Mountains

D-ICBC was refuelled in Poznan to its maximum capacity of 2040 litres. An ATC flight plan was filed for an IFR flight. After the RENTA waypoint, VFR had actually been entered, but the crew had not filed the flight plan as a Y flight plan, as is prescribed for flights which begin under IFR rules and then end as a VFR flight. However, the flight plan was entered and transmitted as a Y flight plan by the competent unit in Brussels. Take-off time was scheduled for 14:20 UTC. Take-off actually took place at 14:35 UTC. No details are known about the history of the first part of the flight. The aircraft reached the border with Italian airspace in the planned air corridor M736 at flight level 250. The crew reported at 15:54:14 UTC to Padua ACC, sector LOW NORD on frequency 125.900 MHz: “..ua Buongiorno D-ICBC, Flight level 250, appro…approaching LIZUM Point” The air traffic controller instructed the crew to fly “LIZUM, LUSIL direct”. The crew confirmed “LIZUM .... direct DBC”. On enquiring, they received the information that they would be able to descend in about 10 miles. On the radar plot it can be seen that the aircraft did not fly as required direction LUSIL, but turned onto a heading of approximately 240° and was flying in the direction of Samedan. At 15:59:18 UTC, the clearance to flight level 170 was given; which is the lowest IFR flight level (minimum enroute altitude – MEA) in this area. At 16:02:03 UTC, the crew of D-ICBC was asked whether they were flying direct to Samedan. This was confirmed by them. They were then requested to report as soon as they wished to change from instrument flight rules to visual flight rules. At 16:05:16 UTC, the crew change from instrument flight rules to visual flight rules and were requested to contact Samedan Tower on frequency 135.325 MHz, which they did after a brief delay. The Samedan air traffic controller informed the crew that runway 21 was in use and that the QNH was 1012 hPa. He additionally requested them to report as soon as they flew into the valley. After leaving flight level 170, the aircraft turned slightly to the right onto a course of approximately 265° and maintained its continuous descent. At 16:11:25 UTC, the aircraft passed flight level 130 and began to turn slowly to the left. This turn brought the aircraft precisely onto the extended centre line of runway 21 in Samedan. The aircraft was last captured by the radar at 16:15:24. The last flight level indicated on the secondary radar was FL 101. A little later, the aircraft collided with the elevated terrain of the Sarsura glacier at an elevation of 9640 ft AMSL. Both pilots were killed immediately. The aircraft was destroyed.

On a mission for Special Forces, the four engine aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances in a snow covered area of the Hindu Kush Mountain Range, Afghanistan. All eight occupants were rescued while the aircraft was destroyed. USAF confirmed that the accident was not caused by hostile action.

Following an uneventful flight from Tehran, the crew started the descent to Khorramabad Airport runway 11 in bad weather conditions. In poor visibility, the crew failed to realize he was off course when the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located few km northeast from the city of Sarab-e Dowreh, about 25 km northwest from the runway 11 threshold. The wreckage was found few hours later on a snow covered rock wall. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 119 occupants were killed, among them four Spanish citizens.

The aircraft was completing a cargo flight from Dakar to Athens with intermediate stops in Agadir and Algiers, carrying a load of fish and eight crew members. While cruising by night at an altitude of 9,900 feet in marginal weather conditions, the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located 80 km northeast of Agadir. All eight occupants were killed.

The aircraft departed Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport runway 17 at 1001LT on a flight to Cali with an intermediate stop in Tulcán, carrying 87 passengers and 7 crew members. The flight was completed at an altitude of 18,000 feet on airway G-675 towards Ipiales, south Colombia. At a distance of 29 NM from Tulcán, the crew was cleared to descend to 14,000 feet and was briefed about the last weather conditions at destination. For unknown reasons, the crew failed to comply with the company SOP's and started the descent at an excessive speed of 230 knots while the approach procedure called for a speed of 180 knots. Also, the crew was not following the proper approach track for the Tulcán-Teniente Coronel Luis A. Mantilla Airport. In poor visibility due to clouds, at an altitude of 14,700 feet, the aircraft struck the slope of Mt El Cumbal located about 30 km northwest of Ipiales. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 94 occupants were killed. The wreckage was found 1,400 feet below the summit.

The airplane collided with mountainous terrain during approach to the destination airport. While approaching the airport, the pilot requested vectors for a localizer approach to runway 19. Due to traffic, air traffic control (ATC) issued the pilot a holding clearance. The airplane was approaching the holding fix about 8,000 feet, when the pilot advised ATC that the airplane was picking up a little ice. ATC initially offered an amended clearance of 9,000 feet, but the pilot declined. Subsequently, he accepted the clearance and climbed back to 9,000 feet. ATC then told the pilot that after one more airplane had landed, he would be issued an approach clearance. The airplane was about 9,200 feet when the pilot replied "thank you." Review of radar data revealed that the accident airplane made one complete 360-degree turn, and one 270-degree turn on the non-holding side of the published holding pattern. During the two turns, the airplane descended to approximately 8,400 feet, climbed to 8,900 feet, then descended again to 8,300 feet. The two turns were tighter than the expected standard 2-minute turns in a holding pattern, with radii ranging from 0.3 to 0.4 nautical miles and 0.1 to 0.2 nautical miles respectively. Following the two holding turns, no more radio transmissions or radar returns were received by ATC. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. Another pilot flying in the area reported moderate rime ice at 8,000 feet, but added that he climbed out of the ice and was between cloud layers at 9,000 to 10,000 feet.

On Saturday, 19 January 2002, at 0931, ZK-SEV, a Cessna 207, took off from Te Anau Aerodrome for Milford Sound Aerodrome. At about 1000 the aircraft collided with the side of a mountainous valley, approximately 4400 feet above sea level and 500 metres southeast of Gertrude Saddle, some 11 kilometres from Milford Sound. The pilot and 5 passengers on board died in the collision. The aircraft probably had not reached a suitable altitude to safely cross over Gertrude Saddle, and the pilot probably left his decision too late to turn back in the valley in order to gain more height.

The twin engine aircraft departed Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport at 1038LT on a charter flight to Nueva Loja-Lago Agrio Airport, carrying 21 oil workers and and five crew members on behalf of the Texaco Oil Company. While cruising under VFR mode at an altitude of 15,500 feet, the crew was instructed by ATC to change heading to 094° in order to descent to Nueva Loja for a landing on runway 23. But the crew failed to comply with this instruction and continued straight ahead. Few minutes later, the crew started the descent in foggy conditions when the aircraft struck the slope of Mt El Tigre located in the south part of Colombia, near the border with Ecuador. The wreckage was found three days later at an altitude of 4,500 metres. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 26 occupants were killed.

The twin engine airplane departed Madrid-Barajas at 0635LT on a cargo service (flight IBT1278) to Bilbao, carrying one company mechanic, two pilots and a load of cargo consisting of 2,873 kilos of various goods. Following an uneventful flight, the crew was cleared to start the descent to Bilbao-Sondica Airport for an ILS approach to runway 30. During the descent, the crew encountered control problems which he attributed to an autopilot malfunction. While trying to identify the problem, the crew failed to realized that the rate of descent increased when the GPWS alarm sounded three times. Shortly later, while attempting to gain height, the aircraft struck the slope of Mt Santa Marina Vieja located 33 km from Bilbao Airport. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and all three occupants were killed. The wreckage was found near the village of Zaldíbar.

Following an uneventful flight from Jacobabad, the crew started a night approach to Shamsi AFB. While descending in limited visibility at the altitude of 3,200 feet, the four engine aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located few km from the airfield. All seven occupants were killed.