Crash of an Antonov AN-24RV in Arequipa

Date & Time: Feb 22, 1992
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
OB-1439
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Puerto Maldonado – Juliaca – Arequipa
MSN:
2 73 078 04
YOM:
1972
Country:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
41
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The aircraft landed too far down the runway at Arequipa-Alfredo Rodríguez Ballón Airport. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, it overran, rolled for about 160 metres then lost its undercarriage and came to rest, broken in two. All 45 occupants were rescued, among them 11 passengers were injured. The aircraft was written off.
Probable cause:
Wrong approach configuration on part of the crew who continued the landing above the glide, causing the aircraft to land too far down the runway. The crew failed to initiate a go-around procedure.

Crash of a Curtiss C-46D-10-CU Commando in Cochabamba

Date & Time: Feb 18, 1992
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
CP-1655
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
San Ignacio de Moxos – Cochabamba
MSN:
33294
YOM:
1945
Country:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Upon landing at Cochabamba-Jorge Wilstermann Airport, the left main gear collapsed. The aircraft veered off runway and came to rest. All six occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Failure of the left main gear upon landing for unknown reasons.

Crash of a Piper PA-31T-620 Cheyenne II near Big Bear Lake: 7 killed

Date & Time: Feb 16, 1992 at 1635 LT
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
N60AW
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
San Diego - Big Bear
MSN:
31-8020051
YOM:
1980
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
5
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Captain / Total flying hours:
15000
Circumstances:
The pilots had entered into an agreement with the 5 pax to fly them to a ski resort. The airplane owner stated that the pic, who was the company pilot, did not have permission to use the airplane, nor did the owner know the pax. The airport at the ski resort is located in mountainous terrain at 6,750 feet msl. There is no instrument approach. There is no record of any weather briefings. The airplane collided with terrain (Mt Clark) at about 6,580 feet msl approximately 7.5 miles southwest of the destination airport. Weather for the area was: mountains locally obscured 3,000 to 5,000 feet scattered to broken with tops to 9,000, and widely scattered visibilities below 3 miles with snow and rain showers. Examination of the wreckage and impact site revealed the aircraft collided with the brush and snow covered 45° slope in a level left turn. All seven occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The pilot's poor judgement in continuing visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, in mountainous terrain obscured by clouds. Factors in the accident were: the pilot's failure to obtain a preflight weather briefing, the weather conditions, and the high mountainous terrain.
Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas DC-8-63F in Toledo: 4 killed

Date & Time: Feb 15, 1992 at 0326 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N794AL
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Seattle - Toledo
MSN:
45923
YOM:
1968
Flight number:
ATI805
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Captain / Total flying hours:
16382
Captain / Total hours on type:
2382.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
5082
Copilot / Total hours on type:
1143
Aircraft flight hours:
70425
Aircraft flight cycles:
22980
Circumstances:
ATI Flight 805 departed from Seattle at 23:20 for a flight to Toledo. The 1st officer was flying the ILS approach to runway 07. For undetermined reasons, he failed to properly capture the ILS localizer and/or glide slope during the approach. At 03:13 the captain decided to carry out a go-around. The aircraft was vectored onto a base leg and given a heading of 100° to intercept the final approach course again. With a 35 knots crosswind (at 180°) on the approach the 1st officer had trouble capturing the localizer/glide slope. At 03:24, as the 1st officer was attempting to stabilize the approach, 3 GPWS glideslope warnings and sink rate warnings sounded. The captain took over control at 03:24:17 and performed another missed approach manoeuvre. He became spatially disoriented and inadvertently allowed an unusual attitude to develop with bank angles up to 80° and pitch angles up to 25°. When in a nose-low and left bank angle attitude, control of the airplane was transferred back to the 1st officer who began levelling the wings and raising the nose of the airplane. Impact with the ground occurred before the unusual attitude recovery was completed. All four occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The failure of the flight crew to properly recognize or recover in a timely manner from the unusual aircraft attitude that resulted from the captain's apparent spatial disorientation, resulting from physiological factors and/or a failed attitude director.
Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas DC-3C in Masai Mara

Date & Time: Feb 15, 1992
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
5Y-BBN
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
16097/32845
YOM:
1944
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Suffered an accident upon landing on an airport somewhere in the Masai Mara National Reserve. There were no casualties while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Douglas DC-8-54F in Kano

Date & Time: Feb 15, 1992
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
9G-MKB
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Ostende - Kano
MSN:
45860
YOM:
1966
Location:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
On approach to Kano Airport, while in a flat attitude about 8 km from the runway threshold, the crew lowered the flaps when the aircraft lost height and struck trees. It descended into the ground, lost its undercarriage and slid for 150 metres before coming to rest, bursting into flames against trees. All five crew members escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Beechcraft H18 in Lanai

Date & Time: Feb 14, 1992 at 0815 LT
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
N33AP
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Honolulu - Lanai
MSN:
BA-748
YOM:
1967
Location:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
1571
Captain / Total hours on type:
464.00
Circumstances:
The pilot said that the approach to the airport was normal, with a 100 knot indicated airspeed. The pilot said the winds were about 110° at 10 knots during the approach; however, on short final he encountered a very strong gust from the right. The pilot corrected for the wind gust then it stopped and the aircraft suddenly dropped hard to the runway without warning. The pilot said he suspected a windshear encounter was responsible for the accident. Witnesses said the approach seemed normal when the aircraft suddenly dropped to the runway and bounced. The witnesses said that a thunderstorm had passed through the area just prior to the aircraft's approach.
Probable cause:
Failure of the pilot to compensate for an encounter with a windshear phenomena. Contributing to the accident was the lack of a low level windshear warning system or a system for the collection and dissemination of weather advisories.
Final Report:

Crash of a Cessna 425 Conquest in Lakeland: 1 killed

Date & Time: Feb 11, 1992 at 0602 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N66LM
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Bartow - Lakeland
MSN:
425-0137
YOM:
1981
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Captain / Total flying hours:
10850
Circumstances:
The pilot departed VFR and flew to his destination and found it fogged in. He then requested and was given an IFR clearance for an ILS approach to another airport. He was observed to break out of the clouds at about 100 feet agl in a left bank and yaw. He then crashed short of the runway and to the left of the centerline. Examination of the airplane, engines and propellers revealed no preexisting failures. After the crash a fire partially consumed the wreckage. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.
Probable cause:
Loss of control in flight by the pilot for undetermined reasons.
Final Report:

Crash of a Convair CV-640 in Kafountine: 31 killed

Date & Time: Feb 9, 1992 at 0515 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N862FW
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Dakar - Cap Skirring
MSN:
9
YOM:
1966
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
53
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
31
Circumstances:
The aircraft was completing a charter flight from Dakar to Cap Skirring on behalf of the Club Mediterranée, carrying 53 tourists from France, Belgium and Switzerland and six crew members. By night, the crew started the descent prematurely when the aircraft struck trees and crashed in a swampy area located south of Kafountine, about 52 km north of Cap Skirring Airport runway 14. The aircraft was destroyed and 31 occupants were killed, among them all six crew members. At the time of the accident, weather conditions were good. Built in 1952, the aircraft was owned by a Gambian company near bankrupt and insurance bills have not been paid. Among the crew were one Russian stewardess, an American captain aged 67 and a Norwegian copilot aged 31. The were not familiar with the region and the aircraft was not maintain according to published procedures as at least 16 instruments were out of order at the time of the accident, among them one altimeter. The aircraft was operated illegally under the registration of its ex operator as the Gambian owner company failed to proceed to the official deregistration / re-registration of the aircraft. Thus the aircraft was not compliant with regulations in force.
Probable cause:
By night, the crew mistook the blue lights of an hotel for the approach lights of Cap Skirring Airport and initiated the approach and landing when the aircraft crashed 52 km north of the intended destination. The following contributing factors were reported:
- Poor flight planning,
- Poor planned approach,
- Poor crew coordination,
- The crew was not familiar with the area,
- Poor general state of the aircraft.

Crash of an Antonov AN-24B in Guryev

Date & Time: Feb 9, 1992
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-46816
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
67302508
YOM:
1976
Location:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
46
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
After takeoff from Guryev Airport, while climbing to an altitude of 900 metres, the right engine lost power and flamed out. The crew shut down the engine and feathered the propeller before completing a circuit to return to the airport. On final, the crew encountered icing conditions and as the aircraft was not properly aligned, the captain decided to initiate a go-around when the aircraft lost height and crashed in a field with its undercarriage partially retracted. The aircraft slid for 418 metres before coming to rest 6 km from the airport. All 51 occupants evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Failure of the right engine during initial climb for unknown reasons. Icing conditions were considered as contributing factor.