Air Accidents
This page contains links to several reports about aircraft accidents. They are all official documents published by investigation bodies - no rumors or hypothesis here.
Please remember that accidents are always followed by a media crisis in which media try to break out “scoops” without always doing the required verifications. The involved companies (airliners, manufacturers, airports, air traffic control) try to communicate so as to look clean, at least in general audience.
Air accidents are before all human tragedies for the victims, the survivors, and their relatives. Investigations always take a lot of time, because they are complex, require huge efforts, and sometimes involve hundreds of persons.
By reading the reports below, you will the results of such investigations, and better understand them. If you Google old news for these accidents and incidents, you’ll see the difference between the immediate announcements and the facts as finally uncovered by the investigators.
At the very bottom of this page, you will find a list of links to official investigation agencies, from which you can dowload more reports.
AirFrance Airbus 340 crash-landing in a thunderstorm in Toronto
An interesting case on decision making in bad weather. This was also an excellent illustration of the evacuation procedures. Final report
SR111 - Swissair MD-11 in Peggy’s Cove
This one is slightly different from the others, as the aircraft became unflyable for reasons beyond control of the crew. No human error there. Final report
BA038 - British Airways Boeing 777 in London Heathrow (investigation in progress)
1st information bulletin - 2nd information bulletin - 3rd information bulletin - 4th information bulletin
Airbus 300 hit by a rocket in Baghdad
Also read my post about this Airbus 300 who landed while the sole usable control were the engine throttles. Presentation by Airbus Chief Pilot
Boeing 737 incident after departing London Stansted
Read how and why this Boeing 737 flew out of Stansted at very low altitude. Also read what I posted by that time. Incident report
Concorde accident in Gonesse after take-off from Paris Charles-de-Gaulle
One of the most mediatic accidents ever. Reading the four reports show well how the investigation evolved.
Preliminary report - Intermediary report 1 - Intermediary report 2 - Final report
Boeing 747 landing short of runway under low visibility conditions in Frankfurt
This accident shows how quickly weather conditions can evolve, and how crews must react in a few seconds only. Even if shallow fog is motionless and apparently innocent, it represents a major risk. Final report
Uberlingen mid-air collision
Discover the details of the events chain that lead to modern airliners to collide in radar controlled airspace, despite all procedures, safety-nets, and TCAS. Final report
Online sources for official reports
The following links go to the official investigation bodies of various countries, from which you can download other reports.
US NTSB - Swiss AAIB - German BFU - UK AAIB - French BEA
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