Taking a flight is remarkably safe thanks to stringent regulations and incredible engineering. Yet when disasters happen, theyoften claim many lives due to an airplane‘s sheer size. To honor the victims and learn from mistakes, we review history‘s most catastrophic crashes.
10. Turkish Airlines Flight 981 – 346 Fatalities
Date: March 3, 1974
Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas DC-10
Operator: Turkish Airlines
Fatalities: 346 (335 passengers, 11 crew)
Turkish Airlines Flight 981 crashed in a forest near Paris during takeoff after a faulty cargo door latch caused explosive decompression. The incident revealed a design flaw prompting an intense review of DC-10 safety by the FAA. New regulations vastly improved latch redundancy and testing.
9. American Airlines Flight 191 – 271 Fatalities
Date: May 25, 1979
Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas DC-10
Operator: American Airlines
Fatalities: 271 (258 passengers, 13 crew)
Moments after takeoff, Flight 191‘s left engine detached causing catastrophic hydraulic and control damage. The crew navigated back toward the airport but the plane crashed just short of the runway. Investigators found serious maintenance errors exacerbated design shortcomings of the engine pylon attachments unique to the DC-10. Mandatory pylon inspections and component redesigns followed.
8. Saudia Arabian Airlines Flight 163 – 301 Fatalities
Date: August 19, 1980
Aircraft: Lockheed L-1011 TriStar
Operator: Saudia Airlines
Fatalities: 301 (287 passengers, 14 crew)
While taking off from Riyadh, an electrical fire broke out and rapidly consumed Flight 163 after it returned to the airport. All aboard perished from smoke inhalation before rescuers could reach them – the deadliest non-crash airline disaster ever. The tragedy highlighted the intense dangers of in-flight fires and brought about major cabin fire suppression regulation changes and crew training improvements.
7. Iran Air Flight 655 – 290 Fatalities
Date: July 3, 1988
Aircraft: Airbus A300B2
Operator: Iran Air
Fatalities: 290 (274 passengers, 16 crew)
Iran Air‘s Flight 655 was mistakenly targeted by a U.S. Navy guided missile cruiser as a fighter jet, resulting in a catastrophic explosion. Politics impeded admitting the grave error until years later. The geopolitical context proved complex, but ultimately better sea and air coordination practices emerged from investigating the heartbreaking loss of 290 innocent lives.
6. American Airlines Flight 587 – 265 Fatalities
Date: November 12, 2001
Aircraft: Airbus A300-600
Operator: American Airlines
Fatalities: 265 (251 passengers, 9 crew + 5 ground injuries)
The second deadliest aviation accident on U.S. soil occurred just 2 months after 9/11 when Flight 587 lost its tail fin and plummeted into a Queens neighborhood minutes after takeoff. Improper rudder inputs by the co-pilot during wake turbulence exacerbated preexisting composite tail defects. The investigation lead to major manufacturing quality control improvements and updated pilot training programs – especially regarding wake turbulence recovery techniques.
5. Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 – 298 Fatalities
Date: July 17, 2014
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200ER
Operator: Malaysia Airlines
Fatalities: 298 (283 passengers, 15 crew)
While flying over Ukraine, a guided missile struck Flight 17 leading to an immediate breakup and crash. The complex geopolitical context implicated pro-Russian separatists fighting Ukraine government forces. However, it took years before an international legal reckoning held specific Russian military officials liable for deciding to transport and launch the missile devastating Flight 17 and ending 298 innocent lives.
4. Japan Airlines Flight 123 – 520 Fatalities
Date: August 12, 1985
Aircraft: Boeing 747SR
Operator: Japan Airlines
Fatalities: 520 (509 passengers, 11 crew)
The deadliest single aircraft disaster ever involved a catastrophic rear pressure bulkhead failure on Flight 123 soon after departure. It caused uncontrollable aerodynamics leading to a crash into mountains. Only 4 survived from 524 aboard. The expose of severe prior unreported damage and inadequate repairs forced Boeing and maintenance providers to completely overhaul practices regarding doubler installation, inspection rigor, and record keeping.
3. Charkhi Dadri Mid-Air Collision – 349 Fatalities
Date: November 12, 1996
Aircraft: Boeing 747-200B & Ilyushin Il-76
Operators: Saudi Arabian Airlines & Kazakhstan Airlines
Fatalities: 349 (312 on Saudia flight, 37 on Kazakhstan flight)
Flight procedures between Kazakhstan ATC and Saudi Arabian pilots featured language barriers resulting in a catastrophic midair over India. Both jumbos disintegrated with no survivors. The tragedy forced universal adoption of standardized phraseology by air navigation providers worldwide – especially between controllers and pilots without a fluently shared language.
2. Air India Flight 182 – 329 Fatalities
Date: June 23, 1985
Aircraft: Boeing 747-200B
Operator: Air India
Fatalities: 329 (307 passengers, 22 crew)
A bomb planted by Sikh extremists exploded on Air India‘s "Emperor Kanishka," killing all aboard during a Montreal-London-Delhi flight. Debris was found off the Irish coast. Outrage over the terror attack spurred aviation authorities globally to intensify aircraft bomb detection methods and inspect even more thoroughly during ground handling processes before loading luggage.
1. Tenerife Airport Disaster – 583 Fatalities
Date: March 27, 1977
Aircraft: Boeing 747-100s
Operators: KLM & Pan Am
Fatalities: 583 (335 on KLM Flight, 248 on Pan Am Flight)
In darkest irony, the deadliest crash in history occurred on the ground at Tenerife‘s Airport. Visibility was under 300 feet when KLM Flight 4805 initiated takeoff without ATC clearance. It collided with Pan Am 1736 still taxiing on the foggy runway resulting in 583 killed from fire and explosions. Air traffic procedures were consequently modernized worldwide to include mandatory verbatim clearance readbacks along with strict adherence to onboard instrument guidance systems during ground movements in limited visibility conditions.
This history of the 10 worst plane crashes ever reminds us that air safety improvements come at an unconscionably steep price from lives lost. We best honor those who perished by committing to operate, regulate, build, and fly airplanes with unending vigilance. May the spirit of those innocents motivates us all to care deeply that the unthinkable may never need to happen again in order for us to act.
