Crash of an Antonov AN-26 in Abu Adh Dhuhur: 30 killed

Date & Time: Jan 18, 2015
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
YK-AND
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Damascus - Abu Adh Dhuhur
MSN:
30 08
YOM:
1975
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
24
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
30
Circumstances:
The aircraft was performing a military cargo flight from Damascus, carrying food, potable water and ammunition for the Syrian soldiers fighting against the Islamic State. On final approach to Abu Adh Dhuhur AFB by night and foggy conditions, the aircraft descended too low and collided with high tension cables. It stalled and crashed in an open field located near the airport. All 24 passengers and six crew members were killed and the aircraft was totally destroyed by impact forces.

Crash of an Airbus A310-324 in Khartoum: 30 killed

Date & Time: Jun 10, 2008 at 2026 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
ST-ATN
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Amman – Damascus – Khartoum
MSN:
548
YOM:
1990
Flight number:
SD109
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
11
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
203
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
30
Captain / Total flying hours:
14180
Captain / Total hours on type:
3088.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
9879
Copilot / Total hours on type:
3347
Aircraft flight hours:
53233
Aircraft flight cycles:
21524
Circumstances:
The Airbus 310 serial number 548 owned by Sudan Airways Was entered in Sudan Civil Register on 15/09/2007 , designated registration marks ST-ATN in accordance to registration certificate No. 0493 dated 15/09/2007 and issued with Certificate of airworthiness No AWP/COA/0203/2007 dated 19/09/2007. On the morning of 10th June at 8:30 hrs (local time 05:30 UTC) after arriving from Cairo with a deactivated no 1 engine reverse as being a carry forward defect and being labeled according to MEL, the captain accepted the aircraft to carry out its scheduled flight to Amman via Damascus. The trip en-route to Amman was uneventful. Same day in the afternoon, the Airbus A310, ST-ATN, was en-route flying from Damascus (Syria) to Khartoum (Sudan) with 203 passengers and 11 crew members on board. The Airbus approached Khartoum in the afternoon and due to bad weather conditions, the captain decided to divert to Port Sudan. The aircraft landed Port Sudan Airport normally and was refuelled with 20 tons of Jet A1. As mentioned by the Captain that he was in contact with Khartoum enquiring about the weather. After staying on ground at Port Sudan for about 1:15 hour, and being informed that the weather was getting better, the Captain decided to return back to Khartoum. A310, ST-ATN, took off to Khartoum where the captain initiated a night approach for the runway 36 as pilot flying. He got the clearance to land after the controller provided him with wind information (320° / 7 Kt) and runway condition (wet). The left engine thrust reverser was unserviceable and inhibited as per Minimum Equipment List (MEL) procedures. The aircraft landed smoothly about 17:26 UTC. R/W 36 landing and within 900 meters range from the threshold of R/W 36 as stated by the flying pilot. The captain reported that he experienced some difficulties in maintaining the aircraft on the centre line just after setting both thrust levers in the reverse position. Then he did not succeed in slowing down the aircraft nor could stop it before the end of the runway. The aircraft longitudinally overran the runway and came to a stop 215 meters after the runway end. Then it caught fire on its right side. The right hand slides could not be deployed, the crew and the passengers evacuated the aircraft from the left front slide, twenty nine passengers and one cabin crew were fatally injured.
Probable cause:
The accident was due to a long flaring distance (900 meters from R/W threshold) on a wet slippery runway without selecting Auto brake and with one deactivated engine reverse in such rainy conditions. The remaining available landing distance turned out to be too short to allow the captain to stop the aircraft before the end of the runway.
Contributing factors:
The wind information was not appropriate as it was tailwind at time of landing. The crew was not aware about the aircraft ground speed and the tailwind.
Final Report:

Crash of a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain in Moadamiyeh: 3 killed

Date & Time: Oct 7, 2007
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Damascus - Damascus
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a local training flight in Damascus. Apparently, the pilots encountered technical problems and attempted an emergency landing in an olive grove when the aircraft crashed against a wall. All three occupants were killed.

Crash of a Boeing 707-348C in Damascus

Date & Time: Jan 26, 1982
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
7O-ACJ
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Tripoli - Damascus
MSN:
18737/377
YOM:
1964
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The aircraft was completing a cargo flight from Tripoli to Damascus, carrying a load of military equipment and spare parts. While descending to Damascus Airport, the airplane was attacked and several bullets went through an engine and the tail. The crew completed an emergency descent and was able to land without further problem. Nevertheless, the aircraft was considered as damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Shot down by unknown.

Crash of an Antonov AN-22A in Moscow: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jun 2, 1980
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-09311
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Damascus - Moscow
MSN:
043481251
YOM:
1974
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
On approach to Moscow, a fault accumulator caused a fire in the well of the main right gear, while the aircraft was 28 km from Vnukovo on a flight to Sheremetievo. When the fire was detected, the crew decided to divert to Vnukovo Airport (VKO). Electric power was switched from the main system to the emergency one when the aircraft was flying at a height of 3,400 meters some 8 km from VKO. But the emergency system failed also at an altitude of 2,500 meters on approach, leaving the aircraft without any electric power. The crew attempted a emergency belly landing in a field when the aircraft collided with obstacles and a drainage ditch before coming to rest in flames. Three crew members were killed while three others were injured.
Probable cause:
Fire in the right main wheel well.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-154 near Damascus: 4 killed

Date & Time: Mar 23, 1978
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
LZ-BTB
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Sofia - Damascus - Sharjah
MSN:
72A027
YOM:
1972
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Aircraft flight hours:
7800
Circumstances:
On approach to Damascus Airport, the crew failed to realize his altitude was too low when the three engine airplane struck the slope of a mountain located 22 km from the airport. The aircraft was destroyed and all four crew members were killed. They were performing a cargo flight from Sofia to Sharjah with an intermediate stop in Damascus.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-62 near Damascus: 126 killed

Date & Time: Aug 20, 1975 at 0113 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
OK-DBF
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Prague - Damascus - Baghdad - Tehran
MSN:
31502
YOM:
1973
Flight number:
OK542
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
11
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
117
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
126
Circumstances:
While approaching Damascus International Airport by night and excellent weather conditions, the crew failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when the airplane struck the ground at an altitude of 605 meters AMSL and crashed in flames in a desert area located about 18 km from the airport. Rescue teams arrived on scene about 30 minutes later and two passengers, two Syrian citizens, were rescued. All 126 other occupants were killed, among them 67 Czechs, 55 Syrians, 3 Polish and one East-German. At the time of the accident, weather conditions were ideal with good visibility despite the night and a wind from 230° at 10 knots.
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. However, it is believed that the accident may have been caused by a wrong altimeter setting after the crew mixed QNH and QFE values.

Crash of a De Havilland CC-115 Buffalo in Al-Dimass: 9 killed

Date & Time: Aug 9, 1974
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
115461
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Beirut - Damascus
MSN:
16
YOM:
1968
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
7
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
9
Circumstances:
The airplane was engaged in a special flight from Beirut to Damascus, carrying UNO personnel and various logistical equipment. While descending to Damascus Airport, the airplane was mistakenly shot down by three Syrian surface-to-air missiles and crashed near Al-Dimass. All nine occupants were killed. At the time of the accident, Syria was engaged in military combat with Israel fighters at the border with Lebanon.
Probable cause:
Shot down by Syrian surface-to-air missile.

Crash of a Tupolev TU-104A in Nicosia

Date & Time: Aug 29, 1973 at 0639 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
OK-MDE
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Baghdad - Damascus - Nicosia - Prague
MSN:
8 66 012 02
YOM:
1958
Flight number:
OK531
Location:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
62
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
After touchdown on runway 14 at Nicosia Airport, the airplane deviated to the right then veered off runway and came to rest in flames about 150 metes from the runway end. All 70 occupants escaped, nine of them were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
The failure of the pilot to stop the aircraft within the nominally adequate runway distance available and the subsequent entry of the aircraft into a right turn at high speed, as a result of which the aircraft was subjected to lateral centrifugal forces and side skidded off the runway.

Crash of a Douglas DC-9-32 in Adana: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jan 20, 1972
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
TC-JAC
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Damascus - Ankara
MSN:
47213/358
YOM:
1968
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
En route from Damascus to Ankara, the crew informed ATC about cabin pressurization problems and was cleared to divert to Adana-Şakirpaşa Airport for an emergency landing. On approach, the pilot encountered poor visibility due to snow falls and as he was unable to locate the runway, he decided to make a go-around. Few minutes later, while in a second attempt to land, the crew failed to realize his altitude was too low when the airplane struck the ground. Upon impact, the airplane lost its undercarriage and slid for dozen yards before coming to rest in flames 2 km short of runway 05 threshold. Four crew members were injured while one of the pilot was killed.