Crash of a PZL-Mielec M28 Skytruck on Mt Izcaragua: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jun 12, 2010 at 0725 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
ENBV-0063
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Valle de la Pascua – La Carlota
MSN:
AJE002-02
YOM:
2000
Country:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The twin engine airplane departed Valle de la Pascua Airport at 0646LT on a flight to La Carlota-General Francisco de Miranda Air Base. At 0722LT, the crew reported his position at 7,000 feet when contact was lost. The wreckage was found the following day at 1700LT in a wooded and hilly terrain located between Mt Izcaragua and Mt Meregoto, about 18 km northeast of La Carlota Airport. The aircraft was destroyed and all three occupants were killed.

Crash of a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain near Cartwright: 2 killed

Date & Time: May 26, 2010 at 0930 LT
Operator:
Registration:
C-FZSD
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Goose Bay - Cartwright - Black Tickle - Goose Bay
MSN:
31-7405233
YOM:
1974
Country:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Captain / Total flying hours:
9000
Circumstances:
Aircraft departed on a round trip flight from Goose Bay to Cartwright and Black Tickle before returning to Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador. The pilot was to deliver freight to Cartwright as well as a passenger and some freight to Black Tickle. At approximately 0905, the pilot made a radio broadcast advising that the aircraft was 60 nautical miles west of Cartwright. No further radio broadcasts were received. The aircraft did not arrive at destination and, at 1010, was reported as missing. The search for the aircraft was hampered by poor weather. On 28 May 2010, at about 2200, the aircraft wreckage was located on a plateau in the Mealy Mountains. Both occupants of the aircraft were fatally injured. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post-crash fire. There was no emergency locator transmitter on board and, as such, no signal was received.
Probable cause:
Findings as to Causes and Contributing Factors:
1. The pilot conducted a visual flight rules (VFR) flight into deteriorating weather in a mountainous region.
2. The pilot lost visual reference with the ground and the aircraft struck the rising terrain in level, controlled flight.
Findings as to Risk:
1. When an aircraft is not equipped with a functioning emergency locator transmitter (ELT), the ability to locate the aircraft in a timely manner is hindered.
2. Not applying current altimeter settings along a flight route, particularly from an area of high to low pressure, may result in reduced obstacle clearance.
3. Without a requirement for terrain awareness warning systems, there will be a continued risk of accidents of this type.
Final Report:

Crash of a Beechcraft 200 Super King Air in Angola: 3 killed

Date & Time: May 21, 2010 at 0020 LT
Operator:
Registration:
D2-FFT
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Pointe Noire - Luanda
MSN:
BB-607
YOM:
1980
Location:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a charter flight from Pointe Noire to Luanda with one passenger on board, the Mauritanian businessman Rashid Mustapha who was candidate to the Presidential elections in Mauritania in 2007. The pax called his bodyguard just before takeoff, asking them to be ready upon arrival at Luanda-4 de Fevereiro Airport. The twin engine aircraft departed Pointe Noire Airport at 2321LT for a 75-90 minutes flight to Luanda. Just before it started the descent, while cruising over the area of Caxito, some 50 km northeast of Luanda, the aircraft disappeared from radar screens at 0020LT. SAR operations were abandoned after few days as no trace of the aircraft nor the three occupants was found. It is possible that the aircraft crashed by night in the ocean off the Angolan coast but this was not confirmed as the wreckage was never found. Three years later, in March 2013, unconfirmed reports and rumors in Africa said that the aircraft never crashed anywhere and that Rashid Mustapha was in fact hostage by a terrorist group somewhere in Africa, but this was not confirmed by Officials in Mauritania or Angola. Without any trace of the aircraft, all hypothesis remains open.

Crash of an Antonov AN-24B near Salang Pass: 44 killed

Date & Time: May 17, 2010 at 0937 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
YA-PIS
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Kunduz – Kabul
MSN:
2 73 079 03
YOM:
1972
Flight number:
PM1102
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
38
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
44
Circumstances:
The twin engine aircraft departed Kunduz Airport at 0900LT on a flight to Kabul, carrying 38 passengers and six crew members, among them six foreigners. En route, while flying in marginal weather conditions with limited visibility due to fog, the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located south of the Salang Pass. The crew of an ISAF helicopter localized the wreckage 3 days later in a snow covered area at an altitude of 4,270 metres. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 44 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain after the crew continued the descent despite he was instructed by ATC to maintain his actual altitude. Poor visibility due to heavy fog was a contributing factor, as well as a non reaction of the crew regarding the GPWS alarm, due to a misunderstanding by the crew, either due to language problems or because of previous false alerts.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-28 in Poeketi: 8 killed

Date & Time: May 15, 2010 at 1510 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
PZ-TSV
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Godo Olo – Paramaribo
MSN:
1AJ007-10
YOM:
1990
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
6
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
En route from Godo Olo to Paramaribo, the twin engine aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances in a wooded area located 5 km northeast from Poeketi. The wreckage was found few hours later and all 8 occupants were killed.

Crash of an Antonov AN-12BP near Mexico City: 3 killed

Date & Time: Apr 21, 2010 at 2050 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
UP-AN216
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Cebu City - Angeles City
MSN:
4 020 01
YOM:
1964
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed Cebu City on a cargo flight to Angeles City, carrying six crew members and a load of various goods on behalf of UPS. En route, a short circuit occurred in the electrical system, followed by one or more engine failure. The crew elected to divert to the nearest airport. Unfortunately, this was not possible and the captain attempted an emergency landing in a paddy field. The aircraft came to rest on an embankment and was destroyed by a post impact fire. Three crew members were killed while three others were seriously injured.
Probable cause:
In flight short-circuit on the electrical system for unknow reasons.

Crash of an Antonov AN-2R near Saransk

Date & Time: Apr 15, 2010 at 2000 LT
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
RF-00259
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Saransk - Saransk
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
While on a crop spraying mission, the engine failed. The crew attempted an emergency landing when the aircraft crashed in an open field located about 20 km from Saransk-Lyambir Airport. There were no casualties but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. It was reported that the Certificate of Airworthiness and the Certificate of Registration were out of date.
Probable cause:
Engine failure for unknown reasons.

Crash of a Rockwell T-39N Sabreliner near Morganton: 4 killed

Date & Time: Apr 12, 2010 at 1525 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
165513
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Pensacola - Pensacola
MSN:
282-66
YOM:
1966
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The crew departed Pensacola NAS, Florida, for a training flight. En route, the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in unknown circumstances in a wooded area located 8 km northeast of Morganton. All four occupants were killed.

Crash of a Grumman E-2C Hawkeye 2000NP in the Oman Sea: 1 killed

Date & Time: Mar 31, 2010 at 1400 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
165508
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
USS Eisenhower - USS Eisenhower
MSN:
A174
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
The aircraft was engaged in a maritime patrol flight from USS Eisenhower cruising in the Oman Sea. While returning to the ship, the crew encountered technical problems and abandoned the aircraft that crashed in the sea. Three crew members were rescued while the fourth was not recovered.

Crash of a Cessna 550 Citation Bravo in Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna: 2 killed

Date & Time: Feb 14, 2010 at 2038 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
OK-ACH
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Prague - Karlstad
MSN:
550-1111
YOM:
2005
Flight number:
TIE039C
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Captain / Total flying hours:
1700
Copilot / Total flying hours:
1600
Aircraft flight hours:
1830
Aircraft flight cycles:
1686
Circumstances:
During the early evening, at 1946 hrs, after a flight time of one hour and 50 minutes the airplane came back to Prague, Czech Republic, after a flight to France. For the Pilot in Command (PIC) it was the first flight of the day. The co-pilot left the airplane after the landing and was replaced by the copilot of the subsequent accident flight. The co-pilot had already flown two flights that day - around midday - with a total flight time of one hour and 40 minutes. There were no passengers on board. The aircraft departed Prague at 2008 hrs for a ferry flight to Karlskrona, Sweden. The flight was conducted in accordance with Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). The course of events is described based on the analysis of the recordings of the Flight Data Recorder (FDR), the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), radar and radio communications. The appendix shows two different FDR recording diagrams. Diagram 1 shows the entire flight (time in UTC) and diagram 2 shows the flight from 1918:30 UTC on. Take-off took place on runway 31. The co-pilot was Pilot Flying (PF). The flight was conducted manually, neither of the two autopilots was engaged. From 2012 hrs on, after a right hand turn, the flight proceeded toward the north. The airplane was in climb attitude. At 2014:16 hrs, still in climb, the PIC said "I didn't fly night time for long time". The co-pilot asked: "Have you already experienced a roll during night?" She answered laughing: "Yes, really." He: "Better we won't." She laughing: "Do you enjoy that thing?" Co-pilot: "You are the first one with whom I talked about it, don't tell it [...]." PIC: "Whom shall I not tell?" [...] She again: "I also do it always, but I persuade [...] to do that." Co-pilot: "[...] Bravo does it better." At 2015:00 hrs, during this short conversation, the crew received the instruction from ATC Prague to climb to FL260 and to level off above reporting point DEKOV. The conversation in the cockpit continued. Co-pilot: "Bravo does the roll faster with the ailerons but the spoilers are slower." At 2015:33 hrs ATC repeated the instruction. At 2015:40 hrs the PIC acknowledged the instruction. Between 2017:10 hrs and 2017:20 hrs the airplane rolled about its longitudinal axis; initially to the left up to a bank angle of 30°, and right afterwards to the right up to a bank angle of 20°, then back again to the horizontal. At 2017:20 hrs the PIC responded to it with the words: "Let's go, we are already high enough, you nettle me - come on [...]." At 2017:22rs ATC Prague instructed the crew to contact ATC Munich; at 2017:35 hrs the PIC confirmed the instruction. At 2017:42 hrs she said: "Later but." The co-pilot replied: "Let's do it at higher altitude." At 2018:29 hrs, the PIC contacted ATC Munich. At 2018:36 hrs the crew received the instruction from ATC Munich to climb to FL330. This was confirmed at 2018:44 hrs. Between 2018:51 hrs and 2019:00 hrs the following conversation took place:
- 2018:51 hrs PIC: "Sufficient, is it sufficient?"
- 2018:53 hrs Co-pilot: "For what?"
- 2018:54 hrs PIC: "Sufficient."
- 2018:56 hrs PIC: "The altitude."
- 2018:58 hrs Co-pilot: "For what?"
- 2018:58 hrs PIC: "For that,"
- 2019:00 hrs Co-pilot: "It is sufficient."
At 2019:00 hrs the airplane levelled off in FL270, at 2019:05 hrs the airplane nose moved upward until a pitch angle of about 14° was reached. At 2019:09 hrs the aircraft began to roll about its longitudinal axis to the right. Within 4 seconds the airplane reached the inverted flight attitude and in another 4 seconds it rolled another 90°. Simultaneously the heading changed right toward the east, then toward the south and finally toward the west. During the roll the pitch angle decreased to almost -85° which is almost a vertical nose dive. The computed airspeed increased
significantly. The airplane crashed near Reinhardtsdorf-Schöna, Saxon Switzerland, about 500 m north of the border to the Czech Republic.
Probable cause:
The accident was due to:
- The crew tried to conduct a flight manoeuvre (roll) which is not part of commercial air transport,
- The crew suffered loss of spatial orientation and subsequently did no longer have the ability to recover the flight attitude.
The following factors contributed:
- The pilots were not trained in aerobatics,
- It was night and therefore there were no visual references,
- The relationship between the two pilots resulted in the departure from professional behavior in regard to crew coordination,
- The airplane was neither designed nor certified for aerobatics.
Final Report: