September 25
1998
PauknAir Flight 4101
On 25 September 1998 PauknAir Flight 4101, a British Aerospace 146 regional jet flying from Málaga to the Spanish enclave of Melilla, descended below published approach minima in instrument conditions and struck rising terrain on the slopes of Mount Gurugu short of the runway. All 38 people on board were killed. The accident was later classified as a controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) and prompted renewed emphasis on approach procedures, crew resource management, and terrain‑awareness equipment. Read more
1978
Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182 mid‑air collision
On September 25, 1978, Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182, a Boeing 727 approaching San Diego’s Lindbergh Field, collided with a Cessna 172 training aircraft over the North Park neighborhood. The jet plunged into a residential street, killing all aboard both planes and seven people on the ground. The disaster and the NTSB investigation that followed exposed the limits of “see‑and‑avoid” separation in busy terminal airspace and helped push the industry toward airborne collision‑avoidance systems. Read more
1915
Second Battle of Champagne
On the morning of September 25, 1915, French Fourth and Fifth Armies launched a major offensive across the Champagne plain against German 3rd and 4th Armies. Intended as a coordinated autumn push alongside operations in Artois, the attack produced local penetrations but no strategic breakthrough. Over weeks of grinding assaults, artillery duels and counterattacks, the campaign inflicted heavy casualties on both sides and helped reshape artillery and infantry tactics in the years that followed. Read more
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1911
Explosion of the French battleship Liberté
On the morning of September 25, 1911, the pre-dreadnought battleship Liberté exploded at the Toulon naval basin. The blast — almost certainly caused by the spontaneous ignition of degraded Poudre B propellant in a forward magazine — destroyed the ship’s bow, killed and wounded hundreds, damaged nearby vessels and dockworks, and forced the French Navy to confront the hidden dangers of early smokeless powders.
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