List of notable incidents and accidents involving military aircraft

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Contents 1 1921 2 1933 3 1944 4 1945 5 1951 6 1952 7 1953 8 1955 9 1956 10 1957 11 1958 12 1960 13 1964 14 1965 15 1966 16 1969 17 1974 18 1985 19 1988 20 1989 21 1990 22 1991 23 1994 24 1995 25 1996 26 1997 27 1998 28 1999 29 2000 30 2001 31 2002 32 2003 33 2004 34 2005 35 2006 36 2007 37 External links 38 References

This is a list of notable incidents and accidents involving military aircraft grouped by the year that the incident or accident occurred.

For more exhaustive lists, see the Aircraft Crash Record Office or the Air Safety Network.

[edit] 1921

• August 24 - The British airship R38 due to be delivered to the United States Navy as the ZR-2, broke in two on a test flight near Hull, England and fell to the ground in flames. 62 died.

[edit] 1933

• April 3 - United States Navy airship USS Akron (ZRS-4) encounters severe weather and crashes into the Atlantic off the coast of New Jersey. 73 passengers and crew, including Rear Admiral William A. Moffett, are killed.

[edit] 1944

• August 23 - Freckleton Air Disaster - A United States Army Air Force B-24 Liberator crashed into a school at Freckleton, Lancashire, England on approach to Warton Aerodrome. 61 people died including 38 children.

[edit] 1945

• July 25 – A US Army Air Corps B-25 twin engine bomber crashes into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building, killing 14 people and causing over $1 million in damage [1].

[edit] 1951

• March 23 - A United States Air Force C-124 Globemaster II missing over the Atlantic Ocean, wreckage was found. 53 died.

• September 16 - A damaged F2H-2 Banshee jet fighter returning to the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Essex (CV-9) missed the recovery net and crashed into several F9F Panthers and F2H Banshees parked on the ship's deck, killing 7 people and destroying 4 aircraft. This crash led the USN to equip all future carriers with angled flight decks for safer airplane recovery.

[edit] 1952

• December 12 - A United States Air Force C-124 Globemaster II crashed at Moses Lake, Washington, United States of America. 87 died. Rumoured to have been carrying an atomic bomb

[edit] 1953

• June 18 - A United States Air Force C-124 Globemaster II crashed after engine failure on take-off at Tachikawa Air Force Base, Tokyo, Japan. 129 died.

[edit] 1955

• March 22 - A United States Navy Douglas DC-6 hit a cliff at Honolulu, Hawaii Islands, United States of America. 66 died.

• August 11 - Two United States Air Force C-119s collided near Stuttgart, Germany. 66 died.

[edit] 1956

• October 10 - A United States Air Force C-118 lost at sea about 150 miles north of the Azores. 59 died.

[edit] 1957

• March 21 - A United States Air Force C-97 lost at sea over Pacific Ocean. 67 died.

• December 12 – A U.S. Air Force B-52 crashes on takeoff at Fairchild AFB near Spokane, Washington. All crew members are killed except the tail gunner. The incident is caused by trim motors that were hooked up backwards. The aircraft climbed straight up, stalled, fell over backwards and nosed straight down.

[edit] 1958

• September 8 – Two B-52s collide over the town of Airway Heights near Fairchild AFB. Thirteen crew members are killed, while three survive. There were no casualties on the ground.

[edit] 1960

• December 12 - A United States Air Force C-131 hits a tramcar at Munich, Germany. 53 died.

[edit] 1964

• May 11 - A United States Air Force C-135 crashes at Clark Air Force Base, Philippines. 75 died.

[edit] 1965

• June 25 - A United States Air Force C-135 crashed on take off Los Angeles Airport, California, United States of America. 85 died.

[edit] 1966

• January 17 – A B-52 Stratofortress collides with a KC-135 Stratotanker during aerial refueling near Palomares, Spain. Seven crewmembers are killed in the crash, and two of the B-52's nuclear weapons rupture, scattering radioactive material over the countryside. One bomb lands intact near the town, and another is lost at sea. It is later recovered intact 5 miles (8 km) offshore.
• June 8 – An XB-70 Valkyrie crashes following a mid-air collision with an F-104 while the aircraft were in close formation for a photo shoot at the behest of General Electric.

[edit] 1969

• June 5 – Crash of Rivet Amber, the U.S. Air Force's sole Boeing RC-135E.
• September 20 - An Air Vietnam Douglas DC-4 collided on approach to landing with an American United States Air Force F-4 Phantom near Da Nang, Vietnam. 77 died.

[edit] 1974

• October 14 – An RAF Avro Vulcan explodes over Zabbar, Malta, after striking tail on the runway while trying to land at Luqa Airport. The aircraft was on its way to ditch in the sea at the time of the explosion. One person is killed.

[edit] 1985

• December 12 – Arrow Air Flight 1285, a chartered DC-8 crashes just after takeoff from Gander, Newfoundland, Canada, killing 256 people, of whom 248 were soldiers in the US Army 101st Airborne Division returning from overseas duty in the Sinai desert, Egypt. This is still the greatest peacetime loss of military personnel in US history.
• July 5 – U.S. Navy Blue Angels opposing solo aircraft 6 and 7 (A-4F) collide at Niagra Falls, killing one pilot.

[edit] 1988

• August 17 – A PAF C-130 Hercules crashes near the Pakistani town of Bahawalpur, killing everyone aboard, including the President of Pakistan General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, American Ambassador to Pakistan Arnold Lewis Raphel, Head of Pakistan's military intelligence General Akther Abdul Rehman and nearly all of the top military brass of the Pakistan Army.

• August 28 – Ramstein airshow disaster: Three of the ten Aermacchi MB-339PAN jets from the Italian Air Force display team Frecce Tricolori collide in mid-air in front of the audience while performing their 'pierced heart' formation. One aircraft crashes directly into the crowd. Sixty-seven spectators and all three pilots are killed and 346 seriously injured in the resulting explosion and fire.

• December 8 – An USAF A-10 Thunderbolt II crashes into the West German town of Remscheid. The pilot and five residents are killed, and a further 50 people injured.

[edit] 1989

• July 4 - A "runaway" Soviet MiG-23 crashes into a farmhouse in Belgium, killing an 18-year-old man.

[edit] 1990

• December 6 - A MB-326 jet from the Italian Air Force crashes into a high school in Casalecchio di Reno, Italy. Twelve students are killed, 84 more are severely injured. The pilot ejected after losing control of the plane.

[edit] 1991

• March 21 – Two US Navy P-3 Orion anti-submarine planes are lost during a training mission off the San Diego coast. The crash occurs in a storm 60 miles southwest of San Diego at 2:30 a.m., as one plane flies to relieve the other, which had been airborne for seven hours. Search-and-rescue workers discover wreckage from the downed planes but all 27 crewmen are lost. The two aircraft were assigned to Patrol Squadron 50, based at Moffett Naval Air Station in Mountain View.

[edit] 1994

• April 14 - Two U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopters are mistakenly shot down by USAF F-15 Eagle jets while patrolling the no-fly zone over Iraq, killing 26 personnel.
• June 24 - 'Czar 52', a USAF B-52H Stratofortress crashes at an airshow practice at Fairchild AFB. After having rehearsed the maneuvers profile that in itself was dangerous to fly in a B-52, the aircraft came into land. Due to a KC-135 Stratotanker still being on the runway, the aircraft was required to make a 'go around'. After beginning a 360-degree turn left, the aircraft exceeded 90 degrees angle of bank, stalled and crashed into the ground. The pilot Lt Col Arthur "Bud" Holland was known as a livewire for breaking rules and regulations.

Footage of the crash from YouTube

An in-depth case study by Major Tony Kern of the USAF

[edit] 1995

• September 22 – A USAF E-3 Sentry crashes shortly after take off when a flock of Canadian snow geese were ingested by its engines. All 26 crew members die, including 2 Canadian air crew members.

[edit] 1996

• June 12 – Two Australian Army S-70A Black Hawk helicopters collide during a night training exercise near Townsville, Queensland, killing 18 soldiers.

[edit] 1997

• February 4 - Two Israeli CH-53 Sea Stallions collide over northern Israel, killing 73 Israel Defense Forces soldiers. See 1997 Israeli helicopter disaster.
• September 13 - German Air Force Tupolev 154M collided with a US Air Force C-141B Starlifter about 120 km (75 miles) west of the coast of Namibia over the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 24 aboard.

[edit] 1998

• February 3 - An EA-6B Prowler, an electronic warfare (anti-radar) aircraft belonging to the U.S. Marines struck a cable supporting a gondola in Cavalese. The cable was severed and 20 people in the cabin plunged over 80 metres to their deaths. The plane had wing and tail damage but was able to return to the base.
• February 12 – A Sudan Air Force Antonov An-32 overshoots the runway and crashes into a river near Nasir, Sudan killing 27 of the 57 people onboard.
• March 28 – A Peruvian Air Force Antonov An-32, carrying villagers affected by floods, crashes in Piura, Peru after engine failure. Of the 55 people onboard, 22 are killed.
• May 5 – A Peruvian Air Force Boeing 737, chartered from Occidental Petroleum, crashes during poor weather near Andoas, Peru killing 75 of the 88 people onboard.
• May 12 – A Mauritanian Air Force Antonov An-24 crashes near Néma, Mauritania during a sandstorm killing 39 of the 42 people onboard.
• May 25 – A Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force Yakovlev Yak-40 crashes into a mountain during heavy rain killing all of the 26 onboard.

[edit] 1999

• January 21 – A Nicaraguan Air Force Antonov An-26 crashes into a mountain near Bluefields, Nicaragua killing all 28 onboard.
• March 7 – An Indian Air Force Antonov An-32 crashes upon landing in New Delhi, India during poor weather. All 19 people onboard are killed.
• December 10 – A United States Air Force C-130 Hercules crashes during landing in Kuwait City, Kuwait killing three of the 94 people onboard.

[edit] 2000

• April 19 – A Congolese military Antonov An-8 chartered from Centrafricain Airlines, crashes near Pepa, Democratic Republic of the Congo after engine failure caused by a bird strike. All 24 onboard were killed.
• October 25 – A Russian Air Force Ilyushin Il-18 crashes near Batumi, Georgia killing all 86 people onboard.

[edit] 2001

• March 3 – A United States National Guard Shorts 360 crashes during poor weather in Unadilla, Georgia in the United States. All 21 people onboard were killed.
• April 1 - An EP-3E American EP-3 collides with a Chinese fighter jet and is forced to make an emergency landing in Hainan, China. The U.S. crew was detained for 10 days and the F-8 Chinese pilot, Wang Wei, was presumed dead.
• April 4 – A Sudan Air Force Antonov An-24 crashes during a sandstorm in Adar Yeil, Sudan. Of the 30 people onboard, 14 were killed; among them, Sudan’s deputy defense minister as well as other high-ranking officers.
• May 16 – A Turkish Air Force CASA CN-235 crashes into a field in Malatya, Turkey killing all 34 onboard.
• December 1 – A Russian military Ilyushin Il-76 caught fire and crashed near Novaya Inya, Russia killing all 18 onboard.

[edit] 2002

• February 21 – A Russian Navy Antonov An-26 crashes in Lakhta, Russia during an emergency landing. Of the 20 people onboard, 17 were killed.
• June 2 – An Angolan Armed Forces Mil Mi-17 helicopter crashes in poor weather killing 20 of the 25 onboard. Among those onboard were top military officials that were going to attend a disarmament ceremony by UNITA rebels.
• August 19 – A Russian Air Force Mil Mi-26 helicopter was shot down by Chechen rebels in Khankala, Russia. Of the 147 on board, 121 were killed.

[edit] 2003

• February 19 – An Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Ilyushin Il-76 crashes into a mountain in poor weather near Shahdad, Iran. All of the 276 people onboard were killed.
• February 20 – A Pakistan Air Force Fokker F-27 crashes near Kohat, Pakistan. All 17 people onboard died, including Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir.
• February 27 – A Canadian Forces Air Command H-3 Sea King helicopter crashes into the deck of the HMCS Iroquois in the Persian Gulf. No one was killed, but the ship's mission in the Gulf was postponed.
• March 21 - During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, two Royal Navy Westland Sea King ASaC7 AEW helicopters collided in mid-air five miles from their aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal while one had been leaving on a mission as the other returned from the same operation [2]
• November 2 – A United States Army CH-47 Chinook was shot down by shoulder-fired missile near Hasi, Iraq. Of the 36 people onboard, 16 were killed.
• November 15 – Two United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters collide near Mosul, Iraq. Twenty-two soldiers were on both aircraft and 17 were killed.
• November 29 – A Democratic Republic of the Congo Air Force Antonov An-26 blew out a tire during landing in Boende, Democratic Republic of the Congo and overran the runway and crashed into a market square. Of the 24 people onboard, 20 were killed and 13 people on the ground died.

[edit] 2004

• August 24 – A Venezuelan Air Force Shorts 360 crashes near Maracay, Venezuela killing all 25 onboard.
• September 11 – A Hellenic Army CH-47 Chinook crashes into the sea off Mount Athos, Greece killing all 17 onboard. Among those killed was Patriarch Peter VII of Alexandria.

[edit] 2005

• January 26 – A United States Marine Corps CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter ferrying troops crashes during a sandstorm near Ar Rutba, Iraq killing all 31 onboard.
• January 31 – A Colombian government UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on an anti-narcotics mission crashes in heavy fog near Manguipayan, Colombia killing all 20 onboard.
• April 2 - Royal Australian Navy Westland Sea King helicopter Shark 02 crashes on the Indonesian island of Nias while providing humanitarian support following the 2005 Sumatran earthquake, killing 9 Australian Defence Force personnel onboard.
• December 6 – An Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force C-130 Hercules crashes into an apartment building in Tehran, Iran. Ninety-four people onboard were killed as well as 14 in the building.

[edit] 2006

• January 19 – A Slovak Air Force Antonov An-24 carrying peacekeepers from Kosovo crashes in near Telkibanya, Hungary. Of the 43 people onboard, only one survived.
• May 23 – A Greek and Turkish F-16 Fighting Falcon collide over the Aegean Sea as the Greek pilot attempted to intercept the Turkish, after an alleged airspace violation. The Greek pilot is presumed dead, but the Turkish pilot was rescued.
• June 3 – A People's Liberation Army Air Force converted Ilyushin Il-76 AWACS crashes in Guangde County in the People's Republic of China. All 40 people onboard died.
• September 2 – A Royal Air Force Hawker-Siddeley Nimrod NATO reconnaissance plane crashes near Kandahar, Afghanistan after a technical malfunction disables its flight controls. All 14 crew onboard were killed.
• November 29 – Two members of the Australian Army killed and seven injured when a S-70A Black Hawk helicopter hits the deck of the HMAS Kanimbla and crashes off Fiji.
• December 16 – A Mexican Air Force Antonov An-32B crashes into the sea off the coast of Mexico, near Acapulco. The four crew members on board were killed.

[edit] 2007

• January 10 - Two Squirrel helicopters from the Defence Helicopter Flying School at RAF Shawbury in England collide in mid-air, killing one and injuring three.^[1]
• January 24 - Ecuadorian Defence Minister Guadalupe Larriva, her 17-year-old daughter and five army officers are killed when two Aérospatiale Gazelle military helicopters collided during a night training.^[2]
• February 2 - An HAL Dhruv helicopter, part of the Saarang Helicopter Aerobatics team lost altitude and crashed while practicing for the Aero India-2007 at the Yelahanka Air Base near Bangalore. The Pilot was severely injured, and the co-pilot was killed. The Saarang team continued their planned performance for the airshow.
• February 18 - A U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook crashed in southeastern Afghanistan due to a sudden, unexplained loss of power and control killing 8 and wounding 14 others. The crew reported an engine failure before going down.
• February 27 - A Netherlands AF F-16AM (J-198) lost its nose wheel during take off from Leeuwarden AB and flew to burn off fuel before making a belly emergency landing with all gear retracted. The aircraft flew for around 30min before the decision was taken to land with the gear down, shut the engine immediately after touch-down and brake moderately to keep directional control until the nose came down on the nose-gear strut. ATC told the pilot of a new plan from Lockheed Martin of a gear-up landing, even though J-198 had a Northrop-Grumman AN/ALQ-131 electronic jamming pod attached. The pod was damaged in the landing, but the F-16 was otherwise only lightly damaged

[edit] External links

• PlaneCrashInfo.com

[edit] References