| Phase of Flight / Type of Incident |
Number of Occurrences |
| Ground |
7 |
| RTO - Overrun |
11 |
| RTO - Remained on runway |
3 |
| Take-off |
10 |
| Climb |
5 |
| Cruise - Structural failure |
2 |
| Cruise - Other |
4 |
| Hijack / Bomb |
4 |
| Double Engine Failure |
3 |
| Fuel Exhaustion |
1 |
| Rudder Problem |
2 |
| Approach - Non Precision |
15 |
| Approach - Other |
9 |
| Landing - Collision |
1 |
| Landing - Short |
5 |
| Landing - Long |
6 |
| Landing - Heavy |
15 |
| Landing - Fast |
4 |
| Landing - Gear Up |
1 |
| Landing - LOC after touchdown |
12 |
| Go-Around |
4 |
There have been 130 737 hull-losses, including 4 hijackings/bombings and
7 ground accidents. This may sound high but remember that over 5000 737’s have
been built since 1967. This gives a 2.5% accident rate or approx 3 per year or
one every 2.5 million flight hours. Furthermore, over
40% of occupants survive fatal 737 accidents.
The table below shows that more accidents have befallen the older
aircraft. This is to be expected because they have amassed more flying hours /
cycles and later generations have 38 years of design and technology improvements
built in to them. A fairer comparison across the generations would be rate per
flying hours or cycles but I do not have the data for this.
| Series |
W/O’s |
No Built |
W/O Rate / A/C |
| 737-1/200 |
100 |
1144 |
1 in 12 |
| 737-3/4/500 |
26 |
1990 |
1 in 76 |
| 737-NG |
2 |
2000+ |
1 in 1000+ |
Details have been compiled
from a variety of sources ie Aviation journals, books, news reports, internet sites (particularly the Aviation
Safety Network) and of course the official
accident reports, some of which is contradictory. Any additional information about any
of these
incidents would be gratefully received.
Chris Brady
The Complete Boeing 737 Write-off Listing
19 Jul 1970, N9005U, 737-200, 19043/18, Del 16/3/68, United Airlines;
Philadelphia, USA.
The First Officer (PF), initiated the takeoff roll. Shortly
after rotation, at a speed above V2, a loud bang was heard and the aircraft
veered to the right. The Captain moved both throttles forward but there seemed
to be no response. The Captain then made the instantaneous decision to land back
on the runway. The aircraft touched down 1075ft before the end of the runway, it
overran and continued across the blast pad. It crossed a field, passed through a
6-foot high aluminium chain link fence into an area covered with high grass,
weeds and brush. The aircraft came to rest 1634ft past the end of the runway.
The NTSB report states the cause as: “The termination of
the take-off, after the No.1 engine failed, at a speed above V2 at a height of
approximately 50 feet, with insufficient runway remaining to effect a safe
landing. The Captain’s decision and his action to terminate the take-off were
based on the erroneous judgment that both engines had failed.” There were no
fatalities.
8 Dec 1972; N9031U, 737-200, 19069/75, Del 30/9/68, United Airlines; Chicago
Midway, USA:
Aircraft crashed in a residential area about 1.5 miles from
Runway 31L during a non-precision approach. The aircraft was observed below the
overcast in a nose-high attitude and with the sound of high engine power just
before it crashed into structures on the ground. It is believed that the
aircraft was in the landing configuration but with the flight spoilers still
deployed after a deceleration which caused the aircraft to stall.
The NTSB determined that the cause was “the Captains
failure to exercise positive flight management during the execution of the
non-precision approach, which culminated in a critical deterioration of airspeed
into the stall regime were level flight could no longer be maintained.”
3 of the 6 crew, 40 of the 55 passengers and 2 people on
the ground were killed.
31 May 1973; VT-EAM, 737-200, 20486/279, Del 10/4/71, Indian Airlines; near
New Delhi, India:
The aircraft was making an NDB approach with visibility
below minima, but the crew continued the approach and descended below minimum
descent altitude without seeing the runway. The aircraft collided with high
tension wires, crashed and caught fire. The crash killed five of the seven crew
members and 43 of the 58 passengers.
31 Mar 1975; N4527W, 737-200, 20131/165, Del 12/5/69, Western
Airlines; Casper, WY, USA.
The Captain was flying a back-course localizer approach to
Runway 25, even though a full ILS was available on runway 07. The weather was
500ft cloud base with visibility less than 1 mile in light snow and a slight
tailwind of 030/08. The runway had been ploughed earlier but there was now an
estimated 2-3 inches of snow on the runway. The aircraft levelled off at MDA
with flap 25 set. After 4 sec the F/O became visual and selected flap 30 at the
Captains request who descended toward the runway. The aircraft remained high and
fast until touchdown and no advisory/warning callouts were made by the F/O. He
touched down 2375ft into the 8681ft runway at Vref+20 and ran off the end by
800ft hitting the approach lights at the far end. Aircraft sustained substantial
damage but there were no fatalities.
4 Dec 1977; 9M-MBD, 737-200 Adv, 20585/306, Del 21/9/72, Malaysian Airline
System; near Johore Strait, Malaysia:
The flight was approaching Kuala Lumpur when the pilot
radioed that a hijacker had taken control of the aircraft. The aircraft
continued to Singapore. While descending from FL210 to FL070 the nose suddenly
pitched up. Control was lost and the aircraft crashed into a swamp and
disintegrated.
All seven crew members and 93 passengers were killed. Both
pilots had been shot.
11 Feb 1978; CF-PWC, 737-200, 20142/253 Del 1/5/70, Pacific Western
Airlines; Cranbrook Airport, BC, Canada:
The aircraft touched down just as the crew noticed a snow
blower on the runway. A go-around was initiated, but the thrust reversers did
not stow away properly because hydraulic power was automatically cut off at
lift-off. The aircraft missed the vehicle, overran the runway, crashed and
burned. Estimated time of arrival given by Calgary ATC was considerably in
error. Crew did not report over the final approach beacon. The crash killed four
of the crew members and 38 of the 44 passengers.
3 Apr 1978; PP-SMX, 737-200 Adv, 20969/369, Del 28/8/74, Vasp; Congonhas,
Brazil:
On landing in pre-dawn darkness and thick fog, the aircraft
veered off the side of Runway 06 skidding for about 2000 ft before coming to a
stop in the grass beneath the runway. The aircraft lost its entire undercarriage
and collided with small trees on its path suffering damage to both engines,
forward and mid fuselage and horizontal stabilizers. No fatalities.
4 Apr 1978; OO-SDH, 737-200C Adv, 20914/396, Del 26/2/75, Sabena; Charleroi,
Belgium:
The aircraft was performing circuits on a training flight.
During a touch-and-go on Runway 25, the aircraft struck a flock of birds. The
take-off was aborted, but the aircraft overran, struck the localiser antennas
and skidded. The right main gear collapsed and the no.2 engine was torn off in
the slide. The aircraft came to rest 300m past the runway end and was destroyed
by fire. There were no fatalities.
17 Dec 1978; VT-EAL, 737-200, 20485/277, Del 9/3/71, Indian Airlines;
Hyderabad-Begumpet, India:
The aircraft lifted off from Runway 09, but could not climb
because the leading edge devices did not deploy and as a result the aircraft
became aerodynamically unstable. The take-off was aborted and the aircraft was
flared for a belly landing with undercarriage retracted. The aircraft belly
landed in nose up, left wing low attitude, on the centre line of the runway. It
slid for 3080 feet, hit a boundary fence, crossed a drain and ploughed in rough
terrain negotiating with small boulders and came to rest. Fire broke out on
impact. One passenger and 3 maintenance workers cutting grass were killed.
26 Apr 1979; VT-ECR, 737-200 Adv, 20962/380, Del 28/10/74,
Indian Airlines; Madras, India:
On its way from Trivandrum to Madras, the aircraft was
cleared to descent from FL270. Shortly afterwards an explosion took place in the
forward lavatory, causing a complete instrument and electrical failure. The
aircraft had to make a flapless landing at Madras. The aircraft touched down
2500ft past the Runway 25 threshold and overran. The right side of the plane
caught fire. PROBABLE CAUSE: “Detonation of an explosive device in the forward
lavatory of the aircraft. The aircraft overshot the runway due to high speed of
touchdown, non-availability of reverse thrust and anti-skid system due to
systems failure from explosion.”
5 Nov 1980; D2-TAA, 737-200, 21172/439, Del 19/11/75, TAAG Angola Airlines;
Benguala, Angola:
The aircraft landed 4m short, causing the gear to collapse.
The aircraft slid 900m and came to rest 20m to the side of the runway. The no.1
engine and right wing caught fire. The aircraft was destroyed during recovery
attempts. PROBABLE CAUSE: Lack of VASIs and threshold markings caused the
pilot’s inability to follow the correct approach slope.
17 Feb 1981; N468AC, 737-200, 20334/232, Del 15/9/70, Air California; Santa
Ana, CA, USA:
The crew had received a clearance for a visual approach to
Runway 19R. Meanwhile the controller cleared another flight for take-off from
the same runway. When recognising the hazard, the controller ordered the landing
aircraft to go-around and the departing aircraft to abort its take-off. The
departing aircraft rejected its take-off, but the Captain of the landing
aircraft delayed the go-around by approximately 12 seconds and then selected the
gear UP before achieving a positive rate of climb. The 737 left the runway
surface at 900ft past the threshold and skidded another 1170ft before coming to
rest 115ft to the right of the centreline. No fatalities.
PROBABLE CAUSE: “The captain’s failure to immediately
initiate a go-around when instructed to do so by the tower’s air traffic
controller and his subsequent failure to correctly execute the specified
go-around procedure which resulted in the retraction of the landing gear after
the aircraft touched down on the runway.”
22 Aug 1981; B-2603, 737-200, 19939/151, Del 5/5/69, Far Eastern Air
Transport; near Sanyi, Miaoli, Taiwan:
The aircraft experienced in-flight structural failure at
22,000ft. The crash killed all six crew members and 104 passengers. The aircraft
had experienced rapid depressurisations 2 weeks previously and that morning. The
aircraft was the one built immediately before the Aloha 737 which ripped open
in-flight.
The cause was found to be serious belly corrosion,
exacerbated by the fact that the aircraft had been frequently used to carry fish
in the hold. The first 418 737s were susceptible to structural problems as they
were built with a production method of stiffening with bonded doublers (cold
bonding). This was changed to chemical milling.
13 Jan 1982; N62AF, 737-200, 19556/130, Del 15/2/69, Air Florida;
Washington, DC:
The crew used reverse thrust to assist the push-back off
stand and taxied close behind another aircraft for heat from the exhaust, both
of which may have contributed to the airframe snow/ice accretion. They also did
not use engine anti-ice whilst taxiing out during snow causing the PT2 (EPR )
probes to misread. Although anomalous engine instrument readings were called
during the takeoff, the Captain neither aborted nor adjusted the thrust levers
to allow sufficient thrust for takeoff and the aircraft stalled and crashed into
the frozen Potomac River. Take-off was almost an hour after de-icing had been
completed and the CVR shows that the crew were aware of 10-20mm of snow on the
wings. Four of the five crew members and 70 of the 74 passengers were killed.
25 May 1982; PP-SMY, 737-200 Adv, 20970/376, Del 4/10/74, VASP; Brasilia,
Brazil:
The aircraft landed heavily in a rainstorm and broke in
two. One report stated that “The pilots’ misuse of rain repellent caused an
optical illusion”. The crash killed two of the 112 passengers.
26 Aug 1982; JA8444, 737-200 Adv, 21477/545, Del 18/1/79, Southwest Airlines
(Later JTA); Ishigaki, Japan:
The crew made a crosswind landing on Runway 22 with a wind
of 300/12, the speed at touchdown was Vref+6kts. The aircraft bounced and landed
back. When the spoilers and reversers didn’t seem to operate, the crew shut down
both engines, thus making it impossible to use the anti-skid system. The inner
tyres on both main gear legs burst almost simultaneously at 125m short of the
runway end. The aircraft skidded to the left, overran the runway and came to
rest 145m further on. The aircraft caught fire after the evacuation. No
fatalities.
22 Feb 1983; PP-SNC, 737-200C Adv, 21187/443, Del 29/1/76, VASP; Manaus,
Brazil:
The First Officer lost control of a simulated engine
failure after take-off during a training flight. The retarded thrust lever was
advanced, but the engine stalled. The Boeing then rolled left and crashed.
PROBABLE CAUSE: Failure to follow procedures, attempted
operation with known deficiencies and inadequate supervision were factors. Both
pilots were killed.
28 Mar 1983; C9-BAB, 737-200, 20281/228, Del 19/12/69, LAM-Mozambique;
Quelimane, Mozambique:
While on final approach at night, the pilot reduced engine
power to flight idle. At 230ft (70m) the pilot added some power, but the
airspeed had decayed below Vref. The stick-shaker activated and full power was
applied. The 737 touched down 400m short of the runway, causing the
undercarriage to fail.
PROBABLE CAUSE: Misjudged speed, distance and altitude.
Contributing factors were the inadequate crew supervision and the non-use of
VASIs. There were 110 people on board but no fatalities.
11 Jul 1983; HC-BIG, 737-200 Adv, 22607/775, Del 5/10/81, TAME; near Cuenca,
Azway, Ecuador:
The aircraft struck a ridge with its tail section during an
approach in fog and then crashed into hilly terrain approx 1 mile short of the
runway.
The crash killed all eight crew members and 111 passengers.
The pilot was reportedly “under-qualified”.
23 Sep 1983; A40-BK, 737-200 Adv, 21734/566, Del 18/4/79, Gulf Air; Mina
Jebel Ali, near Abu Dhabi, UAE:
Crashed during approach into Abu Dhabi after a bomb had
exploded in the baggage compartment. The crash killed all six crew members and
105 of 111 passengers. There were indications of a pre-impact explosion in a
cargo hold, with resultant structural damage and an uncontrollable fire
producing toxic fumes that rapidly overcame the occupants. The evidence pointed
away from a blaze of either electrical or fuel origin, and it was later
concluded that the 737 had been sabotaged. Some checked-in luggage was carried
by a ticket holder who did not board the aircraft.
8 Nov 1983; D2-TBN, 737-200 Adv, 22775/869, Del 6/5/82, TAAG Angola
Airlines; Lubango, Angola:
The aircraft took off and climbed to 200ft before turning
steeply to the left and crashing about 800m from the end of the runway. The
crash killed all five crew members and 121 of 126 passengers. Angolan
authorities blamed technical failure; however, anti-government guerrillas
claimed to have shot the aircraft with a surface-to-air missile.
22 Mar 1984, C-GQPW, 737-200 Adv, 22265/755, Del 15/4/81, Pacific Western
Airlines; Calgary, Canada:
About 20 seconds into the take-off roll, at an airspeed of
70 knots, the flightcrew heard a loud bang which was accompanied by a slight
veer to the left. The No1 engine 13th stage compressor disc had
failed 1,300 feet into the take-off roll. A piece of the disc punctured a fuel
cell which ignited instantaneously and the fire engulfed the left wing and aft
section of the aircraft.
The Captain immediately rejected the take-off using brakes
and reverse thrust. Both the pilots suspected a tyre on the left main landing
gear had blown. While the aircraft was vacating the runway, the crew noted that
left engine low pressure unit rpm was indicating 0 per cent. The purser then
entered the flight deck and reported a fire on the left wing. It took
approximately 1min 30secs for the crew to initiate the evacuation.
There were 119 people on board, but no casualties.
9 Feb 1984; D2-TBV, 737-200 Adv, 22626/802, Del 14/10/81, TAAG Angola
Airlines; Huambo, Angola:
An explosion occurred in the rear cabin whilst climbing
through 8000ft after take-off. The crew retuned to Huambo for an emergency
landing but were unable to extend the flaps because of damage to the hydraulic
systems. The aircraft landed flapless and fast and overran the runway by 180m.
No fatalities
30 Aug 1984; TJ-CBD, 737-200C Adv, 21295/484, Del 2/3/77, Cameroon Airlines;
Douala, Cameroon:
When taxiing out for a flight to Garoua via Yaound‚ a
compressor disc in the No.2 JT8D-15 engine failed. Debris punctured the wing and
fuel tank, causing a fire. The aircraft burned out. Two of the 108 passengers
were killed.
15 Apr 1985; HS-TBB, 737-200 Adv, 21810/604, Del 10/10/79, Thai Airways;
Phuket, Thailand:
Shortly after starting a descent to 3000ft the crew
reported that they were not receiving the DME. ATC asked if they would prefer a
VOR approach to Runway 09 instead of a visual to 27, although it was night
(23:25 local), the visual approach to 27 was continued. Later the crew reported
that they had lost both engines and were descending through 3400ft and had
nearly hit a mountain. The aircraft eventually hit high ground at 800ft and was
destroyed by the impact and subsequent fire. The crash killed all four
passengers and seven crew members.
22 Aug 1985; G-BGJL, 737-200 Adv, 22033/743, Del 2/4/81, British Airtours;
Manchester Airport, England:
The aircraft began its take-off from Runway 24 at
Manchester with the First Officer handling. About 36 seconds later, as the
airspeed passed 125 knots, the left engine suffered an uncontained failure,
which punctured a wing fuel tank access panel. Fuel leaking from the wing
ignited and burnt as a large plume of fire trailing directly behind the engine.
The crew heard a thud, and believing that they had suffered a tyre-burst or
bird-strike, abandoned the take-off immediately, intending to clear the runway
to the right. They had no indication of fire until 9 seconds later, when the
left engine fire warning occurred. After an exchange with ATC, during which the
fire was confirmed, the Captain warned his crew of an evacuation from the right
side of the aircraft, by making a broadcast over the cabin address system, and
brought the aircraft to a halt.
As the aircraft turned off, a wind of 7 knots from 250°
carried the fire onto and around the rear fuselage. After the aircraft stopped
the hull was penetrated rapidly and smoke, possibly with some flame transients,
entered the cabin through the aft right door which was opened shortly before the
aircraft came to a halt. Subsequently fire developed within the cabin. Despite
the prompt attendance of the airport fire service, the aircraft was destroyed
and 55 of the 137 persons on board lost their lives.
The cause of the accident was an uncontained failure of the
left engine, initiated by a failure of the No 9 combustor can which had been the
subject of a repair. A section of the combustor can, which was ejected forcibly
from the engine, struck and fractured an under wing fuel tank access panel. The
fire which resulted developed catastrophically, primarily because of adverse
orientation of the parked aircraft relative to the wind, even though the wind
was light.
The major cause of the fatalities was rapid incapacitation
due to the inhalation of the dense toxic/irritant smoke atmosphere within the
cabin, aggravated by evacuation delays caused by a door malfunction and
restricted access to the exits.
23 Nov 1985; SU-AYH, 737-200 Adv, 21191/450, Del 4/3/76, Egyptair; Luqa,
Valletta, Malta:
The aircraft was hijacked to Malta. After several hours of
negotiations, Egyptian troops stormed the aircraft. During the ensuing battle,
the hijackers threw several hand grenades. The aircraft was severely damaged by
the explosions and fire. Two of the six crew members and 58 of the 90 passengers
were killed.
28 Jan 1986; PP-SME, 737-200, 20096/190, Del 25/7/69, VASP; Guarulhos, Sao
Paulo, Brazil:
The crew unknowingly tried to take-off from a taxiway in
fog. The take-off was aborted, but the aircraft overran, collided with a dyke
and broke in two. One of the 60 passengers was killed.
16 Feb 1986; B-1870, 737-200, 20226/168, Del 22/5/69, China Airlines; Makung,
Pescadores Islands, Taiwan:
A nose gear tyre had reportedly burst during the first
attempt to land. The aircraft went around and crashed into the sea 12 miles
North of Makung. All six passengers and seven crew members were killed.
15 Oct 1986; EP-IRG, 737-200 Adv, 20499/284, Del 17/7/71, Iran Air; Shiraz,
Iran:
Passengers were disembarking when the airport came under
attack from Iraqi aircraft and the aircraft was hit. Three passengers were
killed.
25 Oct 1986; N752N, 737-200, 19073/90, Del 4/11/68, Piedmont Airlines;
Charlotte, NC.
Flight 467 landed on Runway 36R after an ILS approach.
About 24 seconds after touchdown, the aircraft overran the runway, struck a
localizer antenna array, a concrete culvert, continued through a chain link
fence and came to rest upon the edge of railroad tracks, 440ft past the runway
end. Three passengers sustained serious injuries, but there were no fatalities.
PROBABLE CAUSE: “The Captain’s failure to stabilize the
approach and his failure to discontinue the approach to a landing that was
conducted at an excessive speed beyond the normal touchdown point on a wet
runway. Contributing to the accident was the Captain’s failure to optimally use
the airplane deceleration devices. Also contributing to the accident was the
lack of effective crew co-ordination during the approach. Contributing to the
severity of the accident was the poor frictional quality of the last 1500ft of
the runway and the obstruction presented by a concrete culvert located 318ft
beyond the departure end of the runway.”
25 Dec 1986; YI-AGJ, 737-200C Adv, 21183/446, Del 26/1/76, Iraqi Airways;
Over Saudi Arabia:
The aircraft was en route between Baghdad, Iraq and Amman,
Jordan when hijackers set off a hand grenade in the passenger cabin and started
a gunfight with security forces on board the aircraft. An emergency descent was
initiated immediately. Descending through FL160, a hand grenade in the cockpit
exploded. The aircraft crashed trying to land at a small airfield near Arar
Saudi Arabia; it broke in two and caught fire, killing 67 of the 107 passengers.
4 Aug 1987; CC-CHJ, 737-200 Adv, 22602/711, Del 22/12/80, LAN Chile;
Santiago/Calama, Chile:
The aircraft was approaching Runway 27 which had an 880m
displaced threshold due to construction work. The pilot was landing into sun and
touched down 520m short of the displaced threshold. The nose-gear collapsed as
it hit obstacles and the aircraft broke in two. A fire broke out 30mins later
and destroyed the aircraft. One of the 27 passengers was killed.
31 Aug 1987; HS-TBC, 737-200 Adv, 22267/685, Del 18/8/80, Thai Airways; near
Ko Phuket, Thailand:
While descending during a daylight approach in good
weather, the crew lost control of the aircraft and crashed into the Andanan Sea.
All of the nine crew members and 74 passengers were killed.
The airport had no radar and the crew were concerned that
another aircraft was behind them flying 500ft lower, on a different VOR radial,
and was cleared to land. During this distraction the aircraft stalled and was
unable to recover before hitting the sea. The controllers were re-assigned and
their supervisor disciplined.
4 Jan 1988; D-ABHD, 737-200 Adv, 22635/774, Del 25/6/81,
Condor; Izmir, Turkey:
The flight was cleared to the CU NDB for an ILS approach to
Runway 35. After passing the NDB the pilots switched to ILS and thus couldn’t
verify their position in the procedure turn. The aircraft was outside the 35deg
sector of the ILS centreline and the crew followed the wrong side beam. The crew
descended to Outer Marker altitude and the 737 struck a hill. PROBABLE CAUSE:
Presumed NDB passage, wrong use of VOR and ILS, overconfidence of the Captain
and considerable inactivity of the First Officer (PF). All five crew members and
11 passengers were killed.
28 Apr 1988; N73711, 737-200, 20209/152, Del 9/4/69, Aloha; near Maui, HI:
The aircraft experienced an explosive decompression at
24,000ft due to metal fatigue in upper cabin area. The crew was able to execute
a successful emergency landing with an 8ft x 12ft section of the upper fuselage
missing from aft of the forward entrance door to the leading edge of the wing.
One of the flight attendants was swept overboard and killed.
The aircraft was the second highest cycle 737 in the world
at 89,193; the highest also being in the Aloha fleet. The original design life
of the 737 was 75,000 cycles but this had been increased to 130,000 in 1987.
However Boeing had been expressing concern at the condition of three high cycle
Aloha aircraft since 1987. The NTSB blamed Aloha for failure to detect fatigue
damage and an inadequate maintenance policy. Aloha voluntarily scrapped the
other two aircraft in July 1988.
15 Sep 1988; ET-AJA, 737-200 Adv, 23914/1456, Del 29/10/87, Ethiopian
Airlines; Bahar Dar, Ethiopia:
During take-off, just past VR, at a speed of 146kts, the
737 suffered a birdstrike. Both engines ingested a number of birds, which
resulted in a rise in engine temperature on climb-out and the engines backfiring
at 100-200ft. The crew made a right turn to return to the airport with the EGT
at limits. On base leg at 7100ft amsl with 190kts, both JT8D-17A engines
backfired & flamed out. A wheels-up crash landing was made. The aircraft caught
fire. The aircraft had been delivered on October 29, 1987 and had accumulated
just 1377hrs flying time and 1870 cycles.
PROBABLE CAUSE: “The accident occurred because the airplane
could not be safely returned to the runway after the internal destruction and
subsequent failure of both engines to operate arising from multiple bird
ingestion by both engines during take-off.” Engine failure due to ingestion of
10-16 Columba Guinea birds (approx. 320 grams each).
As a result of the crash landing, 31 of the 105 passengers
were killed.
26 Sep 1988; LV-LIU, 737-200 Adv, 20964/379, Del 10/12/74, Aerolineas
Argentinas; Ushuaia, Argentina:
The runway in use at Ushuaia was 16 with a wind of 230/12.
However during the approach the wind changed to 360/20 so the crew elected to
use Runway 34, despite being warned of possible windshear for that runway. The
aircraft touched down hard (1.89G) 12kts fast, bounced and landed back 3/4 of
the way down the 1400m runway. It then veered off and went down a slope into 2m
deep water. No fatalities.
15 Oct 1988; 5N-ANW, 737-200 Adv, 22771/866, Del 11/10/82, Nigeria Airways;
Port Harcourt, Nigeria:
The aircraft landed in heavy rain and overran the runway.
The nose and right main gear both collapsed. No fatalities.
19 Oct 1988; VT-EAH, 737-200, 20481/271, Del 3/12/70, Indian Airlines;
Ahmedabad, India:
The aircraft was approaching Runway 23 in fog when it hit
trees and an electric pylon three miles (5km) out on approach. All six crew
members and 124 of 129 passengers were killed.
8 Jan 1989; G-OBME, 737-400, 23867/1603, Del 25/10/88, British
Midland Airways; Kegworth, near East Midlands Airport, UK:
13 minutes after take-off from LHR, while climbing through
FL283, moderate to severe vibration was felt, accompanied by a smell of fire in
the cockpit. The outer panel of one of the No.1 engine fan-blades detached,
causing compressor stalls and airframe shuddering. Believing the No.2 engine had
been damaged the crew throttled it back. The shuddering stopped and the No 2
engine was shut down. The crew then decided to divert to East Midlands. The
flight was cleared for a Runway 27 approach. At 900ft, 2.4nm from the runway,
engine No.1 power suddenly decreased. As the speed fell below 125kts, the stick
shaker activated and the aircraft struck trees at a speed of 115kts. The
aircraft continued and impacted the embankment of the M1 motorway and came to
rest against the wooded embankment, 900m short of the runway. 47 people were
killed.
The engine was a CFM56-3C1 at 23,500lbs and failed after
only 500hrs, this was followed by several other failures of the 3C1 which ran at
higher rotational speeds than previous CFM56s. The engines were then derated
down to 22,000lbs until a permanent cure was found.
9 Feb 1989; C9-BAD, 737-200 Adv, 20786/323, Del 31/10/73, LAM; Lichinga,
Mozambique:
Overran on landing in a rainstorm. One engine separated
from the wing. No fatalities.
3 Apr 1989; OB-R-1314, 737-200, 19425/153, Del 15/4/69, Faucett Peru:
Iquitos, Peru:
Aircraft landed in stormy weather and the gear collapsed.
Aircraft slid off the runway and the No.2 engine separated. No fatalities.
3 Sep 1989; PP-VMK, 737-200 Adv, 21006/398, Del 5/3/75, Varig; near Sao Jose
do Xingu, Brazil:
The pilot set a heading of 270 instead of 027 and ended up
600 miles off course. The error led to fuel exhaustion and a forced landing in
jungle, 12 of the 48 passengers were killed in the crash. It took two days for
the survivors to be found.
The heading mistake went unnoticed because the crew was
reportedly listening to the Brazil v Chile World Cup qualification football
match.
20 Sep 1989; N416US, 737-400, 23884/1643, Del 23/12/88, USAir; La Guardia
Airport, New York:
The aircraft swung to the left during the F/O’s takeoff,
the Captain aborted at Vr+5. Auto-throttle was not used and autobrake RTO mode
had not been selected both of which increased the accelerate-stop distance. The
aircraft overran the wet runway and dropped onto the wooden approach light pier,
which collapsed causing the aircraft to break into three and drop into 7-12m
deep East River. Two of the 55 passengers were killed.
The swing was caused by the rudder trim having been placed
unintentionally at 16 degrees (full) left position. This could have been caused
by the foot of the jumpseat passenger on the centre console or the knob could
have stuck whilst being moved. Boeing have since redesigned the rudder trim knob
to a cylinder rather than a blade and placed a rim around the console.
26 Oct 1989; B-180, 737-200 Adv, 23795/1319, Del 19/12/86, China Airlines;
near Hualien, Taiwan:
The crew were using the wrong SID, causing the aircraft to
make a left instead of right turn and hit cloud shrouded high ground at 7000
feet. All 7 crew members and 49 passengers were killed.
30 Dec 1989; N198AW, 737-200, 19710/54, Del 9/8/68, America West Airlines;
Tucson:
While descending to Tucson, a 115Volt AC wire of the No.2 B
hydraulic pump shorted and punctured a hydraulic system A line. As the aircraft
was approaching the airport a fire erupted and burned through to the electrical
power wires to the standby hydraulic pump. After landing at Tucson, the aircraft
overran the runway, collided with an abandoned concrete arresting gear
structure, shearing off the nose-gear and continued to slide for 3,803ft. The
aircraft had flown 62,466hrs and 38,827 cycles.
PROBABLE CAUSE: Mechanically worn thrust reverse
accumulator check valve and inboard brake isolation check valve.
2 Jun 1990; N670MA, 737-200C Adv, 23121/1025, Del 11/5/84, MarkAir;
Unalakleet, Alaska:
The aircraft crashed about 7.5 miles short of Runway 14,
Unalakleet, Alaska, while executing a localizer approach to that runway in IMC.
There were no passengers on board but the crew sustained injuries and the
airplane was destroyed.
The NTSB determines that the probable cause of this
accident was deficiencies in flightcrew coordination, their failure to
adequately prepare for and properly execute the UNK LOC Rwy 14 non-precision
approach, and their subsequent premature descent. The Safety Board issued a
safety recommendation on approach chart standardization to the FAA.
22 Jul 1990; N210US, 737-200, 19555/129, Del 14/2/69, US Air; Kinston, NC:
The No.1 engine accelerated beyond target EPR on take-off.
The crew aborted the take-off, but the No.1 engine didn’t respond to the
retarded power lever, so had to be shut down with the fuel shut-off lever.
Asymmetric thrust was controlled with nose wheel steering. The nose-gear wheels
separated from the gear before the aircraft was brought to a halt. No
fatalities.
PROBABLE CAUSE: “Failure of the fuel pump control shaft
because of improper machining by the repair facility during maintenance
modification of the pump and improper procedures during overhaul of the nose
landing gear.”
2 Oct 1990; B-2510, 737-200 Adv, 23189/1072, Del 28/12/84, Xiamen Airlines;
Baiyun, Canton, China:
A hijacker detonated a bomb during approach, causing the
737 to hit parked aircraft on the ground. Seven of the nine crew members and 75
of the 93 passengers were killed.
The hijacker had ordered the flight crew out of the cockpit
except for the Captain. He refused an offer from the Captain to fly to Hong Kong
and the dispute continued until the fuel was nearly exhausted, necessitating the
landing. Shouts and sounds of a struggle were heard from the cockpit during the
approach. The aircraft landed hard and veered off the runway and clipped a 707
and a 757 before coming to a halt upside down in a grassy area.
5 Nov 1990; EI-BZG, 737-300, 24466/1771, Del 2/10/89, Philippine Airlines;
Manila, Philippines:
The centre fuel tank exploded while the aircraft was
taxiing for departure. 8 of the 113 passengers were killed.
The airline had fitted logo lights after delivery which
involved additional wires to be passed through vapour seals in the fuel tanks.
The NTSB recommended to the FAA that an AD be issued requiring inspections of
the fuel boost pumps, float switch and wiring looms as signs of chafing had been
found. The FAA declined to issue the AD.
1 Feb 1991; N388US, 737-300, 23310/1145, Del 13/9/85, USAir; Los Angeles,
CA:
US Air flight 1493 entered LAX airspace around 17.57 and
was cleared for a profile descent and ILS Runway 24R approach. At 17.59 this was
changed to a Runway 24L approach clearance. At about the same time a SkyWest
Metro II aircraft (Flight 5569 to Fresno) taxied to Runway 24L. At 18.03 the
crew were advised to, “taxi up to and hold short of 24L” because of other
traffic. At 18.04:49 the flight was cleared to taxi into position and hold.
Immediately thereafter, the controller became preoccupied with instructing
WingsWest Flight 5006 who had unintentionally departed the tower frequency. The
WingsWest 5072 reporting ready for takeoff caused some confusion because the
controller didn’t have a flight progress strip in front of her. The strip
appeared to have been misfiled at the clearance delivery position. Meanwhile,
Flight 5569 was still on the runway at the intersection with taxiway 45,
awaiting takeoff clearance. At 18.07 Flight 1493 touched down. Simultaneous to
the nose-gear touchdown, the US Air B737 collided with the SkyWest Metro. Both
aircraft caught fire and slid to the left into an unoccupied fire station.
Two of the six crew members and 20 of the 83 passengers on
the USAir jet were killed. All 10 passengers and two crew members on the Metro
III were killed.
3 Mar 1991; N999UA, 737-200 Adv, 22742/875, Del 24/5/82, United
Airlines; near Colorado Springs, CO:
The aircraft departed from controlled flight approximately
1,000 feet above the ground and struck an open field on approach to Colorado
Springs. All 25 people on board were killed.
After a 21-month investigation, the Board issued a report
on the crash in December 1992. In that report, the NTSB said it “could not
identify conclusive evidence to explain the loss of the aircraft”, but indicated
that the two most likely explanations were a malfunction of the airplane’s
directional control system or an encounter with an unusually severe atmospheric
disturbance.
The NTSB has since adopted a revised final report on this
crash. The Board said that the most likely cause of the accident was the
movement of the rudder in the direction opposite that commanded by the flight
crew. The decision tracks information learned from the investigation of two
fatal 737 accidents - including this one - and a non-fatal incident.
16 Aug 1991; VT-EFL, 737-200 Adv, 21497/504, Del 28/11/77, Indian Airlines;
near Imphal, India:
The aircraft crashed into a hill about 30km from the
airport while positioning for a Runway 04 ILS approach. The pilot had extended
the outbound leg too far, flying over mountainous terrain. All six crew members
and 63 passengers were killed.
17 Nov 1991; EI-CBL, 737-200 Adv, 20957/377, Del 1/10/74, SAHSA; San Hose,
Costa Rica:
The aircraft appeared to be left of the centerline during
the final stages of the ILS approach. The crew made a correcting manoeuvre,
which resulted in the aircraft landing on the right main gear first. The right
main gear collapsed, followed by the left gear.
6 Jun 1992; HP-1205CMP, 737-200 Adv, 22059/631, Del 18/2/80, COPA Panama;
near Ticuti, Panama:
Twenty minutes after leaving Panama City at FL 250, the
crew became disorientated when the artificial horizon failed. The aircraft
rolled through 90deg, entered a steep dive and broke up at approximately FL130.
The aircraft entered an area with thunderstorms, but it is not known if it
sustained a lightning strike. However, a wire from the gyroscopes to the
instruments had frayed, creating a short circuit and was giving erroneous
attitude indications. The aircraft, although in VMC, was flying over featureless
woodland at night and the crew were unable to determine the aircrafts attitude.
All seven crew members and 40 passengers were killed.
22 Jun 1992; PP-SND, 737-200C Adv, 21188/444, Del 29/1/76, Vasp; Cruzero Do
Sol, Brazil:
During the descent to Cruzeiro do Sol, the crew’s attention
was distracted by the cargo compartment warning system, which began to activate
intermittently. The aircraft crashed in the jungle while performing a Delta 1
arrival. All 3 crew on board were killed.
20 Nov 1992; LV-JNE, 737-200C Adv, 20408/265, Del 3/10/70, Aerolineas
Argentinas; San Luis:
The aircraft had previously made a heavy landing which was
inspected by an engineer on the turnaround. The aircraft back-tracked Runway 18
for departure, but tyre marks on the runway showed that the number 3 & 4 tyres
had locked up during the line-up. During the take-off run, No3 tyre lost
pressure and No4 tyre burst just before V1. The aircraft began vibrating and
pulling to the right. The take-off was aborted and the aircraft overran by 125m
and caught fire. No fatalities.
24 Nov 1992; B-2523, B737-300, 24913/2052, Del 23/5/91, China Southern
Airlines; Guilin, China:
Aircraft hit high ground at 7000ft (500ft below MSA) during
approach to Runway 36. A serious vibration had reportedly occurred in the No 2
engine before the aircraft crashed in a steep right hand turn. FDR data
indicates that the aircraft levelled off at 7200ft during a descent towards the
airport with the autopilot and autothrottle engaged, the left throttle lever
advanced but the right did not. The FDR also indicated that the same problem had
occurred earlier in the same flight and had been corrected manually. All 8 crew
members and 133 passengers were killed.
30 Mar 1993; 33-333, 737-300, 24480/1773, Del 15/9/89, Royal Thai Air Force;
Bangkok, Thailand:
On approach the aircraft pitched violently up and down
several times, appeared to go out of control and crashed. The stabilizer was
said to have been mis-trimmed, but the cause is not known. The aircraft tech log
showed recent problems with horizontal stabilizer control, which were being
investigated at the time by Boeing. All 6 crew killed.
26 Apr 1993; VT-ECQ, 737-200 Adv, 20961/375, Del 26/9/74, Indian Airlines;
Aurangabad, India:
The aircraft failed to climb after take-off with weight
about 2000kg (4400lbs) above RTOW for the conditions (OAT 40C). It struck a
large vehicle on a road just outside the airport with its landing gear. The
vehicle strike also damaged one engine and the aircraft later hit power lines
and crashed 7km from the airport. Four of the six crew members and 52 of the 112
passengers were killed. Maintenance deficiencies were found including the fact
that the aircraft was despatched with an unserviceable FDR. Both pilots were
charged with negligence. The administrators of the airport were also cited for
failing to regulate traffic on that same road.
18 Jul 1993; N401SH, 737-200 Adv, 20584/305, Del 31/7/72, SAHSA; Managua,
Nicaragua:
The aircraft landed heavily on Runway 09, skidded to the
right off the runway. The nose-gear collapsed and both engines were torn off.
The aircraft came to rest 200ft right of the runway. The weather was bad at the
time of the accident with heavy rain and lightning. No fatalities.
26 Jul 1993; HL7229, 737-500, 24805/1878, Del 26/6/90, Asiana Airlines; near
Mokpo, Korea:
The aircraft collided with a ridge of the Mount Ungeo
(1050ft high) at an altitude of 800ft, in strong winds & heavy rain about 4nm
from the runway while it was making its third attempt at a VOR/DME approach into
Mokpo. Four of the six crew members and 64 of the 104 passengers were killed.
19 Nov 1993; HP-873CMP, 737-100, 19768/184, Del 16/7/69, COPA Panama; Panama
City, Panama:
The aircraft touched down in a crosswind following an ILS
approach onto Runway 03R, but wasn’t properly aligned with the runway. The 737
then departed the runway 2500ft past the threshold and crossed taxiway H. The
nose-gear collapsed. Weather was bad with low clouds, turbulence and rain. No
fatalities.
This was the only 737-100 ever to be written off.
8 Mar 1994; VT-SIA, 737-200C Adv, 21763/571, Del 12/12/79, Sahara India
Airlines; Delhi, India:
A Training Captain and three new pilots were performing
circuits for crew training. The aircraft took off, attained a steep nose-up
attitude and the left wing dropped. The aircraft crashed and slid into a parked
Ilyushin 86 airliner. Both aircraft burned out. All 4 occupants and 5 persons on
the ground were killed.
Whilst this accident looked like pilot error, there was
evidence suggesting the rudder had reversed to the left when the pilot had
correctly commanded it to move right. A rudder PCU jam remains a possibility.
29 Jul 1994; B-2540, 737-300, 27139/2400, Del 11/1/93, Yunnan Provincial;
Kunming, China:
The aircraft landed fast and long on Runway 03 in
thunderstorms and rain. It overran across soft ground and struck approach lights
and the ILS antenna. The nose-gear collapsed and was pushed into the avionics
bay. No fatalities.
8 Sep 1994; N513AU, 737-300, 23699/1452, Del 8/10/87, USAir;
near Pittsburgh, PA:
Flight 427 was approaching Pittsburgh Runway 28R The
aircraft was levelling off at 6000ft & 190kts and rolling out of a 15deg left
turn (roll rate 2deg/sec) with flaps at 1, the gear still retracted and
autopilot and auto-throttle systems engaged. The aircraft then suddenly entered
the wake vortex of a Delta Airlines Boeing 727 that preceded it by approx. 69
seconds (4,2mls). Over the next 3 seconds the aircraft rolled left to approx.
18deg of bank. The autopilot attempted to initiate a roll back to the right as
the aircraft went in and out of a wake vortex core, resulting in two loud
“thumps”. The First Officer then manually overrode the autopilot without
disengaging it by putting in a large right-wheel command at a rate of
150deg/sec. The airplane started rolling back to the right at an acceleration
that peaked 36deg/sec, but the aircraft never reached a wings level attitude. At
19.03:01 the aircraft’s heading slewed suddenly and dramatically to the left
(full left rudder deflection). Within a second of the yaw onset the roll
attitude suddenly began to increase to the left, reaching 30deg. The aircraft
pitched down, continuing to roll through 55deg left bank. At 19.03:07 the pitch
attitude approached -20deg, the left bank increased to 70deg and the descent
rate reached 3600fpm. At this point, the aircraft stalled. Left roll and yaw
continued, and the aircraft rolled through inverted flight as the nose reached
90deg down, approx. 3600ft above the ground. The 737 continued to roll, but the
nose began to rise. At 2000ft above the ground the aircraft’s attitude passed
40deg nose low and 15deg left bank. The left roll hesitated briefly, but
continued and the nose again dropped. The plane descended fast and impacted the
ground nose first at 261kts in an 80deg nose down, 60deg left bank attitude and
with significant sideslip. All 132 aboard died.
PROBABLE CAUSE (US Airways): “An uncommanded, full rudder
deflection or rudder reversal that placed the aircraft in a flight regime from
which recovery was not possible using the known recovery procedures. A
contributing cause of this accident was the manufacturer’s failure to advise
operators that there was a speed below which the aircraft’s lateral control
authority was insufficient to counteract a full rudder deflection.”
26 Nov 1994; N11244, 737-200, 20073/142, Del 13/3/69, Continental Airlines;
Houston, USA:
Two mechanics were repositioning the aircraft to
Continental departure gate 41. Simultaneously, Flight 1176, a Boeing 737-300,
from gate 44 was under the control of the pushback team consisting of a tug
driver and a wing walker. The right wing of N11244 contacted the left outboard
flap, cockpit crew, in the process of starting engine No1, felt the impact,
aborted the engine start, and looked aft from the cockpit window. N11244 was
damaged substantially and considered a loss. PROBABLE CAUSE: “The failure of
maintenance personnel to follow the taxi checklist resulting in the hydraulic
pumps not being turned on.”
21 Dec 1994; 7T-VEE, 737-200C Adv, 20758/322, Del 25/5/73, Air Algerie;
Coventry, UK:
The aircraft had left Amsterdam at 07.42h but had to divert
East Midlands due to bad weather at Coventry. After awaiting better weather, the
flight took off again at 09.32h. While approaching Runway 23 the aircraft
descended below MDA, clipped the roofs of two houses, rolled and crashed
inverted into a wood.
CAUSAL FACTORS: “i) The crew allowed the aircraft to
descend significantly below the normal approach glidepath during a Surveillance
Radar Approach to Runway 23 at Coventry Airport, in conditions of patchy lifting
fog. The descent was continued below the promulgated Minimum Descent Height
without the appropriate visual reference to the approach lighting or the runway
threshold.; ii) The standard company operating procedure of cross-checking
altimeter height indications during the approach was not observed and the
appropriate Minimum Descent Height was not called by the non handling pilot.;
iii) The performance of the flight crew was impaired by the effects of
tiredness, having completed over 10 hours of flight duty through the night
during five flight sectors which included a total of six approaches to land.”
29 Dec 1994; TC-JES, 737-400, 26074/2376, Del 21/4/93, THY Turkish Airlines;
near Van, Turkey:
The aircraft hit a hill 4km from the airport during the
fourth VOR/DME approach in snow (900m visibility, reducing to 300m in driving
snow). Six of the seven crew members and 49 of the 55 passengers were killed.
2 Jan 1995; 9Q-CNI, 737-200C Adv, 20793/333, Del 19/11/73, Air
Zaire; Kinshasa:
The aircraft landed heavily in bad weather. The crew lost
control and the aircraft ran off the side of the runway. This resulted in a
nose-gear collapse and both engines were torn away. No fatalities.
16 Jan 1995; PK-JHF, 737-200 Adv, 20508/287, Del 4/10/71, Sempati Air;
Jakarta:
Flight SG416 landed on Runway 09 (1858m long) with flap 30
at Yokyakarta, which was wet with pools of standing water after a thunderstorm.
It overran the runway by 100m and the nose-gear collapsed. No fatalities.
2 Feb 1995; PP-SMV, 737-200 Adv, 20968/367, Del 9/8/74, Vasp; Sao Paulo,
Brazil:
Aircraft departed Sao Paulo-Guarulhos for a flight to
Buenos Aires. Following flap retraction the No.3 flap IN TRANSIT light remained
on and the crew noticed some other problems: They were not able to reduce No.2
engine thrust below 1.15 EPR and the hydraulic system A suffered a pressure
loss. An emergency return was made and the aircraft touched down on Runway 09L
at 185kts, flaps 15. The 737 overran the runway by 200m and came to rest
following a collapse of the nose-gear and right hand main gear. It appeared that
the No.3 leading edge flap actuator attachment fitting on the wing front spar
had fractured due to corrosion. The actuator came away and caused the failure of
some hydraulic lines and damage to the thrust control cables. Some 1981 Boeing
Service Bulletins had not been complied with. One of these included the
replacement of the aluminium leading edge flap actuator attachment fitting with
a steel one; this had not been done. No fatalities.
9 Aug 1995; N125GU, 737-200 Adv, 23849/1453, Del 8/10/87, Aviateca; near San
Salvador, El Salvador:
Flight GUG901 encountered heavy rain & thunderstorms while
approaching San Salvador at night. The crew diverted off Airway G346 to avoid
the thunderstorms but the accident report states that the aircrafts DME had been
damaged by a lightning strike. The aircraft should then have passed overhead the
airport and turn right downwind for an ILS approach to Runway 07. There seemed
to be some confusion as to the position of the aircraft. The aircraft was at
5000ft, as cleared by ATC, when the GPWS sounded. Full power was applied, but
the aircraft struck Mt. Chinchontepec volcano (2181m high) at an altitude of
1800m. All 7 crew members and 58 passengers were killed. The accident report
attributes the let-down error to the pilots’ failure to realise that the DME
readouts were incorrect.
13 Nov 1995; 5N-AUA, 737-200 Adv, 22985/920, Del 8/2/83, Nigeria Airways;
Kaduna, Nigeria:
Flight WT 357 touched down more than half way down Kaduna’s
Runway 23 in good, dry weather but with a 10-15kt tailwind. The plane veered off
the left side, skidded sideways and came to rest 35m beyond the end of the
runway. A fire broke out on the dry grass under the aircraft on the right hand
side and destroyed it. Nine of the 129 passengers were killed.
2 Dec 1995; VT-ECS, 737-200 Adv, 20963/383, Del 13/11/74, Indian Airlines;
Delhi, India:
At 12.56h LT flight IC492 arrived from Bombay and Jaipur,
but touched down just 600m before the end of the runway and overran by 450m.
Both engines, all undercarriage and the wings sustained major damage. No
fatalities.
3 Dec 1995; TC-JBE, 737-200 Adv, 23386/1143, Del 30/8/85, Cameroon Airlines;
Douala, Cameroon:
The aircraft was on a flight from Cotonou, Benin and
crashed in darkness in a steep dive about three miles (4.8 km) short of the
runway in a mangrove swamp. The crew members had reportedly aborted the first
approach due to landing gear problems and they were on a go-around from their
second approach when the accident occurred. It appeared that the aircraft was
carrying out a go-around and that the No.2 engine was operating at high power
while the No.1 engine was not developing power. Four of the six crew members and
68 of the 72 passengers were killed.
29 Feb 1996; OB-1451, 737-200, 19072/86, Del 28/10/68, Faucett Airlines;
Arequipa, Peru:
The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic night flight from
Lima to Arequipa. When doing a VOR/DME approach to Runway 09, the aircraft
crashed into a hillside at 3 miles out, at an altitude of 8015ft - almost 400ft
below the airfield elevation of 8404ft. It appeared that the pilot reported
flying at 9500ft, but was actually at 8644ft. Visibility was given as between
2000 and 4000m and the FDR showed that the aircraft had been well below the
published approach path for some distance before impact. All 117 passengers and
six crew members were killed.
3 Apr 1996; 73-1149, 737-200/CT-43A, 20696/347, Del 11/4/74, U.S. Air Force;
near Dubrovnik, Croatia:
The aircraft crashed into a hill at 2300ft while making an
NDB approach to Runway 12 in IMC conditions. It was 1.7nm left of the extended
centerline and 1.8nm North of the runway, at a speed of 133kts and a 118 degree
right bank. It appeared that the aircraft had strayed off course because the
aircraft flew a 110 bearing instead of 119, after passing the KLP beacon (final
approach fix). Weather at the time was 8km in rain; wind 120/12kts; cloud base
120m broken and 600m overcast; temp 12C.
All 6 crew members and 29 passengers were killed, including
the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Ron Brown.
2 Aug 1996; 7T-VED, 737-200C Adv, 20650/311, Del 14/11/72, Air Algerie;
Tiemcen, Algeria:
Take-off aborted due to difference in engine N1 readings.
The aircraft overran by approx 40m. The nose-gear collapsed. No fatalities.
14 Feb 1997; PP-CJO, 737-200 Adv, 21013/393, Del 31/1/75, Varig; Carajas,
Brazil:
The aircraft touched down at Carajas’ Runway 10 in bad
weather (thunderstorm, bad visibility) following a VOR approach. The right
main-gear collapsed rearwards, causing the plane to veer off the right side of
the runway, 700m from the point of touchdown. The aircraft ended up in a forest.
The First Officer was the only fatality.
8 May 1997; B-2925, 737-300, 27288/2577, Del 25/2/94, China Southern
Airlines; Shenzhen, China:
The aircraft made a heavy landing at night during a
rainstorm at Shenzhen-Huangtian airport, pushing the nose-gear up into the
fuselage. The crew performed a go-around and tried to land 9 minutes later.
After the 2nd touchdown the aircraft broke up in three pieces. It veered off the
runway and caught fire. Two of the nine crew members and 33 of the 65 passengers
were killed.
3 Aug 1997; TU-TAV, 737-200C, 19848/157, Del 18/4/69, Air Afrique; Douala,
Cameroon:
The take-off from Runway 30 was abandoned following a tyre
burst at 110kts. The aircraft skidded off the runway into shrubs and was
engulfed in smoke when coming to rest 130m past the runway. No fatalities.
6 Sep 1997; HZ-AGM, 737-200 Adv, 21282/476, Del 4/11/76, Saudia; Najran,
Saudi Arabia:
At 95kts on the take-off run, the crew noted that the No2
engine thrust suddenly increased. At 120kts the EGT warning light illuminated.
The Captain attempted to reduce thrust of the No2 engine but was unable to do
so; he aborted the take-off. The thrust reversers did not deploy and the
aircraft overran the runway. The gear and No2 engine detached as the aircraft
ground looped and caught fire. No fatalities.
19 Dec 1997; 9V-TRF, 737-300, 28556/2851, Del 14/2/97, Silk Air; near
Palembang, Indonesia:
SilkAir Flight 185 was en-route to Singapore from Jakarta.
While cruising at FL350, the aircraft disappeared from radar screens and was
seen crashing nose-down into the river bed of the River Musi. One of the wings
is understood to have broken off during the dive. The FDR was retrieved 27
December and the CVR January 4, both were buried in the mud of the river bed.
Sections of the aircraft’s empennage were found on land, away from the main
wreckage. Investigators found more than 20 screws missing on the top and bottom
of the right-hand horizontal stabilizer where the leading edge attaches to the
front spar. It appeared that the fasteners were never installed. The stabilizer
may have separated in flight, causing the plane to lose control. The FAA issued
an AD January 8, 1998 requiring operators of Boeing 737s to check the horizontal
stabilizers to make sure that all fasteners and elevator attachment fitting
bolts are properly in place. Due to other circumstances, many people also
suspect suicide by the Captain. All 7 crew members and 97 passengers were
killed.
2 Feb 1998; N737RD, 737-200, 20365/220, Del 5/12/69, Ram Air Sales; Miami:
Damaged beyond economical repair by a tornado whilst on
ground at Miami airport. No fatalities.
26 Feb 1998; YU-ANU, 737-200 Adv, 24139/1530, Del 31/3/88, Chanchangi
Airlines; Lagos, Nigeria:
Burst a tyre on landing during training flight. Aircraft
caught fire and written off. No fatalities.
12 Apr 1998; P4-NEN, 737-200 Adv, 20925/373, Del 18/9/74, Orient Eagle
Airways; Almaty, Kazakstan:
Overran at 80kts after a heavy landing on a wet runway. No
fatalities.
5 May 1998; FAP-351, 737-200 Adv, 23041/962, Del 3/6/83, Peruvian AF /
Occidental Petroleum; near Andoas, Peru:
The aircraft crashed near the Andoas airport during an NDB
approach, in a rainstorm, after a flight from Iquitos. The aircraft had been
leased by Occidental Petroleum from the Peruvian Air Force in order to ferry its
workers to the Andoas area. Five of the seven crew members and 69 of the 80
passengers were killed.
16 Jul 1998; ST-AFL, 737-200 Adv, 21170/430, Del 18/9/75, Sudan Airways;
Khartoum, Sudan:
The Boeing 737 suffered hydraulic problems shortly after
takeoff. The crew elected to return to Khartoum. Upon landing one of the tires
burst. The crew, hearing the bang thought it was an engine malfunction and
deactivated the thrust-reversers. The 737 overran the runway and came to rest in
a ditch. No fatalities.
16 Sep 1998; N20643, 737-500, 28904/2933, Del 24/9/97, Continental Airlines;
Ghadalahara, Mexico:
After executing a missed approach on their first ILS
approach to Runway 28, the flight was vectored for a second approach to the same
runway. The second approach was reported by both pilots to be uneventful;
however, after touchdown, the aircraft drifted to the left side of the runway.
The left main landing gear exited the hard surface of the runway approximately
2,700 feet from the landing threshold and eventually all 3 landing gears exited
the 197 foot wide asphalt runway. The First Officer, who was flying the
airplane, stated that he never felt any anti-skid cycling during the landing
roll and did not feel any “radical braking” which was expected with the
autobrake 3 setting.
The airplane’s nose landing gear collapsed resulting in
significant structural damage. A total of 15 runway lights on the southern edge
of runway 28 were found either sheared or knocked down. There were no injuries.
The tower operator reported that intermittent heavy rain
showers accompanied with downdrafts and strong winds associated with a
thunderstorm northeast of the airport prevailed throughout the area at the time
of the accident. The two transport category airplanes that landed prior to
Continental flight 475 reported windshear on final approach. The winds issued to
Continental 475 by the tower while on short final were from 360 degrees at 20
kts, gusting to 40 kts.
1 Nov 1998; EI-CJW, 737-200 Adv, 21355/493, Del 28/6/77, Air Tran Airways;
Atlanta, USA:
Shortly after takeoff from Runway 8R, the crew reported a
hydraulic problem and declared an emergency. The aircraft was vectored to a
visual approach and landing on Runway 9L. During the landing, while decelerating
through 100 knots, the aircraft’s steering system failed due to hydraulic
pressure, and the aircraft departed the left side of the runway, coming to rest
between Runway 9L and Taxiway L. Mechanical failure. No injuries.
1 Jan 1999; 9Q-CNK, 737-200C Adv, 20795/348, Del 1/5/74, LAC; Kilimanjaro,
Tanzania:
Damaged after landing with engine failure at Kilimanjaro
Airport. No injuries. Aircraft ferried to Harare for D check, but considered
damaged beyond economical repair.
4 Mar 1999; F-GBYA, 737-200 Adv, 23000/930, Del 15/12/82, Air France;
Biarritz, France:
The aircraft was approaching Runway 27 at night with
reported wind 280/15G30kt and turbulence. The approach was stable but a gust
from the right was encountered below 100ft RA. The aircraft touched down softly
(1.1G) 5m left of centreline, with its left main gear which delayed deployment
of the spoilers by two seconds until the right MLG touched down. Directional
control was lost and the aircraft ran off the side of Runway 27. The nose-gear
dug into the ground and collapsed. No fatalities.
6 Apr 1999; TC-JEP, 737-400, 25378/2732, Del 21/6/95, Turkish Airlines;
Ceyhan, Turkey:
The Boeing 737 departed Adana at 00.36h for a ferry flight
to Jeddah to pick up Turkish pilgrims. Weather was poor when the plane crashed,
nine minutes after takeoff. All 6 occupants were killed.
CONCLUSIONS:
- The severe weather conditions probably contributed to
the cause of the accident.
- The pitot static anti-ice system was probably not
activated during preparations for flight because of missed checklist items.
- The crew failed to recognize the cause of an erratic
airspeed indication.
- The crew failed to use other cockpit indications for
control and recovery of the airplane.
- The presence of cabin crew in the cockpit probably
distracted the attention of the cockpit crew.
10 May 1999; XC-IJI, 737-200, 20127/144, Del 17/3/69, Mexican Air Force;
Loma Bonita, Mexico:
The aircraft was on a training flight when it overran the
runway. The nose-gear collapsed. Grass near the aircraft caught fire causing the
airplane to burn out. No fatalities.
17 May 1999; CC-CYR, 737-200, 20195/205, Del 16/9/69, Ladeco Airlines;
Santiago de Chile:
One of the fuel tanks burst open during fuelling of the
aircraft. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
9 Jun 1999; B-2525, 737-300, 24918/2087, Del 17/7/91, China Southern
Airlines; Zhanjiang, China:
The aircraft skidded off the runway at Zhanjiang Airport,
probably due to the bad weather and heavy rain. The landing gear collapsed after
exiting the runway. No fatalities.
31 Aug 1999; LV-WRZ, 737-200C, 20389/251, Del 17/4/70, LAPA; Buenos Aires,
Argentina:
The aircraft settled back onto the runway just after
takeoff, overran the runway, hit two cars on a nearby road, and caught fire. The
crew had not selected take-off flap and had continued the takeoff despite the
take-off configuration warning horn sounding for the entire 37 second take-off
run. There were 65 fatalities among the 98 passengers and five crew members. Two
of the occupants in the cars were also killed.
5 Mar 2000; N668SW, 737-300, 23060/1069, Del 29/1/85, Southwest Airlines;
Burbank, USA:
Aircraft had been held high by ATC and eventually touched
down at 181kts deep into an 1840m runway. The aircraft overran and went through
the perimeter fence at 32kt coming to a halt at a petrol station.
The NTSB determined that the probable cause of a Southwest
Airlines accident was the flight crew’s excessive airspeed and flight path angle
during the approach and landing at Burbank, California. The Board also
attributed the cause of the accident to the crew’s failure to abort the approach
when stabilized approach criteria were not met.
Contributing to the accident was the air traffic
controller’s positioning of the airplane, which was too high, too fast, and too
close to the runway threshold. As a result, no safe options existed for the
flight crew other than a go-around manoeuvre. Furthermore, the Board found that
had the flight crew applied maximum manual brakes immediately upon touchdown,
the aircraft would likely have stopped before impacting the blast fence,
19 Apr 2000; RP-C3010, 737-200 Adv, 21447/508, Del 2/2/78, Air Philippines;
near Davao, Philippines:
The aircraft had gone around from an ILS approach onto
Runway 05 at Francisco Bangoy Airport in Davao because of an aircraft on the
runway. The crew requested a VOR/DME onto Runway 23 and was cleared to do so.
The aircraft hit a hill on Samal Island at 570ftamsl at 7dme on the
non-precision approach and was destroyed by impact forces and a post-accident
fire. All 7 crew and 124 passengers were killed.
17 Jul 2000; VT-EGD, 737-200 Adv, 22280/671, Del 18/6/80, Alliance Air;
Patna, India:
The aircraft was inbound to Patna. It was cleared for the
VOR/DME arc to ILS Runway 25. The crew took a direct track to the intercept and
ended up high on the approach. 30 seconds before impact they requested an orbit
to lose height and hit the ground in the orbit. The CVR recorded the
stick-shaker in the orbit suggesting that the aircraft stalled. The aircraft
crashed into a residential area about 2 km from the airport. All six crew
members and 49 passengers were killed. Five people on the ground were also
killed.
“The court of enquiry determined that the cause of the
accident was loss of control of the aircraft due to aircrew error. The crew had
not followed the correct approach procedure which resulted in the aircraft being
high on approach. They had kept the engines at idle thrust and allowed the
airspeed to reduce to a lower than normally permissible value on approach. They
then manoeuvred the aircraft with high pitch attitude and executed rapid roll
reversals. This resulted in actuation of the stick shaker warning indicating an
approach to stall. At this stage the crew initiated a go-around procedure
instead of an approach to stall recovery procedure resulting in an actual stall
of the aircraft, loss of control and subsequent impact with the ground.”
3 Mar 2001; HS-TDC, 737-400, 25321/2113, Del 10/9/91, Thai Airways; Bangkok,
Thailand:
The flight was being prepared by 5 cabin crew members and 3
ground staff members for a flight to Chiang Mai. The Thai Prime Minister was one
of the 149 passengers waiting to board the plane. 27 minutes before scheduled
departure time, a fire erupted in the cabin, killing a flight attendant and
injuring 6 others. The fire was put out in an hour, but by then the aircraft had
been gutted.
Subsequent investigation discovered that the centre tanks
pumps had been left running when tank was dry which caused the explosion.
Accident very similar to Philippine Airlines 737-300 accident on 5 Nov 90.
4 Apr 2001; C-GDCC, 737-200F Adv, 20681/319, Del 19/3/73, Royal Cargo
Airlines; St John’s, Canada:
The weather at St John’s was as follows: wind 050/35G40kts;
visibility 1 statute mile in light snow and blowing snow; ceiling 400 feet
overcast; temperature -1ºC; dew point -2ºC. The crew decided to make an ILS
approach onto Runway 16 since it was the only runway with a servicable ILS.
The aircraft touched down at 164 KIAS (Vref +27Kts),
2300 to 2500 feet beyond the threshold. Radar ground speed at touchdown was
180 knots. The wind at this point was determined to be about 050ºM at 30 knots.
Shortly after touchdown, the speed brakes and thrust reversers were deployed,
and an engine pressure ratio (EPR) of 1.7 was reached 10 seconds after
touchdown. Longitudinal deceleration was -0.37g within 1.3 seconds of touchdown,
suggesting that a significant degree of effective wheel braking was achieved.
With approximately 1100 feet of runway remaining, through a speed of 64kts,
reverse thrust increased to about 1.97 EPR on engine 1 and 2.15 EPR on engine 2.
As the aircraft approached the end of the runway, the captain attempted to steer
the aircraft to the right, toward the Delta taxiway intersection. Twenty-two
seconds after touchdown, the aircraft exited the departure end of the runway
into deep snow. The aircraft came to rest approximately 75 feet beyond and
53 feet to the right of the runway centreline on a heading of 235ºM. One engine
was sheared off and one main gear was damaged. The 737 has been written off. No
fatalities.
22 May 2001; C-GNWI, 737-200C Adv, 21066/413, Del 14/5/75, First Air;
Yellowknife, NWT, Canada:
As the aircraft approached Yellowknife, the spoilers were
armed, and the aircraft was configured for a visual approach and landing on
Runway 33. The computed Vref was 128 knots, and target speed was 133 knots.
While in the landing flare, the aircraft entered a higher-than-normal sink rate
(1140fpm reducing to 400fpm at touchdown), and the pilot flying (the First
Officer) corrected with engine power and nose-up pitch. The aircraft touched
down on the main landing gear and bounced twice. While the aircraft was in the
air, the captain took control and lowered the nose to minimize the bounce. The
aircraft landed on its nose landing-gear, then on the main gear.
The aircraft initially touched down about 1300 feet from
the approach end of Runway 33. Numerous aircraft rubber scrub marks were present
in this area and did not allow for an accurate measurement. During the third
touchdown on the nose landing-gear, the left nose-tire burst, leaving a
shimmy-like mark on the runway. The aircraft was taxied to the ramp and shut
down. The aircraft was substantially damaged. There were no reported injuries.
16 Sep 2001; PP-CJN, 737-200 Adv, 21012/392, Del 31/1/75, Varig; Santa
Genoviva, Brazil:
Heavy landing during rain at Santa Genoveva airport. The
aircraft touched the left side of the runway with the right landing gear, at 500
meters (1,640 feet) from Runway 14, and then touched with the left gear, leaving
the runway right after that, when it collided with the landmark electricity
boxes. The aircraft had its nose gear retracted; suffered a break in the right
landing gear and thus a loss of the right engine. With this, it ended up by
touching the ground with the tip of the right wing. No fatalities.
14 Jan 2002; PK-LID, 737-200, 2363/218, Del 7/11/69, Lion Airlines;
Pekanbaru, Indonesia:
The First Officer (PF) started the take-off run. The
Captain called “V1” and “ROTATE” and the FO rotated the control column to 15deg
nose up. The aircraft’s nose was lifted up but the aircraft did not get
airborne. The FO felt the stick shaker. The Captain added power which increased
the speed to V2+15 (158kts) but the aircraft still did not get airborne. The
Captain aborted the take-off but the aircraft nose went down hard and opened the
front left door. The aircraft veered to the right of the approach lights and
stopped after hitting trees 275 meters from the end of runway.
The crew did not perform Before Take-off Checklist properly
and inadvertently tried to take-off with flap up rather than the scheduled flap
5. There was no take-off config warning because the associated CB was found to
be unable to latch in. No fatalities.
16 Jan 2002; PK-GWA, 737-300, 24403/1706, Del 24/4/89, Garuda Indonesia;
Yogyakata, Java:
The aircraft was descending from FL320 when the aircraft
entered a heavy thunderstorm with both engines at flight idle. Both engines lost
power while passing FL180 in heavy precipitation and turbulence. Three
unsuccessful attempts were made to relight the engines and one unsuccessful
attempt was made to relight the APU. The crew then decided to carry out a flaps
and gear up emergency ditching in a shallow, 1 metre deep, part of the Benjawang
Solo River. One stewardess was killed in the rear of the aircraft which broke
off during touchdown.
Similar occurrences (Boeing 737-300 double engine flameout
while descending in heavy precipitation with engines at flight idle) happened
May 24, 1988 and July 26, 1988. Following these incidents OMB 89-1 & AD 89-23-10
were issued to require minimum rpm of 45% and to restrict the use of
autothrottle in moderate/heavy precipitation; engine modification was provided
for increased capacity of water ingestion. eg spinner redesigned.
7 May 2002; SU-GBI, 737-500, 25307/2135, Del 11/10/91, Egyptair; Tunis,
Tunisia:
Landing gear failed to extend on approach to Tunis. Crew
went around but aircraft crashed into a hillside about 6km from the airport on
second non-precision approach. Reports said “The control tower had lost contact
with the plane a few seconds before the crash, just after a distress call from
the pilot.”
Weather was foggy and rainy at the time, with a sandy wind,
called the “Khamsin,” blowing from the Sahara desert.
METAR 16.00Z read: DTTA 071600Z 09023G36KT 5000 SCT012
FEW023CB BKN026 18/18 Q1000 RERA RMK CB/NE/E/SE
26 Jan 2003; PP-SPJ, 737-200 Adv, 21236/461, Del 7/6/76, Vasp; Rio Branco,
Brazil:
The First Officer (PF) was approaching Runway 06 at Rio
Branco Airport when it flew into fog. The crew continued the approach below MDA
and collided initially with a tree and then touched down 100 meters short of the
threshold. At the time of impact, both engines cut out and the Captain took
control. The aircraft skidded some 600 meters and came to rest on the taxiway.
The undercarriage was torn off and the aircraft struck several small trees
causing damage to both engines, forward & mid fuselage and horizontal
stabilizers. No injuries.
6 Mar 2003; 7T-VEZ, 737-200 Adv, 22700/885, Del 8/12/83, Air Algerie;
Tamanrasset, Algeria:
The aircraft took-off at 150kt and the First Officer (PF)
called for the undercarriage to be raised (but this was not done). Immediately
after rotation, the first stage of the No1 engine (JT8D-17A) HP turbine suffered
a major uncontained failure. Several seconds after the left engine failure,
there was a significant unexplained power reduction on the No2 engine, and the
Captain took control. He maintained the same rate of climb, but the speed
decreased toward the stall and the aircraft descended, generating a GPWS “Don’t
sink” alert. The aircraft was near MTOW and briefly became airborne reaching
400ft, then veered and stalled striking the airport perimeter fence tail-first
600 metres beyond the runway. Tamanrasset was hot and high, the runway elevation
was 4500ft with an OAT of 23C.
The Captain came under scrutiny in the report for various
aspects of his operation. Most importantly as to why he took control from the
F/O (who had 5000hrs experience) 8 sec after the engine failure and allowed the
speed to decay to the stall with the same rate of climb being maintained. He
also did not retract he gear on the F/O’s request after take-off nor did he
allow her to retract the gear after he had taken control.
The report stated “The accident resulted from the loss of
an engine during a critical phase of flight, from the failure to raise the
landing gear after the engine failure, and from the taking of control by the
Captain before he had completely identified the nature of the failure.”
102 of the 103 people on board died. The sole survivor was
a young soldier, seated in the last row and with seat belt unattached, who
according to his statement, was ejected from the plane by the impact and escaped
from the accident.
8 Jul 2003; ST-AFK, 737-200C Adv, 21169/429, Del 15/9/75, Sudan Airways;
Port Sudan, Sudan:
15 minutes after takeoff, the Captain reported an engine
failure, and that it had been shutdown. He elected to return to Port Sudan. The
crew made an ILS approach to Runway 35 but went around because they were right
of centreline. Power was increased and the gear retracted but the aircraft
appeared to have gone out of control during the go-around. The aircraft crashed
in flat wasteland about 3 miles from the airport. Night visibility was 4000m in
sand. 115 of the 116 people on board died. The sole survivor, a two year old boy
lost a leg in the crash.
19 Dec 2003; TR-LFZ, 737-300, 23750/1431, Del 25/8/87, Air Gabon; Libreville
Airport, Gabon:
The aircraft had been holding for approx 30 mins before
making its approach due to heavy rain. It landed on Runway 16 (3000m) but
overran by approx 500m, stopping beyond the airport boundary fence. The engines
and landing gear separated from the airplane. No serious injuries to the 118
passengers and 6 crewmembers on board were reported. The investigation is being
conducted by the government of Gabon. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
03 Jan 2004; SU-ZCF, 737-300, 26283/2383, Del 22/10/92, Flash Airlines;
Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt:
The Aircraft departed from Runway 22L at Sharm el Sheikh.
The weather was night visibility 10K+, 17C, light winds. The aircraft took off
and climbed normally and began a left hand turn as scheduled. But at 2000ft the
turn slowly inverted to the right and the aircraft progressively rolled until it
was banked 90 degrees at about 5600ft. It then rapidly lost height and dived
into the sea. It disappeared from Radar at 04:44 (local) into the Red Sea approx
9 miles from the runway. No mayday call was made.
The accident report was inconclusive. No technical fault
was found with the aircraft but it is believed that the autopilot was not
properly engaged and the crew became disorientated.
The Egyptian operated charter flight was bound for Cairo
for a crew change and then on to Paris. It was carrying mostly French tourists.
All 135 pax and 13 crew died.
12 Aug 2004; 3X-GCB, 737-200C Adv, 22627/779, Del 11/8/81, Air Guinee
Express; Lungi Airport, Sierra Leone:
The Aircraft had just got airborne from Lungi airport in
Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown at 14:23 local time bound for Banjul. It crashed
into a swamp three miles from the runway, leaving one wing partly submerged in
mud. Eyewitness reports say that the left wing caught fire after take-off and
that the left engine subsequently exploded shortly before impact. About 50
passengers were treated in hospital for shock and minor injuries but all 126
survived.
28 Nov 2004; PH-BTC, 737-400, 25424/2200, Del 6/2/92, KLM; Barcelona
Airport, Spain:
The aircraft had a bird-strike in the area of the nose
landing gear just before rotation from Amsterdam. The crew raised the gear and
had no abnormal indications in the flight deck so they continued to Barcelona
(their intended destination). During the landing roll the airplane started
deviating to the left. The crew applied right rudder, braking and nose wheel
steering tiller but could not keep the aircraft on the runway. It left the
runway at around 100 knots, hit some obstacles from building works and suffered
major damage. An emergency evacuation was carried out with minor injuries to
some passengers. There was no fire but the airplane was subsequently declared a
Hull loss.
Examination of the aircraft revealed that the cables and
pulleys of the Nose Wheel Steering (NWS) system sustained damage from the
bird-strike, resulting in a left steering command after nose wheel touch down. (NWSB
cable was found broken, and NWSA cable was found jammed in a pulley on the nose
landing gear.) This resulted in loss of directional control after the rudder was
no longer aerodynamically effective during landing rollout. Also, the cables
were severely worn in the trunnion seal area.
The FCTM now contains the following advice: “Aggressive
differential braking and/or use of asymmetrical reverse thrust, in addition to
other control inputs, may be required to maintain directional control.”
04 Jan 2005; PK-YGM, 737-200C, 20206/249, Del 14/4/70, Tri-MG; Banda Aceh,
Indonesia:
The aircraft was making a normal landing at Banda Aceh
airport when it hit a water buffalo that had strayed onto the runway. The port
main gear collapsed and the port engine and landing gear were badly damaged. The
Republic of Singapore Air Force was called in to use their Chinooks to “float”
the aircraft off the runway using airbags.
There were no injuries and the aircraft was declared a
write off and scrapped several months later.
03 Feb 2005; EX-037, 737-200, 22075/630, Del 31/1/80, Kam Air; Near Kabul,
Afghanistan:
The crew were approaching Kabul and had received a weather
report indicating a snowstorm at the airport. Three minutes later it disappeared
from radar. The aircraft struck a ridgeline near the crest of the 11,000ft
mountain about 50 feet down from the very top. The FDR did not record and the
CVR was never found. All 96 pax and 8 crew died.
14 Aug 2005; 5B-DBY, 737-300, 29099/2982, Del 15/1/98, Helios Airways;
Grammatiko, Near Athens, Greece:
The aircraft departed Larnaca at
06:07 GMT for Athens. As the aircraft climbed through 16 000 ft, the
Captain contacted the company Operations Centre and reported a Take-off
Configuration Warning and an Equipment Cooling system problem. At 06:26
the crew said that they had solved the problem and requested a climb to
34,000ft. Radio contact was lost with the aircraft at approximately
06:37, 30 minutes after its departure, although it did squawk 7700.
Greek F16s intercepted the aircraft at 07:20 and reported that the
Captain was not visible and that the F/O appeared to be slumped over
the controls. Two mayday calls were recorded on the CVR at 08:54, some
reports say that a cabin crew member with a PPL licence was in the
flight deck at impact. The aircraft crashed into mountains at 09:03 GMT
after running out of fuel approx 19NM North of LGAV near the village of
Grammatiko, the passenger oxygen masks had deployed. All 115 pax and 6
crew died.
Depressurisation is the probable cause but why the crew were
not able to use their oxygen and descend the aircraft to safety is still a
mystery. The FDR was recovered immediately but the CVR was in poor condition. Autopsies found that those crew and passengers
examined were alive on impact
possibly indicating that they suffered from a lack of oxygen and were
unconscious. The same aircraft has had a history of pressurisation related
problems and suffered a loss of cabin pressure on 20 Dec 2004 in flight from
Warsaw to Larnaca.
A summary report issued 10 Oct 2006 states "The direct
causes were: 1. Non-recognition that the cabin pressurization mode selector was
in the MAN (manual) position during the performance of the Preflight procedure,
the Before Start checklist and the After Takeoff checklist. 2)
Non-identification of the warnings and the reasons for the activation of the
warnings (Cabin Altitude Warning Horn, Passenger Oxygen Masks Deployment
indication, Master Caution). 3) Incapacitation of the flight crew due to
hypoxia, resulting in the continuation of the flight via the flight management
computer and the autopilot, depletion of the fuel and engine flameout, and the
impact of the aircraft with the ground." It also acknowledges that a
contributory cause was the "omission of returning the cabin pressurization mode
selector to the AUTO position after non-scheduled maintenance on the aircraft".
24 Aug 2005; OB-1809P, 737-200 Adv, 22580/787, Del 14/8/81, TANS; Near
Pucallpa, Peru:
The aircraft was approaching Pucallpa’s runway 02 in a
storm. The F/O was under training and had only 60h on type and the covering F/O
was in the cabin rather than on the jump-seat. The aircraft descended to 987ft
AGL and entered intense hail bombardment that caused the crew to lose
situational awareness. Shortly after the crew disengaged the autopilot, the 737
entered a sharp descent exceeding 1,700ft/min and struck terrain 34s later,
3.8nm (7km) from the Pucallpa VOR, travelling 1,500m through trees. The accident
killed 40 of the 98 persons on board.
Peru’s accident investigation board, the CIAA, attributed
the crash to the crew’s decision to continue the approach despite a
non-stabilised approach. A "lack of airmanship", the absence of the assigned
first officer, and a failure to adhere to standard operating procedures were
contributing factors.
05 Sep 2005; PK-RIM, 737-200 Adv, 22136/783, Del 11/8/81, Mandala; Medan,
Indonesia:
The aircraft crashed shortly after take-off, 500m beyond
the runway, into a residential area at 0940 local time.
Eyewitness reports of a bang followed by shaking and the
aircraft tilting before impact would be consistent with an engine failure after
take-off. Investigators have found a damaged fan blade,
The crash killed 102 of the 117 people on board and at
least 47 on the ground.
22 Oct 2005; 5N-BFN, 737-200 Adv, 22734/818, Del 25/11/81, Bellview
Airlines; Lagos, Nigeria:
The aircraft took off from Lagos airport at 2045 local time
in heavy thunderstorms. Three minutes later the aircraft made a distress call
and was lost from radar. The wreckage was found in Lissa about 20 miles
northwest of Lagos the following day.
Fidelis Onyeyiri, director general of the Nigerian Civil
Aviation Authority said, 24 hours after the crash, “Our preliminary appraisal
suggests that the aircraft might have started stalling after passing flight
level 130, lost control, then nosedived into the ground and created a huge
crater into which it disappeared.” Eyewitness reports say the aircraft exploded
before impact. By 13 Nov the FDR & CVR had not been recovered.
There were several high ranking officials on board and
accident investigators are not ruling out sabotage.
All 111 passengers and 6 crew were killed.
15 Jun 2006; OO-TND, 737-300F, 23515/1355, Del 13/3/87, TNT; Birmingham, UK:
After an uneventful cargo flight from Liege, Belgium, with
two flight crew on board, the aircraft entered a holding pattern, as the weather
at its planned destination of Stansted precluded making an approach.
Approximately 30 minutes later, the commander initiated a diversion to
Nottingham East Midlands airport, where the weather conditions required the crew
to plan and conduct a Category IIIA approach to Runway 27. In the late stages of
this approach, the autopilot momentarily disengaged and re-engaged, and the
aircraft deviated from both the glideslope and localiser. It landed heavily on a
grass area to the left of the runway threshold, whereupon the right main landing
gear detached from the aircraft. After scraping the right engine, outer flap
track fairing and right wing tip on the ground, the aircraft became airborne
again and made an emergency diversion to Birmingham Airport. The aircraft landed
on Runway 33 on its nose and left landing gears, and the right engine. There
were no injuries or fire.
30 Sep 2006; PR-GTD, 737-800SFP, 34653/2039, Del 12/9/06, GOL; Manaus,
Brazil:
The aircraft collided with an Embraer "Legacy" executive
jet at 37,000ft whilst en-route from Manaus to Brasilia. The Legacy landed
safely but all 149 passengers and 6 crew aboard the 737 were killed. The 18 day
old 737-800SFP had only flown 234 hours since new. Initial reports suggest that
ATC believed the Legacy to have been at FL360, the correct FL for that
direction. The transponder and TCAS of the Legacy was off or inop for at least
50 minutes before the collision.
29 Oct 2006; 5N-BFK, 737-200Adv, 22891/988, Del 20/10/83, ADC; Abuja, Nigeria:
The aircraft crashed shortly after taking-off from Abuja in
a rainstorm. It came to rest about 1 mile from the end of the runway in several
pieces. 96 of the 105 pax & crew perished.
24 Dec 2006; PK-LIJ, 737-400, 24682/1824, Del 5/3/90, Lion Air; Makassar, Indonesia:
On arrival, the aircraft was executing a visual approach
via a left downwind pattern to runway 31. The crew manoeuvred in a close pattern
due to proximity of terrain on under the base and final approach areas of runway
31. The weather was reported to be 10 km visibility , surface wind calm, no
clouds, and surface temperature 29 C. According to a written report from the
crew, when they selected the flaps from 15 deg. to 30 deg. on final, they
observed that the flaps indicator indicated a asymmetrical condition. According
to the report, the crew re-selected the flaps back to 15 deg. and they elected
to continue approach and landing. The report said that the crew referred to the
QRH for the situation and they also checked the actual landing distance for
flaps 15 deg. landing configuration. According to ground witness reports, on
landing the aircraft was not on centerline, it bounced twice, and swerved down
the runway. The aircraft sustained substantial damage; the right main landing
gear was detached, the left main gear protruded through the left wing structure,
and some fuselage skin was wrinkled. Aircraft damaged beyond repair, no
fatalities.
1 Jan 2007; PK-KKW, 737-400, 24070/1655, Del 26/1/89, Adam Air; Indonesia:
The aircraft was in the
cruise at FL350 when contact was lost without a Mayday call. The wreckage was
eventually located in Majene waters, West Sulawesi
at a depth of 1800-2000m. At the time of going to press the FDR/CVR had not been
recovered and the cause was still unknown. All 96 passengers and 6 crew
perished.
13 Jan 2007; PK-RPX, 737-200C, 20256/238, Del 11/2/70, RPX Airlines; Kuching,
Malaysia:
The aircraft touched down 20-30m short of the runway whilst
landing in fog. It skidded along the side of the runway for a further 1,000m
during which time the undercarriage and No2 engine detached. No fatalities.
21 Feb 2007; PK-KKV, 737-300, 27284/2606, Del 16/5/94, Adam Air; Surabaya,
Indonesia:
Aircraft damaged beyond economical repair after a heavy
landing in possible windshear. The aft fuselage bent down several degrees
causing the fuselage to crack aft of the wings. The undercarriage remained
intact. No fatalities.
07 Mar 2007; PK-GZC, 737-400, 25664/2393, Del 13/11/92, Garuda; Java,
Indonesia:
Aircraft caught fire during landing. 21 killed.
05 May 2007; 5Y-KYA, 737-800, 35069/2079, Del 28/10/06, Douala, Cameroon:
Crashed 2 minutes after take-off from Douala, Cameroon in a
rainstorm. The aircraft reached 3000ft before descending and hitting the ground
at an angle of 45degrees nose down. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and
debris was scattered a distance of about 500 feet (150m). All 114 passengers & crew killed.
Press
statement from Cameroon CAA
28 June 2007; D2-TBP, 737-200Adv, 23220/1084, Del 15/2/85, M’banza Congo, Angola:
The aircraft was carrying 78 passengers from Luanda to M’Banza Congo, in northern Angola.
The Angolan news agency said the aircraft lost control while
landing and crashed into a building, destroying it. There were 5
Fatalities
