aviation safety Archives - Aviation Today

Two Pilots Killed In Firefighting Helicopter Crash During Yosemite Wildfire Operations

Aviation Today News Desk / September 22, 2026

California, United States: Two pilots were killed when a firefighting helicopter crashed while conducting water-bucket operations on the Dome Fire […]

Investigation

Royal Navy Inquiry Finds Crew Errors Led To 2024 Fatal Merlin Helicopter Ditching

Aviation Today News Desk / September 21, 2026

London, United Kingdom: A final Royal Navy Service Inquiry has found that a chain of mechanical, warning-system, crew-response and training-related

F-16, 149th Fighter Wing, Operation Northern Cactus, Alpena, Michigan, fighter jet crash, pilot ejection, US Air Force, military aviation, aircraft crash, aviation safety, Michigan crash

Aircraft Crashes

F-16 Crash In Michigan Leaves More Than 30 People Treated For Hydrazine Exposure

Aviation Today News Desk / September 20, 2026

Traverse City, United States: More than 30 people, mostly first responders, were treated for possible exposure to toxic hydrazine after

Aircraft Crashes

Student Pilot And Instructor Killed After Training Aircraft Crashes In Kajiado, Kenya

Aviation Today News Desk / September 19, 2026

Kajiado, Kenya: Two people, a student pilot and a flight instructor, were killed after a Kenya School of Flying light

Incidents

KLM Flight KL735 Returns To Amsterdam After Power Bank Catches Fire Mid-Air

Aviation Today News Desk / September 19, 2026

Amsterdam, Netherlands: A KLM Boeing 777-300ER operating flight KL735 from Amsterdam to Curaçao returned to Schiphol Airport on 17 September

Aircraft Crashes

Two Killed After Aircraft Crashes Shortly After Takeoff Near Dirt Airstrip In Alaska

Aviation Today News Desk / September 19, 2026

Nabesna, United States: A Piper PA-18 Super Cub crashed shortly after taking off from a dirt airstrip near Nabesna, Alaska,

Aircraft Crashes

Three Killed After Cirrus SR22T Crashes Into Mountain Slope In Switzerland

Aviation Today News Desk / September 17, 2026

Leukerbad, Switzerland: Three people were killed after a single-engine Cirrus SR22T crashed into a mountain slope near Leukerbad in Switzerland’s

Aircraft Crashes

Five Killed After Cessna T206 Crashes In Colombia Returning From Medical Mission

Aviation Today News Desk / September 17, 2026

Pueblo Rico, Colombia: Five people were killed after a Cessna T206 operated by the Patrulla Aérea Civil Colombiana (PAC) crashed

Incidents

Sepehran Airlines B737 Returns To Mashhad After Tyre Trouble And Reported Engine Issue

Aviation Today News Desk / September 16, 2026

Mashhad, Iran: A Sepehran Airlines Boeing 737 operating a domestic flight from Mashhad to Kermanshah, Iran, returned to Mashhad for

Erkelenz, Germany: Three people were killed when a Reims-Cessna F172P Skyhawk II crashed near Gerderath in Germany on 14 September 2026. The aircraft, registered PH-WMA, had departed Hilversum Airport in the Netherlands at about 10:25 local time and crashed on an agricultural field near Erkelenz at around 11:20. German police confirmed that all three people aboard died, with no survivors. The three people aboard were all Dutch nationals. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs identified them as a 58-year-old man from Amsterdam, a 23-year-old woman from Amsterdam and a 57-year-old man from the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân. Their names have not been publicly released by the authorities. The crash occurred near Gerderath, a district of Erkelenz in Heinsberg district, North Rhine-Westphalia, south of Mönchengladbach and close to the Dutch border. The aircraft came down on an agricultural field and was completely destroyed. Emergency crews found the wreckage near the edge of the field and trees. Police and firefighters secured the crash site while investigators were brought in to establish what happened. The aircraft was a four-seat Reims-Cessna F172P Skyhawk II, commonly identified as a Cessna 172, with registration PH-WMA. It was associated with Vliegschool Hilversum, a Dutch flight school, rather than an airline. Aircraft information from the school identifies PH-WMA as one of its Cessna 172 aircraft. The aircraft is registered to VSH MAPS B.V. The flight school's aircraft documentation identifies the type as a single-engine piston aircraft powered by a Lycoming O-320 engine, with 160 hp and a maximum take-off weight of 1,089 kg. These specifications are background information and have not been linked to the crash. The aircraft departed Hilversum Airport (EHHV) in the Netherlands at approximately 10:25–10:26 local time. Reports indicate that its planned destination was Freiburg im Breisgau in southern Germany. The aircraft crossed into Germany before the accident near Gerderath, roughly 150 km from Hilversum. However, authorities have not publicly confirmed the specific purpose of this particular flight. Before the crash, the pilot reportedly contacted the German flight-information service because of poor weather, but weather has not been established as the cause of the accident. Witness accounts also indicated that the aircraft appeared to be flying unusually low before the crash, although those observations remain unverified and are not an official finding. Flight-tracking information cited in reports provides a preliminary picture of the aircraft's final flight. After departing Hilversum, the aircraft made significant changes in speed and altitude before continuing towards Germany. Tracking data indicates that it later descended significantly and disappeared from tracking at approximately 11:17, shortly before the crash around 11:20. These tracking details are a reconstruction from available data and should not be treated as the investigators' final sequence of events. German police confirmed the deaths at the scene. A police spokesperson said: “The aircraft was occupied by three people. All three died in the crash.” Police said the exact circumstances and cause of the crash remained unclear as the investigation began. A large emergency response was mounted after the aircraft came down. Police, firefighters and Germany's Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) were involved at the crash site, while a Bundeswehr rescue helicopter also arrived and landed at the location. Emergency personnel secured the wreckage and the surrounding agricultural area before the aviation investigation began. Germany's Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) was brought in to examine the crash. Because the aircraft was Dutch-registered and had departed from the Netherlands, investigators from the Dutch Safety Board (Onderzoeksraad voor Veiligheid) also travelled to Germany at the request of the German authorities. The investigation is intended to establish the aircraft's final flight path, the circumstances before the loss of altitude and the reason for the crash. The aircraft operator, Vliegschool Hilversum, has suspended its flight operations following the accident. The school said it would cooperate fully with the investigation and would provide reliable information when it becomes available. The suspension means the school's aircraft operations will remain halted while investigators work to establish the circumstances of the accident. At this stage, no official cause has been established. Poor weather, the aircraft's altitude changes and witness reports of low flying are among the circumstances being examined, but none should be presented as the confirmed cause. Investigators will need to establish whether the accident resulted from a technical problem, operational circumstances, weather, pilot-related factors or a combination of factors.

Aircraft Crashes

Three Killed As Cessna F172P Crashes Near Erkelenz, Germany; Probe Underway

Aviation Today News Desk / September 15, 2026

Erkelenz, Germany: Three people were killed when a Reims-Cessna F172P Skyhawk II crashed near Gerderath in Germany on 14 September

aviation safety

Two Pilots Killed In Firefighting Helicopter Crash During Yosemite Wildfire Operations

Royal Navy Inquiry Finds Crew Errors Led To 2024 Fatal Merlin Helicopter Ditching

F-16 Crash In Michigan Leaves More Than 30 People Treated For Hydrazine Exposure

Student Pilot And Instructor Killed After Training Aircraft Crashes In Kajiado, Kenya

KLM Flight KL735 Returns To Amsterdam After Power Bank Catches Fire Mid-Air

Two Killed After Aircraft Crashes Shortly After Takeoff Near Dirt Airstrip In Alaska

Three Killed After Cirrus SR22T Crashes Into Mountain Slope In Switzerland

Five Killed After Cessna T206 Crashes In Colombia Returning From Medical Mission

Sepehran Airlines B737 Returns To Mashhad After Tyre Trouble And Reported Engine Issue

Three Killed As Cessna F172P Crashes Near Erkelenz, Germany; Probe Underway

Quick Links

Navigate

General Support

News Desk Support