List of Accidents and Incidents Involving Commercial Aircraft - 1998

1998

• January 4 – A passenger dies after suffering a reaction to secondhand smoke on board Olympic Airways Flight 417, a Boeing 747, leading to regulations on smoking on aircraft.
• February 2 – Cebu Pacific Flight 387, a McDonnell-Douglas DC-9, crashes into a mountain near Mount Sumagaya in Misamis Oriental in the Philippines. The plane is flying an unfamiliar route not well documented in maps following an unscheduled stop in Leyte to drop off two mechanics. All 104 passengers and crew members are killed.
• February 16 – China Airlines Flight 676, an Airbus A300, crashes into a residential area while attempting to land in Taipei, Taiwan. All 196 people on board are killed, in addition to six on the ground.
• March 19 – In the 1998 Ariana Afghan Airlines crash, a Boeing 727 crashes into Sharki Baratayi Mountain while on approach to Kabul International Airport, killing all 45 on board.
• March 22 – Philippine Airlines Flight 137, an Airbus A320, overshoots the end of the runway while landing at Bacolod City in the Philippines, plowing through several houses. None of the passengers were harmed, but three people on the ground were killed and several more injured.
• April 20 – Air France Flight 422, a Boeing 727 leased from TAME Airlines, crashed into the mountains east of Bogotá, Colombia on takeoff from El Dorado International Airport of Bogotá in foggy weather. All 53 passengers and crew perish.
• May 26 – The 1998 MIAT Mongolian Airlines crash: a Harbin Y-12 crashes 13 minutes after takeoff from Erdenet Airport, Mongolia, killing all 28 passengers and crew.
• August 24 – Myanma Airways Flight 635, a Fokker F-27 Friendship, crashes while on approach to Tachilek Airport; all 36 on board die.
• September 2 – Swissair Flight 111, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11, crashes into the sea near Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada, because of an onboard fire. All 229 people on board perish.
• September 25 – PauknAir Flight 4101, a BAe 146, leaves Málaga but never reaches its destination in Melilla. All passengers and crew perish.
• September 29 – Lionair Flight 602, an Antonov An-24, is shot down by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and crashes off the coast of Jaffna, Sri Lanka, killing all 55 on board.
• October 10 – The 1998 Lignes Aériennes Congolaises crash occurs when rebels using a Strela 2 missile shoot down the Boeing 727, which crashes near Kindu, Democratic Republic of Congo, killing all 41 on board.
• December 11 – Thai Airways International Flight 261, an Airbus A310, crashes during poor weather near Surat Thani, Thailand. Of the 146 people on board, 102 are killed.