International accidents 1 August–31 August 2018

2494
image: © Kantonspolizei Graubunden | Aviation-safety.net

Date 4 August
Aircraft Junkers Ju-52/3mg4e
Location Piz Segnas, Switzerland
Fatalities 20
Description The aircraft crashed into the western slope of Piz Segnas at an elevation of 2540 m and was destroyed. All 17 passengers and three crew members were killed. The aircraft had departed Locarno, Switzerland, at 16:10 on a flight to Dübendorf. It flew on a north-easterly course into the basin southwest of Piz Segnas. Towards the north end of the basin, it began a left turn, which developed into a descending spiral trajectory and it collided with the ground almost vertically and at high speed. (image above).

Date 7 August
Aircraft Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
Location Lalgarh Airport, India
Fatalities Nil
Description The aircraft suffered a runway excursion after landing. It impacted a wall and sustained substantial damage. There were no injuries to the nine occupants. According to the pilot there were birds present in the runway area.

Date 7 August
Aircraft Dassault Falcon 20D
Location ca 3 km from San Luis Potosí Airport (SLP), Mexico
Fatalities Nil
Description The aircraft, en route for the US with automotive parts, diverted to San Luis Potosí in Mexico with engine problems. It however conducted a forced landing about 2 miles from the airport, struck a small building and came to rest in a field. The crew had minor injuries. A house was damaged and a donkey was killed. (video above).

Date 9 August
Aircraft Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Location Istanbul-Atatürk International Airport (IST), Turkey
Fatalities Nil
Description The aircraft struck the tail section of a parked Turkish Airlines Boeing 777-300. The Boeing 787-8 was pushed back from the gate and subsequently started taxiing on the taxiway towards the departure runway. The right-hand wing tip of the aircraft impacted the underside of the tail section of the Boeing 777, ripping away the APU covers. (video above).


Date 10 August
Aircraft de Havilland Canada DHC-8-402Q Dash 8
Location Ketron Island, WA, USA
Fatalities 1
Description The aircraft was stolen by a 29-year-old airline ground-service agent from Seattle/Tacoma International Airport, Washington, USA. The tower controller attempted to contact the aircraft, but it took-off and began manoeuvring over Puget Sound and was seen to perform a split S, pulling up just above the water. McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle fighter aircraft of the Oregon Air National Guard were dispatched and followed the aircraft. The aircraft then crashed in wooded terrain on Ketron Island, 40 km to the southwest of the Seattle/Tacoma Airport. Both wings broke off in the accident sequence and the fuselage came to rest inverted. The sole person on board the aircraft was killed. (video above).

Date 13 August
Aircraft Cessna 525 CitationJet
Location Payson, UT, USA
Fatalities 1
Description The aircraft impacted the front yard of a house in Payson, Utah, USA, during the night. The aircraft was destroyed by the impact and fire and the pilot was killed. The woman and a child inside the home were not hurt. Police say the pilot intentionally flew the plane into his own home hours after being charged with domestic assault charges. (image above).

Date 15 August
Aircraft Boeing 777-367ER
Location Roma-Fiumicino Airport (FCO), Italy
Fatalities Nil
Description The right-hand wing of a Cathay Pacific Airways Boeing 777-367ER sustained serious damage after impacting a floodlight pole during towing at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, Italy. There were no personal injuries. (image above).

Date 16 August
Aircraft Boeing 737-85C (WL)
Location Manila-Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL), Philippines
Fatalities Nil
Description The aircraft suffered a runway excursion after landing. The initial approach to land was aborted and the aircraft position for another approach. The aircraft finally touched down but went off the runway. At the time of the accident a thunderstorm was passing the airport. Photos from the scene seem to indicate that the no.1 (left-hand) engine had separated from the wing after the excursion. (image above).

Date 19 August
Aircraft Antonov An-2T
Location Gera-Leumnitz Airport, Germany
Fatalities Nil
Description The aircraft was damaged when the right-hand wings caught fire during start-up of the engine. The skydivers and pilot were able to evacuate, and the fire was put out by fire services. It appears a flame was emitted from the engine exhaust on the right-hand side of the engine.

Date 22 August
Aircraft ATR 72-600 (72-212A)
Location Taichung-Ching Chuan Kang Airport (RMQ), Taiwan
Fatalities Nil
Description The aircraft was damaged after hitting a runway edge light on landing. Weather information shows that there was a thunderstorm overhead the airport, moving to the west at the time of the accident.

Date 26 August
Aircraft Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
Location Pieri Airstrip, South Sudan
Fatalities Nil
Description The aircraft sustained substantial damage after colliding with a cow on take-off. The nose section was crushed, and the nose landing gear collapsed. The same aircraft had been involved in a wildlife strike incident seven years earlier when it hit an antelope on landing. (image above).

Date 28 August
Aircraft Airbus A320-214
Location Macau Airport (MFM), Macau
Fatalities Nil
Description The aircraft was diverted to Shenzhen Airport (SZX), China, after sustaining damage in an apparent hard landing at Macau Airport during severe weather. Initial reports indicate that the nose wheel bogey broke away during the attempted landing at Macau Airport. The aircraft performed a go-around and entered a holding pattern before the crew decided to divert to Shenzhen Airport, where the aircraft landed safely. (image above).

Date 28 August
Aircraft Antonov An-2R
Location near Brusartsi, Bulgaria
Fatalities Nil
Description The biplane impacted high voltage wires during an aerial application flight between Brusartsi and Dabova Mahala in Bulgaria. Part of the vertical stabiliser was severed but the pilot managed to perform a safe landing in a field.