Airplane Crash Archives

Boats return to the Potomac River for DC plane crash recovery and investigation

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Police boats have returned to the Potomac River as part of the recovery and investigation after the United States’ deadliest aviation disaster in almost a quarter century. Two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press that more than 40 bodies have been pulled from the river as the massive recovery effort continues Friday. Planes continue to take off and land at Reagan National, with airport operations gradually returning to normal. Investigators have already recovered recorders from the plane that collided Wednesday with an Army helicopter as it landed at Ronald Reagan National Airport next to Washington, D.C. All 67 aboard the two aircraft were killed. Federal investigators have said they would not speculate on the cause.… Continue Reading

A plane crashes and bursts into flames while landing in South Korea, killing 179

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean officials say a passenger plane burst into flames after it skidded off a runway at an airport and slammed into a concrete fence. Its front landing gear had apparently failed to deploy. All but two of the 181 people on board died, making it one of the country’s worst aviation disasters. The accident Sunday morning involved a Jeju Air passenger plane flying from Bangkok to the town of Muan, about 180 miles south of Seoul. The Transport Ministry said the plane was a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 jet. Footage showed the plane skidding across the airstrip at high speed, apparently with its landing gear still closed, overrunning the runway and colliding head-on with the, triggering an explosion.… Continue Reading

Azerbaijani airliner with 67 people onboard crashes in Kazakhstan leaving 32 survivors

Officials say an Azerbaijani airliner with 67 people onboard crashed Wednesday near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau, leaving at least 32 survivors. More than 30 people may be dead. 4 bodies have been recovered. A total of 29 survivors, including two children, have been hospitalized. The plane was en route from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus. Russian news agency, RIA Novosti, quoted Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, as saying that preliminary information showed that the pilot had chosen to divert to Aktau after a bird strike on the aircraft led to “an emergency situation on board”. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has declared Dec. 26 a day of mourning in his country.… Continue Reading