Airforces

Accident Reports

Abbreviations: D: Date N/U: Nationality/Units T: Type S: Serials

D: Feb 12, 2017

N: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

T: Unidentified UAV

This training UAV, type unknown,

crashed following engine

failure. It came down on the

southeastern Iranian island of

Jask, hitting an electrical cable

before it crashed, causing a fire.

D: Feb 15

N: Nigerian Air Force

T: Mi-17

Several shots were fired at

this helicopter by Boko Haram

terrorists as it flew between

Bama and Gwoza in northeast

Nigeria. The Hip was transporting

personnel from Maiduguri to

Gwoza on a medical outreach

programme. One airman

sustained a bullet wound during

the attack. His fate is unknown,

but the aircraft continued the

mission. Immediately after

coming under fire, the NAF

scrambled a fighter aircraft

and helicopter gunship which

neutralised the threat.

D: Feb 28

N/U: Indian Navy/INAS 303

T: MiG-29K

This fighter developed a hydraulic

problem during a routine sortie

from its base at INS Hansa, Goa/

Dabolim. Escorted by a second

MiG-29K, the pilot made an

emergency landing at Mangalaru

International Airport, Kenjar,

where one of the mainwheel tyres

burst on landing, stranding the

aircraft on the runway. The pilot,

Commander Abhijit, was unhurt,

but the incident prevented the

runway from being used and

commercial flights were delayed or

diverted. An Indian Navy helicopter

was immediately dispatched

with spares and a repair crew to

rectify the problem on site and

clear the jet from the runway.

D: Mar 3

N: US military

T: Unidentified UAV

This UAV operating with the

NATO-led Operation Resolute

Support (RS) coalition forces

crashed overnight near Bagram

Airfield, Afghanistan following

a technical malfunction. There

were no casualties and RS

forces recovered key parts of

the air vehicle, according to a

statement from its officials.

D: Mar 5

N/U: Italian Vigili del Fuoco-Trento

T: AW139

S: I-TNCC

During a mission to rescue two

hikers hit by an avalanche on Mount

Nambino, Madonna di Campiglio,

this helicopter crashed and rolled

over in whiteout conditions at

8,694ft (2,650m) at around 1320hrs

local time. Of the six occupants,

a doctor, Matthew Zucco, suffered

fractures to both arms while a

flight engineer, Andrea Guaresi,

became trapped between the

wreckage of the helicopter and

the ground. He was hospitalised

while the pilot (Andrea Giacomoni),

co-pilot (Fulgido Ferrari), nurse

(Cristina Facinelli) and another

unidentified occupant escaped

with minor injuries. An Erickson

S-64 Skycrane was brought in to

lift the helicopter down to Dimaro

from the remote, snow-covered

mountainside. The underslung

load was loaded onto a trailer for

transport back to its base at Trento.

D: Mar 10

N: US military?

T: Unspecified UAV

An unmanned aerial vehicle

operating as part of the NATO-

led Operation Resolute Support

mission in Afghanistan crashed

near Jalalabad Airfield following

engine failure. A statement by

RS officials confirmed the loss,

saying the unspecified UAV

was unarmed and there were

no casualties on the ground.

D: March 20

N: Israel Defense Forces

T: Skylark UAV

Syrian Army air defence units shot

down this UAV around midnight

after it violated Syrian airspace

in the southwestern province of

Quneitra. A statement by the

Syrian military said it was downed

near Samadaniyah Sharqiah, close

to the border town of al-Quneitra.

The loss was also confirmed by

the IDF, which acknowledged

it had been shot down.

D: Mar 22

N: Malaysian Maritime

Enforcement Agency

T: Bombardier 415MP

S: M71-02

In this previously unreported

incident, this aircraft lost its

starboard wingtip float during

a training flight while taking

on water in the Andaman

Sea. It diverted into Langkawi

International Airport, where a

safe emergency landing was

made without injury to the crew.

D: April 13

N: OSCE Special Monitoring

Mission to Ukraine

T: Unspecified UAV

At 1122hrs the SMM launched

what it described as a ‘mid-

range’ UAV from Luhansk People’s

Republic-controlled Mykolaivka,

9.3 miles (15km) east of Luhansk,

Ukraine, for a sortie over the

Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement

area. At 1140hrs the low speed

indicator on the control station

began to flash. Immediately

afterwards, an alarm indicator

began flashing, indicating ‘falling

down in spiral mode’ and at that

moment the SMM lost contact

with the UAV, which was over the

Stanytsia Luhanska bridge area,

about 1.9 miles (3km) from the

SMM’s position. An SMM patrol

could not search the entire area

because of possible mines and

was unable to locate the UAV.

D: Apr 16

N: Syrian Arab Air Force

T: 2 x L-39 Albatros, 1 x MiG-23

During attacks on ammunition

depots at Hama Military Airport,

the Free Syrian Army’s Jaysh

al-Nasr unit fired artillery shells

and more than 40 Grad rockets

at the base, destroying a MiG-23

parked near one of the depots.

Later satellite imagery shows that

two L-39s also appear to have

been destroyed during the attack.

D: Apr 22

N: US military

T: MQ-1 Predator?

This UAV was reportedly lost while

flying over the coastal Latakia

province, Syria. According to

local media, US Army officials

acknowledged that contact had

been lost but could not confirm

Turkish media reports that it had

been shot down by Syrian air

defence units using a Russian-

made Pechora-2 surface-to-air

missile. Turkish media maintained

it had been flying from Incirlik Air

Base, Turkey, which has been

used for Predator operations

in the region for some time.

D: Apr 29

N: Aerogaviota/Cuban Air Force

T: An-26

This aircraft flew into the Loma

de la Pimienta mountain, 4 miles

(6.5km) north of San Cristóbal

near the town of Candelaria in

Cuba’s western Artemisa province

while operating on behalf of the

Cuban Air Force. All eight military

personnel on board, including

the crew, died in the crash. The

Curl had taken off at 0638hrs

from Playa Baracoa Airport, just

outside Havana and came down

35 miles (55km) from the airport.

Serogaviota is an airline established

by the Cuban Army and owned

by the Cuban government.

D: Aug 3

N: Bangladesh Navy

T: Dornier 228-212NG

This aircraft skidded off the runway

on landing at Chittagong-Shah

Amanat International Airport at

1730hrs local time. There were

no injuries to those on board, but

airport operations were suspended

while the Dornier was removed.

The navy said it was a minor

incident but did not specify if the

aircraft had been damaged.

RNZAF Historic Flight

AT-6C Harvard IIA

NZ1015/(ZK-RNZ)

after its belly landing

near RNZAF Base

Ohakea. RNZAF

http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #367 OCTOBER 2018 // 91

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