Aviation safety archive
Explore the causes of aviation accidents and the lessons for safety. Each account traces the events, the investigation findings and the resulting changes to crew training, aircraft design and flight procedures.
Explore the archiveWe distinguish between fatal accidents, serious incidents, hijackings and emergency landings. Our editorial categories do not replace official classifications.
Flight analysis · NTSB DCA09MA026
From the bird strike to touchdown on the water. Select a moment to see how much altitude and time the crew of US Airways Flight 1549 had left.
Based on NTSB DCA09MA026. Key-point times and altitudes come from the investigation. The map uses actual OpenStreetMap geographic data. The flight line is an approximate reconstruction from Figure 1 of the report, not a GPS track; position and altitude between key moments are interpolated.
A shared event database
The filters bring together different outcomes while preserving each event’s official classification.
Found: 100 · Showing: 26–50
After striking a flock of birds, both engines lost almost all thrust. The crew ditched in the Hudson, and ferries and rescue services quickly collected the passengers.
On approach, the aircraft entered a severe bank and descent. The investigation examined crew training, thrust control, fatigue and cockpit coordination.
The MD-82 began takeoff without extended flaps or slats. The takeoff configuration warning system did not sound.
On final approach, both engines failed to respond to increased thrust commands because of ice in the fuel-oil heat exchangers. The aircraft landed short of the runway.
The A320 failed to slow on Congonhas’s short, wet runway, overran and struck a building. One thrust lever remained at forward thrust.
The crew focused on an inertial navigation malfunction and missed an increasing bank. After the autopilot disconnected, the aircraft entered a spiral and broke up.
A Boeing 737 and Legacy business jet collided at the same flight level. The Legacy remained controllable, while the damaged 737 broke up during descent.
While avoiding thunderstorms, the crew climbed to a high altitude where the aircraft lost speed and entered a flat spin.
Pressurisation remained in manual mode after maintenance. The crew misinterpreted a warning and became incapacitated; the aircraft continued on autopilot until fuel exhaustion.
The A340 landed far beyond the threshold on a wet runway during a thunderstorm, overran into a ravine and caught fire. Everyone evacuated before the fire spread.
After a night takeoff, the aircraft entered an increasing right bank and fell into the sea. The investigation examined spatial orientation, automation and crew training.
The aircraft was heavier than calculated, and elevator cables were incorrectly rigged. After liftoff, the crew could not lower the nose or recover airspeed.
A Tu-154 and cargo Boeing 757 collided at night after a conflict between a late controller instruction and TCAS advisories.
An old tail-damage repair did not follow the required method. A hidden fatigue crack grew for years and caused the fuselage to break up.
After encountering wake turbulence, the first officer made rapid alternating rudder inputs. Loads exceeded limits and the vertical tail separated.
A fuel leak caused both engines to stop in succession over the Atlantic. The aircraft glided without thrust for about 19 minutes before landing at Lajes Air Base.
During an approach turn, the aircraft lost speed, stalled and entered a spin. The crew recognised the dangerous condition late.
During a typhoon, the Boeing 747 began its takeoff roll on a closed runway occupied by construction equipment. The collision destroyed the aircraft and caused a fire.
During takeoff, a tyre struck a metal strip, burst and hit the wing. Fuel ignited, thrust decreased and the aircraft could not continue climbing.
Wear in the stabiliser jackscrew threads caused loss of pitch control. The crew struggled to control the aircraft for an extended period, including inverted flight.
The A300 was hijacked after departing Kathmandu and taken through several airports to Kandahar. The crisis ended with an exchange of detained people and the hostages’ release.
The Boeing 767 entered a steep descent over the Atlantic. The NTSB and Egyptian authorities interpreted crew actions and possible technical factors differently.
A hidden fire above the cockpit ceiling spread through combustible materials and wiring. The crew diverted towards Halifax but lost control before landing.
The Boeing 737 entered a sudden dive and broke up on impact with a river. The national investigation did not establish a cause; American specialists proposed a different interpretation.
During a night approach to Guam, the Boeing 747 descended below a safe altitude and struck a hill short of the runway.
How to read an investigation
An investigation report does not look for a hero or someone to blame. It reconstructs the chain of factors to help prevent the same combination from recurring.
Recorder data, communications, weather, physical evidence and operational records.
What happened to the aircraft and which decisions were made, second by second.
Technology, people, the environment and the organisation are considered together, rather than reduced to a single convenient cause.
Recommendations become training, design changes, procedures and new requirements.
Editorial standards
Fatality and survivor figures are checked against investigation materials. Where an official report is not publicly available, we say so explicitly. Eyewitness accounts are not presented as the investigation commission’s conclusions.
The terms “fatal accident”, “accident”, “serious incident” and “act of unlawful interference” are not interchangeable. We therefore display both the editorial category and the official classification.