Crash of a Douglas C-47B-DK in Mexico City

Date & Time: Feb 3, 2000
Operator:
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Mexico City - Mexico City
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The crew departed Mexico City-Benito Juarez Airport on a local post maintenance test flight. After takeoff, while in initial climb, both engines lost power simultaneously. The crew attempted an emergency landing on a soccer field when the aircraft crash landed near a motorway. Both pilots escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Ground fire of an Airbus A300B2-203 in Tehran

Date & Time: Feb 1, 2000 at 1030 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
EP-IBR
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
61
YOM:
1979
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Aircraft flight hours:
33700
Aircraft flight cycles:
28100
Circumstances:
The aircraft was towed at Tehran-Mehrabad Airport when it was struck by a IRIAF Lockheed C-130 Hercules that crashed on takeoff. At impact, both aircraft exploded and were totally destroyed by a post crash fire. All six crew members on board the Hercules were killed as well as three people who were on board the Airbus.
Probable cause:
It is believed that the Hercules went out of control upon takeoff following an engine failure.

Crash of a Lockheed C-130 Hercules in Tehran: 6 killed

Date & Time: Feb 1, 2000 at 1030 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Tehran - Hamadan
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The four engine aircraft departed Tehran-Mehrabad Airport on a training flight to Hamadan, carrying six crew members. At liftoff from runway 29R, the aircraft deviated to the right and crashed on an Iran Air Airbus A300B2-203 that was towed. Both aircraft exploded instantly and were totally destroyed by a post crash fire. All six crew members on board the Hercules were killed as well as three people who were on board the Airbus.
Probable cause:
It is believed that the Hercules went out of control upon takeoff following an engine failure.

Crash of an Embraer EMB-110P1 Bandeirante in Envira

Date & Time: Jan 31, 2000 at 1030 LT
Operator:
Registration:
PP-EAM
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Tefé - Eirunepé
MSN:
110-498
YOM:
1990
Location:
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
17
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
4800
Captain / Total hours on type:
4000.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
2000
Copilot / Total hours on type:
1600
Circumstances:
En route from Tefé to Eirunépé, weather conditions deteriorated and the crew decided to divert to the non controlled Envira Airport. Following a visual approach in heavy rain falls, the aircraft landed 500 metres past the runway threshold. After touchdown, the crew started the braking procedure but the aircraft encountered aquaplaning conditions and was unable to stop within the remaining distance. It overran and came to rest 100 metres further in a ravine. The captain was seriously injured, the copilot suffered minor injuries and all 16 passengers escaped uninjured.
Probable cause:
The aircraft suffered aquaplaning after landing and was unable to stop within the remaining distance. The following contributing factors were identified:
- The operator authorized the crew to divert to an unapproved airport with an aircraft weighing more than the limits specified in the operations manual without performing adequate supervision in the execution of the flight;
- Deviations on part of the crew;
- Lack of Crew Resources Management;
- Lack of crew coordination and communication;
- Lack of crew instruction and training on part of the operator;
- Poor weather conditions with heavy rain falls;
- The runway surface was wet and the aircraft suffered aquaplaning;
- The aircraft was overloaded;
- The landing was completed with a tailwind component;
- The crew failed to perform the approach briefing according to published procedures.
Final Report:

Crash of an Airbus A310-304 off Abidjan: 169 killed

Date & Time: Jan 30, 2000 at 2109 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
5Y-BEN
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Abidjan - Lagos - Nairobi
MSN:
426
YOM:
1986
Flight number:
KQ431
Location:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
10
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
169
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
169
Captain / Total flying hours:
8663
Captain / Total hours on type:
1664.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
7295
Copilot / Total hours on type:
5768
Aircraft flight hours:
58115
Aircraft flight cycles:
15026
Circumstances:
On Sunday 30 January 2000, the Kenya Airways Airbus 310-304, registered 5Y−BEN, was undertaking the scheduled international flight KQ 431 transporting passengers from Abidjan to Nairobi, via Lagos. On board there were 10 crewmembers and 169 passengers. On the same day, in the afternoon, 5Y-BEN had flown in from Nairobi and landed at Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport in Abidjan at 15 h 15. The unfavorable meteorological at Lagos had obliged the pilot, after a thirty minutes hold at Lagos, to divert to Abidjan. The relief crew, which had arrived two days previously on flight KQ 430 on Friday 28 January 2000, at 15 h 44, took over on board 5Y-BEN, to undertake flight KQ 431 from Abidjan to Nairobi, via Lagos. Departure was scheduled for 21 h 00, in accordance with the initial program. The copilot was pilot flying, the Captain was pilot not flying. At 20 h 55 min 22 s, the crew established contact with Abidjan Airport control tower and asked for start-up clearance. This was granted. At 20 h 56 min 09 s, the Captain ordered the checklist to be performed and announced the type of take-off by saying "Flex sixty" at 20 h 56 min 19 s. At 21 h 00 min 18 s, three minutes and nineteen seconds after the start-up of the first engine (engine n° 2), the Captain announced over the interphone that linked him with the ground mechanic “we have two normal start-ups”. At 21 h 01 min 07 s, the crew of 5Y-BEN asked for clearance to taxi. The tower controller put them on standby. A few seconds later, he cleared them to taxi. At 21 h 02 min 33 s, the Captain ordered the Copilot to set the flaps at 15°. Later, at 21 h 04 min 50 s , the copilot announced "trim: 0.9 nose up, Slats/flaps 15/15". The airplane began to taxi at 21 h 07 min 35 s, the tower controller informed the crew of the latest wind, cleared them to take off and asked the crew the call back when they reached flight level 40. At 21 h 07 min 45 s, the copilot read back the clearance. This was the last communication between the crew and the control tower. At 21 h 08 min 08 s, the copilot announced "Take-off checklist completed … cleared for take-off". At 21 h 08 min 18 s, the Captain applied take-off power and announced "thrust, SRS, and runway" then, nine seconds later “100 knots”. At 21 h 08 min 50 s, the Captain announced "V1 and Rotate(4)", then two seconds later "Positive". The airplane took off. At 21 h 08 min 57 s, the copilot announced "Positive rate of climb, gear up". Less than two seconds later the stall warning sounded. At 21 h 09 min 07 s, the automatic call out (AC) announced 300 feet. At 21 h 09 min 14 s, the copilot asked "what’s the problem?". From 21 h 09 min 16 s, the AC announced successively 200, 100, 50, 30, 20 and 10 feet. Meanwhile, at 21 h 09 min 18 s, the copilot ordered the aural warning to be cut. Two seconds later, the GPWS sounded the “Whoop...” alarm followed, a half a second later, by the AC announcement of 50 feet. At 21 h 09 min 22 s, an aural master warning started, immediately followed by an order from the Captain to climb: "Go up!", though this was preceded six tenths of a second by the AC announcement of 10 feet. At 21 h 09 min 23.9 s, end of the master warning, followed immediately within a tenth of a second by the noise of the impact. The time of the accident is presumed to be 21 h 09 min 24 s.
Probable cause:
The Commission of Inquiry concluded that the cause of the accident to flight KQ 431 on 30 January 2000 was a collision with the sea that resulted from the pilot flying applying one part of the procedure, by pushing forward on the control column to stop the stick shaker, following the initiation of a stall warning on rotation, while the airplane was not in a true stall situation. In fact, the FCOM used by the airline states that whenever a stall warning is encountered at low altitude (stick shaker activation), it should be considered as an immediate threat to the maintenance of a safe flight path. It specifies that at the first sign of an imminent stall or at the time of a stick shaker activation, the following actions must be undertaken simultaneously: thrust levers ion TOGA position, reduction of pitch attitude, wings level, check that speed brakes are retracted. The investigation showed that the pilot flying reduced the pitch attitude but did not apply TOGA thrust on the engines. The investigation was unable to determine if the crew performed the other two actions: leveling the wings and checking that the speed brakes were retracted.
The following elements contributed to the accident:
• the pilot flying’s action on the control column put the airplane into a descent without the crew realizing it, despite the radio altimeter callouts;
• the GPWS warnings that could have alerted the crew to an imminent contact with the sea were masked by the priority stall and overspeed warnings, in accordance
with the rules on the prioritization of warnings;
• the conditions for a takeoff performed towards the sea and at night provided no external visual references that would have allowed the crew to be aware of the
direct proximity of the sea.
Final Report:

Crash of a Mitsubishi MU-300 Diamond IA in Dallas

Date & Time: Jan 27, 2000 at 1015 LT
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
N900WJ
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Austin - Dallas
MSN:
A028SA
YOM:
1982
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
5960
Captain / Total hours on type:
770.00
Aircraft flight hours:
5266
Circumstances:
Freezing rain, mist, and ice pellets were forecast for the destination airport with temperatures 34 to 32 degrees F. During the daylight IMC descent and vectors for the approach, the airplane began to accumulate moderate clear ice, and a master warning light illumination in the cockpit indicated that the horizontal stabilizer heat had failed. The airplane was configured at 120 knots and 10 degrees flaps in accordance with the flight manual abnormal procedures checklist; however, the crew did not activate the horizontal stabilizer deice backup system. The aircraft touched down 1,500 ft down the runway, which was contaminated with slush, and did not have any braking action or antiskid for 3,000 ft on the 7,753-ft runway. Therefore, 3,253 ft of runway remained for stopping the aircraft, which was 192 feet short of the 3,445 ft required for a dry runway landing. Upon observing a down hill embankment and support poles beyond the runway, the captain forced the airplane to depart the right side of the runway to avoid the poles. After the airplane started down the embankment, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to a stop.
Probable cause:
The diminished effectiveness of the anti-skid brake system due to the slush contaminated runway. Factors were the freezing rain encountered during the approach, coupled with a failure of the horizontal stabilizer heat.
Final Report:

Crash of a Cessna 414 Chancellor in Oklahoma

Date & Time: Jan 26, 2000 at 1100 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N7VS
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Oklahoma City – El Paso
MSN:
414-0276
YOM:
1972
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
14432
Captain / Total hours on type:
1350.00
Circumstances:
The pilot reported that light snow was falling, with approximately 2 inches already on the ground, and the runway had been plowed approximately one hour prior to his departure. About 20 minutes had elapsed since the airplane had been towed from the '68 degree F' hangar. During the takeoff, the airplane accelerated 'normally' and became airborne after traveling about 2,160 feet down the 3,240-foot runway. After liftoff, the airplane did not climb above 25 or 30 feet agl. The airplane impacted an embankment at the end of the runway, continued across railroad tracks, and through a fence coming to rest in a brick storage yard about 800-1,000 feet from the departure end of the runway. The pilot stated that someone told him that the airport did not have any deicing equipment, therefore, he did not deice the airplane. The weather facility, located 5 miles from the accident site, reported the wind from 100 degrees at 7 knots, visibility 1/2 mile with snow and freezing fog, temperature 27 degrees F.
Probable cause:
The failure of the pilot to deice the airplane prior to departure.
Final Report:

Crash of a Cessna 404 Titan II in Guadalajara: 5 killed

Date & Time: Jan 25, 2000 at 1225 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
XC-AA91
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Guadalajara - Uruapan
MSN:
404-0451
YOM:
1979
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The twin engine aircraft departed Guadalajara-Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Airport on a flight to Uruapan, carrying three engineers and two pilots. Shortly after takeoff from runway 28, while in initial climb, the aircraft lost height and crashed. All five occupants were killed.

Crash of a Mitsubishi MU-2B-26A Marquise in San Antonio: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jan 22, 2000 at 1433 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N386TM
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
San Antonio - Tucson
MSN:
386
YOM:
1978
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Captain / Total flying hours:
2000
Captain / Total hours on type:
21.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
950
Copilot / Total hours on type:
5
Aircraft flight hours:
3717
Aircraft flight cycles:
3529
Circumstances:
Witnesses reported that during the airplane's takeoff roll they heard a heard a series of repeated sounds, which they described as similar to a "backfire" or "compressor stall." Several witnesses reported seeing the airplane's right propeller "stopped." One witness reported that as the airplane lifted off the ground, he heard "a loud cracking sound followed by an immediate prop wind down into feather." He continued to watch the airplane, as the gear was retracted and the airplane entered a climb and right turn. Subsequently, the airplane pitched up, entered a "Vmc roll-over," followed by a 360-degree turn, and then impacted the ground. Radar data indicated the airplane took off and climbed on runway heading to a maximum altitude of about 200 feet agl. The airplane than entered a right turn and began to lose altitude. A radar study revealed that the airplane's calibrated airspeed was 97 knots when the last radar return was recorded. According to the flight manual, minimum controllable airspeed (Vmc) was 93 knots. Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane impacted the ground in a near vertical attitude. A post-crash fire erupted, which destroyed all cockpit instruments and switches. Examination of the propellers revealed that neither of the
propellers were in the feathered position at the time of impact. Examination of the left engine revealed signatures consistent with operation at the time of impact. Examination of the right engine revealed that the second stage impeller shroud exhibited static witness marks indicating that the engine was not operating at the time of impact. However, rotational scoring was also observed through the entire circumference of the impeller shroud. The static witness marks were on top of the rotational marks. Examination of the right engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The left seat pilot had accumulated a total flight time of about 950 hours of which 16.9 hours were in an MU-2 flight simulator and 4.5 hours were in the accident airplane. Although he had started an MU-2 Pilot-Initial training course, he did not complete the course. The right seat pilot had accumulated a total flight time of about 2,000 hours of which 20.0 hours were in an MU-2 flight simulator and 20.6 hours were in the accident airplane. He had successfully completed an MU-2 Pilot-Initial training course one month prior to the accident.
Probable cause:
The pilot's failure to maintain the minimum controllable airspeed following a loss of engine power during the initial takeoff climb. Contributing factors to the accident were both pilot's lack of total experience in the make and model of the accident airplane and the loss of right engine power for an undetermined reason.
Final Report:

Crash of a Beechcraft C90 King Air in Somerset: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jan 18, 2000 at 1202 LT
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
N74CC
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Philadelphia - Columbus - Somerset
MSN:
LJ-620
YOM:
1974
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Captain / Total flying hours:
19320
Captain / Total hours on type:
1270.00
Aircraft flight hours:
9118
Circumstances:
The pilot requested and received clearance to execute the SDF approach, and was instructed to maintain 4,000 feet until established on the approach. Radar data revealed the airplane was never established on the approach, and started to descend before reaching the IAF. The airplane passed the IAF at 2,900 feet, and continued in a descending left hand turn into unprotected airspace. The airplane disappeared from radar at 1,900 feet, as it completed 180 degrees of turn. The turn did not match any of the four instrument approaches to the airport. The airplane struck a guy wire on a lighted communications antenna 3.3 MN southeast of the airport on a heading of 360 degrees. No evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction of the airplane or its systems was found. A flight check by the FAA confirmed no navigation signal was received for the approach, which had been turned off and listed as out of service for over 4 years. In addition, the pilot did not report the lack of a navigation signal to ATC or execute a missed approach. Interviews disclosed the ATC controller failed to verify the approach was in service before issuing the approach clearance.
Probable cause:
The failure of the pilot to follow his approach clearance, and subsequent descent into unprotected airspace which resulted in a collision with the guy wire. Factors were the failure of the air traffic controller to verify the approach he cleared the pilot to conduct was in service, and the clouds which restricted the visibility of the communications antenna.
Final Report: