Landing (descent or approach)

The crew was completing a local training flight at Surabaya-Juanda Airport, consisting of touch-and-go manoeuvres. While approaching the airport to complete the eighth landing, at an altitude of 500 feet, the aircraft rolled to the left then stalled and crashed in a pond located 3 km short of runway, bursting into flames. All three pilots were killed. Both captains were operating on Casa-Nurtanio CN-235 (IPTN) and making a transition to Fokker F27.

While approaching Nuremberg Airport following a reconnaissance mission from Wiesbaden, the twin engine aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances in the forest of Moritzberg, about 16 km short of runway 28. The aircraft was destroyed and both pilots were killed. They were belonging to the 205th MIB (Military Intelligence Brigade).

The aircraft departed Saint Maarten Airport on a flight to Saint-Barthélemy Airport under callsign TX1501, carrying 17 passengers and two pilots. The captain was pilot flying and the cruise level was 1,500 feet. The crew left the Sint Maarten Juliana aerodrome frequency when abeam of the island of Fourchue, the entry point of the aerodrome circuit located three nautical miles northwest of the island of Saint-Barthélemy. A few seconds later, they announced, on the Saint-Barthélemy Information frequency, that they were passing the 'Fourchue' reporting point. Shortly afterwards, they announced passing the 'Pain de Sucre' reporting point for a final approach to runway 10. That was their last communication. When the aircraft began its short final before the La Tourmente pass, several people, including the AFIS agent, saw it turn left which a steep bank angle then dive towards the ground. It crashed near a house and caught fire. All of the occupants perished, along with one person who was in the house.

On a night approach to Monrovia-Roberts Airport, at an altitude of about 600 feet, the crew encountered local patches of fog and visual contact with the runway was momentarily lost by the pilot-in-command. Nevertheless, he decided to continue the approach when the aircraft landed hard on runway 04. The aircraft bounced twice then lost its both right engines. Out of control, it veered off runway and came to rest about 200 metres further. All 182 occupants evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

While descending to Lubango Airport following an uneventful flight from Luanda, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with heavy rain falls and low ceiling. In such conditions, the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located 16 km northwest of runway 10 threshold. One passenger survived while 16 other occupants were killed.

The DC-3 experienced an in-flight engine fire, and made a forced landing at nearby airport, following the separation of the right engine assembly from the airframe. According to the pilot, during cruise flight, at 5000 feet, he heard a loud "bang" and saw a reflection of fire on his left engine nacelle. Fire damage was found on the trailing edge of the right wing and on the landing gear assembly. The engine examination also showed that No. 12 cylinder had separated from the main case. Evidence of oil from the No. 12 cylinder was found across engine and exhaust systems. Further examination revealed Nos. 7, 8 and 9 cylinders also failed and separated, and the engine seized and separated from the airframe.

The instructor was accompanied by a trainee pilot and two passengers (also pilots) on a local training flight and was in the process of doing type conversion training when the accident happened. On the third circuit after a touch and go landing on runway 06L, the right-hand engine failed soon after take-off. The aircraft was flown at low altitude in a left-hand circuit in an attempt to land onto runway 17. During this circuit the left-hand engine also failed. The aircraft collided with, and severed, three 11kV electrical conductors and executed a forced landing with the gear retracted to the North of FALA approximately 1 km from threshold of runway 17. The pilot only sustained minor injuries with no one else injured. The initial on-site inspection revealed that both front tanks, which were selected at the fuel tank selector, were empty. The pilot who was undergoing conversion training refueled the aircraft prior to the accident and stated that 70 litres of fuel was uplifted into each "inboard auxiliary" tank and that what he presumed to be the "main" tanks were filled to capacity. The instructor stated that upon his arrival, the pilot who refueled the aircraft told him that he had filled the "mains" and that the "centre aux. tanks" were partially filled. The instructor further stated that the "main" tanks were selected for the duration of the flight. The aircraft is equipped with three fuel tanks in each wing. These tanks are: Front, Rear Auxiliary and Auxiliary tanks. Only one fuel quantity gauge is installed in the aircraft. A seven position selector knob above the fuel quantity gauge determines the tank to which the gauge is connected which then indicates the amount of fuel in that respective tank. The left and right front tanks were selected on the fuel gauge selector knob.

On final approach to Kolonia Airport (Pohnpei Island), the aircraft was too low. It struck the ground just short of runway threshold, causing the right main gear to be torn off and the left main gear to collapse. The aircraft slid on its belly for few dozen metres before coming to rest on the runway. All three crew members escaped uninjured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The aircraft was completing a cargo flight from Belém to São Paulo with an intermediate stop in Brasilía, carrying three crew members and a load of various goods such as mail and fish. While descending to São Paulo-Guarulhos Airport in good weather conditions at an altitude of 10,000 feet, the crew encountered technical problems with the trim system. Several manual controls and tests were conducted and the system worked before failing again between 6,000 and 4,700 feet. The captain decided to continue the approach but the aircraft became unstable and nosed down on short final. It landed hard on runway 09R, causing the undercarriage to be torn off. The aircraft slid for about 1,000 metres then veered off runway to the left and came to rest in a grassy area. All three crew members escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The captain said that he flew the VOR approach to runway 32. At 2,500 feet, the captain said that they were out of the clouds and initiated a visual straight-in approach. After aligning the airplane with the runway, the captain said he noticed that there was contamination on the runway, "maybe compacted snow or maybe ice with fresh snow over it." The captain briefed that they would perform a go-around if by midfield they were not decelerating adequately. The captain said that they touched down within the first third of the runway. Close to midfield the airplane fishtailed. Past midfield, the captain called a go-around. The first officer said that the captain added power and he retracted the airbrakes. The first officer exclaimed, "There is not enough runway! I braced myself as the aircraft went into the snow." The first officer said that at about 2 miles out from the runway, the unicom called and said that braking action was nil. A Notice to Airman, in effect at the time of the accident for the airport stated, "icy runway, nil braking."