List of airplane crashes in 2003

The B-727 was barely able to climb after taking off from Cotonou Airport. The landing gear struck a building housing electronics, crashed through the barrier fence and broke up along the shoreline adjacent to the airport. The plane was overloaded by 10 tons of cargo which was improperly distributed.

The B-727 was barely able to climb after taking off from Cotonou Airport. The landing gear struck a building housing electronics, crashed through the barrier fence and broke up along the shoreline adjacent to the airport. The plane was overloaded by 10 tons of cargo which was improperly distributed. The pilot was tried, convicted and sentenced to 20 years in jail by a Lebanese court.

While en route and cruising at 24,000 ft. the crew of the cargo plane declared an emergency and tried to return to Chino Airport but the aircraft suddenly nose dived and crashed into the Mojave Desert. A loss of airplane control for undetermined reasons.

While on approach to , the cargo plane obtained the authorization to descend from 23,000 to 7,000 ft. but disappeared from radar screen when it struck a mountain. Wreckage was found 5 days later.

Crashed into Blackwater Lake shortly after taking off from a remote landing strip.

The aircraft suffered a blowout of a tire while taking off for the second time after aborting the first takeoff. The pilot was not able to stop the aircraft and overran the runway and crashed into a small market square

The cargo plane struck trees one mile short of the runway. The pilot-in-command's failure to maintain proper glidepath alignment during an ILS approach in poor weather resulting in collision with trees and terrain. Contributing factors were the unreliable status of the primary (NAV 1) ILS receiver (leaving the pilot with only the secondary (NAV 2) ILS receiver), the low ceilings and trees.

A midair collision occurred between two Black Hawk helicopters. One helicopter was climbing to avoid gunfire when it's rotor struck the other.

The helicopter crashed in the remote outback after colliding with terrain. The helicopter was destroyed in the post crash fire. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.

The right engine failed one minute after takeoff. The pilot declared an emergency and made a forced landing in a cane field. The plane hit a ridge and slid approximately 100 ft. before coming to rest. A flight attendant and one passenger received fatal injuries.

The helicopter crashed into a corn field while ferrying troops from Fallujah to Baghdad. The CH-47 helicopter belonged to the 12th Aviation Brigade. The helicopter was shot down by a shoulder-fired missile.

While on approach after an 18 minute holding pattern the cargo plane crashed in a snowstorm on a highway before coming to rest in Alkali Lake located short of runway. The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control. Contributing factors include the pilot's failure to divert to an alternate airport, an inadvertent stall, and the snow and icing conditions.

While on approach on a positioning flight, in poor weather, the crew decided to go-around turned left and struck a 1,600 ft. hill.

Three minutes after taking off from Buenos Aires Airport the crew reported a technical problem and asked to turn around. They were cleared to land on Runway 17 but crashed 30 km southwest of Buenos Aires.

Crashed into the Caroni River shortly after taking off.

The plane disappeared shortly after taking off. Wreckage was found at 2 miles south of Gabriel’s runaway, in the Amazon forest, 2 days later. Mechanical failure after the takoff. Remote area without ATC or radar.

While at crusing altitude, one hour after taking off, the aircraft suddenly exploded in midair for unknown reasons.

Cashed as it approached Gaspé in fog and low ceiling. The pilot descended to the minimum descent altitude (MDA) without being established on the localizer track, thereby placing himself in a precarious situation with respect to the approach and to obstruction clearance. On an instrument approach, the pilot continued his descent below the MDA without having the visual references required to continue the landing, and he was a victim of CFIT (controlled flight into terrain).

The sightseeing helicopter, headed for the bottom of the Grand Canyon, hit the face of a cliff and crashed in rugged terrain killing all aboard. Tourists were supposed to board a pontoon boat when the accident occurred 2/3 of the way down the canyon. The pilot's disregard of safe flying procedures and misjudgment of the helicopter's proximity to terrain. Contributing to the accident was the failure of Sundance Helicopters and the FAA to provide adequate surveillance of Sundance's air tour operations in Descent Canyon.

After touching down the aircraft did not brake correctly and overran the runway, crashed into a cemetery and burst into flames. The pilot's misjudged distance and speed during the approach to landing, and his failure to obtain the proper touchdown point resulting in an overrun. A contributing factor was the pilot's failure to abort the landing.

Crashed while en route

The aircraft crashed ten kilometers northwest of Summer Beaver one hour after leaving Pickle Lake Airport. Thunderstorm activity was reported along the route.

Shortly after taking off the pilot declared an emergency but the aircraft crashed into Nantucket Sound before he could land. The improper replacement of the forward elevator trim cable, and subsequent inadequate functional check of the maintenance performed, which resulted in a reversal of the elevator trim system and a loss of control in-flight. Factors were the flightcrew's failure to follow the checklist procedures, and the aircraft manufacturer's erroneous depiction of the elevator trim drum in the maintenance manual.

The plane crashed shortly after taking off from Cap Haitien Airport. Witnesses reported seeing smoke coming out of the back of the aircraft. The plane then nose dived into a sugarcane field and exploded.

The helicopter was flying at a 13-meter height when the pilot pulled up its nose in an attempt to avoid a close obstacle. The maneuver caused the helicopter's rotor blades to swing back, slicing its tail, causing the crash. Sakhalin Governor, Igor Farkhutdinov, was among the casualties.

The cargo plane crashed into the ocean 30.5 miles southwest of Barrow, Alaska. While some wreckage was recovered the pilot and passenger were never recovered.

The pilot decided to divert to Tocomita after experiencing engine problems but crashed into trees 100 meters short of the runway.

During a positioning flight the jet crashed into several houses before ending up in a river. The first officer's inadvertent retraction of the flaps during the low altitude maneuvering, which resulted in the inadvertent stall and subsequent in-flight collision with a residential home. Factors in the accident were the captain's decision to perform a low altitude maneuver using excessive bank angle, the flight crews inadequate coordination, and low clouds surrounding the airport.

The helilcopter collided with terrain while maneuvering in the Waialeale Crater, Kauai, Hawaii. The helicopter impacted steep upsloping terrain on the northwestern inside crater wall and was destroyed. The pilot's failure to maintain adequate terrain clearance/altitude while descending over mountainous terrain, and his continued flight into adverse weather. Factors contributing to the accident were clouds and a low ceiling.

The plane crashed into the eastern slopes of Mount Kenya at an altitude of 16,355 feet as it attempted to fly around Lenana Peak and land in Samburu National Park. Ten American tourists and 2 pilots were killed when the plane hit the mountain 450 feet below the snow covered peak and disintegrated upon impact. Poor visibility may have been a factor.

Twenty miles west of its destination, at an altitude of 3,500 ft., the right engine began coming apart and throwing parts out of the cowling. Although the right engine was feathered, flaps and gear retracted and full power applied t the left engine, the plane could not maintain altitude and the pilot ditched the aircraft 15 miles from its destination. All passengers and the pilot were able to exit from the plane before it sank but 2 passengers subsequently died. The in-flight failure of the right engine and the pilot's failure to adequately manage the airplane's performance after the engine failed. The right engine failure resulted for inadequate maintenance that was performed by Air Sunshine's maintenance personnel during undocumented maintenance. Contributing to the passenger fatalities was the pilot's failure to provide an emergency briefing after the right engine failed.

Crashed atop a hill in Chorro del Indio National Park during a descent to San Cristobal.

The plane's crew reported technical difficulties (engine failure) 10 minutes after taking off from Port Sudan Airport. The plane crashed into a hillside, 3 miles from the airport as the crew tried to return and make emergency landing. A three-year-old boy was the only survivor.

The helicopter was landing on the helideck of the ship Toisa Mariner, when the tail rotor collided with the flagpole on the ship. The pilot lost the control and the helicopter crashed into the sea.

The plane crashed on final approach to Belem Airport during a strong thunderstorm.

The military plane crashed into houses in the Beni Mered neighborhood, west of the Algerian capital, shortly after takeoff from the Boufarik military airport, 25 miles southwest of the capital. Witnesses reported seeing an engine on fire prior to the crash.

Shortly after taking off the air ambulance hit a hill side in the Gamsberg Mountains.

Nose dived into the ground shortly after takeoff near the Shur River.

The airlpane is presumed to have collided with the ocean waters of the Cook Inlet, about 7 miles southwest of Anchor Point, Alaska. No wreckage has been located, and the airplane is presumed to be destroyed. A fatally injured passenger was located on July 3, in ocean waters near Anchor Point. An in-flight collision with water for an undetermined reason.

The aircraft crashed onto a road and caught fire 1 km from Brest-Guipavas Airport in France's Brittany region, killing the pilot and injuring three others. There were thunderstorms in the area with 800 meters visibility at the time the accident took place.

The helicopter impacted a lava field on the Pulama Pali in the Volcanoes National Park, Volcano, Hawaii. A loss of engine power due to the fatigue fracture and separation of the compressor coupling adapter. The fatigue fracture was initiated by fretting on the pilot diameter due to both the inadequate design of the coupling and the coaxial misalignment of the spur adapter gear, compressor-coupling adapter, and compressor impeller during recent engine maintenance where the gearbox was removed and replaced. A factor in the accident was the unsuitable nature of the terrain to make an emergency landing.

After takeoff, the pilot reported low pressure of oil in an engine and decided to return to the airport. The plane made a 270 degree turn in the final approach, stalled and crashed to the ground.

The aircraft crashed short of the runway in fog while on approach to Christchurch Airport. The plane crashed two kilometers from the airport, hitting a farm hedge and sliding across a paddock before smashing into a row of trees.

Forty miles into it flight the aircraft crashed into the Amazon forest. The aircraft was not certified for IFR flight. Heavy cloud cover existed along the flight route.

Shortly after taking off the jet nosed into the ground. Malfunction of the trim tab system.

The airplane was destroyed during a collision with snow-covered glacial terrain following a loss of control during cruise flight, about 40 miles north-northwest of Talkeetna, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules. The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall, an uncontrolled descent and in-flight collision with terrain. A factor associated with the accident was rising terrain

The plane struck the side of a steep mountain in heavy fog on its third attempt to land at Trabzon to refuel. The pilot reported not being able to see the runway on the first two attempts. The aircraft charter was carrying Spanish peacekeeping forces back to Zaragoza. Crew error.

A large number of military personnel and their family members were sucked out of the plane after the aircraft's back ramp accidentally dropped open in flight. The ramp opened as the pressure system broke down. The crew managed to control the plane and turn it around and land at Kinshasa airport following the accident, which took place 45 minutes into the flight. There is a wide discrepancy in the number killed ranging from 0 to 250.

The aircraft, owned by a flying club as a rental airplane, was destroyed following an uncontrolled descent into terrain about 2 miles west of New Vienna, Iowa. The improper planning/decision by the pilot to fly into forecast icing conditions with an airplane not equipped with a certified deicing system. Also casual to the accident was the continued flight in known icing conditions and the pilot not performing flight to an alternate destination. A contributing factor was the pilot's lack of qualification as an air carrier.

Crashed into a 7,000 ft. mountain three minutes after after taking off.

The starboard engine caught fire and failed while the plane was attempting to take off. The aircraft continued about 2,000 ft. past the end of the runway and crashed. The accident was caused by the loss of an engine during a critical phase of flight, the non-retraction of the landing gear after the engine failure, and the Captain, the pilot not flying, taking over control of the airplane before having clearly identified the problem.

While carrying a group of parachute jumpers, the aircraft began to disintegrate in mid-air while flying at an altitude of about 10,000 ft. The tail and left wing separated from the plane before it crashed into an area of deep snow. Many of the skydivers were able to jump out of the plane to safely before it crashed. Crew error.

The plane crashed into a mountainside in a remote region near the town of Kohat, about 250 kilometers northwest of Islamabad. Among those killed was Air Force chief Mushaf Ali Mir. Pilot error. Pilot's premature descent below minima which resulted in the aircraft hitting a cloud covered ridge at 3,000 feet above sea level.

The plane crashed into an 11,500 ft. mountain in poor weather, about 20 miles from its destination of Kerman. Besides the 18 crew members, the victims included Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

The aircraft was destroyed during a collision with trees and terrain in Ferguson, Kentucky, while on an instrument approach to Somerset-Pulaski County Airport. The pilot's failure to follow the instrument approach procedure, which resulted in an early descent into trees and terrain. Factors included the low ceiling and the night lighting conditions.

Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft stalled, crashed and burst into flames in a wooded area. Engine failure.

Crashed in the Atlas mountain range at 9,900 feet while en route.

The cargo plane struck ground 2 km short of the runway in heavy fog. The flight crew did not comply with the published non-precision instrument approach. The flight crew conducted user-defined non-precision instrument approaches to Runway 14 at Baucau during flight in instrument meteorological conditions. The pilot in command permitted the aircraft to descend below the MDA.

The plane failed to gain altitude during takeoff, hit power lines and crashed inverted into a house. Kenyan Labor Minister, Ahmed Khalif and the two pilots were killed. The plane was grossly overloaded. The plane which weighed 16 tons, was taking off from an airstrip designed for aircraft weighing less than 5.7 tons.

On a positioning flight the plane, over Gabon, had problems with its navigation equipment, circled the airport 4 times before crashing into a wooded hillside.

The aircraft crashed into 11,500 ft. Coloque mountain at an altitude of 7,550 ft., about 30 minutes after leaving Chiclayo and three minutes from landing at Chachapoyas. Controlled flight into terrain. Crew did not follow standard procedures. Lack of communication between the crew.

The commuter plane was not able to maintain altitude after taking off from Charlotte-Douglas International Airport and crashed into the side of a hanger and burst into flames. The weather was clear, cold and windy, with greater than 10 miles visibility at the time of the accident. The airplane's loss of pitch control during takeoff was the result of incorrect rigging of the elevator control system compounded by the airplane's center of gravity, which was substantially aft of the certified aft limit. Contributing to the cause of the accident was: (1) Air Midwest's lack of oversight of the work being performed at the Huntington, West Virginia, maintenance station, (2) Air Midwest's maintenance procedures and documentation, (3) Air Midwest's weight and balance program at the time of the accident, (4) the Raytheon Aerospace quality assurance inspector's failure to detect the incorrect rigging of the elevator system, (5) the FAA's average weight assumptions in its weight and balance program guidance at the time of the accident and (6) the FAA's lack of oversight of Air Midwest's maintenance program and its weight and balance program.

The aircraft crashed and broke-up 130 feet short of the runway threshold while attempting to land in heavy fog. Visibility was less than 200 feet. The pilots insisted on landing at the MDA of 2,800 ft despite insufficient visual reference to the runway and its environment. Bad weather conditions also contributed to the cause of the accident.