HELLO WORLD : THE MOST FATAL OR SIGNIFICANT COMMERCIAL PLANE CRASHES

Hello World,

The following are the fatal or significant airliner events, from around the world during 2008.  The numbered events include all of those involving either jet passenger flights and turboprop accidents involving models with more than 10 passengers seats where the aircraft involved are used in airline service in North America and Western Europe, and where at least one passenger was killed.  The passenger fatalities in the numbered events may be due to accidents, hijackings, sabotage, or military action.  The events that are not numbered may or may ot include fatalities, and are included because they meet the criteria of significant event as defined by AirSafe.com.

20 DECEMBER 2008, Continental Airlines 737-500 (Flight 1404, Denver).  The Aircraft, which was on a scheduled flight to Houston’s Intercontinental Airport, departed the runway during takeoff and skidded across taxiway and a service road before coming to rest in a ravine several hundred yards from the runway.  There were about 38 injuries among the 110 passengers and five crew-members, including two passengers who were seriously injured.

27 NOVEMBER 2008,  XL Airways Germany A320-200 (near Perpignan, France).  The Aircraft had been leased to XL Airways Germany and a flight test crew, along with an New Zealand civil aviation inspector, were conducting a test flight prior to the aircraft being returned to its owner, Air New Zealand.  On approach into Perpiga, the aircraft was seen to enter a raid dive before it crashed in the Mediterranean Sea just off the coast.  All seven occupants were killed.

07 OCTOBER 2008, Qantas A330-300 (Flight 72, near Learmonth, Australia).  The aircraft was  on a scheduled international flight from Singapore to Perth.  While in cruise, the aircraft reportedly experienced some type of sudden and unexpected altitude change.  The crew  issued a mayday call before diverting the aircraft to the airport at Learmonth, near the town of Exmouth, about 1,100 kilometers or 680 miles north of its intended destination of Perth.  About 36 passengers and crew members were injured, with over a dozen severe injuries.

                        

19 SEPTEMBER 2008, Global Exec Aviation Learjet 60 (Columbia, SC).  Travis Barker, former drummer for the music group Blink-182, Adam Goldstein, more widely known as DJ AM, and two other passengers were in Learjet 60 Aircraft that was on a chartered flight from Columbia, South Carolina to Van Nuys airport in Los Angeles.  The crah, which happened shortly before midnight, occurred during takeoff.  The crash and subsequent fire killed both flight crew members and two of the four passengers.

14 SEPTEMBER 2008,  Aeroflot-Nord 737-500 (Flight 821, near Perm, Russia). The ircraft was on scheduled domestic flight from Moscow to Perm, Russia.  Contact with the aircraft  was lost shortly before landing when the aircraft was about 3,600 feet, or abiut 1,100 meters, above the ground.  The aircraft was completely destroyed in the crash, all 82 passengers and six crew members were killed in the crash.  There were seven children, including one infant, among the passengers.

24 AUGUST 2008, Itek Air 737 – 200 (Flight 6895, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan). The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to Tehran, Iran. About 10 minutes after takeoff, the crew turned back to the departure airport and also reported some kind of  technical problem, crashing short of the runway. There were about 83. At least 65 of those on board, including five of the seven crew members, were killed. Itek Air had been banned from operating in the EU according to a list published on 24 July 2008.

24 AUGUST 2008, Aereo Ruta Maya Cessna Caravan (near Cabanas, Guatemala). The aircraft was on an unscheduled domestic flight from Guatemala City to El Estor. About 45 minutes into the flight, the crew indicated that the aircraft was experiencing engine problems. The aircraft crashed near the town of Cabanas, about 60 miles (96 km) east of Guatemala City, killing both crew members and nine of the 12 passengers.

20 AUGUSTUS 2008, Spainair MD 82 (Flight 5022, Madrid, Spain). The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff on a scheduled domesticflight from Madrid to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. Early reports indicated that the left engine experienced a major malfunction during takeoff. The aircraft was able to get airbonrne, but the crew set the aircraft down in a area to the right of the departure runway. The aircraft broke up and there was a severe post-crash fire. All six crew members and 148 of the 166 passengers were killed.

25 JULY 2008, Qantas B747-400 (Flight 30, near Manila, Philippines). The aircraft was on a scheduled International flight from Hong Kong, China to Melbourne, Australia. The aircraft experienced an explosive decompression over the South China Sea about 200 iles from Manila. None of the 19 crew members or 346 passengers were ijured.

10 JUNE 2008, Sudan Airways A310-300 (Flight 109, Khartoum, Sudan). The aircraft was on an unscheduled domestic flight from Post Sudan to Khartoum. The aircraft had been on scheduled international flight from Damascus, Syria to Khartoum, but had earlier diverted to Port Sudan due to weather conditions in the Khartoum area. The aircraft landed, and then overran the far of the runway by about 230 m (750 ft), coming to rest on rough ground slightly to the left of the extended centerline. One of the 14 crew members was killed, and at least 30 of the 203 passengers were killed.

07 June 2008, Patagonia Airlines Cessna Caravan (en route Puerto ontt to La Junta, Chile). The Aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Puerto Montt to La Junta, but crashed while en route. All of the occupants survived the crash, but the pilot died of his injuries two days later.

30 May 2008, TACA A320-200 (Flight 390, Tegucigalpa, Honduras). The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from San Salvador, El Savador, to Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The aircraft landed, overran the runway, went down an embankment, and struck several vehicles. One of the six crew members and two of the 118 passengers were killed. Two people outside the aircraft were also killed.

15 April 2008, Hewa Bora Airways DC9-51 (Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo). The aircraft was on scheduled domestic flight from Goma to Kinsangani, DR Congo The aircraft developed a problem during takeoff, and reportedly departed the runway and collided with several buildings in aneraby neighborhood. There were eight crew members and 86 passengers abord the aircraft, and three of the passengers were killed. There were also 37 fatalities on the groud.

03 April 2008, Blue Wing Airlines Antonov AN28 (near Benzdrop, Suriname). The aircraft was on scheduled domestic flight from Paramaribo to Benzdrop, Suriname. It crashed into a hillside during its second landing attempt. There was light rain in the area at the time of the crash. The 17 passengers and both crew members were all killed.

28 February 2008, Air Canada B767-300 (over Atlantic Ocean en route Toronto to London). The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight between Toronto, Canada and Heathrow Airport in London, carrying 146 passengers and nine crew members., while over the Atlantic, the first officer experienced some sort of metal or phsycological breakdown, and had to be physically removed from the cockit. After the removal of the first officer, the captain with the assistance of a flight attendants who held a commercial multiengine license, diverted to Shannon, Ireland without further incident.

21 February 2008, Santa Barbara airlines ATR 42 (Flight 518, near Merida, Venezuela0. The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Merida to Caracas, Venezuela. It crashed into a mountain about six miles (10 km) from the airport , at about  the 12.000 foot level of the mountain. All 43 passengers and three crew members were killed.

17 January 2008, British Airways B777 (Flight 38, London, England). The aircraft touched down about 1000 feet short of runway 27L at London’s Heathrow Airport. The aircraft skidded just over 1000 feet, taering off its landing gear and coming to rest on the tarmac just to the right of the end of the runway. This was a scheduled international flight that was arriving from Beijing, China. There were at least two serious injuries, a broken leg and a concussion, but no fatalities among the 16 crew members and 136 passengers.

12 January 2008, Gulfstream 2 (Chicago). United States Senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama was a passenger in a Gulfstream 2 aircraft that collided with another aircraft on the ground at midway Airport in Chicagi. Senator Obama, members of his campaign staff, and Secret Service agents had just flown in from Nevada, where he had been campaigning. The left wingtip of the Gulfstream hit the right wingtip if a parked and unoccupied Cessna 208 aircraft. The impact was so minor that no one on the lane noticed any damage until later.

10 January 2008, Air Canada A319 (near Cranbrook, Canada). The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Victoria, BC to Toronto, ON. The aircraft had a possible encounter with moderate to severe turbulence while in the vicinity of the Canadian rockies. The crew diverted to Calgary, where injured passengers and crew members were treated for minor injuries. The aircraft was not seriously damaged, and there were no fatalities among the five crew members of 83 passengers.

14 January 2008, Transaven Let 410 (near Los Roques, Venezuela). The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Caracas to Los Roques, Venezuela, The crew reported engine failure in the vincinity of the Los Roques archipelago, after which contact with the aircraft was lost. There were two crew members and 12 passengers on board, and they are missing and presumedlost.

02 January 2008, Iran Air Fokker 100 (Tehran, Iran). The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Tehran to Shiraz, Iran. The aircraft skidded off the runway during takeoff attempt. There was reportedly landing gear damage and a post-crash fire, but all six crew members and 53 passengers were able to escape.

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