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Article Information
Category:	Weather
Content source:	SKYbrary
Content control:	EUROCONTROL

Definition

Reports relating to accidents and serious incidents which involved weather or related atmospheric conditions as a significant causal factor.

The reports are grouped together below in subcategories. Weather related events are mostly related to the occurrence or risk of a loss of control because of the effects of significant in flight icing or in flight turbulence. The turbulence case can involve en route or low level flight, the latter especially in respect of approach and landing. Many adverse weather events are associated with Cumulonimbus cloud or phenomena associated with them such as the occurrence of Hail, Microbursts or Tornados:

Severe Hail

• A321, en-route near Vienna Austria, 2003 (WX LB): On 26th May 2003, a British Midland A321 suffered severe damage from Hail en route near Vienna.

En route Turbulence

• AS50, Hawaii USA, 2005 (WX LOC): On 23 September 2005, an AS50 helicopter, operated by Heli-USA Airways, crashed into the sea off Hawaii following loss of control associated with flight into adverse weather conditions (Cumulonimbus).

• Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA) Incidents in Air Transport No 5 - Wind Gradients and Turbulence

Adverse Weather during Approach and Landing

• A340, Air France, WX RE FIRE, Toronto Canada, 2005: On 2nd August 2005, and Air France A340, landing at Toronto Airport in heavy rain, landed long an overran the runway ending up in a ravine. The aircraft was subsequently destroyed by a post crash fire but all passengers and crew were safely evacuated.

• B752, Gerona Spain, 1999 (WX RE HF): On 4th September 1999, a Britannia Airways B757 crash landed and departed the runway after a continued unstabilised approach in bad weather to Gerona airport, Spain.

• DC10, Tahiti Hawaii, 2000 (WX RE): On 24th December 2000, a Hawaiian Airlines DC10 overran the runway at Tahiti after landing long on a wet runway having encountered crosswinds and turbulence on approach in Thunderstorms.

• MD82, American Airlines, WX RE, Little Rock, 1999: On 1 June 1999, an MD-82 belonging to American Airlines, overran the end of the runway during landing. The captain and 10 passengers were killed. (Cumulonimbus cloud)

Microburst & Windshear

• A320, Bilbao Spain, 2001 (WX AW): On 7th February 2001, an A320, operated by Iberia, crash landed at Bilbao Spain after encountering windshear.

• B737, WX, Brisbane Australia, 2001: On 18th January 2001, B737 encountered a Microburst while conducting a go-around at Brisbane Airport Australia.

Tornado/Waterspout

• AS32, North Sea UK, 2002 (WX): On 28th February 2002, a Eurocopter AS-332 Super Puma helicopter, located over the North Sea, 70 nm northeast of Scatsa in the Shetland Islands, UK, suffered tail rotor and pylon damage when it encountered severe weather generated vortices associated with a waterspout.

In-Flight Icing

• AT72, Roselawn USA, 1994 (WX LOC): On 31 October 1994, an ATR 72 operated by Simmons Airlines, crashed near Roselawn, Indiana, USA, following Loss of Control loss of control due to airframe icing.

• Cessna 172, WX HF, Toronto Canada, 2003: On 9th October 2003, a Cessna 172, suffered loss of power and made a forced landing after experiencing Carburettor Icing, over Toronto, Canada.

Low Level Turbulence

• B735, vicinity Billund Denmark, 1999 (WX): On 3rd December 1999, a Maersk Air Boeing 737-500 landed at its diversion airport with low fuel in severe and un-forecast low level turbulence which affected the whole destination area Billund, Denmark.

• DHC2, Squaw Lake Quebec Canada, 2005 (WX HF): On 1st September 2005, a DHC-2 Beaver, crashed near Squaw Lake, Quebec, Canada, following loss of control in poor weather and moderate to severe turbulence.

Volcanic Ash

• B744, en-route, Alaska USA, 1989 (WX LOC): On 15th December 1989, a KLM B744 encountered a Volcanic Ash cloud over Alaska, USA. the ingestion of ash led to compressor stall of all engines; the engines were subsequently relighted successfully and the aircraft landed safely.

Lightning

• Dornier 228, WX LOC, Bodo Norway, 2003: On 4th December 2003, a Dornier-228 approaching Bodo, Norway, was struck by Lightning and suffered damage to the elevator control. The crew were temporarilly blinded and momentarilly lost control of the aircraft but managed to crash land just short of the runway threshold.

Crosswind

• MD-11, Delta, WX RE, Dublin Ireland, 2002: On 3rd February 2002, a Delta Airlines MD-11 encountered a sudden exceptional wind gust (43 kts79.636 km/h
  22.102 m/s) during the landing roll at Dublin, Ireland. The pilot was unable to maintain the directional control of the aircraft and a Runway Excursion to the side subsequently occurred.

Clear Air Turbulence

• B741, en-route, over the Pacific Ocean, 1997 (WX): On 28th December 1997, a B744, operated by United Airlines, which had departed from Tokyo heading for Hawaii, encountered severe turbulence thought to have been associated with a Jet Stream over the Pacific Ocean.

• Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA) Incidents in Air Transport No 5 - Wind Gradients and Turbulence

Related Articles

For all accident reports held on SKYbrary, see the main section on Accident Reports.