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List of aircraft structural failures

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1952 International Aviation Exposition:
Northrop F-89 Scorpion wing failure during flypast.
Main article: List of structural failures and collapses
See also: List of airliner shootdown incidents

The list of aircraft accidents and incidents caused by structural failures summarizes notable accidents and incidents such as the 1933 United Airlines Chesterton Crash due to a bombing and a 1964 B-52 test that landed after the vertical stabilizer broke off. Loss of structural integrity during flight can be caused by:

  • faulty design
  • faulty maintenance
  • manufacturing flaws
  • pilot error
  • weather conditions
  • sabotage (e.g., an airliner bombing by a skyjacker).
List of aircraft accidents and incidents caused by structural failure
Date Accident/incident Location Aircraft Cause Fatalities Notes
1913-8-7 death of S F Cody UK Cody Floatplane "inherent structural weakness" 2 broke up
1919-8-2 Airliner crash at Verona Italy Caproni Ca.48 wing flutter followed by wing collapse 14, 15, or 17 (sources vary) crash killed all aboard
1921-8-23 1921 Humber crash UK: Hull R28 (ZR-2) weather combined with weakened hull 44 deformation followed by fire & explosion
1925-9-3 Caldwell, Ohio, USA USS Shenandoah (ZR-1) weather 14 torn apart by turbulence
1933-10-10 United Airlines Chesterton Crash USA: Indiana Boeing 247 sabotage 7 explosion severed tail section
1935-2-12 loss of USS Macon (ZRS-5) off California Akron class airship weather combined with unrepaired damage 2 wind shear caused structural failure of the tail which damaged gas cells
1943-08-01 1943 Lambert Field CG-4A crash USA: St. Louis Waco CG-4[N 1] manufacturing flaw 10 loss of right-hand wing due to failure of defective wing strut fitting[1]
1948-08-24 United Airlines Flight 608 USA: about 1.5 Miles southeast of Bryce Canyon Airport Douglas DC-6 Pilot error and design flaw 52 Fire caused by failure of pilots to stop fuel transfer and design flaw. Fire caused in-Flight breakup
1952-08-30 1952 F-89 airshow crash USA: Detroit F-89 Scorpion design 2 wing broke off during flypast[2]
1952-09-06 1952 Farnborough Airshow DH.110 crash UK: Farnborough, Hampshire de Havilland DH.110 design fault 31 leading edge aeroelastic flutter, aircraft breakup and crash into crowd
1953-02-06 National Airlines Flight 470 Gulf of Mexico Douglas DC-6 weather 46 loss of control and structural failure in severe turbulence
1954-01-10 BOAC Flight 781 Mediterranean Sea de Havilland Comet faulty design 35 near Elba: roof fatigue fracture, decompression
1954-04-08 South African Airways Flight 201 Mediterranean Sea de Havilland Comet faulty design 21 near Naples: decompression due to fatigue
1957-04-17 1957 Aqaba Valetta accident Jordan: near Aqaba Vickers Valetta weather 27 design strength of left-hand wing exceeded during probable loss of control in severe clear-air turbulence[3]
1957-05-31 1957 McNabs Island RCN Banshee crash Canada: near Halifax, Nova Scotia F2H-3 Banshee manufacturing flaw 1 loss of outer starboard wing due to improperly manufactured fittings in folding wing mechanism[4]
1958-09-20 1958 Vulcan crash at RAF Syerston UK: RAF Syerston Avro Vulcan prototype pilot error 7 overspeed while rolling exceeded g-limit of structure, wing broke off[5]
1959-10-01 1959 Lightning crash UK: Irish Sea Lightning T.4 (first aircraft) Fin collapse during high speed tests[specify] 0 first supersonic ejection by a UK pilot (M 1.7)[6] Fin enlarged
1963-01-24 1963 Elephant Mountain B-52 crash USA: Maine B-52 Stratofortress military command exceeded design envelope 7 loss of vertical stabilizer
1963-01-30 1963 B-52 crash in New Mexico USA: New Mexico B-52 Stratofortress military command exceeded design envelope 2 near Mora:[7] loss of vertical stabilizer[8]
1964-01-04 1964 B-57 crash USA: Dayton NRB-57 Canberra [specify] [specify] both wings failed
1964-01-10 B-52 flight test of vertical stabilizer USA: New Mexico B-52 Stratofortress military command exceeded design envelope 0 loss of vertical stabilizer, landed
1964-01-13 1964 Savage Mountain B-52 crash USA: Maryland B-52 Stratofortress military command exceeded design envelope 3 loss of vertical stabilizer
1964-01-04 1964 USAF Thunderbird crash USA: California F-105 Thunderchief faulty design 1 spine failure during 6G tactical pitch up for air show
1965-07-06 1965 Little Baldon Hastings accident England: near RAF Abingdon, Oxfordshire Handley Page Hastings faulty design 41 right-hand elevator became uncontrollable due to metal fatigue-related failure of two bolts in elevator system[9]
1966-03-05 BOAC Flight 911 Japan: Mount Fuji Boeing 707–436 weather 124 severe clear-air turbulence, gust load over design limit
1966-08-06 Braniff Airways Flight 250 USA: Nebraska BAC One-Eleven 203AE weather 42 Horizontal and vertical stabilizers detached in severe turbulence
1967-03-05 Lake Central Flight 527 USA: Ohio Convair CV-580 propeller manufacturing defect 38 Propeller broke apart, one of the blades punctured the fuselage, causing the forward section to break away
1967-11-15 X-15 Flight 3-65-97 USA: Edwards AFB North American X-15 pilot error 1 loss of control followed by airframe failure
1971-03-05 BEA Flight 706 Belgium Vickers Vanguard maintenance: undetected corrosion 63 near Aarsele:rear pressure bulkhead failure caused loss of tailplane
1972-06-12 American Airlines Flight 96 USA: Detroit MD DC-10 faulty design 0 cargo door mechanism allowed it to burst open, landed
1974-03-03 Turkish Airlines Flight 981 France: Picardy MD DC-10 faulty design 346 cargo door burst open: cabin floor collapse, severed cables
1976-04-14 Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales Argentina: near Cutral-Co Hawker Siddeley 748 maintenance: undetected metal fatigue 34 starboard wing failed outboard of engine
1978-06-26 Helikopter Service Flight 165 Norway: North Sea Sikorsky S-61 Fatigue 18 rotor blade loosened after fatigue to the knuckle joint: crashed into the sea[10]
1979-05-25 American Airlines Flight 191 USA: Chicago MD DC-10 maintenance 273 engine broke off, slats retracted: stall and crash
1982-03-11 Widerøe Flight 933 Norway: Gamvik de Havilland Canada Twin Otter Weather 15 Vertical stabilizer and rudder failed during clear-air turbulence[11]
1985-06-23 Air India Flight 182 Atlantic Ocean off County Cork Boeing 747 sabotage 329 terrorist bomb in forward cargo hold
1985-08-12 Japan Airlines Flight 123 Japan: Mount Osutaka Boeing 747SR maintenance 520 faulty repair: rear bulkhead blew out, blowing off tail fin
1988-04-28 Aloha Airlines Flight 243 USA: Hawaii Boeing 737 improper adhesive bonding of fuselage lap joints 1 corrosion and fatigue: 18 ft of roof blew off
1988-12-21 Pan Am Flight 103 UK: Lockerbie Boeing 747 sabotage 270 terrorist bomb in the forward luggage hold
1989-02-24 United Airlines Flight 811 USA: Hawaii Boeing 747 dirt on microswitch/short circuit 9 cargo door burst open (electrical fault), ripping large hole
1989-09-08 Partnair Flight 394 Denmark: 18 km north of Hirtshals Convair 580 maintenance: unapproved aircraft parts 55 Highest death toll involving a Convair 580
1990-04-12 Widerøe Flight 839 Norway: Værøy de Havilland Canada Twin Otter Weather 5 Rudder and tailplane cracked during extreme winds[12]
1990-06-10 British Airways Flight 5390 Great Britain: Didcot BAC One-Eleven Faulty maintenance None Window separated from plane causing an explosive decompression and the pilot being sucked out. First Officer successfully landed the plane in Southhampton
1991-09-11 Continental Express Flight 2574 Texas Embraer 120 Brasilia maintenance 14 failure of horizontal stabilizer during flight due to misunderstanding during maintenance
1992-10-04 El Al Flight 1862 Bijlmermeer Boeing 747 Corrosion in pylon fuse pin leading to metal fatigue 4 on board, 39 on ground engine broke off, knocked off adjacent engine, ripped of slats; stall and crash on attempted landing
1997-06-26 Helikopter Service Flight 451 Norway: Norwegian Sea Eurocopter AS 332L1 Super Puma Fatigue 12 The accident was caused by a fatigue crack in the spline, which ultimately caused the power transmission shaft to fail. The helicopter crashed into the sea.[13]
2001-11-12 American Airlines Flight 587 USA: New York Airbus A300 pilot error 265 overuse of rudder leading to loss of vertical stabilizer
2002-04-30 2002 Eglin Air Force Base F-15 crash USA: Gulf of Mexico F-15 Eagle [specify] 1 near Eglin AFB: leading edge failed during test dive
2002-05-25 China Airlines Flight 611 Taiwan: Taiwan Strait near Penghu Islands Boeing 747 maintenance 225 faulty repair: tail section broke off, causing aircraft to disintegrate
2003-02-01 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster USA: Texas Space Shuttle faulty design 7 damaged TPS during launch, breakup during reentry
2005-12-19 Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101 USA: Miami Beach, Florida Grumman Mallard maintenance 20 in-flight wing break due to metal fatigue
2008-05-30 2008 general aviation crash Spain Pilatus PC-6 [specify] 2 wing failure
2015-10-31 Metrojet Flight 9268 Egypt: North Sinai Governorate Airbus A321-231 under investigation 224 Crashed, terrorist bomb

References

Notes
  1. ^ Accident aircraft 42-78839 had been built under license by contractor Robertson Aircraft Corporation.
Citations
  1. ^ Gero 2010, pp. 24-25.
  2. ^ "WORK IN PROGRESS – More to add". Ejection-history.org.uk. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
  3. ^ Gero 2010, p. 75.
  4. ^ Mills, Carl. Banshees of the Royal Canadian Navy. Willowdale, Ontario, Canada: Banshee Publication, 1991, ISBN 978-0-9695200-0-9, pages 280-281.
  5. ^ "Anniversary of Vulcan crash." BBC News, 19 September 2008.
  6. ^ "2005". Ejection-history.org.uk. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
  7. ^ "B-52_Stratofortress". Ejection-history.org.uk. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
  8. ^ "Look mom, I lost my tail! We gotta bring this Buff in anyway". TalkingProud.us. Archived from the original on June 4, 2007. Retrieved 2009-11-16. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ Gero 2010, p. 95.
  10. ^ "Rapport om luftfartsulykke i Nordsjøen den 26. juni 1978 ca. kl. 1115 med helikopter S-61 LN-OQS, tilhørende K/S Helikopter Service A/S" (in Norwegian). Accident Investigation Board Norway. 17 January 1980. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Parliament of Norway (20 September 2005). "Rapport til Stortingets presidentskap fra Stortingets granskningskommisjon for Mehamn-ulykken" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ Accident Investigation Board Norway (1991). "Rapport of luftfartsulykke ved Værøy lufthavn den 12. april 1990 med Twin Otter LN-BNS" (pdf) (in Norwegian).
  13. ^ "Report on the air accident 8 September 1997 in the Norwegian sea approx. 100 NM west north west of Brønnøysund, involving Eurocopter AS 332L1 Super Puma, LN-OPG, operated by Helikopter Service AS". Accident Investigation Board Norway. November 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
Bibliography
  • Gero, David B. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. Sparkford, Yoevil, Somerset, UK: Haynes Publishing, 2010, ISBN 978-1-84425-645-7


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