Mountains

The air traffic controller had cleared the flight for the instrument approach and the pilot acknowledged the clearance. Radar data depicted the airplane turning toward the final approach course and then continuing the turn 180 degrees before disappearing from radar at 11,200 feet. The wreckage was located at an elevation of 10,725 feet. Examination of the terrain and ground scars indicated the airplane impacted terrain in a nose down, right turn. Impact forces and a postimpact fire resulted in substantial damage to the airplane. Examination of the airplane, engines, and de-icing systems revealed no mechanical anomalies. Weather at the time of the accident was depicted as overcast skies, reduced visibility, with snow showers in the area. An icing probability chart depicted a probability of moderate rime and mixed icing. Both AIRMETs and SIGMENTs advised of moderate icing between the freezing level and flight level 220 and occasional severe rime and mixed icing below 16,000 feet. During his weather briefing, the pilot stated that he was aware of the adverse weather conditions.

The twin engine aircraft departed Lamidanda Airport at 1508LT on a flight to Kathmandu. Shortly after departure, the crew was cleared to climb to 10,500 feet but ATC ask them to maintain 8,500 feet due to traffic. The captain disagreed with this ATC instruction and continued to climb. The copilot asked the captain to accept the ATC proposal so finally, the captain cleared the copilot (who was the pilot in command) to descend to 8,500 feet despite the fact it was risky due to the mountainous terrain. Few minutes later, the aircraft entered clouds when the right wing impacted ground. The aircraft crashed in a rocky area located on the Palunge Hill, near Okhaldhunga. The wreckage was found the following morning. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and all 22 occupants were killed. IMC conditions prevailed at the time of the accident due to low visibility (cloudy conditions).

The twin engine aircraft departed Tangier on a flight to Ouarzazate, carrying three Police Officers and two pilots on behalf of the Royal Moroccan Police (Gendarmerie Royale Marocaine). While cruising by night between Demnate and Ouarzazate, the aircraft struck a mountain slope and crashed. The wreckage was found two days later in an isolated area. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all five occupants were killed. For unknown reasons, the crew was flying at an insufficient altitude.

While performing a low-level law enforcement patrol flight, the pilot crossed a ridge and observed a parked vehicle. To investigate further, he lowered the flaps and descended to approximately 200 feet, into a canyon. The pilot made a second pass over the vehicle and initiated a right turn, during which the airplane encountered a tailwind that resulted in a rapid loss of airspeed and a descent. The pilot leveled the airplane and increased the power; however, the airplane was too slow and low to turn out of the canyon. As a result, the airplane stalled and impacted terrain. The pilot stated there were no preflight mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane.

The twin engine aircraft departed Port-au-Prince on a schedule service to Havana with an intermediate stop in Santiago de Cuba, carrying 61 passengers and 7 crew members. The airplane departed Santiago de Cuba-Antonio Maceo Airport at 1644LT and the crew was cleared to climb to his assigned altitude of 18,000 feet. At 1736LT, the crew was cleared to climb to 20,000 feet. During the climb, the Total Air Temperature (TAT) dropped from +3°C to -1°C and the aircraft' speed dropped from 196 knots to 176 knots. At 17:44, at FL200, the ICING caution light illuminated on the instrument panel with an associated chime. This was followed by the illumination of the AOA light several seconds later. At 17:46 the crew toggled the anti-icing switches on the overhead panel and contacted Havana Control to request permission to descent to FL160 due to icing. However, the controller reported conflicting traffic 30 miles ahead. The crew then requested vectors to enable them to descend. Clearance was given to change course from 295° to 330°. At 17:49, with an airspeed of 156 kts, the airplane commenced a right bank. Then suddenly the airplane banked left and right before banking 90° to the left again with a steep nose down attitude. The crew struggled to control the plane, which was banking turning and losing altitude. Out of control, the aircraft crashed in a wooded an hilly terrain. All 68 occupants were killed.

The twin engine aircraft departed Aix-les-Milles Airport at 1520LT on a local training flight. The crew was cleared to fly between 5,000 and 6,000 feet. The aircraft overflew successively Marseille and Toulon then passed over Le Castellet. While cruising at an altitude of 6,000 feet and at a speed of 110 knots, the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent, dove into the ground with a rate of descent of 6,000 feet per minute and crashed in a near vertical position in a rocky zone located in the Sainte-Victoire Mountain Range, near Saint-Antonin-sur-Bayon. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and both occupants were killed, one instructor and one pilot under supervision.

About 14 minutes after departing on the cross-country flight in instrument meteorological conditions, the airplane was observed on radar climbing through 14,800 feet mean sea level (msl). At this time, the pilot radioed to air traffic control (ATC) that he was returning to the departure airport. About 7 seconds later, the pilot transmitted that he had lost an engine and again stated that he was returning to the departure airport. About 50 seconds later, the pilot transmitted, “We’re losing it.” There was no further communication with the pilot. Radar data revealed that at 14,800 feet msl the airplane began a right 360-degree turn at 8 degrees per second, and about 120 degrees into the turn, it began a descent averaging 5,783 feet per minute. The airplane remained in a right turn until radar contact was lost at 10,700 feet msl. The airplane impacted a 30-degree slope of a densely forested mountain about 2,940 feet msl in a near vertical, slightly right-wing-low attitude. A logger working in the area reported hearing a “very loud roaring sound,” like an airplane diving toward his location and that it seemed to be “really under power.” The logger described the weather as being “socked in,” with light rain and not much wind. Post accident examination revealed that propeller damage was the result of impact forces, with no indications of fatigue or propeller failure before impact. It was also noted that the left propeller was being operated under conditions of some power at impact, while the right propeller was not operating under conditions of significant power at impact. Based on these findings, it is most likely that the pilot experienced a partial loss of power of the right engine and, after incorrectly initiating a right turn into the failed engine, allowed the rate of turn to increase to the point that the airplane became uncontrollable before impact with terrain. The reason for the partial loss of engine power was not determined because postaccident examination of the airframe and both engines did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot was conducting a charter flight from Lady Barron, Flinders Island to Bridport, Tasmania with six passengers on board. The aircraft departed Lady Barron Aerodrome at about 1700 Australian Eastern Daylight-saving Time and entered instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) several minutes afterwards while climbing to the intended cruising altitude of about 1,500 ft. The pilot did not hold a command instrument rating and the aircraft was not equipped for flight in IMC. He attempted to turn the aircraft to return to Lady Barron Aerodrome but became lost, steering instead towards high ground in the Strzelecki National Park in the south-east of Flinders Island. At about 1715, the aircraft exited cloud in the Strzelecki National Park, very close to the ground. The pilot turned to the left, entering a small valley in which he could neither turn the aircraft nor out climb the terrain. He elected to slow the aircraft to its stalling speed for a forced landing and, moments later, it impacted the tree tops and then the ground. The first passenger to exit the aircraft used the aircraft fire extinguisher to put out a small fire that had begun beneath the engine. The other passengers and the pilot then exited the aircraft safely. One passenger was slightly injured during the impact; the pilot and other passengers were uninjured. During the night, all of the occupants of the aircraft were rescued by helicopter and taken to the hospital in Whitemark, Flinders Island.

The four engine aircraft departed Bagram AFB on a short flight to Kabul, carrying 8 crew members and a load of various equipment on behalf of the NATO forces based in Pakistan. En route, while cruising by night, the aircraft impacted a rocky face located 30 km east of Kabul. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 8 occupants were killed.

The twin engine aircraft was engaged in a reconnaissance and survey mission over the southern Colombia territory, carrying six crew members. At 2306LT, the last radio contact was recorded with the crew. In unknown circumstances, while cruising at an altitude of 10,600 feet, the aircraft impacted terrain near Uribe. The wreckage was found four days later, on September 11. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all six occupants were killed.