Scandinavian Airlines System - SAS

De Havilland DHC-8-400 (Dash-8)

The aircraft departed Copenhagen-Kastrup AIrport on a flight to Palanga with 48 passengers and a crew of 4 on board. Following an uneventful flight, the crew started the descent. At an altitude of about 2,000 feet, the crew selected the landing gear down. However, the right-hand main gear extended but did not lock down and the landing gear doors did not close. The approach was abandoned and the crew initiated a go-around. During the second attempt to land, the crew recycled the system but the warning remained so the decision was taken to divert to Vilnius. On approach, the crew attempted to release the undercarriage using a backup system, but the undercarriage control panel still showed an unsafe warning. The right engine was shut down and the propeller was feathered prior to landing. Upon touchdown, the right main gear collapsed. The aircraft veered off runway and came to rest 40 metres further, some 1,150 metres pas the runway threshold. All 52 occupants evacuated safely and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

De Havilland DHC-8-400 (Dash-8)

The accident flight was a scheduled domestic flight from Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup (EKCH) to Aalborg Airport (EKYT). The flight was uneventful until the landing gear was selected down during the approach to EKYT runway 26R. The nose landing gear and the left main landing gear (MLG) indicated down and locked. The right MLG indicated “in transit” (not down and locked). The Aalborg Tower was informed about the problem with the right MLG indication. A go-around was initiated at 1100 feet MSL with a climb towards 2000 ft. The flight crew consulted the Quick Reference Handbook (QRH). An alternate landing gear procedure was initiated. The right MLG indication remained in “transit”. A mayday call was made to Aalborg Tower and they were informed about the unsafe landing gear. The flight crew reset the alternate gear extension system and subsequently they tried to make a normal gear up selection. The nose landing gear and the left MLG retracted normally, however the right main landing gear indication remained in “transit”. A second attempt to use the alternate landing gear extension procedure was performed without any changes to the right MLG indication. The aircraft entered a holding pattern in order to reduce the amount of fuel and at the same time to brief the passengers about the situation and to prepare the passengers for an emergency landing. Passengers seated at rows 6, 7 and 8 seats D and F were reseated away from the right propeller area. During the approach the flaps were selected to 10° and the landing gear horn started. The warning horn continued throughout the remaining flight. During the emergency landing the left MLG touched down on the runway first, followed by the right MLG. Shortly after the right MLG contacted the runway the right MLG collapsed. The aircraft departed the runway to the right and came to rest on a heading of 340° at 1357:26 hrs.

McDonnell Douglas MD-87

A brand new Cessna 525A CitationJet 2, D-IEVX, arrived at Milan-Linate following a flight from Köln. The Cessna was to carry out a return flight to Paris-Le Bourget, carrying two pilots, a Cessna sales manager and a prospective customer. The plane arrived at 06:59 and was taxied to the General aviation apron, also known as 'West apron'. It was a foggy morning at Milan and one of the passenger flights parked on the North apron was SAS MD-87 "Lage Viking" which was being prepared for flight SK686 to Copenhagen, scheduled to depart at 07:35. At 07:41, the pilot of the MD-87 contacted Linate Ground Control for his engine start clearance, as the boarding of 104 passengers had been completed. The Ground controller cleared the pilot to start engines and advised that the slot time for takeoff of the flight was at 08:16. Thirteen minutes later flight 686 was cleared to taxi to runway 36R: "Scandinavian 686 taxi to the holding position Cat III, QNH 1013 and please call me back entering the main taxiway." A few minutes later, the Cessna pilot requested permission to start the engines. The ground controller then gave start-up clearance. The ground controller then requested flight 686 to contact the Tower controller. From this moment on the crew of the MD-87 and the crew of the Cessna were tuned on two different radio frequencies. At 08:05 the pilots of the Cessna received taxi clearance: "Delta Victor Xray taxi north via Romeo 5, QNH 1013, call me back at the stop bar of the ... main runway extension." The pilot acknowledged by saying: "Roger via Romeo 5 and ... 1013, and call you back before reaching main runway." The Cessna started to taxi from the General Aviation parking position, following the yellow taxi line. After reaching the position where the yellow taxi line splits into two diverging directions, the pilot erroneously took the taxi line to right and entered taxiway R6. At 08:09 the Ground controller cleared the Cessna to continue its taxi on the North apron. At the same time the Tower controller cleared the MD-87 for takeoff: "...Scandinavian 686 Linate, clear for take off 36, the wind is calm report rolling, when airborne squawk ident." The pilot advanced the throttles and acknowledged the clearance: "Clear for takeoff 36 at when...airborne squawk ident and we are rolling, Scandinavian 686." When the MD-87 was speeding down the runway, the Cessna crossed the runway holding sign and entered the active runway 18L/36R. At 08.10:21 the nose landing gear of the MD-87 had left the ground and main gears were extending the shock absorbers but the main wheels were still on the ground at an airspeed of 146 knots (270,5 km/h). At that moment the MD-87 crew probably saw a glimpse of the Cessna through the fog and reacted with additional large nose-up elevator. At that moment the MD-87 collided with the CitationJet. The right wing of the MD-87 sustained damage at the leading edge and the right hand main landing gear leg broke off. It damaged the right flap and struck the no. 2 engine which then separated from the pylon. The pilot of the MD-87 gradually advanced the throttles and then the aircraft was airborne for a total of 12 seconds, reaching an estimated height of about 35 feet (11 meters). The left hand engine suffered a noticeable thrust reduction as a result of debris ingestion, which became insufficient to sustain flight. The airspeed had increased up to 166 knots (307,6 km/h), but the MD-87 descended abruptly making contact with the runway with the left hand maingear, the truncated right hand maingear leg and the tip of the right hand wing. Prior to touch down the pilot reduced engine thrust and after ground contact the engine reverse levers were activated and deployed (on the left hand engine only). Maximum available reverse thrust was selected and the brakes applied. The plane skidded past the grass overrun area, across a service road, crashing sideways into a baggage handling building, which partly collapsed. This building was located 20 m/67 feet to the right of the runway, and 460 m/1500 feet from the runway end.

Saab 2000

While being taxied by two engineers at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport, the aircraft went out of control and collided with a hangar door. Both occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was destroyed.

McDonnell Douglas MD-81

The MD-81 arrived from Zurich at 22:09 and was parked at gate 2 overnight with temperatures of around +1 deg. C. Approx. 2550 kg of fuel remained in each wing tank. The aircraft was scheduled to leave Stockholm for Copenhagen at 08:30 and the temperature had dropped to -0 deg C in the early morning. During the night and in the early morning clear ice had formed on the upper side of the wings, but this was not detected by the ground crew member who checked the forward part of the wing. The aircraft was fuelled with 1400 kg of fuel and was ready for de-icing at 08:30, which was done using 850l of Type I fluid. After de-icing the mechanic didn't check whether there was any clear ice on the upper side of the wings, since he had previously found none. The flight was then cleared to taxi to runway 08 and the aircraft took off at 08:47. After 25 seconds (at 1124 feet height) bangs, vibrations and jerks were perceived in the aircraft. This was caused by a no. 2 engine surge. The engine was throttled down a little, but throttle control simultaneously changed to an automatic mode which increased throttle setting with altitude (Automatic Thrust Restoration - ATR). This in turn increased the intensity of the surging. The no. 1 engine surged 39 seconds later, but this was not noticed by the flight crew. An attempt to switch on the autopilot at 2616 feet failed. At 76 resp. 78 seconds into the flight both the no. 2 and no. 1 engine failed after breakup of the stage 1 stators of both engines (initiated by high loads from the surges). The aircraft was climbing through 3206 feet at that moment with a 196 KIAS. A no. 1 engine fire warning at 91 seconds into the flight made the crew activate the fire extinguishing system. A SAS captain traveling the passenger cabin realized that there were problems and hurried to the cockpit to assist the flight crew. The aircraft was in a gliding left turn at that moment. When descending through 420 m, still in the clouds, the assisting captain gradually extended the flaps. The flaps were fully extended at 1100 feet (340 m) and the plane broke through the clouds at 980-820 feet. A field in the direction of flight was chosen for an emergency landing. The wheels were selected down and Stockholm control was informed about the imminent crash-landing. The MD-81 contacted trees at 121 knots and a major portion of the right wing broke off. The plane then struck sloping ground tail-first and slid along the ground for 110 m. The fuselage was broken into three pieces, but there was no fire.

Douglas DC-9

DC-9 "Gissur Viking" was approaching Trondheim runway 27 with the co-pilot at the controls. Descending through 2500 feet the ATC controller asked the crew to contact SAS Station in Trondheim over company frequency. The captain was working through the checklist but contacted SAS, contrary to company regulations (it's not allowed use company frequency while on final approach). The captain then forgot to arm the spoilers because he had not completed the checklist. He co-pilot noticed that the spoilers had not been armed and, while descending through 100 feet, called "Spoilers". The pilot instinctively extended the spoilers and, realizing his mistake, immediately retracted them. The aircraft entered a high sink rate and touched down heavily. A go-around was executed and after landing severe structural damage was found to the undercarriage, engines (30° respectively 15° tilted down), and tail cone (the APU was pushed halfway up the tail). All 107 occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Douglas DC-9

After liftoff from runway 24 at Oslo-Fornebu Airport, while climbing to a height of 30 feet at a speed of 140 knots, the stall warning activated. The captain decided to land but the remaining distance of 1,100 meters was insufficient. Unable to stop, the aircraft overran and plunged into the bay. All 33 occupants were quickly rescued while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Douglas DC-8

During the takeoff roll, the engine n°1 exploded. Some debris fall on the ground, bounced and struck the wing, causing the rupture of the n°2 fuel tank. The crew started an emergency braking procedure and the airplane came to a stop in flames. All 65 occupants were quickly disembarked, 23 of them were injured. The aircraft was destroyed by fire.

Douglas DC-8

The aircraft crashed in Santa Monica Bay, approximately 6 nautical miles west at 1921LT. The aircraft was operating as flight SK933 from Seattle, Washington, to Los Angeles, following a flight from Copenhagen, Denmark. A scheduled crew change occurred at Seattle for the flight to Los Angeles. The accident occurred in the waters of Santa Monica Bay while the crew attempting an instrument approach to runway O7R at Los Angeles International Airport. Of the 45 persons aboard the aircraft, 3 passengers and one cabin attendant drowned, 9 passengers and 2 cabin attendants are missing and presumed dead; 11 passengers and 6 crew members including the captain, the second pilot, and the systems operator, were injured in varying degrees; and 13 passengers escaped without reported injury. The aircraft was destroyed by impact. The fuselage broke into three pieces, two of which sank approximately 350 feet of water. The third section including the wings, the forward cabin and the cockpit, floated for about 20 hours before being towed into shallow water where it sank. This section was later recovered and removed from the water. The weather at Los Angeles International Airport was generally: 1,700 feet broken, 3,500 feet overcast; visibility 4 miles in light rain and fog, wind 060° at 10 knots; and the altimeter setting was 29.87 inches of mercury. The weather in the accident area was reported to be similar.

Douglas DC-7

During the takeoff roll at Tenerife-Norte-Los Rodeos Airport, the crew inadvertently raised the landing gear while the aircraft did not liftoff already. Subsequently, the airplane sank on its belly and slid for several yards before coming to rest in flames. While all 91 occupants were evacuated (six of them were injured), the aircraft was totally destroyed by a post crash fire.

Sud-Aviation SE-210 Caravelle

On an instrument approach to Ankara-Esenboga Airport, while descending to an altitude of 3,500 feet heading 031, the airplane struck a hill located 9,6 km short of runway 03 threshold. The airplane was destroyed upon impact and all 42 occupants have been killed. For unknown reason, the aircraft passed below the glide and was 1,100 feet too low at the time of the accident.

Douglas DC-6

The crew was performing a local training flight out from Norrköping-Kungsängen Airport. In flight, the captain informed ATC that an engine caught fire and obtained the permission for an emergency landing. Following technical issues, the crew was unable to lower the undercarriage and a belly landing was carried out. The airplane slid for several yards and came to rest in flames. All five crew members escaped uninjured while the aircraft was destroyed.

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

On final approach to Bromma Airport, an engine caught fire. The crew decided to attempt an emergency landing in a field located short of runway. The aircraft crash landed and came to rest in flames. All 22 occupants were able to evacuate the airplane and were unhurt. Unfortunately, the aircraft was totally destroyed by fire.

Vickers Viking

The aircraft christened 'Torlak Viking' was performing a charter flight from Madrid to Copenhagen with an intermediate stop in Paris, carrying 23 Spanish tourists. The crew left Paris-Le Bourget Airport at 1610LT and started the descent to Copenhagen-Kastrup Airport at 1845LT. Sixteen minutes later, at 1901LT, ATC informed the crew that the airport just closed to all traffic due to poor weather conditions and the captain was advised to divert or to Aalborg or to Göteborg. The captain preferred to stack for several minutes vertical to the airport and at 1931LT, he was number one and received the permission to start an approach to runway 22 maintaining a minimum safe altitude of 1,000 feet. Seven minutes before the ETA, while at an altitude estimated between 700 and 800 feet, the twin engine aircraft went out of control and crashed into the Øresund, about 18 km northeast of Kastrup Airport. SAR operations were conducted but were eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the 27 occupants was found. A month later, the wreckage was found at a depth of 23 meters about two km off Barsebäck, Sweden. Transferred from DDL to SAS on August 1st, 1948, the aircraft was repainted in SAS colors shortly later.

Douglas DC-6

The four engine aircraft christened 'Agnar Viking' was approaching RAF Northolt when the crew encountered low visibility due to poor weather conditions. After being cleared by ATC to descent to 2,500 feet, the crew was unable to locate the airport and decided to return to Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport. Few minutes later, while climbing to an altitude of 3,000 feet, the aircraft collided with a Royal Air Force Avro 685 York C.1 registered MW248. This second aircraft was completing a flight from Malta-Luqa with four passengers and a crew of three. Following the collision, both aircraft went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in a wooded area located in Northwood, about 4 miles north of RAF Northolt. Both aircraft were destroyed and all 39 people were killed.