List of aircraft structural failures

1952 International Aviation Exposition:
Northrop F-89 Scorpion wing failure during flypast.

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).

This transport-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

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	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			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		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		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.
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" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Accident Investigation Board Norway. 17 January 1980. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
11. Parliament of Norway (20 September 2005). "Rapport til Stortingets presidentskap fra Stortingets granskningskommisjon for Mehamn-ulykken" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
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" (PDF). Accident Investigation Board Norway. November 2001. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2012.

Bibliography

• Gero, David B. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. Sparkford, Yoevil, Somerset, UK: Haynes Publishing, 2010, ISBN 978-1-84425-645-7