Flight | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The single engine aircraft departed Yeniseysk in the afternoon on a spraying mission over forest area, carrying two pilots. About 40 minutes into the flight, while completing a third pass at an altitude of about 400 metres, smoke spread in the cockpit. The crew decided to return to Yeniseysk when few minutes later, the engine lost power. Fuel leaked from the engine and spread over the windshield. The crew reduced his altitude to 50 metres and the speed to 85 km/h, preparing for an emergency landing. With the flaps down to 45°, the aircraft collided with trees and crashed in a wooded area located 75 km north of Yeniseysk. Both pilots were slightly injured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

Loss of engine power due to the failure of the cylinder n°5 caused by a faulty manufacturing.

Final Report:

Crash of a Learjet 25D off Naiguatá: 5 killed

Date & Time: Aug 19, 2017 at 0016 LT

Type of aircraft:

Learjet 25

Operator:

Aeroquest

Registration:

YV3191

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Maiquetía – Barcelona

MSN:

25-368

YOM:

1984

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed Maiquetía-Símon Bolívar Airport at 0011LT for a 35 minutes flight to Barcelona. About five minutes after takeoff, while cruising at an altitude of 23,000 feet, the aircraft went out of control and plunged into the sea few km off Naiguatá, State of Vargas. It appeared the aircraft disintegrated on impact and few debris were found the following morning floating on water. All five occupants were killed.

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:

Training

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Comayagua - Comayagua

MSN:

87 18 27

YOM:

1987

Location:

Comayagua-Palmerola AFB

Comayagua

Country:

Honduras

Region:

Central America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was completing a local training flight at Comayagua-Palmerola AFB when the twin engine aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances onto a building. The captain was killed while the copilot and the flight engineer were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
Crew:
Cpt Olvin Emanuel Florez Meraz, pilot, †
Lt Cesar Augusto Banegas Corea, copilot,
Cdt Brayan Daniel Zavala Amaya, flight mechanic.

Crash of a Socata TBM-700 in Yamazoe: 2 killed

Date & Time: Aug 14, 2017 at 1215 LT

Type of aircraft:

Socata TBM-700

Operator:

Sky West Aviation

Registration:

N702AV

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Private

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Yao – Fukushima

MSN:

182

YOM:

2001

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

3750

Captain / Total hours on type:

7.00

Aircraft flight hours:

2094

Circumstances:

The single engine aircraft departed Yao Airport at 1157LT on a leisure flight to Fukushima, carrying one passenger and one pilot. Few minutes later, the pilot reported an unexpected situation to ATC and was cleared to return to Yao. At an altitude of 17,200 feet and a speed of 150 knots, the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent, partially disintegrated in the air and eventually crashed in a hilly and wooded terrain near the village of Yamazoe, bursting into flames. Both occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

In the accident, it is highly probable that the Aircraft lost control during flight, nose-dived while turning, and disintegrated in mid-air, resulting in the crash. It is somewhat likely that the Aircraft lost control during flight, because the captain did not have pilot skills and knowledge necessary for the operation of the Aircraft, and was not able to perform proper flight operations.

Final Report:

Crash of a Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage off Mainau Island: 2 killed

Date & Time: Aug 8, 2017 at 1152 LT

Type of aircraft:

Piper PA-46 (Malibu/Meridian/Mirage/Matrix/M-Class)

Operator:

Malibair

Registration:

HB-PPH

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Private

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Zurich – Hamburg

MSN:

46-36045

YOM:

1996

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

2236

Aircraft flight hours:

2408

Circumstances:

The single engine airplane departed Zurich Airport Runway 28 at 1134LT bound for Hamburg-Helmut Schmidt Airport, carrying one passenger and one pilot. After passing over the city of Konstanz at an altitude of 16,750 feet in IFR conditions, the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and eventually crashed in the Konstanz Lake, about 200 metres off Mainau Island. The wreckage was found at a depth of 60 metres and both occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

Loss of control while cruising in IMC conditions with strong atmospheric turbulences associated with icing conditions.

Final Report:

Crash of a Lockheed KC-130T Hercules near Itta Bena: 16 killed

Date & Time: Jul 10, 2017 at 1549 LT

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed C-130 Hercules

Operator:

Registration:

165000

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Cherry Point - El Centro

MSN:

5303

YOM:

1992

Flight number:

Yanky 72

Location:

Itta Bena

Mississippi

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:

2614

Copilot / Total flying hours:

822

Circumstances:

The aircraft departed MCAS Cherry Point-Cunningham Field in the early afternoon on a personnel transfer mission to El Centro NAS, California. En route, while cruising at an altitude of 20,000 feet, the n°4 blade on the engine n°2 detached, struck the left side of the fuselage, penetrated the cabin, then the right side of the fuselage and eventually impacted the right stabilizer that detached. The aircraft suffered a catastrophic structural failure, causing the cockpit to separate and detach. The airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in a soybean field located 11 km southwest of Itta Bena. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 16 occupants were killed.
Crew:
Maj Caine M. Goyette, pilot,
Cpt Sean E . Elliott, copilot,
S/Sgt Joshua Snowden, flight engineer,
Sgt Owen J . Lennon, flight engineer.
G/Sgt Mark A. Hopkins, gunnery
G/Sgt Brendan C . Johnson, gunnery
Sgt Julian M. Kevianne, crewmaster,
L/Cpl Daniel I. Baldassare, crewmaster.
Passengers:
Cpl Collin J. Schaaff
S/Sgt William J. Kundrat,
S/Sgt Robert H. Cox,
S/Sgt Talon R. Leach,
Sgt Chad E . Jenson,
Sgt Joseph J . Murray,
Sgt Dietrich A. Schmiernan,
PO Ryan Lohrey.

Probable cause:

The investigation determined the cause of the mishap to be an inflight departure of the number four blade from the number two propeller. This propeller blade (P2B4) liberated while the aircraft was flying at a cruise altitude of 20,000 feet . The liberation of P2B4 initiated the catastrophic sequence of events resulting in the midair breakup of the aircraft and its uncontrollable descent and ultimate destruction. Post- mishap analysis of P2B4 revealed that a circumferential fatigue crack in the blade caused the fracture and liberation. This fatigue crack propagated from a radial crack which originated from intergranular cracking (IGC) and corrosion pitting. The analysis also revealed the presence of anodize coating within the band of corrosion pitting and intergranular cracking on the blade near the origin of the crack. This finding proves that the band of corrosion pitting and intergranular cracking was present and not removed during the last overhaul of P2B4 at Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex (WR-ALC) in the fall of 2011. The investigation concluded that the failure to remediate the corrosion pitting and intergranular cracking was due to deficiencies in the propeller blade overhaul process at WR-ALC which existed in 2011 and continued up until the shutdown of the WR-ALC propeller blade overhaul process in the fall of 2017. The investigation also examined whether any operational or intermediate level maintenance inspections or maintenance actions exist which could have detected the underlying causal conditions prior to the mishap. The investigation concluded that while these inspections exist, it cannot be quantifiably determined that these inspections would have detected the causal condition. The investigation arrived at this conclusion due to the fact that the growth or propagation rate of an IGC radial crack cannot be predicted. Though no evidence exists to determine when the radial crack had grown to a detectable area, beyond the bushing, there exists a distinct possibility that it could have been detected if the radial crack had grown past the bushing and the off wing eddy current inspection was performed.

Final Report:

Crash of a Pilatus PC-6/B2-H4 Turbo Porter near Wamena: 5 killed

Date & Time: Jul 5, 2017 at 1110 LT

Type of aircraft:

Pilatus PC-6 (Porter & Turbo Porter)

Operator:

Registration:

PK-RCX

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Wamena – Derakma

MSN:

922

YOM:

1998

Location:

Wamena

Special Region of Papua

Country:

Indonesia

Region:

Asia

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The single engine aircraft departed Wamena Airport at 1100LT with three passengers, two pilots and 508 kg of various goods. About 10 minutes later, the airplane struck the slope of a mountain at an altitude of 2,300 metres. It was scheduled to arrive at Derakma at 1125LT. The wreckage was found a day later by the crew of a helicopter. All five occupants were killed. At the time of the accident, VMC conditions prevailed.

Crash of a Gulfstream GIII off Punta Arenas: 9 killed

Date & Time: Jul 4, 2017 at 1343 LT

Type of aircraft:

Gulfstream GIII

Operator:

Servicio Autónomo de Transporte Aéreo - SATA

Registration:

YV2896

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Government

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Maiquetía – Porlamar

MSN:

469

YOM:

1986

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While approaching the Island of Margarita, en route from Maiquetía-Simon Bolivar Airport to Porlamar, the crew encountered control difficulties and informed ATC about hydraulic problems. The crew initiated a rapid descent to 3,000 feet apparently to ditch the aircraft when it went out of control and crashed in the sea about 16 km west off Punta Arenas. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and only few debris were found floating on water. All nine occupants were killed, among them officers flying on behalf of the Vice-Presidency of the Venezuelan Government.

Crash of a Cessna 207 Skywagon near Hope

Date & Time: Jul 3, 2017 at 1032 LT

Type of aircraft:

Cessna 207 Skywagon/Stationair

Operator:

Registration:

N9620M

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Seldovia – Anchorage

MSN:

207-0711

YOM:

1981

Location:

Hope

Alaska

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:

5365

Captain / Total hours on type:

3.00

Aircraft flight hours:

23833

Circumstances:

According to the pilot, he was flying the second airplane in a flight of two about 1 mile behind the lead airplane. The lead airplane pilot reported to him, via the airplane's radio, that he had encountered decreasing visibility and that he was making a 180° left turn to exit the area. The pilot recalled that, after losing sight of the lead airplane, he made a shallow climbing right turn and noticed that the terrain was rising. He recalled that he entered the clouds for a few seconds and "at that moment I ran into the trees which I never saw coming." The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the temperature was 60°F with 8 miles visibility and 1,500-eeft ceilings. The nearest METAR was about 1 mile away and reported that the temperature was 54°F, dew point was 52°F, visibility was 8 statute miles with light rain, and ceiling was broken at 500 feet and overcast at 1,500 feet.

Probable cause:

The pilot's inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions and subsequent controlled flight into terrain.

Final Report:

Crash of a Cessna 421C Golden Eagle III in Catawba: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jul 1, 2017 at 0153 LT

Type of aircraft:

Cessna 421C Golden Eagle III

Operator:

Sky King Flying Service

Registration:

N2655B

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Private

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Waukegan – Winnipeg

MSN:

421C-0698

YOM:

1979

Location:

Catawba

Wisconsin

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:

2335

Captain / Total hours on type:

70.00

Circumstances:

The commercial pilot of the multi-engine airplane was conducting an instrument flight rules cross-country flight at night. The pilot checked in with air traffic control at a cruise altitude about 10,000 ft mean sea level (msl). About 31 minutes later, the pilot reported that he saw lightning off the airplane's left wing. The controller advised the pilot that the weather appeared to be about 35 to 40 miles away and that the airplane should be well clear of it. The pilot responded to the controller that he had onboard weather radar and agreed that they would fly clear of the weather. There were no further communications from the pilot. About 4 minutes later, radar information showed the airplane at 10,400 ft msl. About 1 minute later, radar showed the airplane in a descending right turn at 9,400 ft. Radar contact was lost shortly thereafter. The distribution of the wreckage, which was scattered in an area with about a 1/4-mile radius, was consistent with an in-flight breakup. The left horizontal stabilizer and significant portions of both left and right elevators and their respective trim tabs were not found. Of the available components for examination, no pre-impact airframe structural anomalies were found. Examination of the engines and turbochargers did not reveal any pre-impact anomalies. Examination of the propellers showed evidence of rotation at impact and no pre-impact anomalies. Review of weather information indicated that no convection or thunderstorms were coincident with or near the airplane's route of flight, and the nearest convective activity was located about 25 miles west of the accident site. Autopsy and toxicology testing revealed no evidence of pilot impairment or incapacitation. Given the lack of radar information after the airplane passed through 9,400 ft, it is likely that it entered a rapid descent during which it exceeded its design stress limitations, which resulted in the in-flight breakup; however, based on the available information, the event that precipitated the descent and loss of control could not be determined.

Probable cause:

A loss of control and subsequent in-flight breakup for reasons that could not be determined
based on the available information.

Final Report:

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