A look back at previous airport approach crashes
Jul 7, 2013, 12:33 AM
(AP) – A number of major commercial airliners have crashed while landing or on approach at airports around the globe. Below is a list of some of the most notable crashes in recent years:
Nov. 1, 2011
Chopin Airport, Warsaw, Poland
A Boeing 767 with 231 people on board lands on its belly after the landing gear failed. Lot Airlines Flight 16 left Newark International Airport but hit the runway in Poland, with sparks flying as its belly scraped the pavement. The pilot was later hailed as a Polish national hero after there appeared to be no serious injuries.
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Jan. 10, 2010
Newark International Airport, Newark, N.J.
An Airbus A319 flying from Chicago to Newark was descending on its runway approach when it landed with a belly flop after the landing gear malfunctioned. United Airlines Flight 634 landed without any injuries to the 48 passengers and five crew members on board.
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May 22, 2010
Mangalore Airport, Mangalore, India
A Boeing 737-800 overshot a hilltop runway, crashed and plunged over a cliff killing 158 people in one of India’s deadliest air accidents. Only eight people survived the crash of Air India Flight 812 from Dubai. It was later discovered one of the pilots had been asleep, was disoriented when he awoke and made critical human errors.
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Feb. 12, 2009
Five miles northeast of Buffalo Niagara International Airport, Clarence, N.Y.
Continental Connection Flight 3407 bound for Buffalo from Newark, N.J. crashed into a home on its descent, killing all 49 passengers on board and one person on the ground. The NTSB has said the pilots’ improper response to a low-speed warning led the Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 to stall. Among contributing factors were the crew’s inattention to airspeeds and violation of regulations prohibiting unnecessary conversation during takeoffs and landings.
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Jan. 17, 2008
Heathrow International Airport, London
A Boeing 777 flying from Beijing made a forceful, crunching touchdown short of the runway at Heathrow. The impact ripped the British Airways Flight 038’s landing gear and severely damaged the two engines and wings. There were 19 injuries reported among the 152 people aboard.
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Dec. 8, 2005
Midway International Airport, Chicago
A Boeing 737 from Baltimore crashed after landing amid a snowstorm at Chicago’s Midway International Airport. Southwest Airlines Flight 1248 hit the snowy runway and crashed through fences before hitting a car in the street outside of the airport, killing a 6-year-old boy inside.
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Aug. 2, 2005
Pearson International Airport, Toronto
An Airbus A340 from Paris thudded onto the runway, then skidded off the pavement moments later, bursting into flames while landing amid stormy weather. All 309 passengers and crew aboard Air France Flight 358 survived the crash.
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June 1, 1999
Little Rock National Airport, Little Rock, Ark.
A McDonnell Douglas MD-82 jet out of Dallas crashed while landing during a thunderstorm at Little Rock National Airport, skidding off the end of a runway and slamming into a light structure attached to a catwalk more than 400 feet beyond the north end of the runway. Eleven people aboard American Airlines Flight 1420 were killed and 89 injured.
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