Embraer EMB-120 Brasília

The aircraft was on its way from Moroni-Hahaya-Iconi-Prince Saïd Ibrahim Airport to the Ouani Airport located on the neighboring island of Anjouan. Shortly after take off from runway 20, while in initial climb, the captain informed ATC about technical problem and elected to return. He realized he could not make it so he attempted to ditch the aircraft some 200 metres off shore, about 5 km from the airport. All 29 occupants were rescued, among them five were slightly injured.

The aircraft was performing a regular schedule flight from Libreville to Port Gentil. The approach was completed in poor weather conditions with low visibility (1,000 metres) due to heavy rain falls. After touchdown, the aircraft did not decelerate as expected, skidded on runway, overran and came to rest down a slight embankment in shallow water. Both engines caught fire and both wings were partially torn off. All 30 occupants evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. A thunderstorm was passing over the area at the time of the accident.

Shortly after take off from Huambo-Albano Machado Airport, the twine engine aircraft stalled and crashed near the runway end, bursting into flames. All four crew and two passengers survived while 17 passengers were killed. There were 11 officers, three generals and six civilians on board. This Embraer Brasilia was the most recent built in service.

Aircraft crashed moments after takeoff from runway 29 at Darwin Airport, Northern Territory, fatally injuring both pilots. The flight was for the purpose of revalidating the command instrument rating of the pilot under check and was under the command of a training and checking captain, who occupied the copilot’s seat. The takeoff included a simulated engine failure. Data from the aircraft’s flight recorders was used to establish the circumstances leading to the accident and showed that the pilot in command (PIC) retarded the left power lever to flight idle to simulate an engine failure. That introduced a simulated failure of the left engine and propeller autofeathering system. The increased drag from the ‘windmilling’ propeller increased the control forces required to maintain the aircraft’s flightpath. The pilot under check allowed the speed to decrease and the aircraft to bank toward the inoperative engine. Additionally, he increased power on the right engine, and engaged the yaw damper in an attempt to stabilize the aircraft’s flight. Those actions increased his workload and made control of the aircraft more difficult. The PIC did not restore power to the left engine to discontinue the manoeuvre. The few seconds available before the aircraft became uncontrollable were insufficient to allow ‘trouble shooting’ and deliberation before resolving the situation.