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AIRLINERS

Additional information about this crash, sent in by a viewer:

22 August 1999; China Airlines MD11; Hong Kong, China: This aircraft was landing in Hong Kong at night and during a storm after a flight from Bangkok. The aircraft struck the runway and came to rest upside down and on fire. All 15 crew members survived, but three of the 300 passengers were killed.

Click here to see a picture of the aftermath of this crash.

Many viewers have expressed interest in the unique music on this video.  Here is new information, provided by Charlie Hanna:

"The background song with the 'Cross Wind Landings' video is "Return To Innocence" by Enigma, it came out sometime in 2001. I got lucky and stumbled onto it, I love that song."

Click here for a link to the fabulous instrumental rendition of Led Zeppelin's "Going to California" that accompanies this video!

Click here to view several remarkable, high-res photos of the aftermath of this and another VERY similar landing.  Although Airbus may not make the most reliable nose-gear system in the world, it's certainly TOUGH.

Click here to read expert commentary on this unusual problem.

AIRSHOWS

But split-second flight decisions occasionally go awry.  These videos capture what happens when an airshow performance goes wrong.

At last, we've found the source of this amazing video, with thanks to Peter Wakeman:

"Early morning anglers (were) treated to the spectacle of four T6 Harvard Aircraft from The Flying Lions Aerobatic Team water skiing across the Klipdrift Dam near Johannesburg South Africa.  Lead by Scully Levin, with wingmen Arnie Meneghelli, Stewart Lithgow and Ellis Levin, this renowned air show display team rehearse(d) a sequence for the newly launched 'Aviation Action' television program on Supersport."

"Arnie Meneghelli from Academy Brushware, owner of the aircraft, had this to say: 'What we did today I believe is a world first. It illustrates that South African air show pilots are amongst the best in the world.'  This unusual act, approved by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), and supported by Castrol Aviation, was meticulously planned and took place under the watchful eye of divers and paramedics that were on site."

The aircraft in this video is an Alenia G222TCM of the Italian Air Force.  For more details, see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2140758.stm  and http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1050624/L/

Yes, the pilot was fired.

Click here to read an eye-witness' account from this accident.

For more information about this unusual crash, and the text from the NTSB report, click here.

GENERAL AVIATION

From a Spotter:  "Just a quick correction note for your video files. That Cessna crash in Orlando,  there were two passengers on board, an instructor and student. They departed Orlando International and reported a loss of oil pressure approximately 10 minutes away from the airport. The instructor called the tower reporting the occurrence, and a moment later they had a complete engine failure as the engine seized. They announced doing a forced approach, their intended landing area was the golf course off the aircraft's starboard wing.  The instructor overshot the approach, and was unable to put the plane down without hitting the cars in the parking lot at the end of the green, it was as they were just about to touch down that they came into contact with the power lines on the side of the road. The instructor was killed upon impact. The student, now unconscious, was pulled from the aircraft by a bystander; he later fully recovered."

Click here to read the official NTSB report on this accident.

Click here to read the official NTSB report on this accident.

Information provided by the pilot of this Hawker:

"Despite what the narration may suggest, I never for a minute thought it to be a life or death circumstance. The end result was about 98% of what I had envisioned in my minds eye. However, there was more fire than I would have wanted, with NO fire being the preference."

"The one aspect of the landing that surprised was that we slid farther than I would have guessed. The touchdown speed on the Airspeed indicator was 110kts....I wanted speed to fly it on as opposed to dropping in on which could contribute to a possible loss of directional control. But, if I were to do it again, I would use 100kts for touchdown."

"The really impressive aspect of this incident was the behavior and performance of the family on board. They listened to direction and then executed the evacuation with military calm and precision. (Yes, they were motivated) If one puts a clock on the evacuation duration, from the time my copilot opened the cabin door until the plane was emptied of six passengers and two crew the elapsed time is 7.2 seconds."

"Praise goes to the copilot as he had no idea what he was stepping out into when he opened that door. I left last, but with the advantage of having seen the relatively safe egress the others had experienced."

Click here to read the NTSB report about this incident.

The Hawker pilot explains what caused this incident:

"The left inboard main tire blew on take off, leaving a lengthy piece of spinning tire that slapped the only confluence on the airplane where the main, auxiliary, and emergency hydraulics share a common junction atop the landing gear leg in the wheel well. The damage breached the entire hydraulics system where the fluid merely vented to atmosphere. At that time in 1999, it was the only such occurrence in Hawker history."

From Greg, a pilot & A&P student:

"Regarding the clip about the 'King Air' nose gear failure, that is actually a Beechcraft (now Raytheon) Model 99 operated by AIRPAC Airlines. The incident happened at Boeing field in Seattle Washington on March 28th, 2006."

"As you can see, the nosewheel separated on landing. The stress on what was left of the gear was too much and it collapsed. At least he got the engines shut down and the props stopped before the collapse. As a result he saved two engines and props."

"The King Air initially had welded nose gear, then went to a stronger forged one. The King Air and the 99 share a great many parts, but I don't know if the nose gear is one of them. Either way, it appears the nose gear failed due to damage incurred after the failure of either the fork, axle, wheel or retaining nut."

Info from Wup Winn, of Alaskan Bushwheel, Inc.:   The clip "Supercub Landing II" is part of a video titled "Big Rocks and Long Props" that has some of the most amazing stick time caught on tape.  You can purchase the full 59 minute video at our website,  www.akbushwheel.com "

GLIDING               

HELICOPTERS

From Technical Advisor Tony Clay:

"I have been informed by a Canadian Sea King pilot that the Sea King was part of a static display at an airshow in upper NY State, but was asked to move as it was blocking aircraft movements on the ground. While being moved the crew was asked to do a short display as it was airborne.  When the Sea King came to the hover the aircraft entered into a phenomenon called VRS (Vortex Ring State).  In simple terms this condition involves the helicopters own turbulence to cancel out lift. This phenomenon can be confused with Settling with Power as the two are similar, or so I have been informed. You are quite right as the Sea King was not landing at this time as it was still completing its short display."

From Chad Rooney CPT, AV Brigade S2/ S3 Training 110th Aviation Brigade

" I was at that airshow in Schenectady, NY as a young Civil Air Patrol Cadet. We had an information booth and were providing security around the static display aircraft.  As a treat, we got to fly in a US Army UH-60 Blackhawk down the Hudson and around Albany, NY.

"I was sitting on the right side and facing out as the pilot was maneuvering down the centerline of the river in some pretty aggressive turns. At one point, the flight smoothed out and I looked through the front canopy to see the Canadian Sea King in front of us. We were flying a staggered left formation with them at that point. We then pulled up next to them to take pictures of each other. We even flew over top of them to the other side to allow those passengers a photo opportunity."

"We eventually headed back to the airshow where the Sea King came to about a 300 foot hover above ground level while our Blackhawk did some high speed passes with a pitch-back turn (return to target) at the end of each run. We then came in for a landing and of course the pilot did a 'wheelie' dragging the tail wheel for a couple of hundred feet before setting it down and letting us out."

"As we were heading for the snow fence which held back the crowd, we heard everyone gasp for breath and point at the Sea King. It was coming down very fast from its out-of-ground effect hover and as you can see from the video, it hit the ground and spun around while the tail boom separated and blades flew everywhere.  Instinctively, we all hit the ground as blades flew toward us and the crowd and then we had to become crowd control."

"Our senior members were the first on the scene as they raced to the crash site in their golf cart. The crew chiefs for the Blackhawk we just flew in took out the seats and they Medevac'd two of the Sea King crewmembers to the local hospital. An ambulance took the other two crewmembers. I'm not sure which two came back that day, but they were fine and said the other two were in stable condition and were going to be fine."

"I never heard or saw anything about that crash, which occurred sometime in the 1991-1992 timeframe, until I went through flight school here with the Army in 2000-2001. Apparently, it was definitely settling with power, which is where a vortex ring state occurs when you have little to no forward airspeed and more than a 300 foot-per-minute rate of decent. I don't know what maneuvering they did before we linked up with them along the river and I don't know if they were planning on doing any maneuvering after we landed, but it sure made the airshow one I will never forget."

"Thanks for hosting a site like this where us aviators can watch where others have made errors and can learn a thing or two."

Click here and here to read the NTSB reports from this bizarre crash.

More info, from a spotter:

This was not actually a 'rescue mission,' (as) the helicopter was transporting climbers from the south base camp of Mount Everest in Nepal. The helicopter was a Russian-built MI-17, flown by the Nepalese company Simrik Air. Two people died in the accident, which happened on May 28, 2003.

Info from a viewer:  "The rollover at sea helicopter video is not really what it appears. It appears the video is from a Ticonderoga Class Cruiser (I was on one of these for a while). The guy walking around calmly in front of the bird would be holding on for dear life and literally laying on the deck if the sea’s were that heavy."

"What it seems like the bird's tail wheel is not rotating, so in order to get it lined up to go back in the hanger they are tightening up the RAS cable on the rear of the helo and pulling it over. You can see the cable in the video."

From a former US Navy crewman familiar with helo ops::

"If you look at the stern hangers of any of the ships that carry these helicopters in the US fleet, they are divided (so) the rast equipment can taxi the aircraft in.  The crew on the video were most likely trying to align the helo to go into the port hangar. You can see the separate rast equipment rails in the deck, especially as they cross the deck markings." 

"The aircraft is sitting on top of the rast for the portside hangar.  In all honesty, it really does look like it was an error on the part of the ground crew.  When the aircraft is on its side, the tail wheel is centered.  It also looks like the tail wheel (which is a lot farther forward than on a Blackhawk or some Seahawks) was dragged across the rast shuttle, possible causing the start of the tipping, making it easier for the wind to tip it." 

"At the very end of the video the rast equipment is in motion, moving aft, which might have made things worse by giving more places for the tail wheel to catch.  Looking closely, that stern line is under tension.  I think the ground crew was trying to get that helo in quick and dirty, rather than taking their time, and they screwed it up by the numbers." 

"As for the cable pulling the aircraft, it's simple: The Seahawk is a tail dragger, even with the different arrangement of the landing gear, and the rear wheel was moved forward to allow it to operate off of small decks.   (The Coast Guard's Jayhawk uses the same arrangement for the same reason.) On small ships there is no room to have an actual tractor like on the LHAs, LHDs, and carriers, so the helos are moved by man power or winch.   In heavy seas or wind the aircraft is a lot harder to move, and a lot more dangerous for people to be around."

Westland Lynx Aerobatic Test Flights  Watch as this British-designed helicopter performs some incredible barrel rolls and loops.

IOWA CITY

MILITARY

Click here to read Keith Gallagher's story of this amazing flight.

I had my suspicions about this video, but left it as titled by the fellow who contributed it to the site.   However, after being "blasted" by spotters from all over the world, I've decided that it's conclusively NOT an AC-130.  

Click here to read the definitive answer to this video, from someone who was there when it was filmed. 

B-17 Ride  Not a video, but a wonderful narrative and photos describing a recent ride in Liberty Belle.  More photos added on 3/11!

(A note regarding this awful video, provided by a former B-52 pilot: "The B-52 in a steep turn at low airspeed loses roll control, resulting in a natural over-banking tendency.  The small rudder authority is unable keep the nose from dropping, nor can it pick up the lower wing.  B-52s do not have conventional ailerons, but spoilers on the upper wing surface similar to the MU-2.  The first flashes of light seen prior to impact is the lower wing contacting high power transmission lines in the area.")

Click here to view a detailed safety analysis of this horrible crash.

"Lest we forget, the two Beauforts A9-27 and A9-268, of the RAAF's 8 OTU, collided over Jervis Bay on 14 April 1943 while performing a 'Prince of Wales' break for people of the media."

"All eight crew members were killed when both aircraft hit the water:  Crew of A9-27 F/O Raymond Sydney Green (Pilot), F/O Maurice Francis Hoban, F/Sgt Eric William Sweetnam, Sgt Albert John Bailey.   Crew of A9-268 F/Lt David George Dey (Pilot), P/O Jack Norman, P/O Rex Lindsay Solomon, Sgt Hugh Sydney George Richardson."

A note from the contributor: "Please find attached 2 videos of unfortunately bad quality, they are old (1963). However, they show a “slightly” larger aircraft than the RA-5C Vigilante land and take of from an aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Forrestal. Tests were made in October 1963 to use the C-130 Hercules for COD, Carrier Onboard Delivery.  49 touch-and-go landings were made and 21 full stop landings and take offs without arrestor cables at landing, or catapult at take off.  The maximum landing weight was 121.000 pounds. The carrier had a head wind of 40 knots that day so they had to slow down the speed of the carrier 10 knots due to rather heavy seas. They had to paint a new “centerline” on the landing deck, which wasn’t actually a centerline anymore to avoid the Herc´s wing tip to hit the tower. The wing tip cleared the tower with just under 15 feet.  The crew on the Herc had before the test painted on the nose of the aircraft 'LOOK MA, NO HOOK'."

Commentary From A Viewer Regarding These Videos:

"Regarding your videos of the C-130 on a carrier, that was a NAVY C-130, flown by LCDR Jimmy Flatley, and the ship was USS FORRESTAL. I have the highest esteem for our light blue brethren, but I doubt if any carrier CO would allow an Air Force type to come near his ship." 

More Commentary Regarding These Videos:

"While reading through your site, I found you had copies of the USS Forrestal video file detailing the landing and takeoff of a C-130 aircraft. While your first viewer commentary meant well, and did have the correct information regarding the pilot of this aircraft, he was not quite correct as to whom the aircraft BELONGED."

"The Forrestal landings were made with aircraft BuNo 149798, operated by the United States Marine Corps and loaned to the Navy. I suppose one could argue against this on the technicality that the Marine Corps is 'part of' the Navy, but we all know how it *really* works. Besides, it's still flying today, with VMGR-352 based out of Miramar, California. You've got a great collection of videos, thanks for sharing!"

Click here to read an explanation for this bizarre accident.

Click here to read an alternate (and conflicting) explanation of this bizarre accident.

Amazingly, this video is a partial fake.   Here are the comments of the pilot of the aircraft involved in this collision:

"(Technical Advisor) Tony Clay suggested I send this to you to correct a gross mistake in the video that is on your website concerning the 'F-15 Mid-air'. It is nothing of the sort."

"This copy is an altered version of the original, I know because it came from MY aircraft and I was the one who bailed out.  It was a mid-air, true, but my aircraft was an F-16A and the other aircraft which impacted me was a Marine F-4."

"The collision took place over the Yellow Sea off the West coast of South Korea on December 15, 1982. The apparent impact aircraft in the video currently on your website has been digitally superimposed into the original footage. The original footage is attached as a wmv file (See it, below) of less than good quality, but if you would desire a better copy, I may be able to burn a DVD of it. Please let me know, and for goodness sakes, correct the description on your website if possible."

- Daryl Hower/aka Smilin'Jack

LtCol (ret), USAF

F-16 Mid-Air Collision  This is the true and unaltered version of the "F-15 Mid-Air Collision" (above),  sent to us by Daryl Hower, one of the pilots involved in this famous mid-air collision between an F-16A and a Marine F-4 Phantom. (See explanation, above)

Click here to read why a US Marine thinks this is NOT "precision bombing" after all!

Click here to ready why an F-16 pilot believes this IS indeed "precision bombing" after all!

Click here to view a pdf file about this crash from the Canadian Armed Forces Department of National Defense website. (You must have Adobe Reader installed to view this file.)

For more info on the Grumman S-2F Tracker, see: http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/equip/historical/trackerlst_e.asp

For the history of the USS Ticonderoga, see: http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/carriers/cv14.htm

Incredibly, this beautiful video is computer generated!   See http://www.angel.ne.jp/~tochy/   for more!

(This video has generated a great deal of controversy.  Click here to read all sorts of interesting debate over what, exactly, this video depicts.)

Radio Control

Airbus -- The R/C Version  It's amazing what they can do with those little jet engines...  It sure LOOKS like the new super-jumbo A-380!

(A note from the contributor of this video: "This is Mac Hodges big B-29. He owns a hobby shop in Americus, Georgia. He, and his friend who built this beast, travel around the country attending radio control shows and put on an amazing show.")

For more information about this amazing R/C aircraft, click here.

For information provided by Paul Metcalf about this crash, click here.

Contributed by Ed Rapoza:

"First I want to say I really enjoy your site.  I have been a fan for over a year now.  I am an avid R/C pilot and have flown for about 10 years.  I currently fly turbine powered model jets and am very familiar with this video.  This is not actually an F-102, it is a plane modeled after the Eurofighter called a Eurosport."

"Most model jets that use turbine engines have an FOD screen in front of them to protect from foreign objects from being sucked into the turbine. In this instance the FOD screen itself came loose and was sucked into the engine resulting in a "flame out".  You can see when this happens by the short burst of flame that comes out of the tail just before the plane goes vertical. The loss of power caused the plane to glide a little to close to some high voltage power lines and, well, you can see what happened."

No, we don't know why they did it...

SKYDIVING

TEST FLIGHTS