Ground collision (GCOL), also known as terrain collision refers to the collision that occurs while an aircraft is taxiing to or from its runway. A ground collision occurs when an aircraft collides with another aircraft and/or structure on the runway. [1] [2]
Legend:
| Runway collision involving two or more aircraft | |
| Runway collision with other objects |
| Date | Fatalities [N 1] | Survivors [N 2] | Flight(s) involved | Site | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 June 1935 | 17 | 3 | Ford 5-AT-B Trimotor F-31 / Ford 5-AT-B Trimotor C-31 | Olaya Herrera Airport, Medellín, Colombia | A Ford Trimotor F-31 collided with a Ford Trimotor C-31 after the F-31 lost control due to strong lateral winds in combination with irregularities in the surface of the runway, that led the left main gear to leave the ground before rotation. Only three people on the F-31 survived. [4] | |
| 22 December 1952 | 13 | 0 | Royal Hellenic Air Force Douglas C-47D / USAF Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star | Su Won (K-13) Air Base, South Korea | A United States Air Force Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star collided with a Greek Douglas C-47D after the C-47D taxied onto an active runway while the F-80C was taking off, killing everyone on both aircraft. [5] | |
| 23 November 1964 | 50 | 23 | TWA Flight 800 (1964) | Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, Rome, Italy | TWA Flight 800 (a Boeing 707) collided with a compactor that was crossing the runway during takeoff. [6] | |
| 20 December 1972 | 10 | 128 | North Central Airlines Flight 575 / Delta Air Lines Flight 954 | O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois, United States | North Central Airlines Flight 575 (a McDonnell Douglas DC-9) collided during its takeoff roll with Delta Air Lines Flight 954 (a Convair CV-880) while the CV-880 was taxiing across a fog-shrouded runway at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, killing ten people and injuring 17. [7] | |
| 18 April 1974 | 1 | 92 | Court Line Flight 95 / Piper PA-23 Aztec G-AYDE | Luton Airport, Luton, Bedfordshire, England | Court Line Flight 95 (a BAC One-Eleven) collided with a Piper PA-23 Aztec after the PA-23 entered the active runway without permission. The pilot of the PA-23 was killed, while the passenger survived, along with all 91 people of Flight 95. [8] | |
| 27 March 1977 | 583 | 61 | KLM Flight 4805 / Pan Am Flight 1736 | Los Rodeos Airport (now Tenerife North Ciudad de La Laguna Airport), Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain | Two Boeing 747 passenger jets, KLM Flight 4805 and Pan Am Flight 1736, collided on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport (now Tenerife North Airport), on the Spanish island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, killing 583 people, making it the deadliest accident in aviation history. [9] | |
| 31 October 1979 | 73 (including one on the ground) | 17 | Western Airlines Flight 2605 | Mexico City International Airport, Mexico City, Mexico | Western Airlines Flight 2605 (a McDonnell Douglas DC-10) struck construction equipment while landing on a runway that was closed for maintenance. [10] | |
| 14 August 1982 | 11 | 82 | Aeroflot Flight 974 / Aeroflot Flight G-73 | Sukhumi-Babusheri Airport, Abkhazia, Georgia | Aeroflot Flight 974 (a Tupolev Tu-134) collided with Aeroflot Flight G-73 (a Let L-410 Turbolet) after both aircraft attempted to takeoff from the same runway, from opposite directions. Everyone on board flight G-73 was killed, while everyone on board flight 974 survived. [11] [12] | |
| 14 September 1983 | 11 | 95 | CAAC Hawker-Siddeley Trident / People's Liberation Army Air Force Harbin H-5 | Guilin-Qifengling Airport, China | A military Harbin H-5 bomber crashed into the side of a CAAC Airlines Hawker-Siddeley Trident while it was taxiing down the runway, killing eleven people on the Trident. The fate of the crew on the H-5 bomber is not known. [13] | |
| 7 December 1983 | 93 | 42 | Iberia Flight 350 / Aviaco Flight 134 | Madrid–Barajas Airport, Madrid, Spain | Iberia Flight 350 (a Boeing 727) was involved in a runway collision with Aviaco Flight 134 (a McDonnell Douglas DC-9) after taxiing across a fog-shrouded runway into the path of the DC-9 while it was taking off. Only 42 people survived, all on Flight 350, at least 30 of which sustained injuries. [14] | |
| 20 December 1983 | 1 (on the ground) | 86 | Ozark Air Lines Flight 650 | Sioux Falls Regional Airport, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States | Ozark Air Lines Flight 650 (a McDonnell Douglas DC-9) struck a snow plow while taxiing down a runway, killing the snow plow operator. [15] | |
| 23 December 1983 | 0 | 12 | Korean Air Lines Flight 084 / SouthCentral Air Flight 59 | Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Anchorage, Alaska, United States | Korean Air Lines Flight 084 (a McDonnell Douglas DC-10) collided during takeoff with SouthCentral Air Flight 59 (a Piper PA-31-350) as a result of the Flight 084 crew becoming disoriented while taxiing in dense fog and attempting to takeoff on the wrong runway. Both aircraft were destroyed, but there were no fatalities on either aircraft. [16] | |
| 11 October 1984 | 178 (including four on the ground) | 5 | Aeroflot Flight 3352 | Omsk Airport, Omsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union | A Tupolev Tu-154B-1 hit maintenance vehicles on the runway while attempting to land in Omsk, Russia. The ground controller allowed maintenance workers to dry the runway during heavy rain and fell asleep on the job. 174 people aboard the aircraft were killed, along with four workers on the ground. This incursion is the deadliest aviation accident in Russian territory. [17] | |
| 21 October 1987 | 18 | 1 | Soviet Air Forces Antonov An-12BK / Mil Mi-24 | Kabul Airport, Afghanistan | An Antonov An-12 collided with a Mil Mi-24 helicopter in poor visibility, killing all but one person on the An-12. [18] | |
| 2 October 1990 | 128 | 95 | Xiamen Airlines Flight 8301 / China Southern Airlines Flight 3523 / China Southwest Airlines Flight 4305 | Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (former), Guangzhou, China | A hijacked Boeing 737 collided with two other aircraft on the runways of the old Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport while attempting to land. The hijacked aircraft struck parked China Southwest Airlines Flight 4305 first, inflicting only minor damage, but then collided with China Southern Airlines Flight 3523, a Boeing 757 waiting to takeoff, flipping onto its back. A total of 128 people were killed, including seven of nine crew members and 75 of 93 passengers on Flight 8301 and 46 of 110 passengers on Flight 3523. [19] | |
| 3 December 1990 | 8 | 190 | Northwest Airlines Flight 1482 / Northwest Airlines Flight 299 | Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Michigan | Northwest Airlines Flight 1482, operated by a McDonnell-Douglas DC-9, taxied onto an active runway in heavy fog at the same time as Northwest Airlines Flight 299, operated by a Boeing 727, was undertaking its takeoff roll. The 727's wing sliced through the DC-9's fuselage, killing eight people aboard the latter aircraft, which was subsequently destroyed by fire; the 727 sustained damage to its wing, but was able to perform a rejected takeoff and stop safely on the remaining runway, and was later repaired and returned to service. [20] | |
| 1 February 1991 | 35 | 66 | USAir Flight 1493 / SkyWest Airlines Flight 5569 | Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California, United States | USAir Flight 1493 was a scheduled passenger flight from Syracuse Hancock International Airport, New York, to San Francisco International Airport, via Washington, D.C.; Columbus, Ohio; and Los Angeles. On the evening of February 1, 1991, the Boeing 737-300 serving the flight collided with SkyWest Flight 5569, a Metroliner turboprop aircraft, upon landing at Los Angeles. [21] | |
| 22 November 1994 | 2 | 140 | TWA Flight 427 / Superior Aviation Cessna 441 Conquest II | St. Louis Lambert International Airport, Bridgeton, Missouri, United States | Cessna pilot error at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. The pilot taxied to an incorrect runway and was struck by departing TWA MD-80; there were two fatalities on the Cessna. [22] | |
| 19 November 1996 | 14 | 0 | United Express Flight 5925 / Beechcraft 65-A90 King Air | Quincy Municipal Airport, Gilmer Township, Adams County, Illinois, near Quincy, Illinois, United States | United Express Flight 5925 was landing at Quincy Regional Airport when the pilot of a Beechcraft King Air started to takeoff on an intersecting runway. As the field was uncontrolled, the United Express pilots inquired whether the King Air was clear of the runways. They received no response except for a call from a Piper Cherokee saying they were holding short. The King Air and United Express collided at the intersection of the two runways killing all 12 on board Flight 5925 and the pilot and passenger of the Beechcraft King Air. [23] | |
| 25 May 2000 | 1 | 157 | Air Liberte Flight 8807 / Shorts 330-200 | Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris, France | A McDonnell Douglas MD-83 operating as Air Liberte Flight 8807 collided with a Shorts 330-200 with its left wing while taking off. One of the pilots in the Shorts 330-200 was killed; the other pilot was seriously injured. The MD-83 aborted takeoff at a speed of 155 knots. There were no injuries to the 151 passengers and 6 crew members on the MD-83. The MD-83 sustained substantial damage to its left wing but was later repaired. An investigation concluded that the runway incursion was caused by ATC error. [24] | |
| 31 October 2000 | 83 | 96 | Singapore Airlines Flight 006 | Runway 05R, Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan, Taiwan | Singapore Airlines Flight 006 (a Boeing 747) struck construction equipment during takeoff on a runway that was closed for maintenance. [25] | |
| 8 October 2001 | 118 (including four on the ground) | 0 | Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 686 / Air Evex D-IEVX | Linate Airport, Milan, Italy | Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 686 collided on takeoff with a Cessna Citation registered D-IEVX that had turned onto the wrong taxiway, causing it to enter the runway. [26] | |
| 4 January 2005 | 0 | 2 | Tri-MG Intra Asia Airlines Boeing 737-2A9C | Banda Aceh, Indonesia | A Boeing 737-2A9C, which was bringing emergency aid to victims of an earthquake and tsunami was involved in a ground collision with a water buffalo on a runway, which seriously delayed relief flights. [27] | |
| 15 January 2009 | 4 | 34 | Ilyushin Il-76MD RA-76825 / Ilyushin Il-76MD RA-76827 | Uytash Airport, Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia | Two Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) collided at Uytash Airport serving the city of Makhachkala in Dagestan, Russia. [28] | |
| 18 August 2012 | 1 (on the ground) | 4 | Cessna 172N Ram | Ōtone Airfield, Saitama Prefecture, Japan | A Cessna 172N Ram killed a worker mowing the grass at Ōtone Airfield, during a touch-and-go attempt. [29] | |
| 20 October 2014 | 4 | 0 | Unijet Flight 074P | Moscow Vnukovo Airport, Russia | A Dassault Falcon 50 collided on takeoff with a snow plow that had strayed onto the runway at Moscow Vnukovo Airport, killing everyone on board the aircraft, including Total oil company Chairman and CEO Christophe de Margerie. [30] | |
| 4 April 2016 | 0 | 60 | Batik Air Flight 7703 / TransNusa PK-TNJ | Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, Jakarta, Indonesia | Batik Air Flight 7703 (a Boeing 737) collided during its takeoff roll with a TransNusa Air Services aircraft, which was being towed across the runway. [31] | |
| 7 May 2020 | 1 (on the ground) | 58 | Southwest Airlines Flight 1392 | Austin–Bergstrom International Airport, Austin, Texas, United States | An adult male intruder entered the grounds of Austin–Bergstrom International Airport and made his way to the airport's runway 17R, being struck and killed by a Boeing 737-7H4 operating Southwest Airlines Flight 1392 as it landed at the airport. There were no injuries or fatalities to the 58 people on board the aircraft, although substantial damage was sustained to the 737's left engine nacelle. [32] | |
| 2 September 2022 | 2 (on the ground) | 79 | TAP Air Portugal Flight 1492 | Ahmed Sékou Touré International Airport, Conakry, Guinea, West Africa | Engine 2 of TAP Air Portugal Flight 1492, an Airbus A320-251N, struck a motorcycle that crossed the runway at Ahmed Sékou Touré International Airport during the plane’s landing roll. Both riders on the motorcycle perished, however everyone on board the plane were unharmed. Engine 2 of the plane was damaged from the collision. [33] | |
| 18 November 2022 | 3 (on the ground) | 108 | LATAM Airlines Perú Flight 2213 | Jorge Chávez International Airport, Lima, Peru | A LATAM Perú Airbus A320neo taking off from Jorge Chávez International Airport as LATAM Perú Flight 2213 to Juliaca collided with an airport fire engine that was crossing the runway, killing two firefighters and injuring a third, who died from his injuries seven months later. There were no fatalities among the 102 passengers and six crew members aboard, however 40 people sustained injuries. The aircraft sustained critical damage and was written off. [34] | |
| 2 January 2024 | 5 | 380 | Japan Airlines Flight 516 / Japan Coast Guard DHC-8 | Tokyo Haneda International Airport, Tokyo, Japan | A Japan Airlines Airbus A350-900 operating as Japan Airlines Flight 516 collided with a Japan Coast Guard De Havilland Dash-8 while landing at Tokyo Haneda Airport. Both aircraft burst into flames and were completely destroyed. This marked the first hull loss of an Airbus A350. All 379 passengers and crew onboard the A350 survived however five of the six crew members onboard the Coast Guard aircraft were killed. The destroyed Dash-8 was due to provide support to the emergency actions after an earthquake the day before. [35] | |
| 31 March 2024 | 0 | 7 | Safe Air Company Boeing 727 / African Express Airways MD-82 | Malakal Airport, South Sudan | A Safe Air Company Boeing 727 operating a cargo flight from Juba had a runway excursion during landing at Malakal Airport. During the excursion the plane collided with a parked African Express Airways McDonnell Douglas MD-80 that had an incident a few months prior. All the 7 on board the 727 survived with one injured, but both planes were destroyed. [36] | |
| 10 September 2024 | 0 | 277 | Delta Air Lines Flight 295 / Delta Connection Flight 5526 | Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta Airport, Georgia, United States | The right wingtip of a Delta Air Lines Airbus A350-941 taxiing before takeoff for Tokyo collided with and knocked over the tail fin of an Endeavor Air Bombardier CRJ900R preparing to depart for Lafayette, Louisiana. None of the 221 people abroad the former plane and 56 people aboard the latter plane were injured or killed. [37] |
Airborne Express was an express delivery company and cargo airline. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, its hub was in Wilmington, Ohio. Airborne was founded as the Airborne Flower Traffic Association of California in 1946 to fly flowers from Hawaii to the US mainland. Airborne Express was acquired by DHL in 2003. Prior to the acquisition, it rose to be the third largest private express delivery company in the United States, behind Federal Express and United Parcel Service (UPS).
ABX Air, Inc., formerly Airborne Express, is a cargo airline headquartered at Wilmington Air Park near the City of Wilmington, Ohio, US. ABX Air operates scheduled, ad hoc charter and ACMI freight services. It also provides flight support services and training. ABX Air is owned by Air Transport Services Group.
American Airlines Flight 625, a Boeing 727-100, crashed at St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands on April 27, 1976, while on a domestic scheduled passenger flight originating at T. F. Green Airport in Rhode Island and ending at Saint Thomas, United States Virgin Islands, with an intermediate stop at John F. Kennedy International Airport. 37 out of the 88 passengers on board died in the accident.
In aviation, a tailstrike or tail strike occurs when the tail or empennage of an aircraft strikes the ground or other stationary object. This can happen with a fixed-wing aircraft with tricycle undercarriage, in both takeoff where the pilot rotates the nose up too rapidly, or in landing where the pilot raises the nose too sharply during final approach, often in attempting to land too near the runway threshold. It can also happen during helicopter operations close to the ground, when the tail inadvertently strikes an obstacle.
In aviation, a water landing is, in the broadest sense, an aircraft landing on a body of water. Seaplanes, such as floatplanes and flying boats, land on water as a normal operation. Ditching is a controlled emergency landing on the water surface in an aircraft not designed for the purpose, a very rare occurrence. Controlled flight into the surface and uncontrolled flight ending in a body of water are generally not considered water landings or ditching.
Piedmont Airlines Flight 22 was a Piedmont Airlines Boeing 727-22 that collided with a twin-engine Cessna 310 on July 19, 1967, over Hendersonville, North Carolina, United States. Both aircraft were destroyed and all passengers and crew were killed, including John T. McNaughton, an advisor to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. The aircraft were both operating under instrument flight rules and were in radio contact with the Asheville control tower, though on different frequencies. The accident investigation was the first of a major scale conducted by the newly created National Transportation Safety Board. A review of the investigation conducted 39 years after the crash upheld the original findings that had placed primary responsibility on the Cessna pilot.
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The 1994 St. Louis Airport collision occurred when TWA Flight 427, operated using a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, struck a Cessna 441 Conquest II during its take-off roll, killing both of its occupants. The incident took place on November 22, 1994, at St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) in Bridgeton, Missouri.
Ozark Air Lines Flight 650 was a regularly scheduled flight on December 20, 1983 from Sioux Gateway Airport in Sioux City, Iowa, to Sioux Falls Regional Airport in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. While landing in Sioux Falls, the aircraft struck a snow plow on the runway and burst into flames. The snow plow's driver was killed, and two flight attendants were injured.
On December 3, 1990, two Northwest Airlines jetliners collided at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. Flight 1482, a scheduled Douglas DC-9-14 operating from Detroit to Pittsburgh International Airport, taxied by mistake onto an active runway in dense fog and was hit by a departing Boeing 727 operating as Flight 299 to Memphis International Airport. One member of the crew and seven passengers of the DC-9 were killed.
American Airlines Flight 383 was a scheduled passenger flight from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois to Miami International Airport. On October 28, 2016, the Boeing 767-300ER operating the flight suffered an engine fire during takeoff. The crew aborted their takeoff, evacuating everyone on board, of whom 21 were injured. The plane was a write-off.
On October 28, 2016, FedEx Express Flight 910, a McDonnell Douglas MD-10-10F flying from Memphis International Airport to Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport was involved in a runway skid after a landing gear collapse, which resulted in a fire completely destroying the left engine and wing. Two crew members, the only people on board, were unharmed.
Federal Express Flight 1406 was an American domestic cargo flight from Memphis International Airport, Memphis, Tennessee, to Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, that suffered an in-flight cargo fire over New York on September 5, 1996. The three crew members and two passengers on board successfully evacuated after an emergency landing at Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, New York. After the evacuation, the DC-10 was consumed by fire. After an extensive investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board couldn't determine what caused the fire. Nevertheless, the Federal Aviation Administration made recommendations to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 901, was a scheduled international flight operated by the Scandinavian Airlines System, that overran the runway at its destination at John F. Kennedy International Airport on February 28, 1984. The flight, using a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, originated at Stockholm Arlanda Airport, Sweden, before a stopover at Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, Norway. All 177 passengers and crew members on board survived, although 12 were injured. The runway overshoot was due to the crew's failure to monitor their airspeed and overreliance on the aircraft's autothrottle.