Boeing 737-500

Sriwijaya Air

On 9 January 2021, a Boeing 737-500 aircraft, registration PK-CLC, was being operated by PT. Sriwijaya Air on a scheduled passenger flight from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (WIII), Jakarta to Supadio International Airport (WIOO), Pontianak . The flight number was SJY182. According to the flight plan filed, the fuel endurance was 3 hours 50 minutes. At 0736 UTC (1436 LT) in daylight conditions, Flight SJY182 departed from Runway 25R of Jakarta. There were two pilots, four flight attendants, and 56 passengers onboard the aircraft. At 14:36:46 LT, the SJY182 pilot contacted the Terminal East (TE) controller and was instructed “SJY182 identified on departure, via SID (Standard Instrument Departure) unrestricted climb level 290”. The instruction was read back by the pilot. At 14:36:51 LT, the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) data recorded that the Autopilot (AP) system engaged at altitude of 1,980 feet. At 14:38:42 LT, the FDR data recorded that as the aircraft climbed past 8,150 feet, the thrust lever of the left engine started reducing, while the thrust lever position of the right engine remained. The FDR data also recorded the left engine N1 was decreasing whereas the right engine N1 remained. At 14:38:51 LT, the SJY182 pilot requested to the TE controller for a heading change to 075<U+F0B0> to avoid weather conditions and the TE controller approved the request. At 14:39:01 LT, the TE controller instructed SJY182 pilot to stop their climb at 11,000 feet to avoid conflict with another aircraft with the same destination that was departing from Runway 25L. The instruction was read back by the SJY182 pilot. At 14:39:47 LT, the FDR data recorded the aircraft’s altitude was about 10,600 feet with a heading of 046° and continuously decreasing (i.e., the aircraft was turning to the left). The thrust lever of the left engine continued decreasing. The thrust lever of the right engine remained. At 14:39:54 LT, the TE controller instructed SJY182 to climb to an altitude of 13,000 feet, and the instruction was read back by an SJY182 pilot at 14:39:59 LT. This was the last known recorded radio transmission by the flight. At 14:40:05 LT, the FDR data recorded the aircraft altitude was about 10,900 feet, which was the highest altitude recorded in the FDR before the aircraft started its descent. The AP system then disengaged at that point with a heading of 016°, the pitch angle was about 4.5° nose up, and the aircraft rolled to the left to more than 45°. The thrust lever position of the left engine continued decreasing while the right engine thrust lever remained. At 14:40:10 LT, the FDR data recorded the autothrottle (A/T) system disengaged and the pitch angle was more than 10° nose down. About 20 seconds later the FDR stopped recording. The last aircraft coordinate recorded was 5°57'56.21" S 106°34'24.86" E. At 14:40:37 LT, the TE controller called SJY182 to request for the aircraft heading but did not receive any response from the pilot. At 14:40:48 LT, the radar target of the aircraft disappeared from the TE controller radar screen. At 14:40:46 LT, the TE controller again called SJY182 but did not receive any response from the pilot. The TE controller then put a measurement vector on the last known position of SJY182 and advised the supervisor of the disappearance of SJY182. The supervisor then reported the occurrence to the operation manager. The TE controller repeatedly called SJY182 several times and also asked other aircraft that flew near the last known location of SJY182 to call the SJY182. The TE controller then activated the emergency frequency of 121.5 MHz and called SJY182 on that frequency. All efforts were unsuccessful to get any responses from the SJY182 pilot. About 1455 LT, the operation manager reported the occurrence to the Indonesian Search and Rescue Agency (Badan Nasional Pencarian dan Pertolongan/BNPP). At 1542 LT, the Air Traffic Services (ATS) provider declared the uncertainty phase (INCERFA) of the SJY182. The distress phase of SJY182 (DETRESFA) was subsequently declared at 1643 LT.

Air Djibouti

The aircraft departed Djibouti on a regular schedule service to Mogadishu with intermediate stops in Hargeisa and Garowe. There were 31 passengers and 8 crew members on board. On short final approach to Garowe Airport Runway 06, the aircraft was too low, causing the right main gear to struck the ground just short of runway threshold (concrete). The right main gear collapsed and the airplane slid on the runway until it turned to the right and came to rest on the runway with the right engine cowling contacting the runway surface. All 39 occupants evacuated safely and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

UTAir

Following an uneventful flight from Moscow-Vnukovo Airport, the crew initiated the descent to Usinsk Airport Runway 13. On short final, the aircraft hit a snow bank (1,1 metre high) located 32 metres short of runway threshold, still on the concrete zone. Upon impact, both main gears were torn off and the airplane belly landed and slid for few hundred metres before coming to rest. All 100 occupants evacuated safely and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Continental Airlines

On December 20, 2008, about 1818 mountain standard time, Continental Airlines flight 1404, a Boeing 737-500, N18611, departed the left side of runway 34R during takeoff from Denver International Airport (DEN), Denver, Colorado. A postcrash fire ensued. The captain and 5 of the 110 passengers were seriously injured; the first officer, 2 cabin crewmembers, and 38 passengers received minor injuries; and 1 cabin crewmember and 67 passengers (3 of whom were lap-held children) were uninjured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The scheduled, domestic passenger flight, operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121, was departing DEN and was destined for George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston, Texas. At the time of the accident, visual meteorological conditions prevailed, with strong and gusty winds out of the west. The flight operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan.

Aeroflot Nord

On September 13, 2008 an Aeroflot –Nord flight crew (Captain and copilot), were conducting a scheduled domestic passenger flight n°AFL821 on a B737-505 aircraft, registration VP-BKO, from Moscow (Sheremetyevo, UUEE) to Perm (Bolshoye Savino, USPP). Apart from the two-member flight crew there were 4 flight attendants and 82 passengers on board, which makes a total of 88 people, including 66 citizens of the Russian Federation, 8 citizens of Azerbaijan, 1 citizen of Byelorussia, 1 of Germany, 1 of Italy, 1 of China, 1 of Latvia, 1 of Turkey, 1 of Uzbekistan, 5 citizens of Ukraine and 2 of France. According to the load sheet, the aircraft payload (cargo and passengers) was 8079 kg. The takeoff weight was ~54000 kg (with the max TOW of 60554 kg), the CG was at 20.61 % MAC, which was within the B-737-500 FCOM limitations. The calculated landing weight was 49700 kg (with the maximum of 49895 kg), and the CG was at 21.9 % MAC, which was also within the B737-500 FCOM limitations. The pre-flight briefing was conducted in due time and in compliance with the standard procedures. All the crew members passed medical check at the medical office of Aeroflot – Russian Airlines on September 13, 2008 at 1948 hrs and got permissions to fly. On the basis of the dispatch information (aircraft condition, aeronautical information, weather information, aircraft load data and operational flight plan) the PIC at 1955 hrs made a decision to fly. The takeoff was performed at 2113 without delay. The climb and level flight at FL290, 9,100 metres were conducted without any deviations. At 2245 hrs the crew started descent from the flight level to waypoint Mendeleyevo (940 MN). After passing over Mendeleyevo, in compliance with the Perm Approach Control instruction, the aircraft flew via the outer marker (705 PX) of Runway 21 which is the initial approach fix (IAF) for Runway 21 (heading 212° magnetic). After passing over the RWY with heading 110° M, the crew, following the Controller’s instruction, turned right for back course and started maneuvering for ILS approach to Runway 21. After the base turn, approaching the landing course at 600 m with both autopilot and autothrottle disengaged, the aircraft started climbing up to 1300 m, rolled 360° over the left wing and collided with the ground. The aircraft was totally destroyed and partly burnt in the ground fire. All passengers and crew members on board died due to the ground impact. The accident occurred at 2310 hrs 12.4 km from aerodrome reference point (ARP) of Perm Airport, azimuth 60° M. Accident site elevation is 153 m.

Egyptair

The aircraft departed Cairo-Intl Airport at 1140LT on a regular schedule flight to Tunis-Carthage Airport with 56 passengers and six crew members on board. It entered the Tunis FIR at 1450LT, under control of the Tunis Regional CCR. After being transferred to the approach control at 1500LT, the crew was cleared for a VOR/DME approach to runway 11. On approach at 3,000 feet, the crew was informed he was number one for landing. The crew informed ATC that he departed 3,000 feet for 2,100 feet at 12 NM and wa later cleared to land. Wind was from 130 at 30 knots. At 1516LT, on final, the crew was transferred from the approach control to the tower and received a second clearance to land. In limited visibility, the aircraft struck a fence located on the top of a mountain and crashed in hilly terrain 6,6 km from the runway 11 threshold. Three crew members and 11 passengers were killed while 48 other people were injured. On board were 33 Egyptians including the six crew members, 16 Tunisians, three Algerians, three Jordans, two Chinese, two British, one Libyan, one Saudi and one Palestinian.

Continental Airlines

On September 16, 1998, at 2253 central daylight time, a Boeing 737-524 transport airplane, N20643, operating as Continental Airlines flight 475, was substantially damaged following a loss of control during the landing roll at the Don Miguel Hidalgo International Airport near Guadalajara, Mexico. The 2 airline transport rated pilots, the 4 flight attendants, and the 102 passengers were not injured. The airplane was owned and operated by Continental Airlines of Houston, Texas, under Title 14 CFR Part 121. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the scheduled international passenger-cargo flight for which an IFR flight plan was filed. The flight was dispatched from the George Bush International Airport near Houston, Texas, at 2056, for the two hour flight to Guadalajara, State of Jalisco, Mexico. The flight's scheduled arrival time was 2254. After executing a missed approach on their first ILS approach to runway 28, the flight was vectored for a second approach to runway 28. The second approach was reported by both pilots to be uneventful; however, after touchdown, the aircraft drifted to the left side of the runway. The left main landing gear exited the hard surface of the runway approximately 2,700 feet from the landing threshold and eventually all 3 landing gears exited the 197 foot wide asphalt runway. The first officer, who was flying the airplane, stated that he never felt any anti-skid cycling during the landing roll and did not feel any "radical braking" which was expected with the auto-brake in the number 3 setting. The airplane's nose landing gear collapsed resulting in structural damage to the avionics bay, the forward baggage compartment, the engine cowlings and pylons. Both engines incurred FOD. A total of 15 runway lights on the southern edge of runway 28 were found either sheared or knocked down. The tower operator reported that intermittent heavy rain showers accompanied with downdrafts and strong winds associated with a thunderstorm northeast of the airport prevailed throughout the area at the time of the accident. The two transport category airplanes that landed prior to Continental flight 475 reported windshear on final approach. The winds issued to Continental 475 by the tower while on short final were from 360 degrees at 20 knots, gusting to 40 knots. Prior to the arrival of Continental flight 475, an Aeromexico MD-82, drifted to the left side of the runway to the point where the left main gear exited the hard surface of the runway. The pilot of that flight stated that he used differential power to regain control and bring the aircraft back on the runway. The flight taxied to the gate without further incident.

Asiana Airlines

Following an eventful flight from Seoul-Gimpo, the crew started the descent to Mokpo Airport in poor weather conditions with low clouds, heavy rain falls and strong winds. A first attempt to land was abandoned as well as a second few minutes later as the crew was unable to establish a visual contact with the runway. On a third attempt to land under VOR/DME mode, the crew failed to realize his altitude was too low when the aircraft struck the wooded slope of Mt Ungeo located about 7,5 km short of runway 06 threshold. Two crew members and 66 passengers were killed while 48 other occupants were injured.