Dornier DO228

Malawi Air Force

Busy Bee Congo

The twin engine airplane departed runway 17 at Goma International Airport on a schedule service to Butembo (first service of the day). After takeoff, while in initial climb, the airplane lost height and crashed onto several houses located in the district of Birere, south of the airport, and burst into flames. All 19 occupants were killed as well as 10 people on the ground.

Nigerian Air Force

Shortly after takeoff from the Kaduna Military Airfield, while climbing, the aircraft went out of control and crashed into a house located in the Ribadu Cantonment, bursting into flames. All seven occupants (two pilots, two engineers and three passengers) were killed.

Indian Coast Guard

The crew departed Chennai NAS at 1730LT on a maritime patrol flight along the Tamil Nadu coast and over the Palk Bay. The last radio contact was established at 2100LT and the last radar contact was observed at 2123LT while the aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 9,000 feet some 176 km offshore. SAR operations were initiated and some debris were found the following morning. All three occupants, two pilots and one observer, were killed. On July 10, the wreckage was found at a depth of 995 metres some 30 km off Pichavaram.

Indian Navy - Bharatiya Nau Sena

The crew was completing a training sortie from the Dabolim-Hansa Naval Air Station, State of Goa, on behalf of the 310th Naval Air Squadron. While flying by night, the twin engine aircraft crashed in the Indian Ocean about 45 km southwest of Dabolim Airport. A pilot was rescued and both other occupants (a second pilot and an observer) were killed.

CorpFlite - Transportes Aéreos Corporativos

The crew departed Coquimbo on a positioning flight to Viña del Mar to pick up passengers who need to fly to a mining area located in Los Perlambres. As the ILS system was inoperative, the crew was forced to complete a non-precision approach to runway 05. The visibility was poor due to foggy conditions. On final approach, while the aircraft was unstable, the crew descended below the MDA until the aircraft collided with power cables and crashed in an open field located about 1,8 km short of runway. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact and both pilots were killed.

Sita Air

The twin engine aircraft was completing a charter flight from Nepalgunj to Simikot, carrying two pilots and five passengers. On approach to Simikot Airport, ground fog and low visibility forced the crew to initiate a go-around procedure. A second and a third attempt to land were abandoned few minutes later. During the fourth attempt to land, without sufficient visual contact with the ground, the crew continued the approach, passed through the clouds when the aircraft landed hard short of runway 28. Upon impact, the undercarriage were torn off and the aircraft slid for few dozen metres, veered to the right and came to rest on the right side of the runway with its left wing broken in two. All seven occupants escaped uninjured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Sita Air

A Dornier 228 aircraft, registration 9N-AHA, was planned to operate a flight from Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), Kathmandu, to Tensing/Hillary Airport, Lukla with 16 passengers and 3 crews. The Commander was the Pilot Flying (PF) which was in accordance with common practice for flight crews operating this route. The 0020Z METAR for TIA reported calm wind, 3,000 m visibility in mist, scattered cloud at 2,000 ft AAL, broken cloud at 10,000 ft AAL, a temperature of 19° C and a QNH of 1017 HPa. ATC broadcast a change in the QNH to 1018 HPa at 0029 hrs. At 0028 hrs (0613 am), the Co-pilot asked ATC for taxi clearance and 9N-AHA taxied towards Intersection 2 for Runway 20. While taxiing towards the runway the flight crew carried out the before takeoff checklist during which the Commander confirmed that Flaps 1 was set and all four booster pumps were ON. There was no emergency brief or discussion about the reference speeds to be used during the takeoff. The flight crew changed frequency and contacted the tower controller who gave them clearance to enter Runway 20 from the intersection and wait for clearance to takeoff. The Commander asked for the line-up checks to be completed during which the Speed Lever was selected to HIGH. After lining up, the Commander said "THERE IS A BIRD" and, three seconds later "I WILL TAKE FLAPS TWO" which was acknowledged by the co-pilot. The aircraft was cleared for departure and began its takeoff run at 0032 hrs. Two seconds after beginning the takeoff roll, the Commander said "WATCH OUT THE BIRD". The Co-pilot called "50 KNOTS " as the aircraft approached 50 kt and the Commander replied "CHECK". Two seconds later, the co-pilot called "BIRD CLEAR SIR" as the aircraft accelerated through 58 kt. Approaching 70 kt, approximately 13 kt below V1 and Vr , the first officer called "VEE ONE ROTATE". The aircraft began to rotate but did not lift off the ground and the nose was briefly lowered again. As the aircraft reached 86 kt, it lifted off the ground and the landing gear was raised immediately. As the aircraft began to climb, it accelerated to 89 kt over approximately 2 seconds. It continued to climb to 100 ft above the runway over the next 11 seconds but, during this time, the speed decreased to 77 kt. The aircraft then flew level for 14 seconds during which time the following occurred: the speed decreased to 69 kt; the air traffic controller asked "ANY TECHNICAL?" to which the pilot replied "[uncertain]….DUE BIRD HIT"; it's heading changed slowly from 200 °M to approximately 173 °M; and the stall warning was triggered for three seconds as the aircraft decelerated through 71 kt. Two seconds after the stall warning ended, it was triggered again for approximately six seconds with the airspeed at 69 kt. The aircraft began a gentle descent at 69 kt with the stall warning sounding and the rate of turn to the left increased rapidly. It departed controlled flight, most probably left wing low, and crashed into a small open area 420 m south-east of the end of Runway 20. A runway inspection found the remains of a bird, identified as a "Black Kite", at a position 408 m from Intersection 2. No bird strike was reported in relation to any other departure.

Agni Air

On final approach to Jomsom Airport runway 06, the crew lowered the landing gear when they noticed a technical issue. On short final, the captain decided to initiate a go-around procedure and to divert to Pokhara. He made a sharp U-turn to the left at a speed of 73 knots when the left wing impacted a rocky hill located 270 meters above the runway 24 threshold. The aircraft stalled and crashed on the slope of the hill and was destroyed by impact forces. The stewardess and five passengers were seriously injured while all 15 other occupants, among them both pilots, were killed.

Agni Air

On approach to Lukla, the crew encountered poor weather conditions. Unable to locate the runway, he decided to divert to Simara Airport. Unfortunately, the visibility at Simara Airport was insufficient and the crew eventually decided to return to Kathmandu. While descending to runway 02, a generator failed. The crew did not declare an emergency, contacted his maintenance base and was unable to switch to the backup generator. Shortly after the crew elected to reset the battery system, the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in a rice paddy field. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 14 occupants were killed, among them 4 Americans, one British and one Japanese. The wreckage was found about 30 km southeast of Tribhuvan Airport.

Summit Air Charters

The Summit Air Charters Dornier 228-202 was on a charter flight from Resolute Bay to Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, under instrument flight rules. While on final approach to Runway 31 True, the aircraft collided with the ground approximately 1.5 nautical miles from the threshold at 0143 mountain standard time. Of the 2 pilots and 12 passengers on board, 2 persons received serious injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The emergency locator transmitter activated, and the crew notified the Cambridge Bay Airport radio operator of the accident via the aircraft radio. Local ground search efforts found the aircraft within 30 minutes, and all occupants were removed from the site within two hours.

Nigerian Air Force

The twin engine aircraft departed Abuja on a flight to Obudu, carrying 15 passengers and a crew of three. The pilots started the descent in poor weather conditions when the aircraft impacted hilly terrain near Vande Ikya, about 29 km northwest of Obudu. Five occupants were injured while 13 others were killed, among them several high ranking officers who were flying to Obudu to proceed to an inspection of the military equipments. At the time of the accident, the visibility was poor due to low ceiling.

Gorkha Airlines

After landing at Lukla-Tenzing-Hillary Airport, the twin engine aircraft skidded then veered off runway and came to rest in a dirt ground. All 12 occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Alfred Wegener Institute

The aircraft christened 'Polar 4' was completing a flight from Halley to Rothera Station. Following a steep approach in marginal weather conditions with low clouds and snow falls, the aircraft landed hard and suffered substantial damages. There were no injuries but the aircraft was later transferred to Germany and declared damaged beyond repair in November 2005.

Islandsflug

Following an uneventful passenger flight from Reykjavik to Sauðárkrókur, the crew decided to fly to Siglufjörður Airport to perform a competence control flight for this airfield. On approach in good weather conditions (visibility over 10 km with clouds at 1,500 feet), the captain disconnected the GPWS system to avoid repetitive alarms. After landing on runway 07, he attended to perform a touch-and-go so he increased engine power and took off. During initial climb, the landing gears were raised and the crew made a right hand turn circuit at an altitude of 500 feet. Following a second approach to runway 07, the aircraft landed on its belly and slid for 280 metres before coming to rest. Both pilots evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Kato Airline

Kato Airline flight KAT603, an aircraft of the type Dornier 228-202 with registration LN-HTA, was to fly a regular scheduled flight from Røst airport (ENRS) to Bodø airport (ENBO). There were two passengers and two pilots on board. There was a strong westerly wind, and when the plane approached Bodø extensive lightning activity developed quickly. The aircraft was struck by a very powerful lightning. The lightning struck the aircraft’s nose area and passed to the tail. Boundings between the fuselage and tail surface and a wire between the tail surface and the elevator were burned off. A powerful electric energy passed through the elevator rod in the tail section. A rod end came loose, resulting in a breach in the control rod. Thus the only connection between the control column in the cockpit and the elevator was lost. This aircraft type has electric pitch trim which adjusts the tail surface angle of attack and after a period the pilots regained limited control of the aircraft’s nose position by using this. When the lightning struck the aircraft, the pilots were blinded for approximately 30 seconds. They lost control of the aircraft for a period and the aircraft came very close to stalling. The pilots declared an emergency. The aircraft’s remaining systems were intact and the pilots succeeded in bringing the plane in for landing. During the first landing attempt the airspeed was somewhat high. The aircraft hit the ground in an approximate three-point position and bounced into the air. The pilots concluded that the landing was uncontrollable because the elevator was not working. The landing was aborted and the aircraft circled for a new attempt. Wind conditions were difficult and the next attempt was also unstable in terms of height and speed. At short final the aircraft nosed down and the pilots barely managed to flare a little before the aircraft hit the ground. The point of impact was a few metres before the runway and the aircraft slid onto the runway. Emergency services quickly arrived at the scene. The two pilots were seriously injured while both passengers suffered only minor physical injuries. No fuel leakage or fire occurred. The aircraft was written off.

Star Air Aviation

Following an uneventful training flight at Karachi-Quaid-e-Azam Airport, the crew was taxiing to his parking place when control was lost. The aircraft rolled across the apron and eventually collided with a concrete wall. Both pilots escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Indian Airlines

The crew was completing a local training flight at Jaipur-Sanganer Airport. After touchdown, the twin engine aircraft skidded on runway, veered off runway and came to rest. Both pilots escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Guarda Costeira de Cabo Verde - Airwing

The schedule service from São Pedro to Ponta do Sol was normally operated by a Twin Otter from TACV - Transportes Aéreos de Cabo Verde. As the aircraft was unserviceable due to technical problems, TACV leased the Dornier DO228 from the Cabo Verde Coast Guards (Guarda Costeira de Cabo Verde). The aircraft departed São Pedro Airport on a 13 minutes flight to Ponta do Sol-Agostinho Neto Airport located on the north coast of the Santo Antão Island. While approaching the destination, the crew was informed about the poor weather conditions. Because the visibility was below minimums, the crew decided to return to São Pedro Airport. Few minutes later, while cruising in limited visibility due to rain falls, the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located in the center of the Santo Antão Island. The aircraft was destroyed and all 18 occupants were killed, among them three Austrian and two French citizens.

Alliance Air

The aircraft was completing a flight from Agathi to Thiruvananthapuram with an intermediate stop in Cochin, carrying three passengers and three crew members. After takeoff from runway 17, at a height of about 400 feet, the aircraft pitched up steeply to a near vertical attitude and thereafter appeared to perform a manoeuvre similar to a stall turn to the right and crashed on the roof of the Component Repair Shop (CRS) building of the Naval Aircraft Yard. After impact the aircraft caught fire and was totally destroyed. All six occupants were killed as well as three people in the building. Six others received minor injuries.

Nigerian Air Force

During the takeoff roll, the aircraft went out of control, veered off runway and came to rest in a ditch. All 10 occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Royal Brunei Airlines - RBA

The twin engine aircraft departed Bandar Seri Begawan Airport at 1903LT on a regular schedule flight to Miri, Sarawak. At 1936LT, the crew was cleared for an approach to runway 02 but failed to acknowledge. Six minutes later, while descending by night, the aircraft struck the slope of Mt Lambir (500 metres high) located 13,7 km from the airport. The wreckage was found the next morning at 0710LT. All 10 occupants were killed.

Formosa Airlines

On final approach to Matsu Nangan Airport, the twin engine aircraft struck the top of the Jade Hill located about one km short of runway and disintegrated on impact. A female passenger was seriously injured while 15 other occupants were killed. The only survivor died from his injuries few hours later. At the time of the accident, the visibility was reduced to six km in rain. It was reported that the crew was initiating a go-around procedure when the aircraft struck the hill. Few hours after the accident, a man in charge to transmit weather conditions to the crew committed suicide at the airport.

Olympic Aviation

On final approach to Paros Island Airport, the twin engine aircraft nosed down, lost height and struck the ground 1,3 metre short of runway threshold. On impact, the nose gear collapsed and the aircraft slid for 166 metres before coming to rest on the runway. All 20 occupants evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Formosa Airlines

On approach to Matsu Nangan Airport, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with reduced visibility due to fog. The descent was completed under VFR mode in IMC conditions. On final, the copilot who was the pilot-in-command continued the approach despite he did not establish any visual contact with the runway, and failed to monitor the instruments. Eventually, the crew attempted to make a go-around but this decision was taken too late. The aircraft struck the water surface and crashed in the sea about 1,600 metres offshore. Six passengers were killed while 11 other occupants were injured.

Air Maldives

Following an uneventful flight from Kadhdhoo Airport, the crew initiated the approach to Male Intl Airport. The copilot was the pilot-in-command. The aircraft landed on runway 36 at the speed of 95 knots some 600 metres past the runway threshold. After touchdown, the aircraft deviated from the centerline to the left and the copilot overcorrected, causing the aircraft to veer to the right. The captain took over control but this was too late. The aircraft overran, struck a concrete wall and crashed in the sea. All eight occupants were injured and the aircraft was destroyed.

Formosa Airlines

While taxiing at Lyudao Airport (Green Island), the pilot-in-command lost control of the aircraft that veered off runway and came to rest in a ravine. All 19 occupants evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Formosa Airlines

Following an uneventful flight from Lyudao (Green Island), the crew forgot to lower the landing gear while approaching Taitung Airport. The aircraft landed on its belly and slid for few dozen metres before coming to rest. All 19 occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. The same aircraft suffered another accident in similar circumstances at the same airport on 21 April 1993.

Everest Air

While descending to Bharatpur Airport, the crew encountered poor weather conditions. Too low, the aircraft struck the slope of a rocky peak located about 6,5 km short of runway 15 threshold. The aircraft was destroyed and all 19 occupants were killed.

Formosa Airlines

On final approach to Lyudao Airport, the crew failed to realize his altitude was too low when the aircraft struck the ground few metres short of runway threshold. Upon impact, the right main gear was torn off and the aircraft crash landed and came to rest on the main runway. All 22 occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Formosa Airlines

The approach to Lanyu Islands Airport was completed in poor weather conditions with heavy rain falls when the aircraft struck the water surface and crashed in the sea few km offshore. All six occupants were killed.

Indian Coast Guard

While cruising in good weather conditions, the aircraft went out of control and crashed in the Bay of Bengal, off Paradip. Two passengers were rescued while all four other occupants were killed.

PMAS Regional Airline

The Dornier 228 originated from Lagos (LOS) at 07:00 UTC. Destination was Eket. Enroute, the captain briefed his copilot that the wind was northerly at 2 knots. He decided to use runway 19. He also briefed that they would descend to the Minimum Descent Altitude (MDA) of 500 ft. and if they did not have the field in sight by then, they would carry out a missed approach, maintain runway heading and climb to 1,500 ft. From Lagos, they were cruising at 11,000 ft. and started the descent at about 77 nm from Port Harcourt, which was close to Eket. On clearance to 5000 ft by Port Harcourt Approach Control, the crew called Eket Control who descended them to 3,500 ft. At about 10 nm from Eket the NDB frequency was picked up and the crew informed Eket that they were leaving 3500ft for 1500. When the aircraft came overhead the NDB they shot the approach. On the outbound leg of 195 they turned 45° for a right procedure turn and still maintaining 1500ft. Flap 1 was selected with the speed lever set in the high RPM position. With the runway inbound on track 105 magnetic, the landing gear was selected in the down position and the aircraft was descended to 500ft. After 90 seconds into the final approach on runway 01, the co-pilot called out "runway-in-sight" but the captain thought the aircraft was high, so he announced he was overshooting, whereas, while giving evidence the co-pilot said she advised the overshoot when the ADF needle swung. Another approach was attempted. They came back to the same runway 01 to maintain the MDA and the runway was sighted from about 2 miles out at 400 feet height. The co-pilot thought the aeroplane was high and called for a missed approach. Then another landing attempt was made for runway 19. At about between 600 - 700 feet height above the approach path, the captain instructed his co-pilot "when you see the field, give me flaps 2, I am going to land". As soon as the co-pilot sighted the runway at about 2nm out, she selected flap 2. The captain descended for the field and while they came over the threshold, the speed was between 95 and 98 knots. Height above threshold was 300ft; the co-pilot felt that the aeroplane was high, but she thought that at flap 2 the aircraft was committed to land. This time the First Officer did not warn the captain though she felt that the aircraft was high. The captain said that he descended fast from 300ft with the target aim of touching down at about the 6th centre line marking from the threshold. After the touchdown, the captain applied reverse pitch but no effect of the deceleration was felt. He then moved the throttle levers to the maximum reverse position, yet there was no deceleration effect. The next action was to go on the brakes while the aircraft still had the rolling speed of about 80 knots. The captain felt that only the right brakes were effective because-the aeroplane skidded to the right; when there was no directional control, the captain said that he then used the opposite rudder for control. The commander was still fighting with the directional control when the aeroplane overran the end of the paved way at about 40 knots with the brakes still applied. The airplane sustained damage to the wheels and propellers. The fuselage was buckled just forward of the left wing leading-edge and at the fuselage/wing rear attachment point. Also the right hand side of the fuselage had bucklings at the forward section.

United Breweries

The aircraft took-off from Bangalore at 0645 hrs IST. The flight from Bangalore to Madras was uneventful. The aircraft was cleared to land by Madras Control Tower at 0728 hrs IST. The aircraft touched down on the belly at a distance of 2,140 feet from the beginning of runway 07. The aircraft slided on its belly for approximately 1,500 feet before finally coming to rest on the runway slightly to the right side of the centre line. The port wing tip and the port engine propeller blades had touched the runway just before it came to stop. The rear passenger door was opened normally by the airhostess and the passengers were evacuated from the rear door. There was slight smoke near the bottom centre of the fuselage but there was no fire. There was no injury to any person on board. The aircraft was written off.

Air Tahiti

On final approach to Nuku Hiva Airport runway 06, at an altitude of about 2,000 feet, the left engine failed. The crew decided to perform an approach to runway 24 when on final, the captain ditched the aircraft few dozen meters offshore. The impact was relatively violent and 10 occupants were killed, among them the captain. All 12 other occupants were injured, some seriously.

Formosa Airlines

Following an uneventful cargo flight from Taipei, the crew failed to realize his altitude was too low on approach to Lanyu Airport. On short final, the aircraft struck the ground 15 meters short of runway 13 threshold. Upon impact, the undercarriage were torn off and the aircraft slid for 150 meters before coming to rest. Both pilots escaped with minor injuries while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Vayudoot

The aircraft took off from Pune at 1928 hrs. The flight was uneventful up to 1943 hrs. Soon thereafter, the aircraft started losing height rapidly with increasing speed. The pilot attempted recover the aircraft from the dive but the aircraft continued to lose height till it impacted the backwaters Ujjaini Dam near Indapur village, 129 ms east-southeast of Pune. The aircraft disintegrated into multiple pieces, killing all persons on board the aircraft. The accident occurred during night conditions.

Vayudoot

While nearing Aurangabad, the weather was deteriorating. ATC Aurangabad kept the pilot apprised about the prevailing surface wind and rain. The pilot too had similar observations of adverse weather and deteriorated visibility. The commander sighted the runway quite late and the aircraft was descended very fast triggering the Ground Proximity Warning System and aural warning. After coming close to the runway the pilot attempted to open power on the engines. However, he found himself unable to move the power lever forward. The aircraft continued to sink fast and crashed over undershoot area of the runway 27. The aircraft sustained substantial damage. No person on board sustained serious injury. There was no fire.

Royal Oman Police

The twin engine airplane was engaged in a demonstration flight to a delegation of the Abu Dhabi Defence Force when it crashed in unknown circumstances in Al Jaylah. All seven occupants were injured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Alfred Wegener Institute

The crew was returning to Germany following an expedition in the South Pole (Antarctica). The aircraft departed Dakar on a leg to Lanzarote, and was following another Dornier DO228 from the same Alfred Wegener Institute christened Polar 2 that was flying higher than Polar 3. En route, the aircraft was shot down by a surface-to-air missile and crashed in a desert area located south of Dakhla. All three crew members were killed.

Dornier Flugzeugwerke

The twin engine airplane departed Oberpfaffenhofen Airport at 1727LT on a local test flight with one pilot and two inspectors from the UK CAA. The flight was part of the UK Civil Aviation Authority's certification program for the type. En route, the airplane entered a nose-down attitude then dove into the ground and crashed in a wooded area. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all three occupants were killed. The loss of control occurred after the crew selected nose-down trim.