Landing (descent or approach)

For unknown reasons, the aircraft landed on its belly, slid for few dozen metres then lost a wing and came to rest. all four crew members escaped uninjured.

The pilot carried out extensive pre-flight checks of G-KINK which had been little used during the preceding six months. During these checks he established visually that the left main (tip) fuel tank was 30% full and the right main fuel tank was 40% full(the tanks can each hold 51 US gallons which equates to approximately 306 lb per side). Both wing (auxiliary) tanks were full but the locker tanks were empty. At 1539 hrs the aircraft departed Halfpenny Green in CAVOK weather conditions for a brief local flight to the west of the airfield. After climbing to an altitude of 2,500 feet and establishing cruise power conditions, the pilot changed the fuel valve selectors from main to auxiliary tanks on both engines. A few minutes later,he set course for a return to Halfpenny Green and changed the fuel selectors back to main tanks on both engines. At this stage the left tank indicated 50 lb remaining and the right tank indicated 70 lb remaining but the pilot had established during his pre-flight checks that these tank gauges were over-reading. About 13 nm from the airport the pilot lowered one stage of flapand obtained 'clearance' from Halfpenny Green Information foran overhead join for landing on Runway 16 from a left-hand circuit. The aircraft overflew the airport and after reducing engine power to 20 inches manifold pressure and 2,200 RPM, the pilot manoeuvred to the west of Runway 16 where he descended on the 'dead side' in preparation for the downwind leg. In his report to the AAIB, the pilot stated that on throttling back, both engines faltered whereupon he checked that all thethrottle, pitch and mixture levers were fully forward, the fuel pumps were switched on and that main tanks were selected on both engines. He then declared an emergency on the AFIS frequency and requested an immediate left orbit with the intention of landing on Runway 16. Initially power was restored on both engines and the pilot lowered the landing gear in preparation for a shortfield landing on Runway 16. However, at approximately 300 ft agl, whilst still travelling downwind, the left engine stopped. There was no time to feather the propeller but the pilot applied right rudder and, with the aircraft descending rapidly, he decided to force-land straight ahead into a field of standing crop to the north west of the airfield. Unfortunately, whilst manoeuvring to avoid farm buildings, the aircraft's left wing tip struck electricity power lines. During the subsequent crash landing the aircraft slid about 50 yards and latterly it 'cartwheeled' in the standing crop and came to rest upside down. There was no fire and all three occupants remained suspended by their seat harnesses. The pilot noticed a strong smell of fuel which was dripping from the region of the fuel valve selectors. He switched off the battery master and engine magneto switches; he also attempted to select both fuel valves to the OFF position but initially he was unsuccessful. After some difficulty, probably due to the weight of the now inverted boarding steps, the pilot succeeded in opening the main cabin door and together with his passengers, he vacated the aircraft and moved to a safe distance to await the arrival of the emergency services. However, before long, when he was convinced there was no longer any danger of fire, he returned to the aircraft to recover documents and valuables. At the same time he confirmed that the electrical switches were off and he succeeded in turning the left engine fuel valve selector to OFF. However, the right fuel valve selector could not be moved to the OFF position.

After touchdown at Holitipu Airport, the twin engine aircraft collided with construction machinery and came to rest. There were no injuries while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The pilot was engaged in a local military mission at Tyndall AFB. On approach to runway 13L, conflicting traffic forced the pilot to initiate a go-around procedure. During the second approach, the pilot failed to follow the approach checklist and failed to lower the undercarriage. The aircraft landed on its belly and came to rest on the runway. The pilot escaped uninjured.

At 2300 hrs the two Tingwall fire attendants opened the airstripfor the returning flight. The airstrip lights were turned on and the fire appliance made ready. The firemen reported that,sometime later, the pilot radioed Tingwall asking for the wind speed and direction. This was passed as 090° to 120°/20 kt. One of the firemen also reported that at the time there was veryfine drizzle but the visibility was good. Analysis of recorded radar data from the radar head at Sumburgh confirmed that the aircraft routed over Lerwick and then flew north turning west inland over Kebister Ness. The doctor reported that, on approaching Lerwick he could see the lights of the town and the visibility was good enough for him to identify his house. The aircraft then turned southwards to join downwind right hand for Runway 02. The doctor stated that there were not many lights on the ground to the north of the airstrip but some to the south in the vicinity of Veensgarth. He also stated that the ride at this stage was moderately turbulent. At the end of the downwind leg the aircraft banked 'sharply' to the right to position on finals. It had, however, been blown through the centreline by the gusty easterly wind and was to the left of the required approach. The doctor confirmed that although the aircraft appeared to be at the correct height for its position he could see that when they were lined up the airfield lights were to the right of the windscreen. The pilot, unable to complete the approach, carried out a go-around to the left of the runway,climbed to 550 feet and turned right to enter the downwind leg again. The doctor reported that the engines sounded normal throughout this manoeuvre and the runway lights were clearly visible again as the aircraft became established on the downwind track. Several witnesses saw the aircraft fly downwind and turn onto the final approach. One witness, positioned on higher ground to the east of the runway threshold, stated that the aircraft flew downwind along the line of the houses at Veensgarth and 'asit turned it descended all the while'. Radar information shows that for this second attempt the pilot extended the downwind legby approximately 800 metres before turning towards the airfield. The rapid turn onto finals was described by the doctor as being very steep but without the increase in 'g' that he would have expected for such an steep angle of bank. The nurse described the sensation as 'the aircraft dropped, with my cheeks and whole body being forced upwards'. Throughout the turn the pilot was seen by the passengers to be generally looking to the right, presumably for the airfield. Seconds later the aircraft hit the ground. After the impact the nurse found herself still in her seat with the aircraft in an upright position. She was relatively uninjured and soon released her seatbelt, released her trapped right foot and struggled clear of the wreckage through the open right rear aircraft window. She ran around the tail section to the doctor and released debris from around his head. Unable to move him because of his injuries, she ran to a nearby house to summon the emergency services. The doctor, although seriously injured, remained conscious throughout and managed to clamber clear of the aircraft to lie on the round some ten feet from the wreckage. The pilot had received fatal injuries at impact.

Recorded radar data showed the aircraft was flying in an area of mountainous terrain. Mountain tops in the area were reported to be obscured. Radar data showed that the aircraft first descended to a low altitude as it flew up a valley, then it climbed until impacting rising terrain about 7,200 feet msl. Wreckage was scattered over 300 feet up the mountain slope. About 32 miles southwest at Bakersfield (elevation 507 feet), the 1000 pdt weather was in part: 4500 feet scattered, 6000 feet overcase, visibility 20 miles, wind from 260 degrees at 10 knots. Nearby residents reported that the mountain was obscured in clouds at the time of the accident. During postmortem toxicology tests, a low level of ethanol (23 mg/dl) was detected in muscle fluid specimen, probably from post-mortem production. No ethanol was detected in brain fluid.

Archana Airways L-410 aircraft VT-ETB was operating a scheduled flight from Delhi to Kanpur civil aerodrome on 18.05.96. The flight from Delhi to Kanpur was uneventful. The aircraft took-off from Delhi with 19 persons including three flight crew. During landing, the aircraft touched down late and could not be stopped within the available runway length and went beyond the runway. The aircraft hit the boundary wall of the airport and came to halt. The aircraft sustained major damages. There was no fire and no injury to persons on board the aircraft.

Crashed in unknown circumstances while landing at Tandil Airport. There were no casualties.

En route from Orlando to Cancún, the crew got lost and was unable to follow the prescribed route, causing the aircraft to deviate from the flight plan to the west. Eventually, the crew was vectored to the Tampico-General Francisco Javier Mina Airport located about 1,144 km northwest of the destination airport. On final approach, both engines failed simultaneously due to fuel exhaustion. The aircraft lost speed, stalled and collided with ILS equipment located about 300 metres short of runway 31. Upon impact, the undercarriage were sheared off and the aircraft crash landed on the runway and came to rest 220 metres further. All 47 occupants evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

On approach to Santa Maria de Otaez Airstrip, the crew encountered strong winds and turbulences when the aircraft went out of control and crashed on a hill located few km from the airfield. Three passengers were seriously injured while 16 other occupants were killed. About two weeks later, one of the survivor died from his injuries.