On October 22, 1978, a Britten-Norman Islander (registration H4-AAC) operated by Solomon Airlines was involved in an aviation accident near Bellona, Solomon Islands in flight. 11 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The aircraft encountered uncontrollable flight conditions while navigating through a storm. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 1 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
A twin-engine aircraft crashed into the ocean near Bellona Island during a flight through stormy conditions, resulting in no survivors.
What happened
During a flight traveling from Rennell Island toward Bellona Island, a twin engine airplane encountered severe weather conditions. While the aircraft was in its cruise phase of flight, it became uncontrollable amidst heavy storms. The plane subsequently impacted the ocean surface in the waters near Bellona Island.
There were no distress signals transmitted by the crew prior to the impact. The accident resulted in 11 fatalities, with no survivors reported from the wreckage.
Findings
The aircraft was operating in stormy weather at the time of the incident.
The flight transitioned from a stable cruise into an uncontrolled descent.
The loss of control occurred while navigating through turbulent atmospheric conditions.
Probable cause
The aircraft encountered uncontrollable flight conditions while navigating through a storm.
An X-AIR HAWK ultralight crashed in Chonburi, Thailand, killing the pilot and injuring a passenger. The accident was caused by deteriorated wing fabric and…
A Challenger II Special ultralight aircraft (U-B23) landed off-runway at Pai Airport, Mae Hong Son, on September 17, 2024, due to a gust of wind. No injuries…
The Polish aviation safety authority is investigating a serious incident involving an AT-3R100 aircraft that occurred on September 2, 2024. The investigation…
A SZD-48-3 glider suffered damage when its left wing struck a ground obstacle during a low final approach at EPWK on June 20, 2025. The pilot was uninjured.
A 39-year-old skydiver died after a hard landing near Leszno on May 1, 2026. The PKBWL preliminary report indicates the fatal impact resulted from a late,…
A student pilot crashed an SZD-50-3 Puchacz glider into the airfield fence during a solo training flight on June 6, 2026. The pilot was uninjured, but the…