Flight

While performing a low-level law enforcement patrol flight, the pilot crossed a ridge and observed a parked vehicle. To investigate further, he lowered the flaps and descended to approximately 200 feet, into a canyon. The pilot made a second pass over the vehicle and initiated a right turn, during which the airplane encountered a tailwind that resulted in a rapid loss of airspeed and a descent. The pilot leveled the airplane and increased the power; however, the airplane was too slow and low to turn out of the canyon. As a result, the airplane stalled and impacted terrain. The pilot stated there were no preflight mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane.

The twin engine aircraft departed Port-au-Prince on a schedule service to Havana with an intermediate stop in Santiago de Cuba, carrying 61 passengers and 7 crew members. The airplane departed Santiago de Cuba-Antonio Maceo Airport at 1644LT and the crew was cleared to climb to his assigned altitude of 18,000 feet. At 1736LT, the crew was cleared to climb to 20,000 feet. During the climb, the Total Air Temperature (TAT) dropped from +3°C to -1°C and the aircraft' speed dropped from 196 knots to 176 knots. At 17:44, at FL200, the ICING caution light illuminated on the instrument panel with an associated chime. This was followed by the illumination of the AOA light several seconds later. At 17:46 the crew toggled the anti-icing switches on the overhead panel and contacted Havana Control to request permission to descent to FL160 due to icing. However, the controller reported conflicting traffic 30 miles ahead. The crew then requested vectors to enable them to descend. Clearance was given to change course from 295° to 330°. At 17:49, with an airspeed of 156 kts, the airplane commenced a right bank. Then suddenly the airplane banked left and right before banking 90° to the left again with a steep nose down attitude. The crew struggled to control the plane, which was banking turning and losing altitude. Out of control, the aircraft crashed in a wooded an hilly terrain. All 68 occupants were killed.

The twin engine aircraft departed Aix-les-Milles Airport at 1520LT on a local training flight. The crew was cleared to fly between 5,000 and 6,000 feet. The aircraft overflew successively Marseille and Toulon then passed over Le Castellet. While cruising at an altitude of 6,000 feet and at a speed of 110 knots, the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent, dove into the ground with a rate of descent of 6,000 feet per minute and crashed in a near vertical position in a rocky zone located in the Sainte-Victoire Mountain Range, near Saint-Antonin-sur-Bayon. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and both occupants were killed, one instructor and one pilot under supervision.

The pilot stated he experienced a high temperature in the right engine and a partial loss of engine rpm while at 9,000 feet mean sea level in cruise flight. He requested and received clearance from air traffic control to descend and divert to another airport. He leveled the airplane at 2,500 feet and both engines were operating; however, the right engine experienced a loss of rpm which made it difficult to maintain altitude. The pilot reduced power in both engines, turned the fuel boost pump on, opened the cowl flaps and the engine continued to run with a low rpm. The pilot elected to ditch the airplane in the ocean, instead of landing as soon as practical at the nearest suitable airport, as instructed in the Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH). Additionally, he shut down the right engine before performing the troubleshooting items listed in the POH. He attributed his decision to ditch the airplane to poor single-engine performance and windy conditions. The wind at the destination airport was from 060 degrees at 6 knots and runway 8 was in use at the time of the accident. The airplane was not recovered.

The twin engine aircraft departed Nabire Airport at 1555LT and was carrying three police officers and two pilots who were returning to Jakarta after they delivered aid to the victims of Wasior floods in West Papua. Two intermediate stops were scheduled in Ambon and Ujung Pandang (Makassar). En route, the aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances near Wami, most probably due to poor weather conditions. The wreckage was found a day later and all five occupants were killed.

About 14 minutes after departing on the cross-country flight in instrument meteorological conditions, the airplane was observed on radar climbing through 14,800 feet mean sea level (msl). At this time, the pilot radioed to air traffic control (ATC) that he was returning to the departure airport. About 7 seconds later, the pilot transmitted that he had lost an engine and again stated that he was returning to the departure airport. About 50 seconds later, the pilot transmitted, “We’re losing it.” There was no further communication with the pilot. Radar data revealed that at 14,800 feet msl the airplane began a right 360-degree turn at 8 degrees per second, and about 120 degrees into the turn, it began a descent averaging 5,783 feet per minute. The airplane remained in a right turn until radar contact was lost at 10,700 feet msl. The airplane impacted a 30-degree slope of a densely forested mountain about 2,940 feet msl in a near vertical, slightly right-wing-low attitude. A logger working in the area reported hearing a “very loud roaring sound,” like an airplane diving toward his location and that it seemed to be “really under power.” The logger described the weather as being “socked in,” with light rain and not much wind. Post accident examination revealed that propeller damage was the result of impact forces, with no indications of fatigue or propeller failure before impact. It was also noted that the left propeller was being operated under conditions of some power at impact, while the right propeller was not operating under conditions of significant power at impact. Based on these findings, it is most likely that the pilot experienced a partial loss of power of the right engine and, after incorrectly initiating a right turn into the failed engine, allowed the rate of turn to increase to the point that the airplane became uncontrollable before impact with terrain. The reason for the partial loss of engine power was not determined because postaccident examination of the airframe and both engines did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

The four engine aircraft departed Bagram AFB on a short flight to Kabul, carrying 8 crew members and a load of various equipment on behalf of the NATO forces based in Pakistan. En route, while cruising by night, the aircraft impacted a rocky face located 30 km east of Kabul. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 8 occupants were killed.

The single engine aircraft departed Lensk at 0813LT on a flight to Bratsk. While cruising at 4,200 metres over the cloud layer, the engine failed. The crew elected to divert to Kirensk Airport but was unable to maintain a safe altitude. Eventually, the captain attempted an emergency landing when the aircraft impacted trees and crashed in a wooded area located 37 km west of Kirensk. All nine occupants were injured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The twin engine aircraft was engaged in a reconnaissance and survey mission over the southern Colombia territory, carrying six crew members. At 2306LT, the last radio contact was recorded with the crew. In unknown circumstances, while cruising at an altitude of 10,600 feet, the aircraft impacted terrain near Uribe. The wreckage was found four days later, on September 11. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all six occupants were killed.

The commercial pilot departed a remote, oceanside lagoon in a float-equipped airplane with three passengers on an on-demand air taxi flight in reduced visibility and heavy rain. When the airplane did not reach its destination, the operator reported the airplane overdue. Extensive search-and-rescue efforts along the coast and inland failed to find the wreckage. After the search ended, small portions of the fragmented airplane washed ashore about 28 miles northeast of the departure lagoon. The remainder of wreckage has not been located despite sonar searches of the ocean near where the wreckage was found. A stowed tent and duffel bag, which were reported to be aboard the airplane, were also found ashore near the wreckage location. The tent and duffel bag exhibited evidence of exposure to a high temperature environment, such as a fire. However, there was no evidence indicating that the fire occurred in flight. The lack of soot on the undamaged areas of the items, as well as the very abrupt demarcation line between the damaged portion and the undamaged material, is consistent with these items floating in the water and being exposed to a fuel fire on the surface of the water, rather than having been exposed to a fire in the airplane’s cargo compartment. Due to the fragmentation of the recovered wreckage, it is likely that the airplane collided with ocean’s surface while in flight; however, because the engine and a majority of the wreckage have not been found, the sequence of events leading to the accident could not be determined.