Convair CV-440 Metropolitan

Operator:

Registration:

SE-BSU

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Stockholm - Stockholm

MSN:

395

YOM:

1957

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was completing a local training mission at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport. On takeoff, the instructor reduced power on the left engine to simulate a failure. After rotation, during initial climb, the crew elected to restore the power on the left engine when the airplane banked left, causing the left wing to struck the ground. Out of control, the airplane crashed on the left of the runway and came to rest. All four crew members were uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

The accident was the consequence of the conjunction of the following factors:
- Wind shear effect,
- Roughness on wing surfaces (ice) could have affected climb performances,
- The aircraft slipped to the left when power restored on left engine. The slipstream then temporarily will give yaw to the left and increase the slip,
- Banking attitude towards the 'failed' engine side caused the Vmc to increase over calculated V2.

Crash of a Convair CV-440 Metropolitan in Titograd

Date & Time: Feb 4, 1969

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

YU-ADL

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

112

YOM:

1953

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed upon landing at Titograd Airport for undetermined reason. There were no casualties.

Crash of a Convair CV-440 Metropolitan in Zurich: 4 killed

Date & Time: Feb 10, 1967 at 0746 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

HB-IMF

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Zurich - Zurich

MSN:

355

YOM:

1956

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

3785

Captain / Total hours on type:

2539.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

238

Aircraft flight hours:

24343

Circumstances:

The aircraft departed Zurich-Kloten runway 28 at 0743LT on a local training mission, carrying an instructor and three student pilots. During initial climb, the captain turn slightly to the right and continued at low height when the aircraft contacted tree tops, stalled and crashed in a wooded area located in Regensberg, about 8 km northwest of the airport. Debris scattered on more than 200 meters and all four crew members were killed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the instructor decided to make a turn to the right after rotation rather than to follow the published procedures asking the crew to make a turn to the left. The reason of this decision could not be determined. Due to an insufficient height, the airplane struck tree tops, stalled and crashed in a dense wooded area. The lack of visibility caused by foggy conditions was considered as a contributing factor.

Crash of a Convair CV-440 Metropolitan in Harrisburg

Date & Time: Nov 29, 1966 at 1728 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

N3414

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Harrisburg – Pittsburgh

MSN:

YOM:

1953

Flight number:

AL305

Location:

Harrisburg

Pennsylvania

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

17718

Captain / Total hours on type:

2500.00

Circumstances:

During the takeoff roll on runway 26, the electrical system failed. The crew aborted the takeoff maneuver, started an emergency braking procedure and triggered the reverse thrust system. The reverse thrust system failed to work so the aircraft was unable to stop within the remaining distance and overran. Past the runway end, the nose gear collapsed and the airplane came to rest against a metallic tower supporting the approach light system. All 16 occupants were evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

Failure of the electrical system due to an improperly installed heater on part of the ground technicians. Improper emergency procedures on part of the pilot-in-command.

Final Report:

Crash of a Convair CV-440-0 Metropolitan in Bremen: 46 killed

Date & Time: Jan 28, 1966 at 1750 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

D-ACAT

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Frankfurt - Bremen - Hamburg

MSN:

464

YOM:

1958

Flight number:

LH005

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

5093

Captain / Total hours on type:

1187.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

793

Copilot / Total hours on type:

533

Aircraft flight hours:

13871

Circumstances:

The aircraft was operating a scheduled service of Deutsche Lufthansa on the route Frankfurt - Bremen - Hamburg under flight number LH 005. Scheduled time of departure in Frankfurt: 1625 hours GMT, scheduled time of arrival at Bremen: 1745 hours GMT. Actually, the aircraft took off at 1641 hours GMT. The last phase of the flight can be roughly reconstructed from the tape recordings, the evidence given by the witnesses and the position of the wreckage as follows:
17.41 GMT Descending from flight level 60 and clearance for ILS approach to runway 27 at Bremen.
17.44 GMT Passing of radio beacon Bremen outbound.
17.48 GMT Passing of radio beacon Bremen inbound on final approach.
17.49.37 GMT The aircraft was seen for the first time by witnesses about 1 000 m approximately before the threshold of runway 27 near the middle marker; later it was observed by the control tower with its landing gear extended and the landing lights turned on.
17.50.15 GMT About 1 200 m after the threshold of runway 27, close to the intersec- approximately tion of runways 27/09 and 32/14, the aircraft went round again at an altitude of about 30 ft above ground with a compass course of about 2700.
17.50.40 GMT With a pitch of about 300 to 600 and the left wing forward the aircraft approximately crashed on the ground in the opposite direction to runway 27, about 385 m west of the end of runway 27 and about 380 m south of the runway centre line.
The aircraft was totally destroyed and none of the 46 occupants survived.

Probable cause:

While approaching to land, the aircraft overshot and stalled during the execution of the missed approach. The overshoot on approach to land was probably caused by the fact that - possibly on account of a malfunction of one of the flight director instruments - the pilot was not in a position to remain on the glide path and that he made a wrong assessment of the height above ground after transition to visual flight. The stall was probably induced by wrong activation of controls. Such activation was possibly caused by sudden occurrence of a physical disorder of one of the pilots. After the aircraft had stalled, the pilot could not control the further progress of the flight on account of the rather poor stall performance of the aircraft type, the extraordinary difficulties to control a stall during instrument flight conditions, and the insufficient height available for transition from stall to a normal attitude after the aircraft had sheared off. Other factors may have contributed to the accident, such as:
- Insufficient engine power,
- Insufficient altitude to recovery,
- Inadequate pitch,
- Unfavorable weather conditions.

Final Report:

Crash of a Convair CV-440 Metropolitan in Williamsport

Date & Time: Jul 23, 1965 at 1506 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

N8415H

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Pittsburgh-Du Bois-Phillipsburg-Williamsport-Wilkes-Barre-Newark

MSN:

125

YOM:

1953

Flight number:

AL604

Location:

Williamsport

Pennsylvania

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

10071

Captain / Total hours on type:

1296.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

5061

Copilot / Total hours on type:

1410

Aircraft flight hours:

26266

Circumstances:

Allegheny Airlines, Inc., Flight 604, a Convair 340/440, N8415H, crashed 5 miles east-northeast of the Williamsport-Lycoming County Airport, Montoursville, Pennsylvania, on July 23, 1965. The 36 passengers, 3 crew members, and 1 jumpseat rider survived but received varying degrees of injuries. The flight, regularly scheduled from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Newark, New Jersey, with intermediate stops at Dubois, Phillipsburg, Williamsport and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, departed Runway 09 at 1503. e.d.t. Shortly after takeoff smoke and fire were observed coming from the right engine and at approximately 1505:30 the captain advised "Six oh four is coming back in, we've got the right engine feathered.” The crash occurred moments later on the crest of a ridge approximately 600 feet above the airport elevation. The aircraft was destroyed by fire. The failure of the right engine is attributed to the failure of the front row master rod and all the associated link rods. Damage to the rod ends precluded any determination of the cause of the master rod failure.

Probable cause:

The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the failure of the crew to implement proper procedures for an engine failure on takeoff.

Final Report:

Crash of a Convair CV-440-62 Metropolitan off Tangier: 50 killed

Date & Time: Mar 31, 1965 at 1004 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

EC-ATH

Flight Phase:

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Malaga – Tangier

MSN:

388

YOM:

1957

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

6140

Copilot / Total flying hours:

13355

Aircraft flight hours:

9015

Circumstances:

The aircraft took off from Malaga, Spain, at 0733 hours GMT, on a non- scheduled international flight to Tangier, Morocco, and return. Meteorological conditions were good as far as Gibraltar; however, the aircraft encountered conditions which were below the general minima north-west of Tangier. The crew first contacted Tangier control tower at 0755 hours, estimating Tangier at 0805 hours. The 0720 hours weather observation was then passed to the crew. At 0758 hours the crew was informed that the Tangier VOR was inoperative and two minutes later they were requested to report at 2 500 ft over the TW locator or field in sight. At 0802 hours they were provided with the 0750 hours weather observation together with the latest QNH (1 024 mb) and QFE (1 022 mb). This was acknowledged by the crew at 0803 hours. All subsequent calls from Tangier control tower remained unanswered. It was subsequently found that the aircraft had crashed at about 0804 hours into the sea, approximately 10 NM off the Moroccan coast. Three passengers were rescued while 50 other occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

For undetermined reasons, the aircraft stalled at an altitude from which recovery could not be effected.

Final Report:

Crash of a Convair CV-440 Metropolitan in Ängelholm: 31 killed

Date & Time: Nov 20, 1964 at 2114 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

SE-CCK

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Stockholm – Hultsfred – Halmstad – Ängelholm

MSN:

195

YOM:

1954

Flight number:

LF267

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed Stockholm-Bromma Airport at 1946LT bound for Ängelholm-Helsinborg Airport with intermediate stops at Hultsfred and Halmstad. Due to poor weather en route, the crew was instructed by ATC to fly directly to Ängelholm and continued at an altitude of 12,000 feet. On final approach by night, the aircraft was off course and too low. In a relative flat attitude, the airplane struck the ground with its starboard wing tip and landing gear. Eighty meters further, it collided with the overhead lines of the West Coast Railway Line, knocking off two concrete posts. It continued for another 170 meters, struck again the ground, went upside down and slid for 150 meters before coming to rest. Both pilots and 29 passengers were killed while two other crew members and 10 passengers were injured, some of them seriously. The aircraft was totally destroyed.

Probable cause:

The cause of the accident was in all probability that during the approach in instrument conditions the crew abandoned the set procedure and began the landing too soon. The reason for this must have been that the crew allowed themselves to be misled by an arrangement of lights peculiar to the airfield with which, apart from certain information received during the approach, they were not acquainted.

Crash of a Convair CV-440-62 Metropolitan in Seville: 18 killed

Date & Time: Oct 12, 1962

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

EC-ATB

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site: