LOT Polish Airlines Flight 703

On 2 November 1988, LOT Polish Airlines Flight 703, an Antonov An-24 operating a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Warsaw Okęcie Airport to Rzeszów Airport in Poland, crashed short of the runway after an attempted emergency landing following a dual engine failure. Of the 25 passengers and 4 crew members, 1 passenger was killed, while 12 people were injured. As of 2026 the accident remains the last crash involving the airline.

The investigation concluded that the flight crew's failure to activate the aircraft's de-icing system led to both engines failing. Following the accident, the airline accelerated the withdrawal of its fleet of An-24s and replaced them with the ATR 72.

Accident

On 2 November 1988, the aircraft was operating a scheduled domestic passenger from Warsaw Chopin Airport to Rzeszów–Jasionka Airport. On the day of the crash, weather conditions along the flight route included fog and dense low-ceilinged clouds, potentially complicating takeoff and landings. Before takeoff, Rzeszów–Jasionka Airport relayed that the weather had improved and that the flight could proceed. The aircraft took off at 09:30 a.m. from Warsaw Chopin Airport en route to Rzeszów–Jasionka Airport; the flight proceeded uneventfully. At 10:25 a.m., shortly before arrival in Jasionka, the aircraft's engines failed and could not be restarted. According to the captain, the left engine failed, followed by the right engine moments later, to which subsequent efforts partially restarted the right engine. The failure of the engines resulted in the loss of electrical power and communication with the ground. The aircraft began to rapidly descend. Unable to maneuvere with an emergency landing being their sole option, the captain decided to land on a field near the village of Białobrzegi that was long and relatively flat. The landing gear was unable to extend, so the captain, with the help of the first officer, attempted a gear-up landing on the field.

At 10:28 a.m., the aircraft touched down, slamming into the ground, short of its destination. The force of the impact ripped some seats off their mounts. After the impact, the plane continued advancing for several hundred meters, bouncing off the field and overflying drainage ditches, with parts of the aircraft and one of its engines detaching. After coming to a stop, the passengers and crew began evacuations. Leaking fuel resulted in a fire immediately breaking out. The cabin began filling with smoke; lights were rendered inoperable, and the exit was blocked by ripped-out seats. Although nearly all occupants managed to evacuate, a 69-year-old passenger remained trapped between crushed seats. The aircraft's fuel tanks then exploded. Of the 29 occupants, 28 survived, while the 69-year-old passenger was killed. Twelve people sustained injuries, five serious, while seven others sustained concussions. The 16 others did not suffer any injuries.

The accident was the airline's first plane crash since LOT Polish Airlines Flight 5055 on 9 May 1987, and As of 2026 is the last crash involving the airline.