Flight Safety Foundation Accident Prevention 2001

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December 2001

Descent Below Minimum Altitude Results in Tree Strike During Night, Nonprecision Approach 6 pages. [PDF 113K]

After descending below the published minimum descent altitude for the nondirectional beacon (NDB) approach, the commander began a missed approach as the aircraft struck trees. A three-foot section of the right wing was torn away; the crew diverted the aircraft to another airport, where they landed safely.

November 2001

Douglas DC-3 Strikes Hill During Night Cargo Flight 6 pages. [PDF 66K]

Investigators concluded that the controlled-flight-into-terrain (CFIT) accident occurred because the flight crew conducted a night visual flight rules (VFR) operation beneath a low ceiling and below Canadian obstacle-clearance-height requirements.

October 2001

Icing, Inadequate Airspeed Trigger Loss of Control of Saab 340 6 pages. [PDF 57K]

The flight crew was conducting a turn to enter a holding pattern at 15,000 feet when the airspeed decreased below the published holding speed. The airplane, which had accumulated ice, stalled and descended for 10 seconds before the crew regained control.

September 2001

Pitch Oscillations, High Descent Rate Precede B-727 Runway Undershoot 8 pages. [PDF 63K]

The flight crew was conducting a Category II ILS approach in instrument meteorological conditions. The airplane pitched down after crossing the middle marker, and the autopilot disconnected. The captain increased power and pulled back the control column to arrest the sink rate. The airplane struck terrain, bounced onto the runway and then veered off the runway.

August 2001

Crew Loses Control of Boeing 737 While Maneuvering to Land 6 pages. [PDF 57K]

The airplane was high on approach to Patna, India, and the crew received clearance from air traffic control to conduct a 360-degree turn to reposition for landing. The airplane stalled and descended into a residential area. Fifty-five occupants of the airplane and five people on the ground were killed in the approach-and-landing accident.

July 2001

Lightning Strike, Loose Electrical Connector Disable Fokker 100 Hydraulic Systems 8 pages. [PDF 66K]

An in-flight lightning strike caused depletion of fluid from the main hydraulic systems, and the alternate anti-skid braking system failed, but none of the occupants was injured when the airplane veered off a wet runway during landing.

June 2001

Runway Overrun Occurs After Captain Cancels Go-around 12 pages. [PDF 189K]

The Boeing 747 was configured for a dry-runway landing when heavy rain occurred on final approach to Bangkok, Thailand. The captain told the first officer (the pilot flying) to go around but then retarded the throttle levers when the main landing gear touched the runway. The airplane was substantially damaged. None of the occupants was injured seriously during the approach-and-landing accident, but the delay in evacuation of the aircraft focused attention on improving training for emergencies.

May 2001

Boeing 747 In-flight Breakup Traced to Fuel-tank Explosion 12 pages. [PDF 127K]

Investigators concluded that a flammable mixture of fuel and air in the center-wing fuel tank likely was ignited by voltage from an external short circuit that was conducted into the tank by electrical wiring associated with the fuel quantity indication system.

April 2001

Flight Crew Incapacitation Follows Learjet 35 Cabin Depressurization 12 pages. [PDF 168K]

The airplane remained airborne about three hours, 46 minutes after the last known radio transmission by the crew and struck terrain far from the intended destination. The investigation did not determine what had caused the airplane’s cabin to depressurize or why the pilots had not used, or had not received, supplemental oxygen after the cabin depressurized.

March 2001

Official Report Provides No Conclusions About Cause of SilkAir B-737’s Fatal Plunge from 35,000 Feet 8 pages. [PDF 63K]

Report by Indonesian investigators cited lack of data and rejected U.S. National Transportation Safety Board suggested conclusions that the airplane’s descent was caused by intentional, sustained manual flight control inputs that most likely were made by the captain.

February 2001

Inadequate Response to Flight-control Problem, Misuse of Autopilot Cited in Falcon 900B Upset 8 pages. [PDF 360K]

The aircraft was descending to land in Bucharest, Romania, when the autopilot disengaged and several pilot-induced pitch oscillations occurred. Seven passengers, who were not wearing seat belts, were killed; one passenger and the flight attendant were seriously injured.

January 2001

Destabilized Approach Results in MD-11 Bounced Landing, Structural Failure 8 pages. [PDF 71K]

The right wing separated from the fuselage during the second touchdown on the runway, and the airplane rolled and came to rest inverted. The five occupants received minor injuries during the impact and evacuation. The investigation generated a recommendation for pilot training on conducting stabilized approaches through the landing flare.