North American B-25 Mitchell
Safety Rating
9.6/10Total Incidents
104
Total Fatalities
426
Incident History
Proair Holding Company
On September 19, 2020, about 1925 Pacific daylight time, a North American B25N, N7946C, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Stockton, California. One pilot and one passenger sustained serious injuries, and one pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that while enroute to their destination, fuel pressure for the left engine fluctuated, and the left engine briefly lost power before regaining power. The pilot stated that he was concerned that they may have had a fuel pump failure or something similar and decided to turn the cross-feed valve on. A short time later, about 5 miles from their intended destination, fuel pressure fluctuations were observed in both engines, with both engines intermittently losing and then regaining power. Due to multiple residential areas between their location and the airport, the pilot conducted a 180° turn and initiated an off-airport landing. The pilot stated that during the landing roll, he observed a ditch in front of them and was able to get the airplane airborne briefly to avoid it, however, he was not able to avoid a second large ditch. Subsequently, the airplane struck the second ditch, became airborne, and impacted the ground in a nose low attitude, and all three landing gear collapsed. Both the left and right engines were separated from their respective attach points, and the fuselage sustained substantial damage. The wreckage was recovered to a secure location.
Société de Développement et de Promotion de l'Aviation
Crew was performing a local flight at Melun-Villaroche Airport. Few minutes after takeoff, while flying at low height, the engine caught fire. The pilot elected to return to the airport but was eventually forced to attempt an emergency landing. The aircraft collided with power cables then crashed on its belly in a field, coming to rest in flames. Both occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Vickii Meller
An engine caught fire in flight, forcing the crew to attempt an emergency landing. The aircraft crash landed in a prairie near Guachaca and was destroyed. A crew member was killed while two other occupants were injured.
War Aero
Shortly after takeoff at Midway Airport, while in initial climb, the airplane lost speed, stalled, struck three houses and crashed in flames 0,75 miles west of the airport. Both pilots were killed as well as one people on the ground.
Private American
The crew was completing a drug smuggling flight on this aircraft that was carrying 49 bales of marijuana. While flying at low height by night, the crew misjudged the distance with ground when the airplane hit the side of a high bluff and crashed about half a mile from an open field. The aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire and both crew members were killed.
Bolivian Air Force - Fuerza Aérea Boliviana
While completing an exercice out from Cochabamba, the airplane struck the slope of Mt San Pedro. All nine crew members were killed.
Private American
En route from Fremont (Nebraska) to Torrington, Wyoming, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with several cloud layers down to low altitude. In flight, control was lost. The airplane entered a dive and crashed in an isolated area. The wreckage was found six days later and both pilots were killed.
Yankee Air Club
The pilot, sole on board, departed Turners Falls Airport on a training flight to Orange, Massachusetts. On final approach, with landing gears and flaps down, he decided to make a go around when the airplane banked left, got inverted and crashed. The airplane was destroyed and the pilot was killed.
Brazilian Air Force - Força Aérea Brasileira
The twin engine aircraft departed Guaratinguetá Airport on a liaison flight with two pilots and 15 passengers on board. While approaching Rio de Janeiro from the southwest, the crew encountered poor weather conditions when the airplane struck the slope of Morro da Prainha mountain located near Recreio dos Bandeirantes. The airplane exploded on impact and all 17 occupants have been killed.
Private American
Following an uneventful flight, the crew completed the landing procedure on a snow covered runway at Sitka Airport. After touchdown, the airplane went out of control, veered off runway and collided with a rock pile. While all three occupants escaped uninjured, the aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire. The aircraft was owned by Fred Lewis and Fred Zax.
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Safety Profile
Reliability
Reliable
This rating is based on historical incident data and may not reflect current operational safety.
