Crash of a Fairchild-Hiller FH-227B in Machault: 24 killed

Date & Time: Mar 4, 1988 at 0637 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
F-GCPS
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Nancy - Paris
MSN:
546
YOM:
1967
Flight number:
IJ5230
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
21
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
24
Captain / Total flying hours:
10226
Copilot / Total flying hours:
4431
Aircraft flight hours:
33142
Aircraft flight cycles:
55843
Circumstances:
Following an uneventful flight from Nancy-Essey Airport, the crew started the descent to Paris-Orly Airport and was cleared to reduce his altitude to 6,000 feet. At that time, weather conditions were marginal with poor visibility due to fog. Suddenly, the aircraft pitched down and entered an uncontrolled descent with a rate of 16,000 feet per minute during the last 20 seconds. Out of control, the aircraft struck the metallic pylon of a high voltage powerline and eventually crashed at an excessive speed of 630 km/h in an open field located in Machault, about 46 km southeast of Paris-Orly Airport. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 24 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the electrical system failed in flight while the crew was flying under IFR mode in IMC conditions. Technical analysis and investigations were unable to determine with certainty the exact cause of the loss of control and the fatal descent. After eliminating various assumptions invalidated by the established facts and findings and after reviewing the results of flight tests conducted at its request, the commission assigned higher probability to the hypothesis that the electrical fault caused a loss of attitude reference and autopilot disconnect which would have occurred while the aircraft was configured 'out of trim' in a nose down attitude. In the absence of independent standby horizon, the crew had no usable attitude reference immediately available while the aircraft was in a high-speed dive.
The following findings were reported:
- The loss of control occurred in icing conditions,
- A third person (non crew) aged 18 was seating in the cockpit at the time of the accident,
- The aircraft's speed upon impact was 100 km/h above the max allowable speed certification.

Crash of a Fairchild-Hiller FH-227B in Tabatinga: 44 killed

Date & Time: Jun 12, 1982 at 0605 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
PT-LBV
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Eirunepé - Tabatinga
MSN:
536
YOM:
1967
Country:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
40
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
44
Circumstances:
The approach to Tabatinga Airport was initiated by night and poor weather conditions. On final, the aircraft was too low and struck a pole. It lost height and crashed, bursting into flames. The aircraft was destroyed and all 44 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that at the time of the accident, the visibility was low due poor weather conditions. Due to a general electrical failure, the approach lights and runway lights were not functioning and the airport was not equipped with an emergency generator. Due to pressure caused by bad weather and the fact that the aircraft was short of fuel, the crew decided to attempt a visual approach in such conditions instead of diverting to the nearest airport of Leticia.

Crash of a Fairchild-Hiller FH-227B in Mandalay: 43 killed

Date & Time: Jan 24, 1980 at 0620 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
5003
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Mandalay - Yangon
MSN:
545
YOM:
1967
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
39
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
43
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Mandalay-Chianmyathazi (Annisaton) Airport, while in initial climb, the crew reported an engine failure and was cleared to return for an emergency landing. Following a circuit, on final, the airplane lost height and crashed on a tobacco factory. The airplane and the factory were totally destroyed. A passenger was seriously injured while 43 other occupants were killed. There were no casualties on the ground.
Probable cause:
Engine failure after takeoff for undetermined reasons.

Crash of a Fairchild-Hiller FH-227 in Chub Cay

Date & Time: Jul 31, 1978
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
C6-BDQ
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
518
YOM:
1966
Country:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
After takeoff, while in initial climb, the crew raised the landing gear when the captain heard a loud bang and decided to land back. The airplane belly landed and slid for 605 meters, overran and came to rest in a mangrove. There were no injuries but the aircraft was written off.

Crash of a Fairchild-Hiller FH-227D in Abadan

Date & Time: Feb 25, 1978
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
EP-AMJ
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
523
YOM:
1966
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Landed hard and came to rest at Abadan Airport. There were no injuries but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Ground accident of a Fairchild-Hiller FH-227B in Zagreb

Date & Time: Jun 19, 1977
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
YU-ALA
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
525
YOM:
1966
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
43
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Suffered a ground accident while taxiing at Zagreb-Pleso Airport. All 47 occupants were evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Fairchild-Hiller FH-227B in Saint Louis: 38 killed

Date & Time: Jul 23, 1973 at 1743 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N4215
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Nashville – Clarksville – Paducah – Cape Girardeau – Marion – Saint Louis
MSN:
513
YOM:
1966
Flight number:
OZ809
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
41
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
38
Captain / Total flying hours:
9170
Captain / Total hours on type:
4382.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
3921
Copilot / Total hours on type:
989
Aircraft flight hours:
14300
Circumstances:
Ozark Air Lines Flight 809, an FH-227B, was a regular flight between Nashville Metropolitan Airport, TN (BNA) and St. Louis (STL), with intermediate stops at Clarksville, TN (CKV), Paducah, KY (PAH), Cape Girardeau Airport, MO (CGI) and Marion-Williamson County Airport, IL (MWA) with an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. The flight departed Marion at 17:05. The flight proceeded via the V-335 airway toward St. Louis without difficulty. At 17:26, the Kansas City Air Route Traffic Control Center (KCC) controller requested that Flight 809 make a 360 degree turn to the right. He advised that there would be about a 5-minute delay and that the right turn would keep the flight clear of the weather. At 17:28, the KCC controller cleared the flight to proceed to the St. Louis VOR and to contact St. Louis Approach Control. One minute later the first officer transmitted, "Approach, this is Ozark eight oh nine, seven thousand, with Quebec." Weather information 'Quebec' indicated: Estimated ceiling-4,000 feet broken, visibility-5 miles, haze and smoke, wind-120° at 8 knots , temperature-92 degrees, altimeter-30.06, ILS runway 12R approaches in use, landing and departing runways 12. The approach controller responded: "Ozark eight oh nine, Roger, maintain seven thousand and, ... continue toward the VOR, be vectors runway three zero left ILS." Between 17:32 and 17:39, the approach controller gave Flight 809 radar vectors through an area of thunderstorm cells that lay south and southeast of the St. Louis Airport. At 17:40, the controller cleared the flight for an ILS approach to runway 30L and cleared the flight crew to contact the St. Louis Control Tower. The Tower controller cleared the flight to land. At 17:42:31, the local controller said, "Ozark eight oh nine, it looks like a heavy rain shower moving right across the approach end of the runway now." The first officer replied, "Roger, we see it." After passing the Outer Marker, the aircraft began to descend below the glide slope until it struck the ground. First, the aircraft struck tree tops about 55 feet above the ground then crashed on a hillside located less than two miles from runway 30L threshold, in the district of Normandy. Two crew members and four passengers survived while all 38 other occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The aircraft's encounter with a downdraft following the captain's decision to initiate and continue an instrument approach into a thunderstorm. The captain's decision probably was influenced by the lack of a timely issuance of a severe weather warning by the National Weather Service, and the improper assessment of the weather conditions in the terminal area by the flight crew and the flight dispatcher.
Final Report:

Crash of a Fairchild-Hiller FH-227B in the Andes Mountains: 29 killed

Date & Time: Oct 13, 1972 at 1530 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
T-571
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Montevideo - Santiago du Chili
MSN:
572
YOM:
1968
Flight number:
URUGUAY571
Location:
Country:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
41
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
29
Captain / Total flying hours:
5117
Aircraft flight hours:
792
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Montevideo on a charter flight to Santiago de Chile under callsign Uruguay 571, carrying members of the rugby team 'Old Christians', en route to Chile to take part to a tournament. All passengers were players, supporters and members of their family. While in cruising altitude in marginal weather conditions, the crew encountered altitude turbulences due to the mountain proximity and clouds. Despite the pilot increased full power on both engines, the airplane was unable to maintain a safe altitude when, at a speed of 350 km/h, the right wing struck a rocky ridge and was torn off. Few seconds later, the airplane struck a second ridge, causing the left wing and the tail to be torn off. The aircraft planed for few seconds before it crashed in a snow covered area located at an altitude of 3,900 meters in the Chilean Andes. Few passengers were injured while eight others were killed. Some survivors elected to contact rescuers but the VHF system was out of order. A day after the accident, the pilot of a Chilean Air Force trainer made a pass over the area but failed to sea the wreckage due to clouds. After three days, SAR operations were suspended by the authorities. After 72 days by extreme low temperatures, three survivors walked away and found help in a village. On December 22, 1972, two helicopters of the Chilean Air Force arrived on the scene and were able to evacuate 16 survivors while 29 other occupants died from their injuries, cold or of hunger.

Crash of a Fairchild-Hiller FH-227B in Albany: 17 killed

Date & Time: Mar 3, 1972 at 2048 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N7818M
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
New York-LaGuardia - Albany
MSN:
541
YOM:
1967
Flight number:
MO405
Location:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
44
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
17
Captain / Total flying hours:
12248
Captain / Total hours on type:
2202.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
9969
Copilot / Total hours on type:
2723
Aircraft flight hours:
10068
Aircraft flight cycles:
15714
Circumstances:
On final approach to Albany by night and marginal weather conditions, the crew encountered technical problems with the left engine propeller cruise lock system. The propeller could not be feathered and the airplane lost height and eventually crashed onto two houses located 3,8 miles short of runway 01 threshold. Two crew members and 14 passengers as well as one people on the ground were killed. The aircraft and two houses were destroyed.
Probable cause:
The inability of the crew to feather the left propeller, in combination with the descent of the aircraft below the prescribed minimum altitudes for the approach. The Board is unable to determine why the left propeller could not be feathered. Contributing causal factors for the nonstandard approach were the captain's preoccupation with a cruise pitch lock malfunction, the first officer's failure to adhere to company altitude awareness procedures, and the captain's failure to delegate any meaningful responsibilities to the copilot which resulted in a lack of effective task sharing during the emergency. Also, the Board was unable to determine why the propeller pitch lock malfunctioned during the descent.
Final Report:

Crash of a Fairchild-Hiller FH-227B off Belém: 38 killed

Date & Time: Mar 14, 1970 at 1730 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
PP-BUF
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Recife - Belém
MSN:
556
YOM:
1967
Flight number:
QR903
Country:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
35
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
38
Circumstances:
The approach to Belém-Val-de-Cans-Júlio Cezar Ribeiro Airport was initiated in poor weather conditions with thunderstorm activity and heavy rain falls. While completing a last turn to join the approach path of runway 06, the pilot-in-command failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when one of the wing struck the water surface. The airplane crashed into the Guajará Bay, about 800 meters short of runway 06 threshold. A crew member and a passenger were rescued while 38 other occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Probable misjudgement of the distance separating the aircraft and the water surface on part of the flying crew while conducting an approach in marginal weather conditions.