Crash of an Antonov AN-26B off Cox's Bazar: 3 killed

Date & Time: Mar 9, 2016 at 0905 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
S2-AGZ
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Cox’s Bazar – Jessore
MSN:
134 08
YOM:
1984
Flight number:
21
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Captain / Total flying hours:
13315
Captain / Total hours on type:
6896.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
1438
Copilot / Total hours on type:
1195
Aircraft flight hours:
16379
Aircraft flight cycles:
17299
Circumstances:
On March 9, 2016 one AN -26B aircraft belonging to True Aviation Ltd was operating a schedule cargo flight from a small domestic airport (Cox’s Bazar-VGCB) in southern Bangladesh to another domestic airport (Jessore -VGJR) in western Bangladesh, The cargo was Shrimp fries. As per the General Declaration the total cargo quantity was 802 boxes weighing 4800 kg. The airline had filled a flight plan keeping the ETD blank. The flight plan routing was CB W4 CTG W5 JSR at FL 100. All the documents except the load sheet were found properly signed and are in the possession of AAIT. According to ATC controller’s statement and recorded tape the aircraft requested for startup clearance at 0258z. As per the recordings with ATC the controller passed the visibility information of Jessore Airport as 3km. The aircraft started engines and requested for taxi. The aircraft was cleared to taxi to Runway 35 via taxiway S. The aircraft requested for takeoff clearance and was cleared for Take Off at 0305z. Immediately after airborne the pilot reported engine failure without mentioning initially which engine had failed but later confirming failure of the left engine and requested for immediate return back to Cox’s Bazar airport. He was advised by ATC to call left hand down wind. But the control tower spotted the aircraft making a right hand down wind at a very low altitude. All emergency services were made standby from the ATC. The aircraft called final and requested for landing clearance. For reasons so far unknown the aircraft made a low level Go Around. The controller in the tower saw the aircraft flying at about 400 to 500 feet. The surviving Flight Navigator also confirmed this in his statement. The ATC advised the captain to call left hand down wind. But there was no response from the crew. The ATC repeatedly kept calling the aircraft but there was no response from the crew and total communication was lost. At time 0332z the airport authority came to know through other means that the aircraft had crashed approximately 03km west of the airport.
Probable cause:
The accident was the consequence of the combination of the following factors:
a) Failure to initiate a rejected take off during take off roll following the indication of engine failure;
b) Failure to adhere to the company SOP following the detection of the engine failure during take off;
c) Considering the poor visibility at Cox’s Bazar Airport, diverting to the alternate airfield Chittagong Airport located only 50 nm away that has the provision for full ILS approach facility. This could have helped the crew in carrying out a proper one engine out precision approach landing;
d) The aircraft flew at a speed much lower than the clean configuration speed. The aircraft flew at 225 km/h in clean configuration whereas the minimum clean configuration speed is 290 km/hr.
e) As per the FDR data the aircraft stalled while making a turn towards the side of the failed engine at a very low altitude.
Final Report:

Crash of a Casa CN-235M near Kuala Selangor

Date & Time: Feb 26, 2016 at 0840 LT
Operator:
Registration:
M44-07
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Subang - Subang
MSN:
N055
YOM:
2005
Flight number:
Sintar Sakti 02
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The crew departed Kuala Lumpur-Subang-Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport at 0835LT on a local training flight. Ten minutes later, the left engine caught fire and failed, forcing the captain to attempt an emergency landing. The aircraft crash landed in the sea, few metres off the beaches of Taman Malawati Utama, south of Kuala Selangor. The copilot was injured (broken arm) while seven other occupants escaped unhurt. The aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire.

Crash of a Socata TBM-900 off Florianópolis: 2 killed

Date & Time: Feb 1, 2016 at 0519 LT
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
PP-LIG
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Florianópolis – Ji-Paraná
MSN:
1071
YOM:
2015
Country:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Captain / Total flying hours:
1535
Captain / Total hours on type:
154.00
Aircraft flight hours:
195
Circumstances:
The single engine aircraft departed Florianópolis-Hercilio Luz Airport at 0515LT on a private flight to Ji-Paraná, carrying one passenger and one pilot. While climbing by night at an altitude of 3,600 feet, the pilot initiated a right turn. Then the aircraft completed a 360 turn and crashed in the sea off Campeche Island. Few debris were found the following morning floating on water and the main wreckage was found two weeks later. Both occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Contributing factors:
- Application of commands – undetermined
Considering the hypothesis of spatial disorientation, of the disabling type, it is possible that the pilot has reached a situation of complete inability to operate correctly controls the aircraft in order to regain control of the flight.
- Attitude – undetermined
It is possible that the high subordination of the pilot to the requests of his boss has made it difficult for you to position yourself in relation to your limitation in flying at night and in instrument flight meteorological conditions.
- Disorientation – undetermined
Conditions favorable to disorientation, that is, the night flight over the sea, within clouds and manual operation, as well as the dynamics of the aircraft trajectory recorded by the radar, among other factors, make spatial disorientation the main hypothesis for the accident.
- Visual illusions – undetermined
It is also possible that the pilot suffered visual illusions when flying over the sea in night time. When not seeing the lighting on land, and being at night dark, with cloudiness, the pilot may have confused spatial references.
- Instruction – undetermined
It is possible that the lack of familiarity with the English language has made it difficult, in to some degree, knowledge of the resources, equipment and systems present in the aircraft, as well as in the instruction received in a flight simulator.
Final Report:

Crash of a Cessna 208 Caravan I in Whitsunday Island

Date & Time: Jan 28, 2016 at 1518 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
VH-WTY
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Hamilton Island - Whitsunday Island
MSN:
208-0522
YOM:
2010
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
10
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
1350
Captain / Total hours on type:
230.00
Aircraft flight hours:
1510
Circumstances:
On 28 January 2016 the pilot of a Cessna Aircraft Company Caravan 208 amphibian aircraft, registered VH-WTY (WTY) was conducting a series of charter flights in the Whitsunday region of Queensland. The pilot was conducting his third flight of the day when the aircraft departed Hamilton Island Airport at about 1415 Eastern Standard Time with 10 passengers on board. The tour included a scenic flight over the Great Barrier Reef for about 50 minutes before heading to Chance Bay, on the south-east tip of Whitsunday Island, about 11 km north east of Hamilton Island Airport. Following a water landing at Chance Bay, the group was to spend 90 minutes at the beach before a short flight back to Hamilton Island. The tour was originally planned to include a landing at Whitehaven Beach, however wind conditions at the time required the water landing be altered to Chance Bay. Radar surveillance data showed WTY approach Whitsunday Island from the north and conduct an orbit about 2 km north of Whitehaven Beach at about 1510, before heading toward Whitehaven Beach. WTY flew over the southern end of Whitehaven Beach and the strip of land that separates it from Chance Bay. At about 1515, after crossing Chance Bay beach in a southerly direction, WTY descended below radar surveillance for the remainder of the flight. The pilot advised that he flew WTY over the western end of Chance Bay’s main beach in order to conduct a visual pre-landing check of the bay. The pilot noted the positions of various vessels moored in the bay to determine the best taxi path to the beach. During this fly-over, the pilot also noted the sea state and observed evidence of wind gusts on the water surface. The pilot then initiated a right downwind turn toward the landing area. The approach was from the south with the intent to land in the most suitable location within the designated landing area and then taxi to the beach. The pilot reported setting up for landing at about 50 ft above the water and then delayed the landing in order to fly through an observed wind gust. Passenger video footage indicated that, during the subsequent landing, WTY bounced three times on the surface of the water. After the second bounce, with WTY getting closer to the beach and terrain, the pilot increased engine power and initiated a go-around. The third bounce, which occurred almost immediately after the second, was the most pronounced and resulted in the aircraft rebounding about 30 to 50 ft above the water. While increasing power, the pilot perceived that the torque was indicating red, suggesting an over-torque for the selected propeller configuration. Noticing that the climb performance was less than expected with the flaps at 30˚, the pilot stopped increasing power and reduced the flap to 20˚. As the aircraft climbed straight ahead towards a saddle, climb performance was still below the pilot’s expectations and he assessed that WTY would not clear the terrain. In response, the pilot turned right to avoid the surrounding rising terrain. WTY clipped trees during this turn, before colliding with terrain and coming to rest in dense scrub about 150 m from the eastern end of the main beach, near the top of the ridge. The pilot promptly advised the passengers to exit and move away from the aircraft. Some of the 11 people on board suffered minor injuries but all were able to quickly leave the aircraft. There was no post-impact fire. The aircraft’s fixed emergency beacon self-activated during the collision with terrain and was detected by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), resulting in a search and rescue response being initiated by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Australia. The pilot reported also activating his personal locator beacon, however this was not detected by AMSA. In addition, the pilot used the company satellite phone to advise the operator of the occurrence and current status of all on board. At about the same time, several witnesses who were located in Chance Bay made their way to the aircraft before assisting everyone down to the beach. A tourist boat was utilized to transfer the pilot and passengers to Hamilton Island, arriving at about 1600. From there, one passenger was transferred by helicopter to Mackay for further treatment.
Probable cause:
From the evidence available, the following findings are made with respect to the collision with terrain involving amphibian Cessna Aircraft Company C208 Caravan aircraft, registered VH-WTY that occurred at Chance Bay, 11 km north-east of Hamilton Island airport, Queensland, on 28 January 2016. These findings should not be read as apportioning blame or liability to any particular organisation or individual.
Contributing factors:
- The aircraft's initial touches with water were past the nominated decision point and beyond the northern boundary of the ALA, which reduced the safety margins available for a successful water landing or go-around.
- The pilot initiated a go-around without using all available power and the optimal speed, turned towards higher terrain and placed the aircraft in a down-wind situation, which ultimately resulted in the collision with terrain.
Other findings:
- The aircraft was equipped with lap-sash seatbelts, which have been demonstrated to reduce injury, and the use of emergency beacons and satellite phone facilitated a timely response to the accident.
Final Report:

Crash of a Cessna 402B off Barcelona

Date & Time: Dec 28, 2015 at 1115 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
YV3101
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Porlamar – Charallave
Country:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
En route from Porlamar to Charallave, while cruising at an altitude of 3,000 feet, both engines failed simultaneously. The pilot reduced his altitude and ditched the aircraft 33 km north of Barcelona. All three occupants evacuated safely and found refuge in a lifeboat. They were rescued an hour later by Venezuelan coastguard. The aircraft sank and was lost.

Crash of a BAe 125-700B off Dakar: 7 killed

Date & Time: Sep 5, 2015 at 1812 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
6V-AIM
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Ouagadougou - Dakar
MSN:
257062
YOM:
1979
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Captain / Total flying hours:
7658
Captain / Total hours on type:
2158.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
3339
Aircraft flight hours:
13279
Aircraft flight cycles:
11877
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Ouagadougou Airport at the end of the afternoon on an ambulance flight to Dakar-Léopold Sédar Senghor Airport with one patient, one doctor, two nurses and three crew members on board. After entering in contact with Dakar Control, the crew was cleared to FL340, an altitude that was confirmed by the crew at 1801LT. But the airplane continued and climbed to FL350. At 1812LT, the aircraft collided with a Boeing 737-8FB operated by Ceiba Intercontinental. Registered 3C-LLY, the B737 was operating the flight CEL071 Dakar - Cotonou - Malabo with 104 passengers and 8 crew members on board. Immediately after the collision, the BAe 125 entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in the Atlantic Ocean about 111 km off Dakar. The pilot of the Boeing 737 informed ATC about a possible collision and continued to Malabo without further problem. Nevertheless, the top of the right winglet of the Boeing 737 was missing. SAR operations were suspended after a week and no trace of the BAe 125 nor the 7 occupants was ever found.
Probable cause:
The collision was the consequence of an error on part of the crew of the BAe 125 who failed to follow his assigned altitude at FL340 and continued to FL350 which was the assigned altitude for the Boeing 737. The captain of the B737 confirmed that he have seen the aircraft descending to him. Only the flight recorders could have helped to determine how such a situation could have occurred; Unfortunately they disappeared with the plane. There was a difference of 1,000 feet in the indications of both captain/copilot altimeters.
Final Report:

Crash of a Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage off Cannes

Date & Time: Aug 31, 2015 at 0855 LT
Operator:
Registration:
D-ESPE
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Cannes – Triengen
MSN:
46-22063
YOM:
1989
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
18213
Captain / Total hours on type:
900.00
Circumstances:
The single engine aircraft departed Cannes-Mandelieu Airport on a private flight to Triengen, Switzerland, with one passenger and one pilot on board. Shortly after takeoff from runway 17, while in initial climb, the pilot noticed engine troubles and the speed dropped. He was able to maintain a straight-in path and eventually ditched the airplane few hundred metres offshore. Both occupants were slightly injured and the aircraft sank and was lost.
Probable cause:
The engine failure was the result of an incorrect refueling, due to an intake initial order probably incorrect that the incomplete application of procedures by the operator in charge of refueling and the lack of attention of the pilot did not allow recovery. The quantity of 100LL present in the feeders and the pipes allowed the taxiing and the take-off run, without the pilot noticing any anomaly. Once this quantity of 100LL consumed, the JET A1 present in the lower part of the tanks fed the engine and caused the power decrease.
Contributed to the accident:
- Coordination between the aerodrome operator and its subcontractors during the fuel order taken by the ramp agent, who does not encourage the operator in charge of refueling to confirm the type of fuel in a service carried out under strong time constraints,
- A usual practice for refueling certain types of helicopters, whose reservoir ports are not compatible with the dimensions of the standard refueling nozzles, which trivialize the change of nozzle for the refueling of JET A1, occasionally leading to the filling of order confirmation vouchers, thus reducing the effectiveness of the manifest safety for the operator through the presence of keying devices specific to each fuel,
- The ineffectiveness of the fuel type check item of the pre-flight procedure.
Final Report:

Crash of a Cessna 208B Super Cargomaster off Saba Island

Date & Time: Aug 12, 2015 at 1205 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N924FE
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
San Juan – Basseterre
MSN:
208B-0024
YOM:
1987
Flight number:
FDX8124
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The pilot departed San Juan-Luis Muñoz Marín Airport at 1049LT on a cargo flight to Basseterre-Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport, Saint Kitts & Nevis. The flight was performed by Mountain Air Cargo on behalf of FedEx. The pilot continued the flight at FL110 until 1139LT, reduced his altitude down to FL100 and maintained this level until 1153LT. At this moment, the aircraft was descending between 600 and 800 feet per minute and the pilot decided to divert to the Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport located on Saba Island, Dutch Antilles. While approaching to island from the south, the pilot realized he would not make it, so he attempted to ditch the aircraft some 900 metres off shore. The pilot evacuated the cabin and was quickly rescued while the aircraft sank by a depth of about 1,500 feet. According to the pilot, he decided to divert to the nearest airport due to a loss of engine power.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 off Kuredu Island

Date & Time: Jul 2, 2015 at 1733 LT
Operator:
Registration:
8Q-MAN
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Male - Kuredu Island
MSN:
435
YOM:
1974
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
11
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
5075
Captain / Total hours on type:
4200.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
988
Copilot / Total hours on type:
705
Aircraft flight hours:
24132
Circumstances:
Flight FLT371301, a Viking Air (De Havilland) DHC-6-300 aircraft with registration mark 8Q-MAN, crashed into the sea approximately 3 km southeast of Kuredu (KUR) at 1733 hrs on 2 July 2015. The aircraft was flying under visual flight rules (VFR) on a charter flight, carrying 11 passengers from Komandoo (KOM) to Kuredu (KUR). According to the operating crew, the aircraft was on final approach, northwest bound, to land at KUR. At approximately 400 feet, on selection of flaps to the fully down position, the aircraft pitched up and the aircraft was vibrating. The pilot flying (PF) could not control the aircraft and asked the PIC to take over the controls. The aircraft was in a nose-high attitude when the PIC took over the controls. The stall warning light illuminated. The PIC applied full left rudder, moved the control column forward and put the power levers to idle to recover the aircraft. The aircraft, however, did not respond to these actions. Flaps were then moved to the fully up position. The PIC was gaining some control at this stage but the aircraft continued turning right, losing height and impacted the sea before he could regain full control of the aircraft. On initial impact the left float detached. The aircraft then bounced and landed on the right float causing the right float to also detach from the aircraft. The right float was, however, trapped between the airframe and the engine for several minutes. With both floats detached from the aircraft and the right float still trapped between the airframe and engine, the aircraft stayed afloat until all passengers and crew evacuated. At the same time the aircraft started tilting left causing water to rush inside and started sinking. All 11 passengers and three crew were able to evacuate the aircraft without injury, before the aircraft completely sank. The accident was notified to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee (AICC) at 1750 hrs. Investigation began on the same day. Inspectors arrived at the scene at 2300 hrs, about five and a half hours after the accident occurred.
Probable cause:
The investigation identified the following causes:
a. The aircraft was operated outside the centre of gravity limitations on the sector in which the accident occurred.
b. The load distribution errors went undetected because the mass and balance calculations were not carried out in accordance with the approved procedures, prior to the accident flight.
c. The co-pilot (PF) was not alerted to the impending stall as she neither saw the stall warning light illuminated nor heard the aural stall warning.
d. The PIC was not able to gain control of aircraft as developing stall was not recognized and incorrect recovery procedures were applied.
Final Report:

Crash of an Antonov AN-2 in Okcheon

Date & Time: Jun 25, 2015 at 1309 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
HL1090
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Okcheon - Okcheon
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
While performing a training mission in the vicinity of Okcheon, the aircraft suffered an engine failure. The pilot-in-command decided to ditch the aircraft in a river located in the suburb of Okcheon. Upon landing, both left wings were partially torn off and the aircraft came to rest in shallow water. All four crew members evacuated safely and the airplane was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Engine failure.