Safety 2020 Accidents and incidents 2020 Prakash Elamakkara/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Elamakkara/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Prakash Air India Express 737-800 crash at Kozhikode-Calicut killed 21 We record the major safety events of the past year – both fatal and non-fatal – that have aff ected airline operations around the world ❱ February 2021 Flight International 45 ❱ Fatal accidents: Scheduled passenger flights Date: 8 Jan ● Carrier: Ukraine International Airlines ● Aircraft type/registration: Boeing 737-800 (UR-PSR) Location: Near Tehran Khomeini airport, Iran ● Fatalities (crew/pax): 9/167 ● Total occupants (crew/pax): 9/167 ● Phase: C Bound for Kiev, Ukraine, on a scheduled flight, the aircraft took off from of track, but then the primary return also disappeared. Speculation runway 29R at Tehran’s Khomeini airport, contacted Mehrabad radar about a mistaken missile shoot-down began rapidy, because of military and was cleared to 26,000ft, to turn right for waypoint PAROT after tension in Iran and the fact that, a few hours before the Ukrainian 737’s passing 6,000ft. Mehrabad noticed that, passing 8,100ft, the secondary departure, Iranian missiles had targeted US bases in Iraq in retaliation surveillance radar data block for the aircraft disappeared from its for the assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani by a US drone display. Mehrabad could still see it on primary radar well to the right strike on 3 January. Tehran admitted responsibility on 11 July. Date: 5 Feb ● Carrier: Pegasus Airlines ● Aircraft type/registration: Boeing 737-800 (TC-IZK) Location: Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen airport, Turkey ● Fatalities (crew/pax): 0/3 ● Total occupants (crew/pax): 6/177 ● Phase: L The aircraft, inbound from Izmir, was approaching runway 06 while The accident happened in darkness (18:19 local time) and in IMC with a thunderstorm was passing the airfield and the wind direction was strong gusting winds and rain associated with local thunderstorm changing rapidly. On final approach, the aircraft had a normal approach activity - wind 290°/22kt gusting to 37kt and variable between 240° airspeed but a tailwind component of about 20kt (37km/h), and it and 330°. Visibility was 3.8nm (7km) in rain. Runway 06 has a landing landed long and fast. The crew used autobrake and spoilers, and distance available of 3,000m with a 60m stopway. It is understood that applied reverse thrust manually, but the aircraft went over the runway runway 06 at Sabiha Gokcen is the preferred runway unless it is wet end, fell down a 30m (100ft) slope and broke into three sections. Three and the tailwind component exceeds 5kt. The aircraft was operating passengers died and most of those who survived were injured. flight PC2193. Date: 22 May ● Carrier: Pakistan International Airlines ● Aircraft type/registration: Airbus A320 (AP-BLD) Location: Near Karachi International airport, Pakistan ● Fatalities (crew/pax): 8/89 ● Total occupants (crew/pax): 8/91 ● Phase: RA The preliminary accident report says the departure from Lahore and Then, as the aircraft passed 1,750ft about 5nm from the runway, the cruise to Karachi were uneventful, but observes the crew did not crew raised the undercarriage and selected Flap 1 with the IAS at demonstrate good crew resource management and were talking 243kt, generating overspeed and EGPWS warnings. By then they had much of the time about the coronavirus pandemic. When they called more or less intercepted the glideslope, but were still travelling much for descent to Karachi, they were cleared for a Nawabshah 2A arrival too fast. Passing 500ft, the airspeed was still 220kt, flap setting 3, procedure and told to expect an ILS approach to runway 25L. ATC with a 2,000ft/min descent rate and warnings of ground proximity cleared the flight direct to MAKLI, a waypoint 15nm from the Karachi and “gear not down” were generated, but the crew proceeded to land. VOR on the 075 radial, cleared to descend to 10,000ft. On changing They were still in contact with Karachi Approach when they should frequency to Karachi Approach the flight was cleared to 3,000ft. have been talking to Tower. When the engine cowlings touched the The aircraft, however, arrived over MAKLI passing through 9,780ft runway the crew selected reverse thrust and – pointlessly – initiated with an indicated airspeed (IAS) of 245kt. The crew tripped out both braking. Tower advised Approach of the gear-up runway contact, while autopilots, extended the speedbrakes, and selected Open Descent the crew started a go-around procedure and told Approach that they mode. ATC could see on radar that the A320 was approximately lined wanted to position for another approach to 25L. The pilots were told to up with the localiser for 25L but was well above the ILS glidepath use 25L or R and to turn left heading 110° and to climb to 3,000ft. The and suggested they turn left heading 180° to lose height. The crew engines both began to fail and the crew declared a Mayday emergency. repeated that they were established on the ILS for 25L and did not Video subsequently shows the aircraft descending into a residential carry out the orbit, so ATC cleared them to land. The crew selected area with a very high nose attitude, its gear and ram air turbine gear down when 10.5nm from the runway, descending through 7,220ft. deployed. There were casualties among residents in the houses where ATC passed them more warnings about the aircraft’s excess height. the aircraft came down. Date: 7 Aug ● Carrier: Air India Express ● Aircraft type/registration: Boeing 737-800 (VT-AXH) Location: Kozhikode-Calicut airport, India ● Fatalities (crew/pax): 2/19 ● Total occupants (crew/pax): 6/184 ● Phase: L Inbound from Dubai, the crew approached Kozhikode-Calicut airport and the crew then flew another teardrop pattern, this time in order to from the west. They overflew the airport, which has a single runway approach runway 10, which gave them a tailwind. Indian investigators orientated 10/28 and is sited on a flattened hilltop, and then flew a report that touchdown was 900m into the 2,850m-long runway, and teardrop pattern in order to intercept the approach to runway 28. The the 737 overran. It passed through the 90m runway end safety area surface wind was 260°/13kt, there was scattered cloud at 300ft and, and continued down a 34m drop, where it broke up. Both pilots and 19 at 1,200ft, visibility of 1.1nm, and rain. This approach was abandoned, passengers were killed. Fatal accidents: Non-scheduled flights Date: 4 May ● Carrier: African Express Airways ● Aircraft type/registration: Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia (5Y-AXO) Location: Near Baardale airport, Somalia ● Fatalities (crew/pax): 6 ● Total occupants (crew/pax): 6 ● Phase: A The aircraft was shot down while it was approaching Bardaale, Somalia. admitted that its peacekeeping forces, stationed at Bardaale, had shot The incident happened in daylight (15:45 local time) and VMC. The down the aircraft. The Ethiopian soldiers “mistakenly believed the plane aircraft was operating a flight from Mogadishu via Baidoa with medical was on a potential suicide mission” as they had not been informed supplies. According to local press reports Ethiopia subsequently about the flight and the aircraft was flying low. Date: 5 Jul ● Carrier: Brooks Seaplane Service ● Aircraft type/registration: Viking DHC-2 Beaver (N2106K) Location: Harrison, Idaho, USA ● Fatalities (crew/pax): 1/5 ● Total occupants (crew/pax): 1/5 ● Phase: ER The floatplane collided with a Cessna TU206G (N6373U) over (14:22 local time) and in VMC. The DHC-2 Beaver was operating a Powderhorn Bay, about 2.7nm northwest of Harrison, Idaho. Both 20min local air tour from a seaplane base at the northern end of Lake aircraft subsequently went out of control and crashed into the waters of Coeur d’Alene. The Cessna pilot had departed Coeur d’Alene airport for the bay. The collision occurred at between 700ft and 800ft in daylight Lewiston, Idaho. Date: 31 Jul ● Carrier: High Adventure Air Charters ● Aircraft type/registration: Viking DHC-2 Beaver (N9482U) Location: Soldotna, Alaska ● Fatalities (crew/pax): ● 1/5 Total occupants (crew/pax): 1/5 ● Phase: ER The floatplane collided with a Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser (N2587M), from Longmere Lake, approximately 2.7m to the northeast. The aircraft which also crashed, killing the pilot. The Piper had taken off from collided about 1nm northeast of the airport in daylight (08:30 local Soldotna airport, while the float-equipped DHC-2 Beaver was operating time) and in VMC. 46 Flight International February 2021 Safety 2020 PIA-operated A320 crashed into residential area near Karachi Xinhua/Shutterstock Fatal accidents: Non-passenger operations Date: 17 Mar ● Carrier: Planemasters ● Aircraft type/registration: Cessna 208B (N247PM) Location: Near La Crosse, Kansas, USA ● Fatalities (crew/pax): 1 ● Total occupants (crew/pax): 1 ● Phase: C Making an ILS approach in poor visibility to runway 34 at Hays, and turned south while initiating a cleared climb to 7,000ft. Radar and inbound from Wichita Eisenhower airport in Kansas, the pilot carried automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast returns showed that out a go-around and then stated his intention to position for a second nearly 20min later, the aircraft entered a descending left turn, and less approach to 34. However, the visibility dropped even further during than 1min later crashed into the ground. Aircraft damage indicated that his positioning manoeuvre, and the ILS approach ended in another it was travelling at a very high speed, and had made an almost vertical go-around. The pilot stated that he would divert to Great Bend airport, dive to impact. Date: 7 Jun ● Carrier: McNeely Charter Service ● Aircraft type/registration: Mitsubishi MU-2 (N44MX) Location: Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA ● Fatalities (crew/pax): 1 ● Total occupants (crew/pax): 1 ● Phase: TO The aircraft crashed on take-off from runway 15 at Sioux Falls, South it rolled to the right and impacted the ground.