and safety pilot), 4 students and 1 ECAA inspector on board. Following several successful ILS approaches and touch-and-go cycles, at 15:04, after a successful touch down with the runway, the aircraft did not respond as expected to sidestick inputs when reaching rotation speed. After a brief lift-off, the aircraft lost altitude and hit the ground close to the end of the runway. In the impact, the aircraft engines impacted the runway and the landing gear doors were damaged. After the initial impact, the aircraft climbed to 1590 ft from ground level and pitched down again. The pilots were able to stabilize the flight path by using manual pitch trim and engine thrust and make a U-turn back towards the runway. The crew declared an emergency and the aircraft was cleared for an emergency landing. During the approach, the aircraft lost power in both engines. The aircraft landed 150 m before the threshold of runway at 15:11. On landing, aircraft tires burst, and the aircraft veered off the runway and finally came to a stop 15 m left to the runway. The safety pilot and one of the students suffered minor impact trauma in this accident. The aircraft landing gear doors, landing gears, both engine nacelles, engines and aircraft fuselage suffered severe damage in this accident resulting in aircraft hull loss.

Probable cause:

Causal factors:
This accident results from the combination of the following factors:
• The intermittent THSA override mechanism malfunction allowing to cause the loss of pitch control by both ELACs. The repetitive triggering of the ELAC PITCH faults was caused by the non or late activations of the PTA micro-switches, which were due to the OVM piston insufficient stroke. The insufficient OVM stroke was caused by the THSA OVM clutch unit non-standard friction. The oil in the THSA OVM casing appeared to be with a higher viscosity than defined in the CMM. The higher viscosity might have reduced the friction of the OVM clutch unit, causing the THSA OVM nonstandard friction.
• SEC design flaw allowing for a single event, the left landing gear temporary dedecompression, to cause the loss of pitch control by both SECs. The absence of ground spoilers arming for landing in the context of touch and go's training may have contributed to the temporary decompression of the left main landing gear.
• The training instructor`s decision for continuation of the flight despite repetitive ELAC PITCH FAULT ECAM caution messages. The lack of clear framework of operational rules for training flights, especially concerning the application of the MEL, and the specific nature of operations that caused pressure to complete the training program may have impacted the crew decision-making process.

Contributory factors
• Smartlynx Estonia ATO TM does not clearly define the need for arming spoilers when performing touch-and-go training (ATO procedures not in accordance with Airbus SOP). The fact that there is no clear reference in the Smartlynx Estonia ATO TM Touch-And-Go air exercise section to additional procedures that should be used, in combination with lack of understanding of the importance for arming the spoilers during this type of flights contributed to TRI making a decision to disarm the spoilers during touch and go training enabling landing gear bounce on touch down.
• At the time of the event Airbus QRH did not define the maximum allowed number of resets for the flight control computers.
• At the time of the event Airbus FCTM did not require to consider MEL on touch-and-go and stop-and-go training.
• The oil in the THS OVM casing was with higher viscosity than defined in the CMM. The higher viscosity might have reduced the friction of the OVM clutch unit.
• The aircraft maintenance documentation does not require any test of the OVM during aircraft regular maintenance checks.
• Smartlynx Estonia ATO OM does not clearly specify the role in the cockpit for the Safety Pilot. The lack of task sharing during the event caused the ECAM warnings to be left unnoticed and unannounced for a long period.
• The crew not resetting the ELAC 1. The fact that ELAC 1 PITCH FAULT was left unreset lead to the degradation of the redundancy of the system. Considering the remoteness of the loss control of both elevators, there is no specific crew training for MECHANICAL BACKUP in pitch during approach, landing and take-off. This condition of the aircraft occurred for the crew in a sudden manner on rotation and during training flight, where the experienced TRI is not in PF role and cannot get immediate feedback of the aircraft behaviour and condition. Despite these difficult conditions the crew managed to stabilize and land the aircraft with no major damage to the persons on board. The crew performance factors that contributed to the safe landing of the aircraft are the following:
• The TRI followed the golden rule of airmanship (fly, navigate, communicate), by stabilizing the aircraft pitch by using the trim wheel and by keeping the aircraft engine power as long as possible;
• The Safety Pilot started to play a role in the cockpit by assisting the TRI and student by informing them about the status of the aircraft and later on taking the role of the PM.

Final Report:

Crash of a Shaanxi Y-8GX-3 near Zhengchang: 12 killed

Date & Time: Jan 29, 2018

Type of aircraft:

Shaanxi Y-8

Operator:

Registration:

30513

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Casa-Nurtanio CN-235 (IPTN)

Survivors:

Site:

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While completing a training mission, the airplane crashed in unknown circumstances near the Zhengchang village, in the Guizhou Province. The PLA Air Force Y-8GX4 Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) aircraft, registered 30513, was assigned to the PLAAF 20th Special Missions Division. The Y-8G fleet of the division is reportedly based close to the crash site. The airplane was totally destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 12 occupants were killed.

Crash of a Casa-Nurtanio CN-235M-100 near Yalvaç: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jan 17, 2018 at 1250 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

98-148

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Mediterranean Region (Akdeniz Bölgesi)

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Eskişehir - Eskişehir

MSN:

C-148

YOM:

1998

Location:

Yalvaç

Country:

Turkey

Region:

Asia

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The twin engine aircraft departed Eskişehir Airport at 1103LT on a training flight, carrying one technician and two pilots. While flying in good weather conditions, the airplane struck the top of a snow covered mountain located in the region of Yalvaç, some 80 km northeast of Isparta. The wreckage was found at 1430LT. All three crew members were killed.

Crash of a Beechcraft C90 King Air in Lake Harney: 3 killed

Date & Time: Dec 8, 2017 at 1115 LT

Type of aircraft:

Beechcraft 90 King Air

Operator:

Registration:

N19LW

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Sanford - Sanford

MSN:

LJ-991

YOM:

1981

Flight number:

CONN900

Location:

Lake Harney

Florida

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

243

Captain / Total hours on type:

0.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

4800

Copilot / Total hours on type:

357

Aircraft flight hours:

10571

Circumstances:

The flight instructor, commercial pilot receiving instruction, and commercial pilot-rated passenger were conducting an instructional flight in the multi-engine airplane during instrument meteorological conditions. After performing a practice instrument approach, the flight was cleared for a second approach; however, the landing runway changed, and the controller vectored the airplane for an approach to the new runway. The pilot was instructed to turn to a southwesterly heading and maintain 1,600 ft until established on the localizer. Radar information revealed that the airplane turned to a southwesterly heading on a course to intercept the localizer and remained at 1,600 ft for about 1 minute 39 seconds before beginning a descending right turn to 1,400 ft. The descent continued to 1,100 ft; at which time the air traffic control controller issued a low altitude alert. Over the following 10 seconds, the airplane continued to descend at a rate in excess of 4,800 ft per minute (fpm). The controller issued a second low altitude alert to the crew with instructions to climb to 1,600 ft immediately. The pilot responded about 5 seconds later, "yeah I am sir, I am, I am." The airplane then climbed 1,400 ft over 13 seconds, resulting in a climb rate in excess of 6,700 fpm, followed by a descent to 1,400 ft over 5 seconds, resulting in a 1,500-fpm descent before radar contact was lost in the vicinity of the accident site. Radar data following the initial instrument approach indicated that the airplane was flying a relatively smooth and consistent flightpath with altitude and heading changes that were indicative of autopilot use until the final turn to intercept the localizer course. Maneuvering the airplane in restricted visibility placed the pilot in conditions conducive to the development of spatial disorientation. The accident circumstances, including altitude and course deviations and the subsequent high-energy impact, are consistent with the known effects of spatial disorientation. Additionally, examination of the airframe, engines, and propellers revealed no evidence of any preexisting anomalies that would have precludednormal operation. Therefore, it is likely that the pilot receiving instruction was experiencing the effects of spatial disorientation when the accident occurred. Toxicology testing of the flight instructor identified significant amounts of oxycodone as well as its active metabolite, oxymorphone, in liver tissue; oxycodone was also found in muscle. Oxycodone is an opioid pain medication available by prescription that may impair mental and/or physical ability required for the performance of potentially hazardous tasks. The flight instructor's tissue levels of oxycodone suggest that his blood level at the time of the accident was high enough to have had psychoactive effects, and his failure to recognize and mitigate the pilot's spatial disorientation and impending loss of control further suggest that the flight instructor was impaired by the effects of oxycodone. Toxicology testing of all three pilots identified ethanol in body tissues; however, given the varying amounts and distribution, it is likely that the identified ethanol was from postmortem production rather than ingestion.

Probable cause:

The pilot's loss of airplane control due to spatial disorientation during an instrument approach in instrument meteorological conditions, and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor's impairment from the use of prescription pain medication.

Final Report:

Crash of a Let L-410UVP-E3 in Comayagua: 1 killed

Date & Time: Aug 16, 2017 at 0940 LT

Type of aircraft:

Let L-410

Operator:

Registration:

FAH-322

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site: