Accidents and incidents involving the Airbus A320 family

For the entire A320 family, 118 aviation accidents and incidents have occurred (the last one being Afriqiyah Airways Flight 209 on 23 Dec 2016),^[1] including 35 hull loss accidents (the last one being EgyptAir Flight 804 on 19 May 2016),^[2] and a total of 1393 fatalities in 17 fatal accidents (the last one aboard EgyptAir Flight 804 on 19 May 2016).^[3]

The Airbus A320 family has seen fifty incidents where several flight displays were lost.^[4] Through 2015, the Airbus A320 family has experienced 0.12 fatal hull-loss accidents for every million takeoffs, and 0.26 total hull-loss accidents for every million takeoffs; one of the smallest fatality rates of any airliner.^[5]

Accidents and incidents

A319

• On 19 January 2003, Northwest Airlines Airbus A319-114 and registered as N313NB, was damaged by maintenance personnel at LaGuardia Airport being taxied from a maintenance area to the gate, striking the gate and a Boeing 757, collapsing the nosegear. The Airbus was damaged beyond repair and written off.^[6]
• On 10 May 2005, a Northwest Airlines DC-9 collided on the ground with a Northwest Airlines Airbus A319 that had just pushed back from the gate at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. The DC-9 suffered a malfunction in one of its hydraulic systems in flight. After landing, the captain shut down one of the plane's engines, inadvertently disabling the remaining working hydraulic system. Six people were injured and both planes were substantially damaged.^[7]
• On 12 August 2010, Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 75, using an Airbus A319-111 and registered as 4K-AZ04, suffered a collapse of the undercarriage when the aircraft departed the runway on landing at Atatürk International Airport, Istanbul, Turkey. The aircraft was substantially damaged but all 127 passengers and crew escaped unharmed.^[8]
• On 24 September 2010, Wind Jet Flight 243, using an Airbus A319-132 and registered as EI-EDM, landed short of the runway and broke an undercarriage when the aircraft attempted landing at Palermo Airport, Italy. Preliminary reports name windshear as one possible cause for the accident. The aircraft stopped in the grass out of the runway but was seriously damaged and was written off. 34 passengers suffered minor injuries.^[9]
• On 24 May 2013, British Airways Flight 762, using an Airbus A319-131 and registered as G-EUOE, returned to London Heathrow Airport after fan cowl doors detached from both engines shortly after take off. During the approach a fire broke out in the right engine and persisted after the engine was shut down. The aircraft landed safely with no injuries to the 80 people on board. A preliminary accident report revealed that the cowlings had been left unlatched following overnight maintenance. The separation of the doors caused airframe damage and the right hand engine fire resulted from a ruptured fuel pipe.^[10]

A320

1980s

• On 26 June 1988, Air France Flight 296, using a recently introduced Airbus A320-111, crashed beyond the runway on a demonstration flight at Mulhouse-Habsheim Airport, France. Three passengers (out of 136 on board) were killed.

1990s

• On 14 February 1990, Indian Airlines Flight 605, using an Airbus A320-231, carrying 146 people, crashed on its final approach to the HAL Airport, Bangalore. 88 passengers and four crew members were killed.
• On 20 January 1992, Air Inter Flight 148, using an Airbus A320-111, crashed into a high ridge near Mount Sainte-Odile in the Vosges mountains while on final approach to Strasbourg at the end of a scheduled flight from Lyon. This accident resulted in the deaths of 87 of the aircraft's occupants (six crew members, 90 passengers).
• On 14 September 1993, Lufthansa Flight 2904, using an Airbus A320-211, coming from Frankfurt am Main with 70 people, crashed into an earth wall at the end of the runway at Warsaw. A fire started in the left wing area and penetrated into the passenger cabin. The training captain and a passenger died.
• On 22 March 1998, Philippine Airlines Flight 137, using an Airbus A320-214, crashed and overran the runway of Bacolod City Domestic Airport, RPVB, in Bacolod, Philippines, plowing through homes near it. None of the passengers or crew died, but many were injured and three on the ground were killed.

2000s

• On 23 August 2000, Gulf Air Flight 072, using an Airbus A320-212, crashed into the Persian Gulf on a go-around during a night visual approach to Bahrain Airport. All 143 passengers and crew on board lost their lives.
• On 7 February 2001, Iberia Flight 1456, using an Airbus A320-214, carrying 143 people, crashed on landing at Bilbao Airport in heavy low level turbulence and gusts. All occupants survived; aircraft had to be scrapped.^[11]
• On 21 September 2005, JetBlue Flight 292, using an Airbus A320-232, executed an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) after the nose wheels jammed in an abnormal position. No one was injured.
• On 3 May 2006, Armavia Flight 967, using an Airbus A320-211, crashed into the Black Sea while attempting to conduct a go-around following its first approach to Sochi Airport, Russia. All 113 passengers and crew on board lost their lives. The accident was a Pilot error / Controlled flight into terrain accident.^[12]
• On 17 July 2007, TAM Airlines Flight 3054, using an Airbus A320-233, was not able to stop while landing at Congonhas International Airport in São Paulo, Brazil. One engine thrust reverser had been deactivated. As of 2009, the accident was caused by pilot error (by positioning the left throttle into reverse with the right engine throttle being in the climb power setting) and by bad weather (this was possibly exaggerated by the lack of effective drainage grooving on the runway). All 187 passengers and crew died with 12 fatalities on the ground, the ground fatalities mainly from the TAM headquarters and the petrol station at the end of the runway, totaling 199 people. This crash is the deadliest accident involving the A320.^[13]
• On 26 October 2007, Philippine Airlines Flight 475, using an Airbus A320-214, from Butuan City, overshot the runway in Bancasi Airport with 148 passengers, injured 19.^[14]
• On 30 May 2008, TACA Flight 390, using an Airbus A320-233, from San Salvador, overran the runway after landing at Toncontín International Airport in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in bad weather conditions. There were five fatalities including two on the ground.^[15]
• On 27 November 2008, XL Airways Germany Flight 888T, a test flight of an A320-232 stalled in a low speed test and control could not be regained, causing the aircraft to crash into the sea off the southern French coast. The aircraft was on lease by XL Airways and scheduled to be returned to Air New Zealand. All seven people aboard died.^[16][17][18]

US Airways Flight 1549, ditched in the Hudson River in 2009 with all passengers surviving

• On 15 January 2009, US Airways Flight 1549, using an Airbus A320-214, en route from New York City LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte, North Carolina, ditched into the Hudson River seven minutes after takeoff. The plane was piloted by Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger. All 150 passengers and five crew survived, with only five serious injuries. The accident was due to a collision with a flock of Canada geese, which disabled both engines.^[19] The entire airframe, including the wings, has been preserved at the Carolinas Aviation Museum and is now on display. This was also the first ditching of an A320.

2010s

• On 29 August 2011, Gulf Air Flight 270, using an Airbus A320-214, from Bahrain to Cochin carrying 143 people, skidded off the runway on landing due to pilot error.^[20] The weather was poor with heavy rain and strong winds. The aircraft was badly damaged and seven passengers were injured. Some people were reported to have jumped from an emergency exit when the evacuation slide failed to deploy.^[21][22]
• On 20 September 2012, Syrian Air Flight 501, using an Airbus A320-232, collided in mid-air with a military helicopter. The A320 lost half its vertical stabilizer but landed safely; the helicopter crashed, killing three of its occupants.
• On 2 June 2013, Cebu Pacific Flight 971, using Airbus A320-214, registered (RP-C3266) was onboarding from Manila to Davao. After approach Davao, a landing gear no.1 was heavily damaged. Of the 165 passengers and 6 crew on board, all survived. ^[23]
• On 14 March 2014, US Airways Flight 1702, flown by an Airbus A320-214 registered N113UW, attempted to take off from Philadelphia, PA, on a flight to Fort Lauderdale, FL, but was unable to take off normally and struck its tail on the runway. After reaching 20 feet off the ground, the pilots rejected takeoff, causing the nose gear to collapse when touching back down on the runway. No one was injured, but the plane was damaged beyond repair.^[24] Take-off was aborted because the pilot was confused by warning messages, which resulted from incorrect cockpit data inputs while taxiing.
• On 28 December 2014, Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501, using an Airbus A320-216, from Juanda International Airport, Surabaya to Changi International Airport, Singapore, crashed into the Java Sea between the islands of Belitung and Borneo, killing all 162 on board. The cause was initially a malfunction in two of the plane’s rudder travel limiter units which caused the plane to stall while encountering a thunderstorm. The crew ignored the recommended procedure to deal with the problem and disengaged the autopilot which contributed to the subsequent loss of control. Investigators have stated that the condition of the FAC (Flight Augmentation Control) on the flight "was persistent enough" for the captain to do such actions
• On 24 March 2015, Germanwings Flight 9525, using an Airbus A320-211, flying from Barcelona to Düsseldorf crashed near Digne in the Southern French Alps, killing all 150 on board.^[25] The crash was deliberately caused by the co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, who had previously been treated for suicidal tendencies and been declared "unfit to work" by a doctor.^[26]
• On 29 March 2015, Air Canada Flight 624, using an Airbus A320-211, flying from Toronto to Halifax carrying 138 people crash landed short of the runway hitting a power pole and an antenna array, the aircraft regained flight momentum before slamming down on to the end of the runway at Halifax Stanfield International Airport where the landing gear collapsed. The weather was poor with heavy snow and low visibility. The aircraft was badly damaged and 23 people suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Wind-shear during final approach might have been the cause.
• On 14 April 2015, Asiana Airlines Flight 162, an Airbus A320-232 (registration HL7762) with 82 people on board, lost height on final approach to Hiroshima Airport in Mihara, Japan, struck an instrument landing system localizer antenna, and skidded onto the runway on its tail, spinning 180 degress before coming to a stop. Its main landing gear collapsed and the aircraft suffered damage to its left wing and left engine. No one was killed, but 27 of the 82 people on board were injured, of which one serious. The aircraft was flying from Seoul, Incheon International Airport in South Korea^[27][28]
• On 25 April 2015, Turkish Airlines Flight 1878, operated by A320-232, TC-JPE was severely damaged in a landing accident at Ataturk International Airport, Istanbul. The aircraft aborted the first hard landing, which inflicted engine and gear damage. On the 2nd attempt at landing, the right gear collapsed and the aircraft rolled off the runway spinning 180 degrees. All on board evacuated without injury.^[29]
• On 29 March 2016, EgyptAir Flight 181, operated by Airbus A320-232 SU-GCB was hijacked whilst on a Flight from Borg El Arab Airport, Alexandria to Cairo International Airport. The aircraft landed at Larnaca International Airport, Cyprus.^[30]
• On 19 May 2016, EgyptAir Flight 804, operated by A320-232 SU-GCC,^[31] crashed into the Mediterranean 20 minutes before its scheduled arrival at Cairo International Airport from Charles de Gaulle Airport.
• On 23 December 2016, Afriqiyah Airways Flight 209, operated by A320-214 5A-ONB was hijacked whilst on a flight from Sebha Airport to Tripoli International Airport and diverted to Malta International Airport

A321

• On 21 March 2003, TransAsia Airways Flight 543, an Airbus A321 on a flight from Taipei Songshan Airport, collided with a truck on the runway while landing at Tainan Airport. The 175 passengers and crew were evacuated unharmed but the two people in the truck were injured. The aircraft was severely damaged and was written off.^[32]
• On 28 July 2010, Airblue Flight 202, an Airbus A321 flying from Karachi to Islamabad, crashed in the Margalla Hills, Islamabad, Pakistan. The weather was poor with low visibility. During a non-standard self-created approach below the minimum descent altitude the aircraft crashed into the ground after the captain ignored 21 cockpit warnings to pull-up. 146 passengers and six crew were on board the aircraft. There were no survivors.^[33] The commander, Pervez Iqbal Chaudry, was one of Airblue's most senior pilots with more than 35 years experience. The accident was the first fatal accident involving the A321.^[34]
• On 5 November 2014, Lufthansa Flight 1829, an Airbus A321 was flying from Bilbao to Munich when the aircraft, while on autopilot, lowered the nose into a descent reaching 4000 fpm. The uncommanded pitch-down was caused by two angle of attack sensors that were jammed in their positions, causing the fly by wire protection to believe the aircraft entered a stall while it climbed through FL310. The Alpha Protection activated, forcing the aircraft to pitch down, which could not be corrected even by full stick input. The crew disconnected the related Air Data Units and were able to recover the aircraft.^[35] The event was also reported in the German press several days before the Germanwings crash.^[36] The German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) reported on the incident on 17 March 2015 in a Bulletin publishing the flight data recorder and pitch control data in English and German. As a result of this incident an Airworthiness Directive made mandatory the Aircraft Flight Manual amended by the procedure the manufacturer had described in the FOT and the OEB and a subsequent information of flight crews prior to the next flight. EASA issued a similar Airworthiness Directive for the aircraft types A330/340.^[37][38]
• On 31 October 2015, Metrojet Flight 9268, an Airbus A321-231 belonging to a small Russian airline company called Kogalymavia (branded as Metrojet), crashed in the Hasana area of central Sinai, Egypt on its way from Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt to St. Petersburg, Russia. There were 224 people on board (217 passengers and 7 crew). No one survived. The flight disappeared from radar 23^[39] minutes after take-off. ADS-B-tracking of the A321 onboard flight sensors by Flightradar24 indicates that the flight was at 31,000 feet before a rapid descent. Newer reports say it broke up in midair,^[40][41] and that ISIL has claimed that it brought down the aircraft.^[42]
• On 2 February 2016, Daallo Airlines Flight 159, an Airbus A321-111 flying from Mogadishu to Djibouti, suffered an in-flight explosion five minutes after takeoff, injuring two passengers; the explosion blew a hole in the fuselage, causing a passenger to fall out of the plane; the passenger's severely burnt body was found on the ground in the village of Dhiiqaaley near Balad, Somalia. The aircraft returned to Mogadishu and was able to land safely.

References