ACCIDENTS & INCIDENTS

(10 August – 16 August 2008)

Airline, Corporate, & AeroMedevac

Date/

Location

Aircraft/Reg.

Narrative

Casualties

Comments

10 August

Milano Malpensa, ITALY

Delta-operated Boeing 767-300

Reg: N198DN

Flight, which was destined for Atlanta, returned to the Malpensa Airport after a smoke detector went off about 15 minutes into the flight.

224 Uninjured

Not clear where the smoke detector was located, but application of detectors is limited to cargo holds, galleys, lavatories and engines. Vast areas of a modern airliner remain unprotected by smoke detection and fire suppression.

10 August

Melbourne, AUSTRALIA

Qantas-operated Boeing 737-800

Reg: VH-VXH

Aircraft was hit by lightning enroute from New Zealand to Australia. The airplane landed safely in Melbourne, but was taken out of service for a precautionary inspection.

No injuries

Qantas gets unlucky again.

10 August

Melbourne, AUSTRALIA

Virgin Blue-operated Embraer ERJ-170LR

Reg: VH-ZHA

Pilot reported control difficulties while on approach to Melbourne. Subsequently, the crew performed a partial flaps landing as specified by procedures. The landing was safe.

55 Uninjured

Maintenance personnel identified a faulty sensor for the slats at the leading edge of the wing.

For the landing, procedures called for partial deployment of flaps and no deployment of slats.

11 August

Catarman, PHILIPPINES

Philippine Airlines-operated de Havilland Dash-8-400

Aircraft had safely landed at Catarman Airport and was going to taxi off the runway when the airplane's nosewheel struck a soft spot in the runway's surface, the airline reported.

78 Uninjured

While doing a 180 degrees turn to backtrack the runway, the airplane's right main gear hit a soft spot in the runway's surface, causing the airplane's gear to collapse, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said.

11 August

Houston, TX

Mesaba Airlines-operated CRJ-900

Flight departed from Houston with a destination of Minneapolis. Aircraft blew a tire on takeoff and returned to Houston for a safe landing.

80 Uninjured

11 August

Nanning, CHINA

Sichuan Airlines-operated Embraer ERJ-145

Reg: B-3045

Aircraft veered off the runway while landing at Nanning in heavy rain and gusting winds and came to a stop about 70 meters beside the runway.

No injuries reported.

The airport had to be closed for about two hours, after which takeoffs were permitted again. Traffic returned to normal the next morning, when the runway was available for departures and arrivals again.

11 August

Providenciales, TURKS AND CAICOS

American Airlines-operated Boeing 757-200

Reg: N663AM

Aircraft performed an emergency descent from FL380 about 45 minutes into the flight and diverted to Providenciales, after a window shattered in flight.  The landing was performed safely.

116 Uninjured

While cockpit windscreens are broken in flight (bird strikers, window heater malfunction, etc.), it is unusual for a cabin window to shatter. Possible preexisting damage?

12 August

Burlington, VT

Jetblue-operated Embraer ERJ-190

Reg: N193JB

Pilot declared emergency after one of the flaps failed to extend while preparing for landing. After some time in the holding pattern the airplane performed a safe high speed flaps up landing.

100 Uninjured

One passenger commented: "The worst part of the flight was waiting for my bags."

13 August

Mogadishu, SOMALIA

Fly540 Fokker F27-500 Friendship

Reg: 5Y-BVF

The airplane was seen approaching the airport twice and going around before colliding with a telecommunication antenna owned by "Nationlink Telecom" about 2km from the airport, airport officials reported.

3 Fatal

Airport officials mentioned that a lot of humidity was around the airport, impairing visibility. The aircraft carried 5.4 tons of khat – an amphetamine-like stimulant which was banned in Somalia in 2006 but has since been made legal – local police reported.

13 August

Auckland, NEW ZEALAND

Qantas-operated Boeing 747-300

Reg: VH-EBX

One engine of the plane unexpectedly rolled back to idle while approaching Auckland. The crew restored power and landed without further incident.

235 Uninjured

Qantas is short another two Boeing 747s, as this one was taken out of service as was another one which had to have its jackscrew replaced immediately because it was driving the airplane's horizontal tail (i.e., pitch/trim problem).

13 August

Erfurt, GERMANY

Air Berlin-operated Luftfahrtgesellschaft Walter Dornier Do-228

Aircraft burst a right main gear tire on landing at Erfurt, causing further damage to the wheel. Pieces of the tire penetrated the wing and caused a fuel leak. The airplane stopped safely on the runway.

9 Uninjured

The airport had to be closed for two hours until fire services pumped the fuel tanks empty and the aircraft could be removed from the runway.

Recall that pieces of a burst main gear tire penetrated the fuel tank of the Air France Concorde 25 July 2000, and electrical arcing in the wheel well cause the spilled fuel to ignite, causing the crash on takeoff at Charles de Gaulle airport. French investigators found that the Concorde was 60 times more likely than a subsonic jet to have its fuel tanks penetrated by a bursting tire.

14 August

Cleveland, OH

Expressjet Airlines-operated Embraer ERJ-135

Reg: N16511

Aircraft was struck by lightning. The airplane landed safely.

38 Uninjured

15 August

SINGAPORE

Qantas-operated Boeing 747

A Qantas spokeswoman said a routine check on the Boeing 747 after it arrived at Singapore found that a small engine access panel had become detached.

No injuries

The access panel was “non-structural” and its detachment “had absolutely no flight safety implications,” the spokeswoman said. The incident is the latest in a series of aircraft problems for Qantas.

General Aviation and Helicopter

Date/

Location

Aircraft/Reg.

Narrative

Casualties

Comments

10 August

Sitka, AK  

Beech B-55

Reg: N98HA  

Aircraft sustained substantial damage during an emergency landing in mountainous, tree-covered terrain, about 40 miles north of Sitka, Alaska.

2 Fatal

After being notified of an overdue airplane, and after learning about reports of an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal along the accident pilot's anticipated flight route, search and rescue personnel from the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Sitka began a search for the missing airplane. At about 2330, the crew of a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter located the airplane's wreckage in an area of steep, mountainous, tree-covered terrain. A rescuer swimmer was lowered to the accident site, and confirmed that the airplane's occupants had sustained fatal injuries.

10 August

Cassville, MO

Cessna 182T

Reg: N214MT

Aircraft crashed approximately 7 miles northwest of the departure airport. A witness, located one mile south of the accident location, stated that she heard a plane "really low and very loud" directly over her, but it was still in the clouds. She was looking toward the sound as the sound faded and she briefly saw an airplane come out of the clouds in about an 80 degree nose down attitude. She saw a column of smoke almost immediately after the airplane disappeared behind the tops of the trees. The eyewitness estimated the base of the clouds at the time of the accident to be about 300 feet.

1 Fatal

11 August

Heber Springs, AR

Bell 206L-1

Reg: N832AH

Helicopter sustained substantial damage during a forced landing following a partial loss of engine power while maneuvering.

1 Uninjured

According to the operator, the helicopter had been conducting external load operations on the day of the accident and had just departed after refueling. While transporting an empty container on the long line at 300 feet above ground level, the engine "spooled down". The pilot released the external load, executed a 180-degree turn, and autorotation. During the forced landing, the helicopter landed hard in a tree farm, rolled over, and came to rest on its right side. The pilot shut off the fuel and exited the helicopter. Examination of the helicopter revealed the tail boom was separated, the main rotor blades were bent, and the right side of the fuselage was damaged.

11 August

Muskogee, OK

Dickey RV-6A

Reg: N22163

Aircraft impacted terrain following a loss of control while conducting a cross-country flight. Witnesses indicate the engine was running at the time of impact.

1 Fatal

An examination of the airplane and the accident site indicated the airplane impacted the ground at a steep angle. The engine and forward fuselage were buried in an impact crater approximately four feet deep with the engine resting at approximately 80 degrees. Airplane wreckage was mostly confined to the point of impact with some pieces spread across an area approximately 90 feet long by 50 feet wide on a southeasterly heading.

12 August

Easton, MA

Angel Flight-operated Beechcraft G35 Bonanza

NTSB senior air safety investigator Timothy Monville reported that the aircraft went through several “altitude deviations,” then descending “vertically” before crashing in a grocery store parking lot.

3 Fatal

It was the third Angel Flight since June to end tragically, following a 3 June TBM-700 crash in Iowa which killed one and left two seriously injured, and a 17 July Bonanza crash in Tampa which killed both passengers aboard.  Previous to this flurry of accidents, Angel Flight organizations, which fly about 20,000 missions per year, had never lost a passenger in their 25-year history.

12 August

Needles, CA

Home-built Titan Tornado

Aircraft landed on an Interstate ramp leading to U.S. 95, about 10 miles west of Needles, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Jodi Miller said. It was struck by a car, which killed the pilot.

1 Fatal (the pilot was ejected and killed), 3 Minor (in the auto)

14 August

Fort McKinney, TX

Aircraft Mfg & Dev. Co. (AMD) CH601XL1

Reg: N451BB

The special light sport aircraft, which was piloted by a commercial pilot, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain in a field.

2 Serious

According to local law enforcement, the airplane had just departed when the canopy came open. The pilot initiated a forced landing to a field. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector on scene, the airplane sustained a collapsed nose gear, a bent left wing spar, and a buckled firewall.

14 August

Richland, WA

Kolb Mark III

Reg: N18EX

Experimental aircraft impacted the terrain about one-quarter mile south of the runway at Richland Airport.  The pilot reportedly intended to stay in the traffic pattern during the 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal pleasure flight. No flight plan had been filed.

1 Fatal

According to witnesses, after takeoff, the airplane climbed to about 200 feet above ground level (agl), and then leveled off. The witnesses then heard what to them sounded like a reduction in the airplane's power setting. Soon thereafter, the airplane entered a right bank, turned through about 180 degrees, and then increased its angle of bank. Soon after the bank angle increased, the airplane appeared to stall/mush into the terrain.

14 August

Marysville, OH

Beech 58TC

Reg: N715TB

Aircraft was destroyed during an in-flight collision with terrain and post impact fire. A flight instructor witnessed the accident, stating that he had just completed a landing when he heard a pilot transmit "Aircraft on [runway] 9, I need the runway.” The airplane appeared to overshoot the extended runway centerline as it turned final.

1 Fatal

The airplane came to rest upright on a south-southeast heading. The post impact fire consumed approximately the forward two-thirds of the fuselage and both wings.

Witness noted the accident airplane's wing leveled south of the runway centerline. The airplane then "pitched up suddenly and rolled sharply to [the] left." The airplane rolled inverted and struck the ground. A post impact fire ensued.

16 August

St. Johns, AZ

Cessna 177

Reg: N3487T

Aircraft collided with terrain during takeoff.

According to fueling personnel at the airport who witnessed the accident, the airplane landed at St. Johns about 1520. During the landing, the airplane bounced on the runway and the engine lost power. The pilot could not restart the engine so the airplane was towed to the fueling area. The fuel tanks were filled to capacity, the engine started without difficulty, and the pilot then departed at 1545.

3 Serious

A witness saw the airplane go down the runway and there was no change in engine power. The airplane lifted out of ground effect and did not climb any higher. It continued down the runway and at its end, the witness saw the airplane stall to the left, prior to ground impact.

Military

12 August

Capiz, PHILIPPINES

Philippine Navy-operated Islander BRI-2A

Pilot reported that the plane was 14 nautical miles away from Roxas City when one of the aircraft's engines experienced trouble prompting him to conduct a pitching procedure for an emergency landing at the nearest airport.

1 Serious, 7 Minor

The aircraft crew and passengers returned to their base in Cavite the following day.

11 August

Orzugan, AFGHANISTAN

US Army-operated Black Hawk

The US medivac helicopter was arriving to rescue two Australian special forces soldiers who had been wounded, but visibility was extremely poor. "The pilot made two approaches but he could not see and he lost orientation," one witness said. "He hit nose first and blew a tire, and as he came down the rotors struck the ground and went flying."

1 Minor, 3 Uninjured

"The rotors broke off the helicopter and went flying in every direction. Some pieces sailed over the top of people and others hit the Bushmasters (armoured patrol vehicles)," said one source. "Some of the rotor parts went flying 150 metres behind them. We were very lucky people weren't killed."

16 August

Jammu, INDIA

Indian Army-operated Cheetah helicopter

The helicopter was on a rescue mission and the accident took place when it was on its way to Chandigarh, carrying a sick jawan (young infantryman).

3 Fatal

All entries are preliminary and subject to confirmation/correction by formal accident reports.