Cause

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    LearJet Wreckage Located Sierra Madre Oriental, RIP J

    Monterrey and Sierra Madre Oriental, Mexico
    Monterrey and Sierra Madre Oriental, Mexico

    What: Learjet 25 en route from Monterrey to Toluca
    Where: Los Tejocotes
    When: December 9 20123:30
    Who: 7 aboard
    Why: The 300 meter debris field of a plane wreckage discovered near the town of Iturbide in Mexico’s Sierra Madre Oriental is believed to be that of the plane taken by Rivera’s party to Toluca. Forensic experts recovered Rivera’s California Driver License and the Mexican passport of Miguel Perez Soto, confirming the hypothesis.

    Jenni Rivera, “La Diva de la Banda” is from Long Beach, California and recently divorced former Major League Baseball pitcher Esteban Loaiza.

    The wreckage was found with no survivors.

    Rest in peace.

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    Singer Jenni Rivera and Crew in LearJet Missing in Mexico

    What: Learjet 25 en route from Monterrey to Toluca
    Where: Los Tejocotes
    When: December 9 20123:30
    Who: 7 aboard
    Why: After a Saturday night concert in Monterrey, singer Jenni Rivera took off in a Learjet with a plane crew and her makeup artist, publicist and lawyer. but she did not arrive in Toluca at 4:30.

    ATC lost track of the learjet 10 minutes and 61.8 miles into the flight at coordinates 99,52,18 24,45,50 North West. The plane has been reported missing in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon.

    Those missing are listed as: Miguel Perez and Alejandro Torres, and passengers Jenni Rivera, Alberto Rivera Saavedra, Mario Macias, Jacob Llenares and one more person identified as “Gerardo N.”

    Newspaper reports that plane is owned by Starwood Management. A Learjet reportedly owned by Starwood was deregistered as of 07/31/2012 and exported to Mexico. However this is the record of N345MC, the plane reported that the singer’s entourage was in.

    Starwood management was in US court regarding forfeiture of aircraft property. See Starwood Management LLC v. United States Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration

    A Learjet with Rivera and her crew aboard departed the Monterrey International Airport at 03.15 (15.09 GMT)

    Two helicopters and a plane began searching at 4.40 pm.

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    Two Planes Collide over Germany, 8 Fatalities


    What: Piper PA-32-301 Saratoga
    Robin DR.400/180 Regent
    Where: Near Wölfersheim, Hessen
    When: Dec 8 2012
    Who: 5 + 3 fatalities
    Why: A Piper PA-32-301 Saratoga (D-EUEU) and a Robin DR.400 (D-EHJP) both crashed following a mid-air collision near Wölfersheim, Hessen, Germany. All five occupants of the Saratoga and all three aboard the DR.400 were killed. Four adults and four children.

    Shortly after 2 pm Saturday when it was still daylight, the two small planes collided in the air over Wölfersheim-Melbach and Dorheim. Police, fire and rescue services were up all night in freezing temperatures, hampered by falling snow while recovering the fatalities and processing the scene.

    The debris field is described as huge, crossing two adjacent fields near the village of Melbach and a couple of meters from the Reichelsheim airfield.

    Two adults and three children were on the Piper Saratoga to Aschaffenburg. Two adults and a child were in the Robin.

    The federal Office of Aircraft Accidents Investigation will be investigating. Witnesses who may have observed the collision at Wölfersheim on Saturday afternoon are being asked to call 06031 – Report to 6010.

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    Nordwind Airlines Flight with Flaps Issue, Safe Landing at Krasnoyarsk

    What: Nordwind Airlines Boeing 767 en route from Krasnoyarsk to Phuket
    Where: Krasnoyarsk Airport
    When: Dec 9 2012
    Who: 279 passengers
    Why: While en route, the Boeing flight from Krasnoyarsk to Phuket developed flaps problem. After an alarm indicated the problem, the pilot returned to Krasnoyarsk and made a safe landing at 15:35. The plane was examined, and passengers were “sent to the Phucket reserve board.” (We take this to mean they were pointed to alternative flights to their destination.)

    There were no reported injuries. The incident is under investigation by the Yenisei transport office.

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    Spicejet Wing Hits Post on Runway


    What: SpiceJet Boeing 737-800 en route from Delhi to Hyderabad
    Where: Delhi-Indira Gandhi International Airport
    When: Dec 6 2012
    Who: 142 aboard
    Why: During taxi, the plane’s wing struck a lamp post, canceling the flight for 142 passengers. A damaged wing will require inspection before the plane can return to service.

    Spicejet issued a statement that the accident was minor.

    According to reports, 142 passengers were aboard at the time, many of them quite disturbed by the incident. The collision damaged a wing.

    An inquiry has been ordered. Action may be taken against the pilot and those who were directing the pilot. Spicejet’s attitude is that this is a minor incident. That attitude is being interpreted by officials that the safety of passengers is not of primary concern to Spicejet. This may be considered a case of negligence.

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    Crabtree Accident Preliminary Investigation Out

    What: RV6 two-seat airplane
    Where: Crabtree
    When: Nov 26, 2012
    Who: 2 aboard
    Why: The preliminary report on the Nov 26 crash of a 2 seat kit plane says a witness saw one wing fold upward during a turn, and the wing apparently hit the canopy, shattering its glass.

    A wing was lost in flight and found thousands of feet from the location of the wreckage.

    Aircraft owner Timothy Dean Carter of Portland and commercial pilot Jeff Earl Kropf of Halsey were killed in the crash.

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    South Africa Military Plane Crashes killing 11

    What: South African military Douglas C-47TP Dakota
    Where: Drakensberg mountains
    When: Dec 5, 2012
    Who: 11 crew and passengers
    Why: A military plane that took off from Pretoria crashed in the Drakensberg (trans. Dragon Mountain) mountains killing everyone aboard. Soldiers located the wreckage near Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal province.

    Six crew members and five passengers were on the flight, which encountered bad weather. The deceased include a major, a captain, four sergeants, four corporals and one lance corporal.

    The accident occurred 17 miles north of Qunu, where Mandela lives. It has not been reported if the crew was connected with Mandela or his medical care. It has been speculated that the crash was weather related.

    South Africa’s Defense Department will be investigating.

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    ATR 42–500 Makes Safe Landing at Tolmachevo after Gear Failure

    What: NordStar Airlines ATR 42–500
    Where: Tolmachevo Airport Russia
    When: Dec 5, 2012
    Who: 31 aboard 4 crew, 27 passengers
    Why: The press service of the West Siberian Transport Prosecutor’s Office reported a hard landing of the NordStar Airlines ATR 42–500.

    The plane had taken off normally but the gears would not retract. THe pilot informed ATC and returned to the airport where pilots made a safe landing (though reported as a “crash” landing.) No one was injured.

    The West Siberian Transport Prosecutor’s Office will be investigating.

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    Airbus Struck by Truck



    What: British Airways Airbus A320-200
    Where: Stockholm Arlanda Sweden
    When: Dec 5, 2012
    Who: 0 fatalities
    Why: The British Airways Airbus A320 by an icing truck. Fortunately the Airbus was on the ground at the time.

    Tweets say that heavy snowfall at the Arlanda Airport has passengers waiting for flights for hours

    There was apparently no visual damage to the plane, but as it must be inspected prior to flying, the flight was cancelled.

    Snow Clearing at Arlanda Airport, Sweden

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    Helicopter lost in Baltic Sea, 2 aboard

    What: Helitrans Eurocopter AS 350 Ecureuil en route from Lübeck, Germany to Halmstad Sweden
    Where: Baltic Sea
    When: Dec 5, 2012
    Who: 2 aboard
    Why: The Helitrans Eurocopter has been missing since December fifth over the Baltic Sea. The emergency beacon located by a German Navy vessel off the coast of Fehmarn island appears to have been a false alarm. Danish air ATC lost radar contact with the helicopter at 13:56 Swedish time, about 10 minutes after takeoff into what should have been a 2 hour flight.

    The pilot is a Norwegian employee of Heli Trans. The other has foreign citizenship and is not employed by Heli Trans.

    The search operation for the missing Norwegian helicopter was suspended overnight from 10 o’clock p.m. on Dec 5 but rescue centers in Denmark, Norway and Sweden have been involved. Nine search vessels are in the area east of Neustadt in Holstein. See German Link here:No traces of fuel or oil in the water have been found, and the beacon that was located by the German ship appears to have been a lost cell phone. It was not in the expected flight path.

    The air search has resumed, with a German Sea King helicopter now searching. Recent snowfall is impeding search more difficult.

    The passenger’s name has not been released but the next of kin have been informed.

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    Smoke Cancels Russian Flight

    What: Yakovlev Yak-42
    Where: Surgut Airport, Russia
    When: Dec 5, 2012
    Who: 120 aboard, 113 passengers
    Why: Taxi for take-off was aborted when the Yak 42’s cabin filled with smoke.

    The captain reported the smoke to ATC, and passengers evacuated safely. No cause for the smoke has been determined.

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    UA Diverts to New Orleans

    What: United Airlines 787 Dreamliner en route from Houston to Newark
    Where: New Orleans
    When: December 4, 2012
    Who: 184 aboard
    Why: The Houston to Newark UA Dreamliner flight was over the Mississippi River, forty minutes after takeoff when it had to divert and make an emergency landing in New Orleans. The plane received “multiple flight-system error messages.” Flight 1146 landed safely at at 9:25 a.m. and without incident, with 174 passengers and 10 crew.

    Emergency services was on standby. Passengers disembarked without incident and were provided an alternative flight to Newark.

    An undisclosed mechanical issue was at fault.

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    Flat on Landing, Intrepid Nepal Pilots OK


    Joseph Debattista

    What: Goma Air Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
    Where: Dolpa Airport, Nepal
    When: Dec 2, 2012
    Who: 2 aboard, no fatalities
    Why: A Goma Air Flight from Nepalganj Airport to Dolpa suffered a blown tire when landing at 10:00 a.m. at Jufal Airport.

    The plane was carrying cargo from Nepalgunj.

    Two crew members, Sanjiv Shrestha and Prajjwal Bhattarai were aboard the flight. There were no passengers aboard and the plane suffered slight damage. Goma Air sent in flight engineers to make repairs. Airport services were temporarily suspended while the plane was on the runway.

    A blown tire is more along the lines of a hard landing rather than a “crash” as we have seen reported.

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    Yakutia Boeing Skids off slick Runway

    What: Yakutia Boeing 737-86-N en route from Rimini Italy to Rostov Russia
    Where: Rostov Airport
    When: Dec 1, 2012
    Who: 120 aboard
    Why: The Yakutia flight was landing at Rostov Airport and skid off the runway when the pilot applied brakes.

    Passengers disembarked safely with no injuries.

    It took half an hour to tow the plane the ten yards back to the runway with a 20 ton truck.

    No injuries were reported. Passengers exited the plane via “ladder.” (Possibly a mistranslation!) The plane stopped on soft ground off the runway while it was raining.

    Video

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    Lost Flight Found Wrecked South of Greensburg


    What: Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage en route from Destin to Greensburg
    Where: 1-1/2 miles south of the Greensburg Airport, Indiana
    When: Dec 2, 2012
    Who: 4 aboard, 4 fatalities
    Why: A plane registered to Donald P. Horan of Greensburg was found wrecked south of the airport on Sunday. There were four fatalities associated with the wreckage. The crash was reported by locals who heard the impact at 6:19 p.m on Dec 2.

    At 6:30, the pilot of the plane was communicating with flight controllers at the Indianapolis International Airport when they lost contact. The FAA called Greensburg.

    Greensburg Fire Department, Greensburg Police Department and Decatur County Sheriff’s Department were searching the area. Fog prevented the deployment of a helicopter or an air search but six teams of ground crews made up of six to eight people searched a grid south of the airport on ATVs. The plane was located after 10:30 at night.

    Video Plane Missing

    Video Plane Found

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    Vladimir Puchkov in Emergency Landing in Russia

    What: Yak-42 en route to Novosibirsk
    Where: Tolmachevo Airport
    When: Nov 30, 2012
    Who: 38 aboard, no injuries
    Why: Vladimir Puchkov’s transportation failed when a Yak-42 lost one of three engines while en route to Novosibirsk. THe engine began to vibrate and was shut down, which is standard procedure.

    Pilots made a safe landing at Tolmachevo Airport in Novosibirsk.

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    Brazzaville Cargo FLight Crash Fatalities Updated to 32


    What: Aero-Services for Trans Air Congo Ilyhushin IL-76T freighter en route from Pointe Noire to Brazzaville
    Where: Brazzaville
    When: Nov 30 2012
    Who: 30 fatalities, 14 injured *Death toll rises to 32
    Why: A Trans Air Congo cargo jet landed in rainy conditions in Brazzaville, one report says the plane overran the runway, went through the airport fence, crossed a street and slammed by buildings into a ravine. It was reported that the brakes failed but the Congolese police said rainy weather was the cause. Another report says the landing failed and the pilot crashed when attempting to go-round.

    The impact area is a residential area in the Mselou district of Brazzaville

    The crew of the jet died in the crash as well as 19 on the ground, and fourteen injured were hospitalized at Makelekelele hospital, Center University Hospital and a military hospital.

    Ownership of the plane has been reported all over the board:
    1: Air Highnesses/Aero-Service leases the plane to Trans Air Congo. The plane was manned by an Armenian crew. Aero-Service is banned by the EU.
    2: The Armenian company RIDGE AIRWAYS LLC, ARMENIA, RDG owns the plane, and it was flying for Aero-Service.

    Video (French)

    Metars reported

    FCBB 301700Z 12007KT 050V170 4000 TSRA FEW010 BKN016 FEW026CB 24/22 Q1009 NOSIG
    FCBB 301600Z 21013KT 6000 TS FEW010 BKN020 FEW030CB 30/23 Q1006 BECMG 06015G25KT 4000 TSRA

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    Southwest Emergency Landing in San Diego

    What: Southwest Airlines 737 Flight 3252 en route from from San Diego to Baltimore
    Where: Lindbergh Field
    When: Dec 1, 2012, 7:15 a.m.
    Who: 129 passengers, 5 crew
    Why: As the plane was taking off, a flight attendant smelled smoke. The pilot returned to San Diego and made an emergency landing on Lindbergh Field. Oxygen masks were deployed but there were no injuries.

    The plane was slated for inspection and will be removed from service until the issue is solved.

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    Russian Tatarstan Airbus Ends Up in Kazan Airport Snowbank

    What: Tatarstan Airlines Airbus A319-112
    Where: Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia
    When: Dec 1, 2012 8:30 am
    Who: 109 passengers
    Why: Preparing for take-off to go to Moscow at 8:30, the Tatarstan Airlines Airbus overran the runway, ending up in a snowbank. The problem according to LifeNews was ice on the runway.

    No passengers were injured. A wing is mired in the bank of snow, tying up the runway for takeoffs and landings.

    The flight was delayed until 13:00 Moscow time. The incident is under investigation.

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    American Killed in Bahama Helicopter Crash

    What: Pioneer Caribbean Logistics Limited Twin Star helicopter en route from Marsh Harbour to Baker’s Bay
    Where: Great Guana Cay, North Abaco, Bahamas
    When: Nov 22, 2012, 1 p.m.
    Who: 4 injured, 1 fatality
    Why: The party aboard the helicopter was landing at a luxury resort community, Baker’s Bay Golf & Ocean Club on Great Guana Cay, when gusty winds blew the chopper into a spin and out of control. The helicopter’s rotor blades struck the ground near the Baker’s Bay townhomes, and the tail broke off. The pilot was injured, and hospitalized. One passenger, Lance Valdez, died on impact.

    Valdez founded Pioneer Capital and lived in New York before he and his family moved to the Bahamas.

    Jeffrey Soffer was also aboard the plane. Soffer was injured along with Dan and Paula Riordan. Soffer owns the Fountainebleau Miami Beach, condos in Las Vegas, the Bahamas and Washington D.C and is an investor in Turnberry Associates. Dan Riordan is also with Turnberry. The injured were taken by boat to Marsh Harbour.

    From Marsh Harbour, the crash victims were flown by racing-team owner Roger Penske’s private jet to Miami where Soffer and the Riordans were hospitalized at Miami’s Ryder Trauma Center. One of the injured was taken to Nassau.

    Civil Aviation Department investigators traveled to Abaco to begin examining the crash. The wreckage has been moved to a secure location. The Bahamas Ministry of Transportation and Aviation has completed its preliminary report on the Abaco helicopter crash. The report indicates that the airframe, engine and propeller manufacturers and designers have been notified of the accident.

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    Inter-Island Flight Ditches In Indian Ocean After Moroni Take-off


    Inter Iles

    What: Inter-Iles Air Embraer EMB-120ER Brasilia en route from Moroni, Comoros to Anjouan
    Where: Indian Ocean
    When: Nov 27, 2012
    Who: 29 aboard-25 passengers, 4 crew
    Why: According to passengers accounts, the plane took off and was leaking. Another reports that an engine failed. The pilot intended to return to the airport but instead managed to ditch safely in the Ocean within five minutes of take-off. Both pilot and copilot had over 5000 hours of flight experience.

    The pilot suffered head trauma but no one else was reported as injured.

    The leaking plane had passed DGAC inspection one week before the accident.

    The rescue/recovery of the crew and passengers was performed by local fishermen.

    See Video

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    Sudan Hard Landing


    What: Ultimate Air Antonov AN-26B-100 en route from Entebbe to Yida
    Where: Yida
    When: November 14, 2012
    Who: crew
    Why: On landing the Antonov AN-26B cargo plane in the Sudan, pilots skidded off the runway.

    The left main gear collapsed just short of a Yida refugee settlement.

    The plane was carrying medical supplies.

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    Texas Utility Helicopter Crashes with 1 Fatality


    Flight Aware

    What: Brim Equipment Leasing Inc Hughes 369D
    Where: Childress, TX
    When: Nov 27, 2012, 4:05 p.m.
    Who: 2 aboard, 1 fatality
    Why: While hovering above ground, the aircraft was holding a passenger suspended fifty feet below. THe passenger was working on a power line a hundred feet above ground.

    The helicopter lost power and fell. Pilot Keith Hard was sustained back injuries in the crash and was hospitalized at Childress Regional Medical Canter. Jonathan David Suhr was working on the power line and impacted the ground when the helicopter fell. Suhr was taken to Childress Regional Medical Center where he died.

    The NTSB is investigating.

    IDENTIFICATION
    Regis#: 28MP Make/Model: H369 Description: HUGHES 369D
    Date: 11/27/2012 Time: 2158

    Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
    Damage: Destroyed

    LOCATION
    City: CHILDRESS State: TX Country: US

    DESCRIPTION
    N28MP HUGHES 369D ROTORCRAFT STRUCK TREES DURING POWERLINE OPERATION AND
    CRASHED, 1 PERSON WAS FATALLY INJURED, 1 SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES, NEAR
    CHILDRESS, TX

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    ATR De-Icing


    Ice is the friend of no plane.

    But there was no excuse for the icing problem on the UTAir flight that we are calling the Tyumen crash.

    On that flight, both Pratt & Whitney Canada PW124 engines were operating till impact. The plane reached 690 feet and banked 35 degrees to the right, then rolled left banking at 50 degrees, demonstrating instability in the roll axis. Why? Ice.

    The ATR 72 had a decent safety record until the 1993 icing incident that caused a fatal crash. This problem was handled by Avions de Transport Regional, the planes designers, by adapting the icing characteristics of the aircraft. They added icing boot extensions to the wing leading edges. (A deicing boot is a ice protection system installed on aircraft surfaces to permit a mechanical deicing in flight.)

    The UTAIr 72 was not de-iced at Tyumen before the fatal flight. There’s not much benefit to adding a safety feature if it is ignored.

    The ATR 72-210 is equipped with PW 127 engines with a maximum certified takeoff rating of 2750 SHP, and a normal power rating of 2475 SHP. The ATR 72 employs a four bladed propeller. The engine has a reduction gearbox assembly . Because the ATR 72-210 is “stretched” ( much longer than the 42s) ATR 42 pilots are warned about taking off an ATR 72 with too excessive a takeoff pitch angle, which would cause the tail would strike the runway. The ATR 72 has a maximum takeoff weight of 47,465 lbs., and carries 11,020 lbs. of fuel. The engine noise and vibration from the props can get uncomfortable.

    Most pilots would not need to be reminded that de-icing is essential when the conditions for ice are likely.

    The NTSB has investigated fifty icing accidents and 202 fatalities from 1998 to 2007. We might be able to conjecture that at least some of these incidents would not have happened if the planes had been properly de-iced to begin with, though for some this is too simplistic an assumption.

    There were fatal consequences to ATRs which ignored de-icing as demonstrated by the UTair ATR 72 that crashed after taking off from Tyumen in Siberia, killing 31 and mangling 12.

    After the disaster, UTAir said that all UTAir planes would henceforth have mandatory de-icing, a change from allowing the pilot to decide whether or not to deice.

    Icing has also been determined as the as cause of two earlier fatal ATR 72 crashes:

    • -Aerocaribbean Flight 883 crashed near Sancti Spiritus November 2010 killing 68 when the plane encountered extreme meteorological conditions that caused it to ice up at 6,100 meters.
    • -American Eagle Flight 4184 crashed killing 68 when in a holding pattern over Chicago encountering a supercooled cloud and rain causing ice which had built up on the wings.

    Icing can take place in a temperature band from minus 12 to plus 4 Celsius.

    We have seen a dozen ATR 72 accidents caused by other events:

    • July 2011-The Eurolot ATR 72 collided with a baggage truck in Warszawa-Frédéric Chopin Airport in Poland.
    • Nov 2009-The Kingfisher ATR 72 skidded off the runway on landing at Mumbai-Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in India.
    • August 2009-The Bangkok Airways ATR 72 that skidded off the runway and struck the Koh Samui Airport ATC tower in Thailand.
    • Feb 2008-The Air Bagan ATR 72 that skidded off the runway on takeoff from Putao Airport in Myanmar.
    • July 2007-The Jet Airways ATR 72 made a heavy landing before the mid-point of the runway and bounced a couple of times before going off the runway at Indore Airport, India.
    • March 2006-The Air Deccan ATR 72 that made a landing at Bangalore Airport that was so hard, the new plane had to be sold as spare parts.
    • Aug 2005-The Tuninter ATR 72 ran out of fuel, both engines quit and the plane ditched in the sea killing 16.
    • March 2004-The American Eagle ATR 72 that made a bounced landing before skidded off the runway injuring 13 while landing at Luis Munoz International Airport, Puerto Rico.
    • Dec 2002-The Transasia Airways cargo flight that crashed into the ocean killing 2 crew.
    • Jan 1995-The cargo ATR 72 that crashed in Taiwan killing 4 crew.
    • Dec 1994-The Air Gabon ATR 72 skidded off the runway and struck trees while landing at Oyem Airport.
  • | | |

    Chopper Crashes in Trichiana Field

    What: Smart Elicotteri Srl Aérospatiale AS 350 BA Ecureuil
    Where: Trichiana Italy
    When: Nov 20, 2012
    Who: 2 aboard, 2 fatalities
    Why: A helicopter distributing anti rabies bait for wild animal vaccination took off and struck an electrical line before it fell into a field.

    The victims worked for Smart Helicopters Srl of Italy.

    A dog aboard the chopper was also killed.