Noteworthy accidents that have occured at YSSY?

[Jack B]

I'd be interested to hear of any noteworthy accidents/incidents that have occured at SYD over the years - many of which may largely have been forgotten

What comes to mind for me:

Early 1960s - Ansett-ANA Viscount crash into Botany Bay
1969 - Pan Am 707 aborted take off and runway over run
1971 - TAA/CP air collision
1971 - Pan Am 747 over run (http://www.atsb.gov.au/media/24595/197101852.pdf) - check out how far they touched down on 25!

[Nigel C]

China Eastern A340's handbrake turn on 16R after hydraulic issues. 1st November 2000.

There was also the DC-3 VH-EDC that ditched into Botany Bay 24 April 1994.

Kingair VH-AAV crashed south western end of what is now Rwy 34L tragically killing all 13 on board 21st February 1980.

I'm sure there are many, many more.

[Brian Wilkes]

Dont forget about the Ansett 747-300 nose wheel

[Raymond Rowe]

December 1974 an Ansett 727 sheared the undercarriage trunion on taxing into the terminal and blocked the runway for a full day.Ultimate order was given get it moved or it would be moved by low loader.

[Noel White]

PanAm B747 landed long on RW 25, ran off the paved area at the end and got bogged just a few feet short of the southern sewer out fall pipeline. Was there for a few days until it could be towed back onto the runway hard stand.

Another incident involved a PanAm B747SP from Melbourne that landed hard of RW 07 and forced the port outer undercarriage leg up through the wing and protruded out of top of the upper wing skin. Was able to taxy all the way to the ITB dragging the smoking twisted wheel assembly before an Qantas ground engineer was able to waved the pilot to stop short of the aerobridge. Similar incident to a Continental B747 that landed hard on RW16, turned onto the taxiway and could not proceed due to the damaged outer wheels.

[NeilP]

Didn't we lose a Westwind off Cape Banks shortly after take-off some 15-20 yrs ago?...

[Hugh Jarse]

That was as a result of flight on simulated limited panel with one of the "remaining" instruments being faulty.

[Grahame Hutchison]

Interesting topic to research, this is the material I have been looking through so far.

Ansett B747 Accident Youtube

Ansett B747 Accident - Aviation Safety Network

United B747 Undercarriage Accident

TAA B727 & Canadian Pacific DC8-63 Accident

Clipper Star King 1969 Boeing 707-321B(N892PA)
Location: Sydney Australia - Kingsford-Smith International
No Fatalities
Attempted an aborted take-off after striking birds at about V1. The aircraft over ran Runway 34, tore off the nose and left main gears and broke away Number 2 engine. The investigation also revealed that the aircraft was overloaded.

DCA Investigation into N892PA Accident

From Pprune ...

There was no damaged to either airliner involved in a late 80s or early 90s incident at Sydney where a Cathay Pacific 747 that was in the process of taking off had an empty 747 towed across the runway ahead it it. The CX jet was rotated early, sort of hopped over the other jet, which I think was a Qantas 747, settled toward or even onto the runway beyond, and then continued its somewhat spectacular takeoff to Hong Kong.
If memory is correct, a few years later, I think in the early 90s, there was a triple near miss involving a Thai DC-10, an Ansett A320 and a Qantas 747. The Thai jet had been landing from the south and been told to hold short of the intersection of the (then) two runways. The Ansett A320 had priority in landing from the NE on the east-west runway, and the Qantas 747 was holding near the intersection with a full load. When the Ansett pilots realised the Thai jet wasn’t going to stop where instructed they began a go around. They missed the protruding nose of the Thai jet by about 20 feet. Had they hit it given the proximity of the Qantas jet, there was a serious risk of a disaster that would have engulfed three jets and around 700 passengers. In a story in The Bulletin a Qantas source was quoted as saying that the pilots had advised the cabin crew to prepare for a full evacuation as they feared a collision could occur.

From Wikipedia ..

VH-AAV was the registration of a Beech King Air 200 aircraft which crashed at Sydney Airport on 21 February 1980, killing all 13 people on board. The accident caused the greatest number of fatalities in a civil aircraft crash in Australia since MacRobertson Miller Airlines Flight 1750, a Vickers Viscount that crashed near Port Hedland in Western Australia on 31 December 1968 killing all 26 on board.[1]
After taking off on runway 25 for a scheduled flight to Temora, New South Wales, the aircraft's port engine failed and the pilot requested an emergency landing on runway 34. The plane crashed into the sea wall while attempting the emergency landing. The pilot and all 12 passengers on board were killed.
A board of inquiry, headed by Sir Sydney Frost, found in 1983 that the accident was caused by the presence of water in the fuel tank, leading to the engine failure, and pilot error. The inquiry recommended that commercial aircraft operating in Australia with more than nine passengers should be operated by two pilots.

From Wikipedia ...

• On 18 June 1950 a Douglas DC-3 of Ansett Airways taxiing for take-off from Sydney's now non-existent runway 22 for a night-time passenger flight to Brisbane, hit and partially derailed a coal train travelling on the railway line that crossed the runway. Only the co-pilot was injured.[42]

• On 30 November 1961, Ansett-ANA Flight 325, a Vickers Viscount, crashed into Botany Bay shortly after take-off. The starboard wing failed after the aircraft flew into a thunderstorm. All 15 people on board were killed.[43]

• On 1 December 1969, Boeing 707-321B N892PA of Pan Am Flight 812 overran the runway during take-off due to bird strikes. The accident investigation established that the aircraft struck a flock of seagulls, with a minimum of 11 individual bird strikes to the leading edges of the wings and engines 1, 2, and 3. In particular, blade 14 of number 2 engine was damaged by a single bird carcass and lost power before the decision to abandon the take-off (which occurred at or near V1). The aircraft came to rest 560 ft (170 m) beyond the end of runway 34 (now runway 34L). During the crash, number 2 engine hit the ground and was damaged. The nose and left main landing gears failed and the aircraft came to rest supported by engines 1 and 2, the nose, and the remainder of the main landing gear. There were no injuries or fatalities amongst the 125 passengers and 11 crew. The accident investigation concluded that the overrun was not inevitable.[44]

• On 21 February 1980, VH-AAV, a Beechcraft Super King Air took off from Sydney Airport and suffered an engine failure. The pilot flew the aircraft back to the Airport and attempted to land but crashed into the sea wall. All 13 people on board died in the accident.

• On 24 April 1994, Douglas DC-3 VH-EDC of South Pacific Airmotive had an engine malfunction shortly after take-off on a charter flight to Norfolk Island. The engine was feathered but airspeed decayed and it was found to be impossible to maintain height. A successful ditching was carried out into Botany Bay. All four crew and 21 passengers safely evacuated the aircraft. The investigation revealed that the propeller was not fully feathered.

Rex Saab 340 Smoke Event - http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2011/aair/ao-2011-149.aspx

From Wikipedia ...

On 30 November 1961 a Vickers Viscount aircraft departed from Sydney, Australia late in the afternoon for a flight of 128 nautical miles (236 km) to Canberra. There were thunderstorms to the north and south of the airport. From about 9 minutes after takeoff the crew of Ansett-ANA Flight 325 did not respond to radio calls. The Flight did not arrive at its destination and authorities received no report of a crash. Throughout the night no-one knew the fate of the aircraft or its occupants.
The next day wreckage and a fuel slick were found on the surface of Botany Bay. The aircraft had been drawn into a thunderstorm and subjected to extreme turbulence. It had broken up and crashed into Botany Bay, less than 3 statute miles from where it took off. All fifteen occupants died.[1][2][3] The loss of Ansett-ANA Flight 325 was the first fatal accident suffered by Ansett since commencement of operations as Ansett Airways Pty Ltd in 1935.[4]

[Nigel C]

The latest fatality of a flight originating from Sydney was a Metro departing during curfew on the 9th April 2008. VH-OZA departed just after curfew and the pilot reported a 'slight technical fault'. It was a night I'll never forget.
http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/...-2008-026.aspx


There was also an Ansett B767 whose nose gear was retracted at Bay 40 during curfew.

And there was the Korean Air MD-11F that sat on its tail on the freight bays.

[Fred C]

Didn't a DC3 with a group of schoolboys on board ditch shortly after takeoff? Can't remember when or the rego.