16 plane crashes in year 2012

The Tupolev TU-204 operated by Red Wings was performing a positioning flight from Pardubice, Czech Republic, to Moscow, Russia. 8 crewmembers were onboard. The plane overran the end of the runway during its landing on Moscow airport. 5 crew were killed, 3 crew are in hospital care with serious injuries. The plane performed an uneventful flight until the landing at Moscow airport. The crew performed an adequate approach to Moscow Vnukovo's runway 19 (length 3,060 meters/10,040 feet), and landed within the designated touch down zone. However, the crew was not able to stop the plane before the end of the runway. The Tupolev overran the end of the runway, broke through the localizer antenna, the airport perimeter fence, broke up and came to a stop on elevated highway M3 about 400 meters/1200 feet past the runway end. It had been snowing prior to the accident and there was a significant cross wind with gusts up to 29 knots. A measurement of the runway friction coefficients 15 minutes after the accident with calibrated equipment determined a value suitable for landing of the aircraft.

The Fokker 100 operated by Air Bagan took off from Mandalay, Myanmar, for a passenger flight to Heho, Myanmar. 65 passengers and 6 crewmembers were onboard. The plane crashed during its approach to Heho. One passenger and one person on ground were killed. 11 people including the captain received injuries. The plane was on approach to Heho when it suffered an engine fire. The visibility was very low due to heavy snow fall. The crew attempted an emergency landing off the aerodrome. The aircraft touched down on a road about 3km off the aerodrome, broke up, came to a stop in a paddy field, about 150 meters off National Highway 4 south of the aerodrome, and burst into flame. The fire destroyed almost all the airplane. One passenger and a motorist riding a motorbike on the road were killed. Other passengers managed to evacuate the plane before it was destroyed by the fire.

The Ilyushin IL-76T freighter operated by Aero Services took off from Pointe Noire, Congo, for a cargo flight to Brazzaville, Congo. 6 crewmembers and one passenger were onboard. The plane was carrying cars and various goods. It crashed while on approach to Brazzaville airport, killing all 7 occupants and as many as 25 people on the ground. The plane was far too low on final approach to Brazzaville airport, and the weather conditions were very bad with heavy thunderstorms reported around the airport. The aircraft clipped two strong branches of a large tree about 1080 meters ahead of the runway threshold at about twice the height of local houses, clipped 6 smaller trees about 1015 meters ahead of the runway threshold at about the height of the houses and left first debris behind about 985 meters ahead of the runway threshold. It then crushed several dwellings, killing 25 people on the ground and injuring many others. The main wreckage came to rest in a ravine about 870 meters before the runway threshold.

The Embraer EMB-120ER operated by Inter Iles took off from Moroni, Comoros Islands, for a charter flight to Anjouan, Comoros Islands. 25 passengers and 4 crewmembers were onboard. The plane lost height after takeoff and impacted water. All the occupants survived the accident, and 2 of them received minor injuries. The plane took off normally. Seconds after being airborne the crew declared an emergency and requested to return to Moroni. During the turn, the plane lost height and needed to ditch in the Indian Ocean. The EMB-120 impacted waters about 200 meters off the coast about 5km north of the airport. Local fishermen rescued all occupants of the aircraft alive. The aircraft had been completely overhauled and refurbished in Europe, the last inspection by European inspectors had happened a week before the accident.

The Antonov AN-28 operated by Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Air took off from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, for a domestic flight to Palana, Russia. 12 passengers and 2 crewmembers were onboard. The plane crashed shortly before landing at Palana. 10 occupants perished, 4 survived with serious injuries. The Russian short-range airliner was on approach to Palana airport when it disappeared from radar screens. The wreckage was found later on the wooded slope of Mount Pyatibratka, in the thickets of mountain pines, 10 km from the airport, at an altitude of 3000 ft (900 metres). Palana features a runway 12/30 of 4100 feet/1250m length and 100 feet/30m width. Poor weather conditions were prevailing at the time of the accident.

The Let L-410UVP passenger plane, operated by Mombasa Air Safari, took off from Ngerende Airstrip, Kenya, for a domestic flight. 11 passengers and 2 crewmembers were onboard. The plane crashed a few seconds after takeoff. 4 occupants were killed, and 9 were injured.

The Antonov AN-26 operated by Alfa Airlines (also known as Ababeel Aviation) took off from Khartoum, Sudan, for a charter flight to Talodi, Sudan. 26 passengers and 5 crewmembers were onboard. The plane crashed during a go-around at Taladi airport. All occupants perished in the impact. The aircraft went around on its first attempt to land in Talodi due to weather but did not manage to climb above the terrain during the go-around. The plane then impacted the side of a mountain. At the time of the crash visibility was substantially reduced due to a dust and dirt storm in the area. The plane was carrying a government delegation, including Sudanese Ministers.

The Gulfstream G-IV operated by Universal Jet Aviation took off from Nice, France, for a ferry flight to Le Castellet, France. The 3 crewmembers were the only occupants of this business jet. The plane crashed during its landing at Le Castellet. All 3 occupants were killed. The crew did not report any problem before landing. The airplane landed on runway 13 but it ran off the left side of the runway into trees. The airplane broke in two. The front part ended up in a small pond, the rear part of the fuselage came to rest among some trees and caught fire. Le Castellet airfield is the biggest private airfield on the French Riveria. Universal Jet Aviation is a US-based company operating private jets.

The Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) operated by Sukhoi was performing a demonstration flight for airline representatives and journalists in order to promote sales of the aircraft. The plane took off from Jakarta Airport and was expected to come back to Jakarta Airport after a short flight. 37 passengers, 6 crew and 2 Sukhoi officials were onboard. The plane vanished from radar screens and lost contact with ground controllers after about 30 minutes of flight. All 45 people onboard were killed. The jet was enroute at 10,000 feet near Mount Salak about 36 NM South of Jakarta about 30 minutes into the flight when the crew requested and was cleared to descend to 6,000 feet. This was the last radio transmission. Radar contact was lost when the aircraft was in a right hand turn descending through 6,200 feet between Mount Salak and Mount Gede. The aircraft wreckage was found the following morning on the slopes of Mount Salak at an elevation of about 5300 feet MSL (950 ft below the top of the mountain). The aircraft impacted the edge of a cliff. The wreckage is lying in a remote area, on an extremely steep terrain. Weather data reported do no suggest poor visibility; however there is possibility of local cloud at Mount Salak that may have reduced the visibility. Mount Salak is 2,211 meters/7,254 feet high, nearby Mount Gede is 2,958 meters/9,705 feet high. This newly designed passenger jet made in Russia made its maiden run in 2008. It was on a "Welcome Asia!" road show with stops in countries stretching from Pakistan to Laos and Vietnam.

The Boeing 737-236 operated by Bhoja Air took off from Karachi, Pakistan, for a passenger flight to Islamabad, Pakistan. 121 passengers and 6 crewmembers were onboard. The plane crashed shortly before landing at Islamabad airport, in a populated areas a few kilometres away from the runway. All 127 passengers were killed. No one on ground was injured, although about 50 houses on the ground were destroyed. A violent storm that was lashing Islamabad when the accident took place. The Boeing 737 was approaching islamabad airport for landing, and was established on ILS runway 30 in visibility of about 4000 meters. The air traffic controllers cleared the plane to land. The crew copied the clearance. That was the last communication between the ground and the plane. A few seconds later, the aircraft suddenly descended and then disappeared from radar. The plane impacted terrain about 5 km short of and slightly left of the extended runway center line, near Jinnah Gardens. It completely broke up, burst into flames and came to rest in Hussain Abad Village. The crash site extends over a distance of about 4000 meters, the main wreckage came to rest about 4km short of the runway. Investigators noticed that the aircraft was flying too low: about 5.4 NM (10 km) before touchdown radar showed the aircraft at 200 feet AGL (60 meters) where it should have been at about 1700 feet AGL (520 meters). First information suggests the crew lost control of the aircraft prior to losing height.

The ATR 72 operated by Utair took off from Tyumen, Russia, for a passenger flight to Surgut, Russia. 39 passengers and 4 crewmembers were onboard. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 31 people. 12 people survived with injuries. The twin-engine turbo-prop plane was performing a domestic flight to carry people to the oil town of Surgut. The plane took off from Tyumen Airport, a regional center in Siberia about 1,700 kilometers east of Moscow. However, contact had been lost with the plane just over three minutes after take-off. shortly before the crash, witnesses heard a bang and saw smoke coming out from the plane. The plane lost altitude, and the crew attempted an emergency landing in a snow-covered field. The plane impacted the ground about 1.4 NM (3 km) away from the takeoff runway end. The 21-year-old ATR 72 burst into flames after the impact. The plane snapped in two, and ended lying in a snowy field with only the tail and rear visible. The captain and both flight attendants died in the crash, the first officer is amongst the 12 survivors. First analysis of the data showed that both engines were working normally until impact with the ground. The aircraft had climbed to a maximum altitude of 210 meters (688 feet), then banked 35 degrees to the right followed by a bank to the left that reached more than 50 degrees at impact with the ground. Due to environmental conditions the aircraft was to be de-iced before departure. However, it was reported the de-icing was not carried out properly.

The Lockheed C-130J-30 Hercules belonging to the Royal Norwegian Air Force took off from Harstad, Norway, for a military flight to Kiruna, Sweden. 5 crewmembers were onboard. The plane crashed, near Tarfala in Sweden. All 5 people onboard were killed. The C-130 was taking part in a Norwegian-led military exercise with 16,000 soldiers from 14 countries. The plane was supposed to be flown manually during a part of the flight. However, the C130 flew into the western wall of the Kebnekaise Mountain, 80 km west of Kiruna, at full force just below the summit. The impact was so violent that the plane has been completely destroyed: many debris passed over the mountain and landed on the glacial part on the opposite side. Also, the explosion triggered an avalanche. Bad weather was reported in the area of the accident. Cloud cover, poor visibility and strong winds were reported. The wreckage has been found two days after the accident.

The Convair CV-340 cargo plane operated by Jet One Express took off from San Juan, Puerto Rico, for a cargo flight to Sint Maarten, Dutch Antilles. Two crewmembers were onboard. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff, close to its departure airport. Both crewmembers were killed in the accident. The vintage cargo plane was loaded with 2500 pounds (1.1 tons) of bread. Shortly after takeoff, the crew declared emergency and reported engines trouble. They requested an immediate return. The aircraft was cleared to land. According to witnesses saw the plane was trailing smoke. It did not reach the airport, and impacted lagoon La Torrecilla just East of the aerodrome, killing both crewmembers. The wreckage sank in the lagoon at a depth about 30-50 feet (10-15 meters). The plane, manufactured in 1953, would make about 15 trips a week to deliver bread to several Caribbean islands.

The Gulfstream IV business jet operated by the Congo Government took off from Goma, Congo, for a private flight to Bukavu, Congo. Four passengers and two crewmembers were onboard. The plane crashed while landing at Bukavu-Kavumu Airport. Three occupants were killed in the accident. The flight had departed Kinshasa, Congo, on a flight to Bukavu via Goma. The twin-engine Gulfstream was carrying Congo government officials. The plane landed at Bukavu, but it touched down only halfway down the runway and overshoot the runway. The plane came to a stop down an embankment and broke in two. Both pilots were killed in the accident, as well as one passenger (a senior Congolese presidential adviser). The three other passengers were injured. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were good.

The Antonov 28 operated by TRACEP took off from Bukavu, Congo, on a cargo flight to Namoya, Congo. Three passengers and two crewmembers were onboard. The airplane was carrying also 2 tons of cargo. The plane failed to arrive at Namoya. The wreckage has been found a few hours later in a forest, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from Namoya. Both crewmembers and one passenger were killed in the accident. Two passengers survived.