The aviation industry is one of the largest in the world, known for being the fastest and most convenient travel system available. However, numerous incidents over the years have raised concerns about its safety.
The first major aviation accident occurred on December 21, 1923, when the French navy’s rigid airship Dixmude was reportedly struck by lightning and crashed into the Mediterranean Sea near Sicily, Italy, k!lling 52 people. Since then, there have been 540 aircraft crashes across all seven continents and three oceans, resulting in a total of 53,500 fat*lities. Here is a look at 10 of the deadl!est aviation accidents in history, which led to the highest number of casualties.
10. Nigeria Airways Flight 2120
The 10th deadliest aviation accident occurred on July 11, 1991, when Nigeria Airways Flight 2120, a chartered passenger flight, crashed shortly after taking off from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, en route to Sokoto, Nigeria. The crash resulted in the deaths of all 261 people on board, including 247 passengers and 14 crew members.
The crash was later attributed to an underinflated tire that overheated, causing a fire. At an altitude of 671 meters (2,201 feet), several bodies were observed falling from the aircraft.
9. China Airlines Flight 140
On April 26, 1994, China Airlines Flight 140 crashed due to a stall caused by pilot error, resulting in the deaths of 264 of the 271 people on board, including passengers and crew. Initially, 10 people survived, but by May 6, only 7 remained alive, including 3 children.
8. American Airlines Flight 587
The 8th deadliest aviation accident occurred on November 12, 2001, when American Airlines Flight 587 crashed shortly after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, en route to Las Américas International Airport in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The crash resulted in the deaths of 265 people, including 5 on the ground. All 251 passengers and 9 crew members perished. The cause was later determined to be tail structure failure due to co-pilot error while encountering wake turbulence. Initially, many suspected a terror!st attack due to the crash’s timing and location, but this was later ruled out.
7. Malaysia Airlines Flight 17
On July 17, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down while traveling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. All 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board were k!lled, resulting in a total of 298 fatalities. According to American and German intelligence sources, the plane was downed by pro-Russian insurgents using a Buk surface-to-air missile fired from territory under their control. This incident received extensive media coverage and was considered one of the most heinous acts of terror!sm in aviation history.
6. Saudia Flight 163
The sixth deadliest aviation accident occurred on August 19, 1980, when Saudia Flight 163 caught fire shortly after taking off from Riyadh International Airport (now Riyadh Air Base) en route to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. All 301 people on board, including 287 passengers and 14 crew members, perished. This remains the deadliest aviation disaster that did not involve a crash upon impact or a mid-flight breakup.
5. Air India Flight 182
On June 23, 1985, Air India Flight 182, operating on the Montreal, Canada–London, UK–Delhi, India route, was destroyed mid-air by a bomb at an altitude of 31,000 feet (9,400 m). The aircraft crashed into the Atlantic Ocean while in Irish airspace. The fatal crash resulted in the deaths of all 329 people on board, including 307 passengers and 22 crew members. Occurring simultaneously with the Narita Airport bombing, it was later confirmed that the two incidents were linked. This remains the largest mass m*rder in Canada’s history. The bombing was believed to be retaliation against India for Operation Blue Star, carried out by the Indian Army.
4. Turkish Airlines Flight 981
On March 3, 1974, Turkish Airlines Flight 981 crashed near Paris, France, resulting in the deaths of all 346 people on board, including 335 passengers and 11 crew members. Known as the Ermenonville air disaster, named after the forest where the crash occurred, it remains the deadliest single-plane crash with no survivors. The disaster was caused by a cargo door failure; an improperly secured rear cargo door broke off, leading to explosive decompression and severing the control cables necessary to operate the aircraft.
3. Saudi Arabian Flight 763 and Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907
The Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision is the third deadliest aviation accident of all time. This trag!c event involved the collision of Saudi Arabian Flight 763 and Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907, resulting in the deaths of all 349 people on board both planes, making it the world’s deadliest mid-air collision.
Saudi Arabian Flight 763 was en route from Delhi to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, carrying 289 passengers and 23 crew members (total 312), while Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907 was traveling from Chimkent, Kazakhstan, to Delhi with 27 passengers and 10 crew members (total 37). The collision was caused by pilot error on the Kazakhstan Airlines aircraft.
2. Japan Airlines Flight 123
The second deadliest aviation accident of all time occurred on August 12, 1985, when Japan Airlines Flight 123 crashed due to mechanical failure 12 minutes into the flight. The plane crashed into two ridges of Mount Takamagahara in Ueno, Gunma Prefecture, 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Tokyo.
This disaster remains the deadliest single-aircraft accident in history, claiming the lives of 520 people, including 15 crew members and 505 passengers. Remarkably, only four passengers survived, all women: a 26-year-old woman, a 34-year-old woman and her 8-year-old daughter, and a 12-year-old girl.
1. Pan Am Flight 1736 and KLM Flight 4805
The deadliest aviation accident occurred on March 27, 1977, when two Boeing 747s collided on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport (now Tenerife North Airport). The accident was attributed to pilot error, runway incursion, heavy fog, and communication failures.
The first aircraft was a Pan Am Boeing 747-121 carrying 380 passengers and 16 crew members (total 396), and the second was a KLM Boeing 747-206B, registration PH-BUF, with 234 passengers and 14 crew members (total 248). The disaster resulted in 583 fatal!ties out of 644 people on board. Only 61 people survived, all from the Pan Am flight.