Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Following an uneventful flight from Kokshetau, the crew started the descent to Almaty Airport and was cleared for an ILS approach (Cat IIIb approach) to runway 23R. At this time, the horizontal visibility was 200 metres, the vertical visibility 40 metres and the RVR for runway 23R was 275-250-225 metres respectively. Due to this poor weather conditions at destination, the captain got stressed, creating a strong emotional reaction. On short final, at an altitude of 180 metres, the captain decided to abandon the landing procedure and initiated a go-around manoeuvre. The automatic pilot system was deactivated and the TO/GA mode was activated. Four seconds later, the captain pushed the control column forward, causing the aircraft to descend. The EGPWS alarm sounded in the cockpit but there was no response from the flying crew. In a pitch angle of -16° and with a descent rate of about 20-30 metres per second, the aircraft impacted ground and disintegrated in a snow covered field. The wreckage was found some 1,400 metres short of runway. All 21 occupants were killed. Due to the actual weather conditions, the crew should perform a Cat IIIc approach.

On approach to Three Hills Airport, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions. Too low, the single engine airplane struck the ground, lost its left wing and came to rest in a snow covered field. All three occupants were rescued, among them a passenger was slightly injured. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

On approach to runway 18 at Okiwi, New Zealand, the aircraft encountered windshear on short final as the pilot reduced power to land. The pilot was unable to arrest the descent rate and the aircraft landed heavily. Damage was caused to both landing gear oleos and one brake unit, with rippling found on the upper and lower skin of each wing. One passenger sustained a back injury, which was later identified as a fractured vertebra. The pilot was aware of fluctuating wind conditions at Okiwi and had increased the approach speed to 70 knots as per company standard operating procedures. The pilot reported that despite this, the airspeed reduced rapidly and significantly at 10 to 15 feet agl, leaving little time to react to the situation.

At 1339LT, the crew was cleared for takeoff from runway 32 at Tuxtla Gutierrez-Angel Albino Corzo Airport. During initial climb, after being cleared to climb to 12,500 feet, the crew informed ATC he was returning to the airport. Shortly later, the aircraft lost height and crashed in a field, bursting into flames. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 8 occupants were killed.

The twin engine aircraft was engaged in a local paratroopers/skydiving mission at Bloemspruit AFB that shares a runway with Bloemfontein-Bram Fischer International Airport. For unknown reasons, the aircraft landed hard on its nose, veered off runway and came to rest with its left wing on the ground. All five crew members escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The pilot departed in night instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions on a medical specimen transport flight. During the climb, an air traffic controller told the pilot that the transponder code he had selected (2501) was incorrect and instructed him to reset the transponder to a different code (2531). Shortly thereafter, the airplane reached a maximum altitude of about 3,300 ft and then entered a descending right turn. The airplane’s enhanced ground proximity warning system recorded a descent rate of 11,245 ft per minute, which triggered two “sink rate, pull up” warnings. The airplane subsequently climbed from an altitude of about 1,400 ft to about 2,000 ft before it entered another turning descent and impacted the ground about 5 miles northeast of the departure airport. The airplane was fragmented and strewn along a debris path that measured about 800-ft long and 300-ft wide. Postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded the pilot from controlling the airplane. The engine did not display any evidence of preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. An open resistor was found in the flight computer that controlled the autopilot. It could not be determined if the open resistor condition existed during the flight or occurred during the impact. If the resistor was in an open condition at the time of autopilot engagement, the autopilot would appear to engage with a mode annunciation indicating engagement, but the pitch and roll servos would not engage. The before taxiing checklist included checks of the autopilot system to verify autopilot function before takeoff. It could not be determined if the pilot performed the autopilot check before the accident flight or if the autopilot was engaged at the time of the accident. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the known effects of spatial disorientation. Dark night IFR conditions prevailed, and the track of the airplane suggests a loss of attitude awareness. Although the pilot was experienced in night instrument conditions, it is possible that an attempt to reset the transponder served as an operational distraction that contributed to a breakdown in his instrument scan. Similarly, if the autopilot’s resistor was in an open condition and the autopilot had been engaged, the pilot’s failure to detect an autopilot malfunction in a timely manner could have contributed to spatial disorientation and the resultant loss of control.

The pilot landed at the airport to refuel the airplane and pick up cargo. The pilot spoke with three employees of the fixed base operator who stated that he seemed alert and awake but wanted to make a "quick turn." After the airplane was fueled and the cargo was loaded, the pilot departed; the airplane crashed 1 minute later. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. An aircraft performance GPS and simulation study indicated that the airplane entered a right bank almost immediately after takeoff and then made a 42 degree right turn and that it was accelerating throughout the flight, from about 75 knots groundspeed shortly after liftoff to about 145 knots groundspeed at impact. The airplane was climbing about 500 to 700 feet per minute to a peak altitude of about 260 feet above the ground before descending. The simulation showed a gas generator speed of about 93 percent throughout the flight. The study indicated that the load factor vectors, which were the forces felt by the pilot, could have produced a somatogravic illusion of a climb, even while the airplane was descending. The postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Based on the findings from the aircraft performance GPS and simulation study, the degraded visual reference conditions present about the time of the accident, and the forces felt by the pilot, it is likely that he experienced spatial disorientation, which led to his inadvertent controlled descent into terrain.

The twin engine aircraft suffered an accident at Hermosillo-General Ignacio Pesqueira Garcia Airport. After touchdown, the airplane veered off runway, collided with a fence and came to rest on its belly. All occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The pilot receiving instruction conducted three full-stop landings without incident. After the fourth takeoff, the flight instructor simulated a prearranged left engine failure about 600 ft above ground level (agl). The pilot followed emergency procedures, used the checklist, and prepared to land. The pilot reported that, when the airplane was about 50 to 100 ft agl on final approach, he thought that it was a little too high, so he chose to initiate a go-around. He moved the throttle levers full forward, but neither engine responded. The flight instructor pushed the airplane's nose down, and the pilot continued the approach. On touchdown, the right main and nose landing gear collapsed. A postimpact fire ensued, which consumed most of the airplane. Postaccident examination of the landing gear revealed that it collapsed due to bending overload consistent with a hard landing. The reason for the failure of both engines to respond to power inputs could not be determined because of the postcrash fire damage.

While taxiing to runway 18 for a departure to Neuquén, the twin engine aircraft went out of control, veered off taxiway to the left and rolled onto a soft ground four about 40 metres before coming to rest. The nose gear sank in soft ground, causing both propeller blades to struck the ground and to be partially torn off. The fuselage was hit by debris. All 33 occupants evacuated safely and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.