20 October 2007

Bird Ingestion and Crash of Military Jet

This 14 May 2004 accident occurred at the Canadian Forces base at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and involved a Hawk jet aircraft assigned to the NATO Flying Training in Canada program. The instructor pilot had just taken control and as the aircraft approached the departure end of Runway 29R, a bird was observed just left of the nose. Both crewmembers heard a "thump", felt vibrations and noted a change in engine pitch, followed by indications of engine malfunction.

According to the Canadian Forces crash investigation, a gull hit the angle of attack probe, then entered the left hand engine intake and
was ingested by the engine, causing serious damage to the engine. The aircraft reached a maximum altitude of approximately 3700 MSL (1700 AGL). After the aircraft descended through 3000 MSL, the crew successfully ejected. One crewmember was seriously injured and the other received minor injuries. The aircraft was completely destroyed when it crashed about seven seconds later in a farmer's field.

Video from just before ingestion until aircraft impact



Additional information
Canadian Forces crash investigation page
Accident investigation report
Initial report summary (2004)
Report summary update (2007)

Fatal Crash of Garuda 737 in Indonesia

On 7 March 2007 , the aircraft had been on a domestic flight on from Jakarta and overran the runway after landing at Yogyakarta. The aircraft went through the airport's perimeter fence, crossed and road and an embankment, and caught fire as it came to rest in a nearby rice paddy. The footage at the crash site was made by a survivor of the crash. One of the seven crew members and 22 of the 133 passengers were killed.

You can visit AirSafe.com for more on the fatal event history of the 737 and of Garuda Airlines.

Fatal Crash of Medical Flight In Colombia

The single-engine Cessna was on a medical evacuation flight in rural Colombia. The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff. The child, his mother, and a doctor were killed in the crash, and the last occupant, the pilot, died a few days later. No information on the date or location of the crash was available.

The Crash of United 232 in Sioux City

This excerpt from a documentary about the July 1989 crash of a United Airlines DC10 in Sioux City, Iowa uses a combination of footage of the crash, dramatic recreations, interviews with participants, and computer simulations to illustrate how the pilots were able to guide the aircraft to the airport after losing one engine, all hydraulic systems, and the use of all flight control systems. The crew maneuvered the aircraft to a crash landing at the Sioux City airport using differential thrust on the two remaining engines to control the aircraft. One of the 11 crew members and 110 of the 285 passengers were killed.

Other excerpts from the documentary goes into the prior safety history of the DC10, and also into the investigation and aftermath of the Sioux City event.

Visit AirSafe.com for a listing fatal events involving the DC10 where at least one passenger was killed.


Crash of SR-71 Blackbird in 1966

During the fourth test of an experimental drone aircraft in July 1966, the drone collided with the SR-71 shortly after separation. The aircraft broke up, and both crew members bailed out. However, one drowned after parachuting into the ocean off the coast of California. For further information on the history of the SR-71, visit Habu.org.

19 October 2007

Fatal MD11 Crash at Hong Kong

This short video shows the 22 August 1999 crash of a China Airlines MD11 crash at the Hong Kong airport (HKG). The aircraft was landing in Hong Kong at night and during a storm after a flight from Bangkok. The aircraft struck the runway and came to rest upside down and on fire. All 15 crew members survived, but three of the 300 passengers were killed. Visit AirSafe.com to see a listing of other MD11 fatal events.

Citation Overrun at Atlantic City Municipal Airport (AIY)

According the the NTSB factual report of this 15 May 2005 event, the pilot landed the aircraft at Atlantic City Municipal airport (AIY) after a flight from Burnlington, VT (BTV). The landing airport was closed to jet traffic, the aircraft landed with a 10-knot tailwind, on a 2,948 foot runway, and with a landing weight that would have required a 3,000 foot runway in a no-wind situation. The aircraft overran the runway and ended up in the water. The pilot and three passengers were not seriously injured. Toward the end of the video, at least one engine spooled up and the aircraft was seen moving slowly through the water. Neither the factual report or the NTSB probable cause report mentioned this part of the event.