This is a list of plane crashes in 2009, from January to December.
In 2009, the prototype Brändli Cherry, HB-YBX crashed after take-off from Sundsvall-Härnösand Airport in Sweden, killing both Dani Gerwer and its designer, Max Brändli.
January On January 3, 2009, American Airlines Flight 924, a Boeing 737-800, took off from José Maria Córdova Airport and had to make an emergency landing due to fire in one of its engines. Upon landing, the pilot was forced to use maximum braking, causing the brakes to overheat and one of the tires to explode. The airport was closed for four hours, but none of the 148 passengers on board were injured in the crash. On 4 January 2009, a Basler BT-67 C-GEAJ of Antarctic Logistics Centre International crashed on landing at Tony Camp, Antarctica () after a flight from Novolazarevskaya Station. On January 7, 2009, a Boeing 737-200 (registered YV1360), flying from Oranjestad to Valencia, made an emergency landing after an engine fire was reported. The aircraft diverted to Simón Bolívar International Airport where the aircraft landed safely. All 81 occupants on board were uninjured. January 8, 2009 - A Beechcraft Bonanza (BE36-A36) landed with its gear up causing runway 29/11 to be closed for about an hour. The pilot was the only person aboard and was not injured. The runway closure caused a SkyWest flight from San Francisco to divert to Southern California. On 14 January 2009, an Afghan Air Force Mi-17 crashed in Herat while en route to Farah province. All 13 on board were killed, including Maj. Gen. Fazl Ahmad Sayar, one of Afghanistan's four regional commanders. On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549, an Airbus A320 departing for Charlotte/Douglas International Airport ditched in the Hudson River after losing both engines as a result of multiple bird strikes at an altitude of ; all 150 passengers and 5 crew members successfully evacuated. On 15 January 2009, 4 people died when two Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft collided and caught fire. 17 January – A Eurocopter AS 532 of the French Navy crashes shortly after take-off from the amphibious assault ship Foudre off the coast of Gabon. Eight of the ten people on board are killed. On January 27, 2009, Empire Airlines Flight 8284, an ATR 42 under contract from FedEx Express, crashed on landing at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport at 04:37 CT. The plane, which had been traveling from Fort Worth Alliance Airport, landed short of the touchdown zone and skidded off the runway amid light freezing rain. There was a small fire on the plane and two crew members were taken to hospital with minor injuries. On January 27, 2009, a Cessna Citation V operated by the Tyrol Air Ambulance with registration OE-GAA had a wheels-up landing at Tolmachevo."Accident Cessna 560 Citation V OE-GAA, Tuesday 27 January 2009" https://aviation-safety.net/asndb/321572 On 28 January 2009, a Ghana International Airlines Boeing 757 operating from Accra to London Gatwick, United Kingdom, with 96 passengers and nine crew reported anomalies with the control systems when climbing out of Accra. The crew declared a mayday and made a safe return to Accra International Airport where the remains of a beetle-like creature were discovered to be obstructing the left pitot system. On January 28, 2009, a single-engine SIAI-Marchetti SF.260 lost power following takeoff and attempted to return to the airport. The aircraft struck the ground on the north side of runway 21 and caught fire, killing pilot Paulo Emanuele, general manager of Airliners.net, and passenger Martin Schaedel, an Internet entrepreneur. Investigators determined a probable cause was the pilot's failure to select the proper fuel tank for takeoff, which resulted in a loss of engine power.
February On 4 February 2009, a Douglas DC-3-65/AR N834TP of the National Test Pilot School was substantially damaged in a take-off accident at Mojave Air and Space Port, Mojave, California. Both sets of undercarriage and the port engine were ripped off. The aircraft was on a local training flight. The accident was caused by an incorrectly set rudder trim. On February 6, 2009, a Piper Warrior II was damaged during a hard landing at the Melbourne Orlando International Airport. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the student pilot's inadequate crosswind landing technique and the certified flight instructor's delayed remedial action, which resulted in a hard landing. On 7 February 2009: an EMB 110, operated by Manaus Aerotáxi, registration PT-SEA, flying a domestic route in Brazil from Coari to Manaus (Amazonas) struggled in bad weather conditions and crashed from Manaus killing 24 passengers. 4 survivors were reported. On February 12, 2009, Colgan Air Flight 3407, a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 operating under contract with Continental Connection, crashed into a home on Long Street in Clarence Center. The flight from Newark Liberty International Airport was only approximately away from the airport when it crashed. All 49 passengers and crew members on board the aircraft died in the incident, along with one person on the ground. Two others who were in the home at the time of the accident escaped alive. Minutes before the accident, the crew had reported "significant ice buildup" on the wings and the windshield, and an NTSB official said that the aircraft had experienced "severe pitch-and-roll excursions" 40 seconds prior to the crash. This was the first fatal accident of an airliner on US soil in almost three years after the crash of Comair Flight 5191. The crash was attributed to an aerodynamic stall caused by the crew's failure to monitor their airspeed. On February 13, 2009, Cebu Pacific Flight 651 arriving from Manila, performed by an Airbus A319, suffered a bird strike upon landing at Tacloban, damaging the engine blades. Though the aircraft landed safely, its return flight was cancelled. On 13 February 2009, BA Cityflyer Flight 8456 (an Avro RJ100, registered G-BXAR, flying from Amsterdam) suffered a nose-gear collapse whilst landing at London City Airport. None of the 67 passengers or five crew members were seriously injured in the incident, but three passengers suffered minor injuries, two of whom were kept in hospital overnight. After a normal approach the nose landing-gear fractured as it was lowered onto the runway, due to the presence of a fatigue-crack in the upper internal bore of the landing-gear main fitting. It was found that the crack had formed as a result of poor surface finish during manufacture, and the incomplete embodiment of a manufacturer's service bulletin, which the landing-gear maintenance records showed as being implemented at its last overhaul in June 2006. The aircraft was damaged beyond economic repair, and was written off by insurers in May 2009. On February 15, 2009, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan (registered YV1950) overran the runway at Guasdualito Airport following a domestic flight from Las Flecheras Airport. The airplane sustained damage to the propeller and the underside of the fuselage. On 18 February 2009, a Basler BT-67 (registration PNC-0211) of the Colombian National Police was destroyed by the accidental detonation of a number of hand grenades. Eight people were injured, four of them seriously. The aircraft was due to fly 25 police officers to El Caraño Airport, Quibdó. On 20 February 2009, an Aerolift Antonov An-12 crashed upon take-off at Luxor International Airport, Egypt due to an engine fire, killing all five crew members on board. On February 22, 2009, a Golden Rule Airways An-2 carrying cargo and crew was damaged beyond repair after it crashed in a field due to loss of engine power. There were no fatalities. On February 23, 2009, an Algerian Air Force C-130 crashed, details not known.
March On 4 March 2009, a man who did not hold a pilot's certificate took off in a Beechcraft Bonanza A36, N5470V, and crashed in a wooded area about from Athens Municipal Airport, suffering minor injuries and severely damaging the aircraft. A ground witness saw the man enter the aircraft; believing the entry was not authorized, he telephoned the aircraft owner, who notified police. The accident pilot was in turn arrested by police when he returned to the airport to retrieve his car. The NTSB attributed the accident to the non-certificated pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control. On March 9, 2009, Bangladesh Army aviation unit Bell 206L flown by pilot Lt Col MD Shahidul Islam and co-pilot Major Saif crashed at Rouha in Kalihati sub-district. The helicopter was carrying General Officer Commanding of 55th Infantry Division and Jessore Area Commander Maj Gen Rafiqul Islam. Maj Gen Islam and pilot Lt Col Islam died in the crash while co-pilot Major Saif sustained serious injuries. On March 9, 2009 Aerolift Ilyushin Il-76 S9-SAB crashed into Lake Victoria just after takeoff from Entebbe Airport, Uganda, killing all 11 people on board. Two of the engines had caught fire on take-off. The aircraft had been chartered by DynCorp on behalf of AMISOM. The accident was investigated by Uganda's Ministry of Transport, which concluded that all four engines were time-expired and that Aerolift's claim that maintenance had been performed which extended their service live and that the work had been certified could not be substantiated. On 12 March, a Sikorsky S-92 suffers a mechanical failure and ditches in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. Seventeen of the 18 people on board are killed. On March 17, 2009, at 3:00pm a Piper Comanche (PA-24) missed the runway on landing, apparently catching a wind gust. The wind caused the aircraft to veer off the runway, down a grass side embankment and through a fence. The incident caused the runway to be closed for 10 to 15 minutes but no aircraft were delayed. The one occupant of the aircraft, the pilot, was not injured. On 20 March 2009, Emirates Flight 407, an Airbus A340-500 registered as A6-ERG, failed to take off properly from Melbourne Airport, hitting several structures at the end of the runway before eventually climbing enough to return to the airport for a safe landing. There were no injuries, but the occurrence was severe enough to be classified an accident by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. The plane was subsequently repaired, and returned to service for five years before it was scrapped. On March 22, 2009, a Pilatus PC-12 flying in from Oroville, California, crashed in Holy Cross Cemetery 500 feet from Bart Mooney Airport, killing all 14 passengers and crew on board.Plane crash kills 3 families with young children on way to vacation"At Least 14 Dead in Montana Crash", The New York Times, 2009-03-22. Accessed 2009-03-23. On 23 March, FedEx Express Flight 80, an MD-11 aircraft from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, China, crashed on Runway 16R/34L during landing, killing both the pilot and co-pilot. Runway 16R/34L, which is required for long-distance flights and heavier aircraft, was closed for a full day due to necessary investigations, repairs and removal of wreckage. This was the first fatal airplane crash to occur at the airport since its opening in 1978. On 25 March, a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger crashes into Mount Keş, Turkey, killing all six people on board.
April In April 2009, a Cirrus SR22 crashed after takeoff from the Cuyahoga County Airport. On 1 April 2009, a Eurocopter AS332L2 Super Puma Mk 2 of Bond Offshore Helicopters suffers a mechanical failure and crashes into the North Sea off the coast of Aberdeenshire. All 16 people on board are killed.