Sydney Airport

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Accidents and incidents

• On 10 September 1920, Arthur Herbert Tattle of Wellington, New Zealand, was killed on the runway at Mascot when he was struck on the crown of his head by a plane taking off. He had come to see two friends take off on the plane and was standing on the runway in the flight path with a camera looking down at the viewfinder when he failed to notice the speed of the fast approaching plane, its height or the shouted warning from the pilot. He was driven to South Sydney Hospital where he died soon after from "a concussion of the brain". An inquiry into the incident returned a finding of "accidental death" and was reported to be the first inquest in New South Wales resulting from an aeroplane accident.
• On 19 July 1945 a Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express operated by the Royal Air Force bound for Manus Island failed to gain altitude after taking off from Sydney's now non-existent runway 22, struck trees and crashed into Muddy Creek, north of Brighton-Le-Sands. The aircraft exploded on impact, killing all 12 passengers and crew on board. All the victims were service personnel, five from the RAF, one from the Royal New Zealand Air Force and six from the Royal Navy.
• On 18 June 1950, a Douglas DC-3 of Ansett Airways taxiing for take-off from 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.
• 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.
• On 1 December 1969, a Boeing 707-320B of Pan Am registered N892PA and operating as 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. The aircraft came to rest beyond the end of runway 16. 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. The aircraft was destroyed in a 2011 accident.
• On 22 February 1970, a teenage boy from Randwick climbed into the wheel well of a Douglas DC-8 of Japan Air Lines operating as Flight 772. As the plane was taking off bound for Tokyo, he fell to his death with a photographer accidentally capturing the incident.
• On 29 January 1971, a Boeing 727 of Trans Australia Airlines and taking off as Flight 592, struck the tail of a taxiing Douglas DC-8 of Canadian Pacific Air Lines that had just landed as Flight 301. The DC-8 crew misinterpreted instructions on which exit to use after landing and backtracked along the runway instead of turning off it onto a taxiway; and the tower controller cleared the 727 for take-off in the mistaken belief that the runway was clear. The 727 crew saw the DC-8 during the take-off roll then proceeded with the take-off rather than take evasive measures. The 727 was damaged in the inboard right wing and the fuselage and lost pressure in one of its hydraulic systems but managed to return and land safely; a building on the ground was struck by parts of the 727's starboard landing gear doors that fell off as it approached to land. The upper eight-and-a-half feet of the DC-8's tail fin and a corresponding proportion of the rudder were torn off.
• On 4 April 1979, a hijacker attempted to take over a Boeing 747SP of Pan Am registered as N530PA and operating as Flight 816 parked at the airport. He managed to get past the immigration and security screening. He then grabbed a female hostage and made some demands. Police were able to fatally shoot him; he later died of his injuries.
• On 21 February 1980, a Beechcraft Super King Air registered VH-AAV and operating Advance Airlines Flight 4210 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 surrounding runway 16/34. All 13 people on board died in the accident.
• On 12 April 1989, a British Airways Concorde operating a charter from Christchurch to Sydney experienced vibrations near the top of climb while flying supersonic. The crew continued to Sydney believing they had experienced an engine surge. On landing, it was discovered that parts of the rudder had disintegrated in flight. The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch investigated the incident and found it was a result of poor maintenance practices weakening the structure.
• On 24 April 1994, a Douglas DC-3 registered 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 - pupils and teachers of Scots College and journalists, travelling to participate in Anzac Day commemorations on Norfolk Island - safely evacuated the aircraft. The investigation revealed that the aircraft was overloaded and the propeller was not fully feathered.
• On 19 October 1994, Ansett Australia Flight 881, a Boeing 747-300 registered VH-INH operating from Sydney to Osaka, returned and landed at Sydney without the nose wheel extended. Approximately one hour after departure the crew shut down the number one engine because of an oil leak. They returned the aircraft to Sydney where the approach proceeded normally until the landing gear was extended. The landing gear warning horn began to sound because the nose landing gear had not extended. The flight crew unsuccessfully attempted to establish the reason for the warning. Believing the gear to be down, the crew elected to complete the landing, with the result that the aircraft was landed with the nose gear retracted. There was no fire and the pilot in command decided not to initiate an emergency evacuation. All passengers and crew were evacuated safely.
• On 14 August 2023, a Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330-300 operating Flight MH122 from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur was forced to return to Sydney. An extremist onboard the plane was shouting at crew and passengers and also made threats. After landing the plane parked on one of the runways of Sydney airport, thereby blocking traffic. Police later boarded the plane and arrested the man.
• On 8 November 2024, a Boeing 737-800 operating Qantas Airways Flight 520 to Brisbane suffered an engine failure during take-off. Immediately following the incident, a large grass fire ignited adjacent to runway 34R, believed to be a result of components ejected from the engine. This triggered an emergency response, disrupting multiple flights. The aircraft returned and landed on runway 34L and taxied to the gate after being inspected by fire services. As of March 2025, the incident remained under investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

Second airport