Crash of a Nord 262A-42 in Kikwit

Date & Time: Oct 2, 2006 at 1030 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
9Q-CBA
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Kinshasa – Kikwit
MSN:
57
YOM:
1969
Location:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Following an uneventful flight from Kinshasa, the crew started the approach to Kikwit Airport in heavy rain falls. After touchdown, the aircraft deviated to the left, veered off runway, lost its left main gear and came to rest in bushes. All occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Ground accident of a Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker in Bishkek

Date & Time: Sep 26, 2006 at 2010 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
63-8886
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Bishkek - Bishkek
MSN:
18734
YOM:
1964
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
On Sept. 26, at approximately 8:03 p.m. local time, a KC-135R landed at Manas International Airport following a combat mission over Afghanistan. After landing, the KC-135R was parked at the intersection of the active runway and a taxiway while the crew awaited clarification on instructions from the air traffic control tower. The KC-135R was struck by a host nation TU-154 that was taking off. The TU-154's right wing struck the fairing of the KC-135R's No. 1 engine. The force of the impact nearly severed the No. 1 engine from KC-135R and destroyed a portion of the aircraft's left wing. The TU-154 lost approximately six feet of its right wingtip, but was able to get airborne and return to the airport for an emergency landing with no additional damage to the aircraft. The three aircrew members on board the KC-135R, as well as the nine aircrew members and 52 passengers aboard the TU-154, survived the accident. None of the aircrew or passengers on board the TU-154 sustained any injuries. One KC-135 crew member sustained minor abrasions while evacuating the aircraft.
Probable cause:
The collision between the TU-154 and KC-135R aircraft was clearly an accident and not the result of any intentional conduct. The Accident Investigation Board, convened by AMC, determined that the accident was caused by the Kyrgyzaeronavigation air traffic controller who cleared a civilian airliner for takeoff without verifying that the KC-135R was clear of the runway. In addition to the air traffic controller, the AIB found evidence of several contributing factors involving the KC-135R aircrew, conflicting published airport notices, and a tower liaison employed by the U.S. Government to facilitate communication between the tower and U.S. aircrews. Although the AIB found the air traffic controller primarily at fault, the U.S. KC-135R crew and tower liaison shared responsibility for ensuring the KC-135R cleared the runway to a safe location following landing. The accident might have been avoided had any of them exercised better awareness of their situation.
In conclusion, the AIB determined the principal cause of the mishap was the Kyrgyzaeronavigation controller clearing the TU-154 for takeoff without verifying that KC-135R was clear of the runway, there was evidence the following factors also contributed to the mishap:
- The Kyrgyz air traffic controller's instruction to vacate at taxiway Golf after dark conflicted with a published Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) that limited that taxiway's use to daylight hours. The contractor safety liaison (LNO) employed by the U.S. Air Force to facilitate communication between its aircrews and Kyrgyz controllers did not clarify the apparent discrepancy.
- After questioning the Kyrgyz controller's instruction to vacate the runway at taxiway Golf, the LNO instructed the KC-135R crew to hold short of Alpha. The mishap KC-135R crew misperceived the LNO's instructions and responded "holding short of Golf." The LNO failed to catch the read-back error.
- The Kyrgyz controller failed to maintain awareness of the KC-135R's location.
- The LNO failed to maintain situational awareness and intervene when the controller's actions endangered the KC-135R and aircrew.
The KC-135R is assigned to the 92nd Air Refueling Wing, Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. While deployed at Manas AB, the KC-135R and its aircrew were assigned to U.S. Central Command's 376th Air Expeditionary Wing, flying missions supporting coalition aircraft over Afghanistan.
Final Report:

Crash of a Piper PA-46-310P Malibu in Toluca: 2 killed

Date & Time: Sep 15, 2006 at 1220 LT
Operator:
Registration:
XB-JVH
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Monterrey – Acapulco
MSN:
46-8508032
YOM:
1985
Location:
Country:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
6
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
The single engine aircraft departed Monterrey-Del Norte Airport at 0827LT on a private flight to Acapulco, carrying six passengers and one pilot. About three hours and a half into the flight, while in cruising altitude, the pilot contacted ATC, declared an emergency and was cleared to divert to Toluca Airport. On final approach, the engine failed. The aircraft stalled, collided with a fence and eventually crashed in a deconstruction site located 1,600 metres short of runway 15. Two passengers were seriously injured while five other occupants escaped with minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. Few hours later, one of the survivor, the Mexican actor Pablo Santos aged 19, died from his injuries, and a second survivor passed away a day later. It was later reported by the authorities that Pablo Santos was seating on the floor and was not strapped.
Probable cause:
Engine failure caused by a fuel exhaustion. Investigations reported that a total of 8 liters of fuel remained in the tanks at the time of the accident.

Crash of a PZL-Mielec AN-2R in Bukavu

Date & Time: Sep 15, 2006
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
9Q-CXL
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Bukavu - Nzovu
MSN:
1G208-47
YOM:
1984
Location:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Bukavu-Kavumu Airport, the single engine aircraft lost height and crashed, bursting into flames. All five occupants were rescued, among them two were injured.

Crash of a Boeing 727-277 in Lagos

Date & Time: Sep 7, 2006 at 1305 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
ZS-DPF
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Abidjan - Accra - Lagos
MSN:
22644/1768
YOM:
1981
Flight number:
DHL110
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
17295
Captain / Total hours on type:
7820.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
2972
Copilot / Total hours on type:
2422
Aircraft flight hours:
52728
Aircraft flight cycles:
34063
Circumstances:
On the day of the accident, Flight DV110 routing was Abidjan – Accra - Lagos. It departed Abidjan at 1015 hrs for Lagos via Accra. The aircraft finally departed Accra for Lagos at 1145 hrs with a total declared cargo weight of 50014 lbs (22733 kgs). The aircraft contacted Lagos Area Control at 1242 hrs, while maintaining FL 210 (21, 000ft) and was given an in-bound clearance to Lagos VOR (LAG) for ILS approach on runway 18L. At 1252 hrs, Lagos Approach cleared it to FL050 (5,000 feet) and at 12 NM, it was further cleared down to 3500ft on QNH 1013 hpa, and finally to 2,200 feet and to report established on the ILS. At 4 NM to the runway, the aircraft reported fully established on the ILS and was handed over to Control Tower for landing instructions. At 1303 hrs and 2 NM to the runway, the aircraft was cleared to land on runway 18L but to exercise caution, as the runway surface was wet. The cloud was low; the Captain said in his statement that the cloud base was about 100 feet above minimum. Speci weather was also available to the crew. The pilot was advised to exercise caution due to the rain and the weather at that time. In spite of all the warnings the copilot was still allowed to proceed with the landing. At the point of touch down the captain observed that it was impossible to stop on the runway and he called for a go-around. The procedure was not properly executed and thus the aircraft overshot the runway 400m into the grass area. There was no fire outbreak and no injury was sustained by any of the crew members. There was serious damage to the aircraft.
Probable cause:
Causal Factor:
The decision of the crew to continue an unstabilised approach despite the prevailing adverse weather condition.
Contributory Factors:
- The captain did not take over the control of the flight from the first officer in the known bad weather situation,
- The crew resource management was inadequate.
Final Report:

Crash of a Tupolev TU-154M in Mashhad: 28 killed

Date & Time: Sep 1, 2006 at 1345 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
EP-MCF
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Bandar Abbas - Mashhad
MSN:
88A-788
YOM:
1988
Flight number:
IRB945
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
11
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
137
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
28
Circumstances:
After landing on runway 14L at Mashhad Airport, a nose gear tyre burst. The crew lost control of the airplane that veered off runway and came to rest, bursting into flames. 28 passengers were killed while 54 were seriously injured and 66 escaped unhurt. The aircraft was destroyed.

Crash of a Mitsubishi MU-2B-35 Marquise in Argyle: 1 killed

Date & Time: Sep 1, 2006 at 1115 LT
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
N6569L
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Tulsa - Argyle
MSN:
645
YOM:
1974
Location:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Captain / Total flying hours:
30780
Captain / Total hours on type:
10000.00
Aircraft flight hours:
6642
Circumstances:
Prior to the accident flight, the pilot obtained a preflight weather briefing and filed an instrument flight rules flight plan. The briefer noted no adverse weather conditions along the route. The airplane departed the airport at 0853, and climbed to FL190. The first two hours of the flight was uneventful, and the aircraft was handed off to Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZJX ARTCC) at 1053. The pilot contacted ZJX Crestview sector at 1054:45 with the airplane level at FL190. At 1102, the Crestview controller broadcasted an alert for Significant Meteorological Information (SIGMET) 32E, which pertained to thunderstorms in portions of Florida southwest of the pilot's route. At 1103, the controller cleared to the airplane to descend to 11,000 feet and the pilot again acknowledged. At 1110:21, the pilot was instructed to contact Tyndall Approach. The pilot checked in with the Tyndall RAPCON North Approach controller at 1110:39. The pilot was told to expect a visual approach. Shortly thereafter, the pilot transmitted, "...we're at 11,000, like to get down lower so we can get underneath this stuff." The controller told the pilot to stand by and expect lower [altitude] in 3 miles. About 15 seconds later, the controller cleared to pilot to descend to 6,000 feet, and the pilot acknowledged. At 1112:27, the pilot was instructed to contact Tyndall Approach on another frequency. The airplane's position at that time was just northwest of REBBA intersection. The Panama sector controller cleared the pilot to descend to 3,000 feet at his discretion, and the pilot acknowledged. There was no further contact with the airplane. The controller attempted to advise the pilot that radar contact was lost, but repeated attempts to establish communications and locate the airplane were unsuccessful. A witness, located approximately 1 mile south of the accident site, reported he heard a "loud bang," looked up and observed the airplane in a nose down spiral. The witness reported there were parts separating from the airplane during the descent. The witness stated it was raining and there was lightning and thunder in the area. Local authorities reported that the weather "was raining real good with lightning and the thunderstorm materialized very quickly." The main wreckage came to rest near the edge of a swamp in tree covered and high grassy terrain. The left wing, left engine, and the left wing tip tank were located in a wooded area approximately 0.6 miles northwest of the main wreckage. The left wing separated from the airplane inboard of the left engine and nacelle. Examination of the fracture surfaces indicated that both the front and rear spars failed from "catastrophic static up-bending overstress..." The airplane flew through an intense to extreme weather radar echo containing a thunderstorm. Although the controllers denied that there was any weather displayed ahead of the airplane, recorded radar and display data indicated that moderate to extreme precipitation was depicted on and near the route of flight. During the flight, the pilot was given no real-time information on the weather ahead. The airplane was equipped with a weather radar system and the system provided continuous en route weather information relative to cloud formation, rainfall rate, thunderstorms, icing conditions, and storm detection up to a distance of 240 miles. No anomalies were noted with the airframe and engines.
Probable cause:
The pilot's inadvertent flight into thunderstorm activity that resulted in the loss of control, design limits of the airplane being exceeded and subsequent in-flight breakup. A contributing factor was the failure of air traffic control to use available radar information to warn the pilot he was about to encounter moderate, heavy, and extreme precipitation along his route of flight.
Final Report:

Crash of a GAF Nomad N.22B in Salta

Date & Time: Aug 28, 2006 at 2200 LT
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
ZP-TDZ
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Asunción – Resistencia – Joaquín Víctor González – Salta
MSN:
57
YOM:
1977
Location:
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
10
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The twin engine aircraft departed Asunción on a charter flight to Salta with intermediate stops in Resistencia and Joaquín Víctor González, carrying 10 passengers and two pilots. On approach to Salta-Martín Miguel de Güemes Airport, both engines failed. The crew attempted an emergency landing but the aircraft struck trees and crashed in an open field located 3 km short of runway. All 12 occupants evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Failure of both engines on final approach after the air intakes got stuck by ice/frost because of incorrect use of the anti-icing systems on part of the crew. A poor flight planning and unfavorable weather conditions (icing) were considered as contributing factors.
Final Report:

Crash of a Hawker 800XP in Carson City

Date & Time: Aug 28, 2006 at 1506 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N879QS
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Carlsbad – Reno
MSN:
258379
YOM:
1998
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
6134
Captain / Total hours on type:
1564.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
3848
Copilot / Total hours on type:
548
Aircraft flight hours:
6727
Circumstances:
The Hawker and the glider collided in flight at an altitude of about 16,000 feet above mean sea level about 42 nautical miles south-southeast of the Reno/Tahoe International Airport (RNO), Reno, Nevada, which was the Hawker's destination. The collision occurred in visual meteorological conditions in an area that is frequently traversed by air carrier and other turbojet airplanes inbound to RNO and that is also popular for glider operations because of the thermal and mountain wave gliding opportunities there. Before the collision, the Hawker had been descending toward RNO on a stable northwest heading for several miles, and the glider was in a 30-degree, left-banked, spiraling climb. According to statements from the Hawker's captain and the glider pilot, they each saw the other aircraft only about 1 second or less before the collision and were unable to maneuver to avoid the collision in time. Damage sustained by the Hawker disabled one engine and other systems; however, the flight crew was able to land the airplane. The damaged glider was uncontrollable, and the glider pilot bailed out and parachuted to the ground. Because of the lack of radar data for the glider's flight, it was not possible to determine at which points each aircraft may have been within the other's available field of view. Although Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) require all pilots to maintain vigilance to see and avoid other aircraft (this includes pilots of flights operated under instrument flight rules, when visibility permits), a number of factors that can diminish the effectiveness of the see-and-avoid principle were evident in this accident. For example, the high closure rate of the Hawker as it approached the glider would have given the glider pilot only limited time to see and avoid the jet. Likewise, the closure rate would have limited the time that the Hawker crew had to detect the glider, and the slim design of the glider would have made it difficult for the Hawker crew to see it. Although the demands of cockpit tasks, such as preparing for an approach, have been shown to adversely affect scan vigilance, both the Hawker captain, who was the flying pilot, and the first officer reported that they were looking out the window before the collision. However, the captain saw the glider only a moment before it filled the windshield, and the first officer never saw it at all.
Probable cause:
The failure of the glider pilot to utilize his transponder and the high closure rate of the two aircraft, which limited each pilot's opportunity to see and avoid the other aircraft.
Final Report:

Crash of an Antonov AN-26 in El Obeid

Date & Time: Aug 28, 2006
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
ST-AQM
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
14 04
YOM:
1972
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
A first attempt to take off from El Obeid Airport failed. During the second attempt, an engine caught fire and the aircraft crashed. There were no casualties but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Engine fire on takeoff for unknown reasons.