ACCIDENTS & INCIDENTS

(17 August – 23 August 2008)

Airline, Corporate, & AeroMedevac

Date/

Location

Aircraft/Reg.

Narrative

Casualties

Comments

17 August

Salt Lake City, UT

Skywest Airlines Embraer ERJ-120

Aircraft blew all 4 main gear tires on landing in Salt Lake City and ran into a taxi way light.

29 Casualties

17 August

Montreal, CANADA

Canjet-operated Boeing 737-800

Reg: C-FTCZ

Crew reported a flap problem while on approach to Montreal, but did not declare emergency. The crew had noticed that while selecting one flap, several of the leading edge slats did not move. The appropriate checklist was worked however without solving the problem. The crew then performed a high speed landing with the flaps partially extended. The landing was performed safely.

No injuries

Maintenance staff found some error messages recorded by the system related to the proximity sensors. The flaps were checked and found to be working correctly. The problem has been intermittent, as a similar incident was recorded on Aug 10th. After a maintenance check, which is standard after any high speed landing, the airplane was returned to service.

18 August

London, ENGLAND

Swissair-operated Avro RJ100

Reg: HB-IYU

Pilot was carrying out an approach at London City Airport. At between 50 and 30 ft above the runway, the pilots felt the aircraft 'dropping' and the pilot flying pulled back on the control column to prevent a hard landing. The pitch attitude of the aircraft increased to a maximum of 9.3° and the lower aft fuselage briefly contacted the runway, causing significant damage.

No injuries

Comparison of ground and calibrated airspeed revealed that the airplane was exposed to a slight variable head wind until about 50 feet AGL, when the wind changed to a variable slight tailwind. The sink-rate was 900 feet per minute at that point, reducing smoothly. The FDR data show no sudden drop of altitude, though this could be a limitation of the data due to the sample rate.

18 August

Changsha, CHINA

Hainan Airlines-operated Boeing 737-800

Reg: B-5338

Aircraft overran the runway on landing in Changsa. All wheels went off paved surface and got stuck in a soft area to the side of the runway.

157 Uninjured

Local investigators suspect that the airplane landed long and couldn't be stopped before the runway end. Because of this, they believe that the crew attempted to pull the airplane out to the taxiway, but didn't make the turn and got stuck in the lawn instead.

19 August

Lake Waswanipi, CANADA

Northwest-operated Airbus A330-300

Reg: N807NW

Northwest Flight NW62 (Minneapolis to Paris) and Korean Flight KE85 (Seoul to JFK, New York) were both approaching position 49°30N 76°30W (overhead Lake Waswanipi) at converging flight paths, when the air traffic controller on duty noticed the pending collision with the two airplanes 15 miles apart.

No injuries

ATC asked NW62 to descend to FL360. NW62 however requested to climb to FL380. ATC commanded NW62 "Descend FL360 NOW" and commanded KE85 to turn 30 degrees to the left. KE85 responded "Traffic in sight" and did not turn. With a distance of 5nm between the aircraft NW62 was 400 feet lower, required separation was re-established only when the airplanes were 2nm lateral and 1000 feet vertical apart.

19 August

Lake Waswanipi, CANADA

Korean Airlines-operated Boeing 747-400

Reg: HL7472

See above.

No injuries.

20 August

Madrid, SPAIN

Spanair-operated MD-82

Reg: EC-HFP

Spanair flight JK5022 crashed into a ravine to the side of the runway moments after takeoff. The airplane struck ground with its tail first to the right of the runway, although the exact attitude has not been reported. At least two more impacts followed, until the airplane came to a standstill 1200 meters past the point of first impact. No marks or debris were found on the runway itself.

The case is under investigation by the Spanish accident board, the Comision de Investigation de Accidents e Incidents de Aviacion Civil (CIAIAC).

154 Fatal, 18 Injured

Newspapers El Pais and El Mundo quoted sources involved in the accident investigation as saying they had found that a flap inside the left engine, designed to reverse thrust to help brake after landing, was in the engaged position at the time of the crash. El Pais quoted sources at Spanair as saying mechanics had detected the fault in the engine three days before the crash. However, instead of repairing the fault, mechanics used wire to block the sheet which directs the air flow until the problem could be definitively fixed at a later date, El Mundo reported, citing sources inside the investigation.

It was also reported that the wing leading edge slats and trailing edge flaps were found in the stowed position, raising all sorts of questions about preflight, such as whether the crew failed to deploy slats/flaps, and whether or not the takeoff configuration alarm sounded. The Spanish accident investigation board has a lot of sorting out on its hands.

21 August,

Paphos, CYPRUS

Easyjet-operated Airbus A320-200

Reg: G-TTOG

Emergency was declared on Flight U2-1974 from Paphos (Cyprus) to Manchester (UK) and the flight returned to Paphos about one hour into the flight, after the airplane started to shake violently.





 

161 Uninjured

Passengers initially thought, they had encountered severe turbulence, but the shaking didn't stop. The cause of the violent shaking is unknown. The airline confirmed a technical issue without giving any more detail. Local media in Cyprus reported that passengers were told by the airline they needed to stay in Cyprus until September because no airplane would be available. However, the plane involved (G-TTOG) was repaired and resumed the flight by 23:10 local time, arriving into Manchester the morning of 22 August with a delay of 24 hours.

21 August

Mombasa, KENYA

Condor Boeing 767-300

Reg: D-ABUE

Flight from Mauritius to Frankfurt  Germany) declared emergency and diverted to Mombasa, after the crew was forced to shut down one engine. Shortly after takeoff the cabin crew had noticed abnormal vibrations. Later the flight crew observed an abnormal loss of fuel, not in line with fuel consumption by the engine, in one of the fuel tanks. As the problem could not be solved in contacts with maintenance in Germany, the crew was forced to shut the affected engine down and divert to Mombasa.

274 Uninjured

It was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. A new engine was flown from Hamburg to Mombasa by an IL-76 on 23 August.

22 August

Kongiganak, AK

Hageland Aviation-operated Cessna 207

Reg: N17GN

Aircraft overran the runway at Kongiganak during an aborted takeoff, sustaining substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage.

2 Minor, 4 Uninjured

Additional information regarding the events surrounding the overrun is pending a report from the pilot, and an inspection of the airplane.

22 August

Moab, UT

Leavitt Wings-operated Beech King Air A-100

Aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Canyonlands Field airport, 18 miles northwest of Moab. It hit the ground in nearby hills, flattened and exploded on impact, NTSB investigators said.

10 Fatal

National Transportation Safety Board investigator Tealeye Cornejo said she couldn't see how anyone could have survived the crash. "The fire was so intense, there's not a lot of (the plane) left," she said. Cornejo said investigators were trying to determine if the plane caught fire before or after it hit the ground. On board were employees of a Southwest Skin and Cancer/Red Canyon Aesthetics & Medical Spa, a dermatology company based in Cedar City, 200 miles to the west, that traveled to remote areas to provide treatment for skin cancer and other ailments where it might otherwise be unavailable.

23 August

Barranquilla, COLOMBIA

Aires Colombia-operated de Havilland Dash-8-300

Reg: HK-3952

Flight originated at Curaçao-Hato International Airport (Netherland Antilles) and was destined for Barranquilla. Upon touchdown, aircraft suffered the collapse of its right main landing gear.

25 Uninjured

23 August

London, ENGLAND

Virgin Atlantic-operated Boeing 747-400

Reg: G-VLIP

Flight VS29 from London (UK) to Bridgetown (Barbados) reported technical problems shortly after takeoff from London Gatwick. The crew decided to dump fuel and return to Gatwick, where the airplane safely landed about 40 minutes after departure, with emergency services, including two helicopters, standing by for the landing.

335 Uninjured

G-VLIP shown dumping fuel.

23 August,

Copenhagen, DENMARK

Easyjet-operated Airbus A319

Reg: G-EZDL

Flight, which originated in Berlin (Germany), declared emergency as it approached its destination at Copenhagen, reporting smoke on board. The airplane landed safely and passengers disembarked normally.

136 Uninjured

Passengers reported, they didn’t see any smoke, but noticed something was wrong when flight attendants started to turn lights off and on repeatedly. The captain announced to the passengers about 30 minutes into the flight that they had a small incident and were going to execute an expedited landing. After landing he said that there had been smoke of unknown origin in the cockpit.

23 August

Nice, France

Easyjet-operated Boeing 737-700

Reg: G-EZJG

Flight, which originated in Luton (England) and was destined for Cagliari (Italy, was diverted to Nice when crew declared emergency due to the discovery of smoke in the cabin and cockpit. The plane landed safely and was evacuated.

2 Minor, 130 Uninjured

One flight attendant was brought to hospital with respiratory problems. A second flight attendant was treated at the airport. Firemen attending the aircraft reported seeing smoke, which they reported as coming from an “electrical problem,” although no further specifics were released.

General Aviation and Helicopter

Date/

Location

Aircraft/Reg.

Narrative

Casualties

Comments

17 August

Coventry, ENGLAND

Cessna 402C

Reg: G-EYES

Aircraft collided in mid-air with a Rand KR-2 while both were on approach to land at the Coventry Airport (EGBE).

5 Fatal

All four persons onboard the Cessna 402 were fatally injured as was the sole occupant of the Rand KR-2.

17 August

Coventry, ENGLAND

Rand KR-2

Reg: G-BOLZ

See above.

5 Fatal

See above.

17 August

Rhinebeck, NY

Roberto P. Garcia Nieuport 24bis

Reg: N5246

Amateur-built aircraft was destroyed when it impacted trees and terrain while maneuvering near Old Rhinebeck Airport

1 Fatal

According to preliminary information provided by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the accident flight was a two airplane aerial demonstration of World War I vintage aircraft simulating a “dogfight.” The other airplane participating in the demonstration was a Fokker DR-1. The entire flight was conducted about 300 feet above ground level. During the demonstration the Fokker pilot noticed the Nieuport beginning a left turn. The Fokker pilot looked away for a moment, and he next saw the Nieuport in “what looked to be a 3 turn spin to the left,” before it disappeared into the trees below. The Fokker pilot subsequently circled the accident site in order to help first responders on the ground locate it.

17 August

Morton, MS

Ayres S2R-T15

Reg: N4015P

Aircraft, which was used to apply pesticides to crops, incurred substantial damage when it collided with trees while approaching an application area in Morton. 

1 Fatal

The owner of the intended crops reported that he never saw the airplane and there was no indication that the crop was sprayed. The local authorities were notified and a search for the airplane was initiated. The airplane was located that evening about ¼ mile north of the intended crop. It was on a south heading when it collided into the trees. The airplane’s propeller cut several trees and branches during its descent. The airplane separated into several sections during the collision sequence before coming to rest on the ground.

17 August

Olalla, WA

Robinson R-22 Helicopter

Reg: N301MA

Helicopter impacted terrain about two miles northwest of Olalla. The helicopter, which was owned and operated by the pilot, was destroyed by the impact.

1 Fatal

According to witnesses, the pilot passed near his residence (which had a landing pad) a couple of times at an altitude of about 200 feet above ground level (agl). The last time he flew by he was heading from north to south. Shortly thereafter, the helicopter impacted the terrain in the backyard of another residence located about one-half mile south of the pilot’s residence.

18 August

Santo Domingo, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Cessna 501 Citation I/SP

Reg: N223LC

The flight, which originated from the Las Americas Airport near Santa Domingo, was destined for San Juan, Puerto Rico.  However, soon after takeoff, Dominican Authorities report losing radar contact with the plane. They state that they last recorded the missing aircraft on radar approximately three miles south of Santo Domingo.

1 Fatal

Dominican Coast Guard and Navy rescue crews spent three days conducting 17 searches spanning more than 7,686 square nautical miles throughout the search area, twice the size of Puerto Rico.  The search was called off on 22 August, and the plane and the pilot still have not been found.

18 August

Bethel, AK

Cessna 207A

Reg: N9935M

Aircraft collided with another Cessna 207A (registration N7380U) while taxiing on the ramp at the Bethel Airport. Both airplanes were operated by Flight Alaska, dba Yute Air, Anchorage, Alaska. Both sustained substantial damage. According to the operator’s director of operations, and the written statement of the pilot of N9935M, both airplanes were in the vicinity of the company hangar, when the front of the right wing of N9935M collided with the trailing edge of the left wing of N7380U.

2 Uninjured

The pilot of N9935M stated that he was taxing too fast, and didn’t see the other airplane in time to avoid hitting it. The director of operations said the pilot of N7380U was giving the passenger a pretakeoff briefing, and just caught a glimpse of N9935M as it collided with his airplane’s left wing trailing edge. N9935M’s damage was primarily on the leading edge of the right wing, requiring replacement of a rib and a section of the leading edge; damage to N7380U was primarily the left wing flap, and the left aileron, which required replacement.

18 August

Bethel, AK

Cessna 207A

Reg: N7380U

See above.

2 Uninjured

See above.

18 August

Bonners Ferry, ID

Hughes 369D

Reg: N622PB

Helicopter collided with terrain near Bonners Ferry. According to the United States Forest Service safety officer, the pilot was picking up firefighters and had landed on a pinnacle. After loading the helicopter, the pilot began to depart and 10 to 15 feet above the horizon and approximately 30 to 40 feet above the trees, the pilot was having difficulty maintaining altitude in the helicopter. He then performed a 180-degree turn back to his departure point and the helicopter landed. During the landing, the tail rotor drive shaft sheared.

4 Uninjured

United States Forest Service (USFS) was operating the helicopter as a public use flight. The helicopter sustained substantial damage.

Possibly overweight, as was suspected also in the 5 August crash of a USFS helicopter near Weaverville, CA, which killed 9 of 13 persons aboard.

19 August

Jeannette, PA

Piper PA-22-160

Reg: N9403D

Aircraft went off the right side of the runway on landing roll out at Greensburg Jeannette Regional Airport. The airplane received substantial damage.

2 Uninjured

The pilot stated he over flew the airport and obtained the landing direction from the windsock. He entered left downwind for runway 20 and made two visual approaches and go-arounds due to the airplane being too high. On the third approach, he landed the airplane 600 feet past the landing threshold. The airplane bounced and touched down on the runway 1,300 feet past the landing threshold. He aligned the airplane with the centerline of the runway and applied upward pressure on the manual brake to slow the airplane down. There was no response from the brake. The pilot reapplied upward pressure on the brake and there was no response. He looked down towards the firewall, observed the brake cable had separated, and started “S” turning the airplane on the runway in an attempt to slow the airplane down and stop. He then realized he was about 50 yards from the end of the runway and there was an embankment. He applied right rudder to turn the airplane off the right side of the runway. The right main landing gear came up off the runway, and the propeller and left wing tip struck the runway. The airplane continued off the runway and the nose wheel collapsed.

19 August

Glendale, AZ

Cessna TU206F

Reg: N62DB

Aircraft collided with a fence during a forced landing near Glendale. According to the pilot, shortly after takeoff the engine began to run rough, so the pilot turned back toward the airport. He tried to get the engine running more smoothly, but was unsuccessful. The airplane could not maintain altitude, and could not make it back to the airport. He elected to land in a short, open field. After colliding with the fence and coming to a stop, the pilot evacuated his passengers and himself without injuries.

3 Uninjured

The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the fuselage.  Recovery personnel strapped the airframe to supports. They plumbed a fuel can into the left wing fuel supply. When they opened the fuel valve, fuel leaked from the fitting inlet to the fuel flow transducer with gravity flow. The fitting took about 180 degrees of turn to close finger tight, and stop the leak. Investigators tightened the fitting.

19 August

Slana, AK

Piper PA-18-150

Reg: N4151T

Aircraft sustained substantial damage when it veered off the takeoff area after encountering brush during the takeoff roll, about 27 miles southeast of Slana.

1 Uninjured

The airplane was being operated by the State of Alaska, Alaska State Troopers, Anchorage, Alaska. A representative of the Alaska State Troopers said the pilot was taking off from an unpaved landing area when the airplane encountered high vegetation, which caused the airplane to veer off the takeoff area. He said the airplane sustained damage to the left wing and left strut. The representative said there were no known mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident.

20 August

Springerville, AZ

Piper PA-28-180

Reg: N5316L

Aircraft sustained substantial damage subsequent to a collision with terrain shortly after takeoff approximately one mile north of the Springerville Municipal Airport.

2 Fatal

Witnesses reported the airplane became airborne about midfield during takeoff from runway 03. A witness stated that shortly after liftoff the airplane appeared to be flying, “sideways” when it suddenly rolled to the right, pitched to a nose-low attitude, and impacted terrain.

21 August

San Martin, CA

Single-engine SOCATA Rallye 235E

Aircraft crashed into a California Highway Patrol truck inspection facility in San Martin.

1 Fatal

22 August

North Las Vegas, NV

Experimental Killgore M/Killgore K Velocity 173RG

Reg: N415MK

Aircraft collided with a residential building in North Las Vegas. Preliminary information obtained from the FAA revealed that shortly after takeoff the air traffic controller observed that the airplane was not gaining altitude. The controller asked the pilot if he needed assistance, to which the pilot responded, “I’m going down, I’m going down.” The airplane then collided with a house 1.1 miles southeast of the airport.

3 Fatal

The owner/builder of the aircraft was interviewed by the NTSB investigator-in-charge after the accident. He reported that the engine was equipped with a supercharger, and that the purpose of the flight was to test the performance of the airplane and engine with the supercharger engaged. He further reported that the supercharger was tested on multiple occasions during high speed taxi tests and ground runs the week prior to the accident, but that this was to be the first time it would be engaged for flight.

22 August

Iliamna, AK

Robinson R44

Reg: N291VB

Helicopter crashed into terrain while positioning to move crew members from a drilling test site.

1 Uninjured

According to the pilot, as he approached and passed the approximately 70-foot high drill tower, he related that he was about 30 feet above the ground, when he heard a violent bang and lost control of the helicopter. The helicopter immediately became uncontrollable, and descended rapidly to the ground, where it caught fire. The pilot said he was able to release his seat restraints, and crawled through where the windscreen/bubble used to be. The drilling crew had previously stripped approximately 6,000 feet of 3/8-inch thick cable from the drum at the base of the drill tower, over the top of the tower, and onto the ground. The pilot was unaware of these activities, and did not see the wire until after he had collided with it. According to the operator, pulling the wire off the drum was a rare occurrence, and there was no active communication from ground personnel alerting the pilot that the wire was trailing away from the tower.

Military

Date/

Location

Aircraft/Reg.

Narrative

Casualties

Comments

20 August

Lincolnshire, ENGLAND

British Royal Air Force-operated BAE Hawk

Reg: XX320

Aircraft crashed into a parking lot near the air traffic control tower at Cranwell, an RAF base.

2 Serious

An RAF spokesman said, “We do not know what caused this incident, however, a Board of Inquiry is being established to investigate all aspects of the crash.”

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