An aviation accident is defined in the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft which takes place between the time any person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight and all such persons have disembarked, in which a person is fatally or seriously injured, the aircraft sustains damage or structural failure and/or the aircraft is missing or is completely inaccessible.

An aviation incident is also defined there as an occurrence other than an accident, associated with the operation of an aircraft, which affects or could affect the safety of operations.

An accident in which the damage to the aircraft is such that it must be written off, or in which the plane is destroyed is called a hull loss accident.

Contents

Major disasters

The deadliest aviation-related disaster of any kind, considering fatalities on both the aircraft and the ground, was the destruction of the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001 with the intentional crashing of American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 by Al-qaeda terrorists. The crashes killed 2,988, most of them occupants of the World Trade Center towers or emergency personnel responding to the disaster.

The March 27, 1977, Tenerife disaster remains the accident with the highest number of airliner passenger fatalities. In this disaster, 583 people died when a KLM Boeing 747 attempted take-off and collided with a taxiing Pan Am 747 at Los Rodeos Airport. Pilot error, ATC error, communications problems, fog, and airfield congestion due to a bombing and a second bomb threat at another airport, which diverted air traffic to Los Rodeos, all contributed to this catastrophe.

The crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123 in 1985 is the single-aircraft disaster with the highest number of fatalities. In this crash, 520 died on board a Boeing 747. The aircraft suffered an explosive decompression from a failed pressure bulkhead repair, which destroyed its vertical stabilizer and severed hydraulic lines, making the 747 virtually uncontrollable.

The world's deadliest mid-air collision was the 1996 Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision involving Saudia Flight 763 and Air Kazakhstan Flight 1907 over Haryana, India. The crash was mainly the result of the Kazakh pilot flying lower than the altitude for which his aircraft was given clearance. Three hundred and forty-nine passengers and crew died from both aircraft. The Ramesh Chandra Lahoti Commission, empowered to study the causes, also recommended the creation of "air corridors" to prevent planes from flying in opposite directions at the same altitude.

On March 3, 1974, Turkish Airlines Flight 981 McDonnell Douglas DC-10 crashed in a forest northeast of Paris, France. The destination was London but the plane crashed shortly after taking off from Orly airport. There were a total of 346 people on board; all of them perished in the crash. It was later determined that the cargo door had detached which caused an explosive decompression which in turn caused the floor just above to collapse. When the floor collapsed it severed the control cables, which left the pilots without control of the elevators, the rudder and the No. 2 engine. The plane entered a steep dive and crashed. It was the deadliest plane crash of all time until the Tenerife disaster in 1977.

On June 23, 1985, Air India Flight 182 crashed off the southwest coast of Ireland when a bomb exploded in the cargo hold. On board the Boeing 747-237B were 307 passengers and 22 crew members, all of whom were killed when the plane disintegrated. One passenger checked in as "M. Singh". He didn't board the flight but his suitcase that contained the bomb was loaded onto the plane. Mr. Singh was never identified and captured. It was later found out that Sikh extremists were behind the bombing and that it was a retaliation for the Indian government's attack on the sacred Golden Temple in the city of Amritsar, which is very important for the Sikhs. This was at the time the deadliest terrorist attack involving an airplane.

On September 1, 1983, a Soviet Sukhoi Su-15 shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 007 killing all 269 passengers and crew[1].

Iran Air Flight 655 was a civilian airliner shot down by US missiles on Sunday 3 July 1988, over the Strait of Hormuz killing all 290 passengers and crew aboard, including 66 children, ranking it seventh among the deadliest airline disasters.

Pan Am Flight 103 was a Boeing 747-121 that was destroyed by a terrorist bomb over the town of Lockerbie, Scotland on the 21st December 1988. The crash killed all 243 passengers, all 16 crew and 11 people on the ground (all of whom were residents of Sherwood Crescent, Lockerbie), making it the worst terrorist attack involving an aircraft in the UK.

Safety

Aviation safety has come a long way in over one hundred years of implementation. In modern times, two major manufacturers still produce heavy passenger aircraft for the civilian market: Boeing of the United States of America and the European company Airbus. Both have placed huge emphasis on the use of aviation safety equipment, now a billion-dollar industry in its own right, and made safety a major selling point—realizing that a poor safety record in the aviation industry is a threat to corporate survival. Some major safety devices now required in commercial aircraft involve:

-Evacuation slides - aid rapid passenger exit from an aircraft in an emergency situation.
-Advanced avionics - Computerized auto-recovery and alert systems.
-Turbine engines - durability and failure containment improvements
-Landing gear - that can be lowered even after loss of power and hydraulics.

When measured on a passenger-distance calculation, air travel is the safest form of transportation available: these figures are the ones mentioned by the air industry when quoting statistics on air safety. A typical statement is this one by the BBC: "UK airline operations are among the safest anywhere. When compared against all other modes of transport on a fatality per mile basis air transport is the safest - six times safer than traveling by car and twice as safe as rail."[2]

However, when measured by fatalities per person transported, buses are the safest form of transportation and the number of air travel fatalities per person are surpassed only by bicycles and motorcycles. This statistic is the one used by the insurance industry when calculating insurance rates for air travel.[3]

For every billion kilometers traveled, trains have a fatality rate 12 times larger than air travel, while automobiles have a fatality rate 62 times larger. On the other hand, for every billion journeys, buses are the safest form of transportation. By the last measure air transportation is three times more dangerous than car transportation and almost 30 times more dangerous than bus.[4]

A 2007 study by Popular Mechanics found that passengers sitting at the back of a plane are 40% more likely to survive a crash than those sitting in the front, although this article also quotes Boeing, the FAA and a website on aircraft safety, all claiming that there is no safest seat. The article studied 20 crashes, not taking in account the developments in safety after those accidents.[5] However, a flight data recorder is usually mounted in the aircraft's empennage (tail section), where it is more likely to survive a severe crash.

Over 95% of people in U.S. plane crashes between 1983 and 2000 survived.[6]

Where to sit on the plane

While there is some evidence to suggest that the rear of the plane is the safest part, this is by no means always true. Speaking in an interview in January 1973, a survivor of the 1972 Andes crash, Alfredo Delgado, had an ominous feeling that the plane was going to crash and tried to sit in the rear of the plane before take-off, believing that it was the safest spot. He told reporters “I was so convinced that I sat on a seat at the back, because my experience told me that the plane’s tail was much safer than the other parts of the plane.”

After having been told by the cabin crew that the back seats were reserved, Delgado had to move and ended up in a seat in the middle of the plane, “I saved my life by not being seated at the tail, because the tail came off the rest of the plane’s body,” he concluded. Similarly, one of the few survivors of the Madrid plane crash in August 2008, 30 year old Briton Kim Tate Perez, survived the crash because she had been sitting in row 6, the exact spot where the plane ripped in two, throwing her clear of the wreckage.

Statistics

Aircraft Crashes Record Office (ACRO)

The Geneva-based Aircraft Crashes Record Office (ACRO) compiles statistics on aviation accidents of aircraft capable of carrying more than six passengers, not including helicopters, balloons, or fighter airplanes. The ACRO announced that the year 2007 was the safest year in aviation since 1963 in terms of number of accidents.[7] There had been 136 accidents registered (compared to 164 in 2006), resulting in a total of 965 deaths (compared to 1,293 in 2006). 2004 was the year with the lowest number of fatalities since the end of World War II, with 766 deaths. The year with most fatalities was 1972, with 3,214 deaths.

Annual Aviation Safety Review (EASA)

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is tasked by Article 15(4) of Regulation (EC) No 216/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 February 2008 to provide a review of aviation safety on an annual basis.

The Annual Safety Review presents statistics on European and worldwide civil aviation safety. The statistics are grouped according to type of operation, for instance commercial air transport, and aircraft category, such as aeroplanes, helicopters, gliders etc. The Agency had access to accident and statistical information collected by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). States are required, according to ICAO Annex 13 on Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation, to report to ICAO information on accidents and serious incidents to aircraft with a maximum certificated take-off mass (MTOM) over 2250 kg. Therefore, most statistics in this review concern aircraft above this mass. In addition to the ICAO data, a request was made to the EASA Member States to obtain light aircraft accident data. Furthermore, data on the operation of aircraft for commercial air transport was obtained from both ICAO and the NLR Air Transport Safety Institute.[10]

Investigation

United States

NTSB seal

In the United States, most civil aviation incidents are investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). When investigating an aviation disaster, NTSB investigators piece together evidence from the crash and determine the likely cause or causes. The NTSB will also investigate incidents which occur overseas in collaboration with local investigation authorities where the crash has involved a US-registered aircraft, where there has been significant loss of American lives, or when the type of aircraft involved is built by an American manufacturer.
United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the agency responsible for investigation of civilian air crashes is the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) of the Department for Transport. Its purpose is to establish the circumstances and causes of the accident and to make recommendations for their future avoidance.
France

In France, the agency responsible for investigation of civilian air crashes is the B.E.A. (Bureau Enquêtes Accidents). Its purpose is to establish the circumstances and causes of the accident and to make recommendations for their future avoidance.

Canada

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (BST/TSB), an independent agency which reports directly to Parliament, is the Canadian agency responsible for the advancement of transportation safety through the investigation and reporting upon accident and incident occurrences in all prevalent Canadian modes of transportation - marine, air, rail and pipeline.
Australia

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is the federal government body responsible for investigating transport-related accidents and incidents within Australia. It covers air, sea, rail travel. It is an agency of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government.
Retirement of flight numbers

It is common for an airline to cease using the flight number after a fatal crash.[11] This is not always the case; see, for example, Japan Airlines 123, American Airlines Flight 587, Aeroflot Flight 593, Aero Flight 311, Iran Air Flight 655, United Airlines Flights numbered 608, 624, and 823, and Aer Lingus Flight 712.

American Flight 587 no longer exists. The flight route designations of flights between Kennedy Airport and Las Américas Airport are now 619, 635, and 789.

Airplane Accidents by Year, Airplane Cashes By Year, Plane Crashes by Year and Airline

This article is a list of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft and is grouped by the years in which the accidents and incidents occurred.

Crash site of Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 at Schiphol, Amsterdam

1922

- April 7 – A Daimler Hire Ltd.-operated de Havilland DH.18A, G-EAWO, collides with a Compagnie des Grands Express Aériens (CGEA)-operated Farman F.60 Goliath, F-GEAD, over the Thieulloy-St. Antoine road near Picardie, France, killing all seven people on both aircraft; both machines were using the road as a route marker in bad weather and poor visibility; this is the first mid-air collision of airliners.

1930

- October 5 – The British airship R101 crashes north of Paris, killing 48 people in an eruption of flames.

1931

- March 21 – Australian National Airways Southern Cloud, an Avro 618 Ten, crashes in the Snowy Mountains while flying from Sydney to Melbourne, killing all eight on board, in Australia's first significant airline disaster; the crash site remains undiscovered for 27 years; severe weather at the time of the flight is the likely cause of the accident.
- March 31 – Transcontinental & Western Air Flight 599, a Fokker F-10 Trimotor, crashes near Bazaar, Kansas, killing all eight aboard, including University of Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne.

1933

- October 10 – A United Airlines Boeing 247 is destroyed by a bomb over Chesterton, Indiana in the first proven case of air sabotage on a commercial aircraft; all seven on board are killed.

1934

- December 20 – The KLM Douglas DC-2 PH-AJU called Uiver runs into bad weather on its way from The Netherlands to the Dutch East Indies and crashes in the Syrian desert; all four crew and three passengers are killed.

1937
Deutsche Zeppelin Reederei Hindenburg bursting into flames

- January 12 – Western Air Express Flight 7, a Boeing 247, crashes into a mountain near Newhall, California. Five of the 13 people aboard die, including famed adventurer, author and filmmaker, Martin Johnson.
- May 6 – A Deutsche Zeppelin Reederei flight, the Zeppelin Hindenburg, bursts into flames and crashes while attempting a landing at Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst in New Jersey; of the 97 people on board, 35 are killed; one person on the ground also dies.
- November 16 – A Sabena Junkers Ju 52 crashes near Ostend, Belgium, killing all 11 on board, including the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess Cecilie of Hesse, who was eight months pregnant.

1938

- January 10 – Northwest Airlines Flight 2, a Lockheed L14H Super Electra, crashes near Bozeman, Montana, killing all ten on board; the machine with which the manufacturer measured component vibration is found to be inaccurate, causing the aircraft to be more prone to flutter than thought.
- October 25 – An Australian National Airways Douglas DC-2 crashes in heavy fog into Mount Dandenong in Victoria, Australia, killing all 18 people on board.

1939

- January 13 – Northwest Airlines Flight 1, a Lockheed L14H Super Electra, crashes on takeoff from Miles City, Montana, killing all four on board; the aircraft's cross-feed fuel valve leaked fuel into the cockpit and an intense fire broke out.

1940

- June 14 – In the Kaleva shootdown, an Aero Junkers Ju 52-3/mge flying from Tallinn, Estonia to Helsinki, Finland is shot down by two Soviet bombers over the Gulf of Finland during peacetime; all nine aboard die.
- August 31 - Pennsylvania Central Airlines Trip 19, a Douglas DC-3A crashes at Lovettsville, Virginia killing all 25 aboard in the worst US airplane accident to that date, beginning the era of formal investigations under the Civil Aeronautics Board.

1941

- February 26 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 21, a DC-3, crashes while descending to land at Atlanta, Georgia, killing 8 of 16 aboard; World War I hero and Eastern Air Lines president Eddie Rickenbacker is among the survivors.

1942

- January 16 – TWA Flight 3, a Douglas DC-3 returning to California, crashes into Mount Potosi 30 miles southwest of Las Vegas; all 22 aboard die, including actress Carole Lombard and her mother.
- October 23 – American Airlines Flight 28, a Douglas DC-3, crashes near Palm Springs, California, after being struck by a U.S. Army Air Corps Lockheed B-34 bomber; all 12 aboard the airliner die, while the bomber lands safely with minor damage.

1943

- January 21 – Pan Am Flight 1104, a Martin M-130 nicknamed the Philippine Clipper, crashes into a mountain near Boonville, California, killing all 19 passengers and crew, including Rear-Admiral Robert H. English, commander of the U.S. Pacific Submarine Fleet.
- June 1 – BOAC Flight 777, a Douglas DC-3, is shot down by Luftwaffe fighter aircraft over the Bay of Biscay, killing 17 passengers and crew, including actor Leslie Howard and leading to speculation that the flight was attacked because German intelligence believed that British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was aboard.
- July 28 – American Airlines Flight 63, a Douglas DC-3, loses control due to severe turbulence and violent downdrafts and crashes near Trammel, Kentucky, killing twenty out of twenty-two people onboard.
- October 15 - American Airlines Flight 63, DC-3 crashes after ice formed on its wings and propeller. Near Centerville, Tennessee. Killing all eight passengers and three crewmembers. This was second fatal crash of Flight 63, occurring two-and-a-half months after the crash of the Flagship Missouri's sister ship, the Flagship Ohio.

1944

- February 10 – American Airlines Flight 2, a Douglas DC-3, crashes into the Mississippi River for reasons unknown, killing all 24 occupants (21 passengers and 3 crew members).

1947

- August 12 – A British South American Airways Avro Lancastrian named Star Dust disappears over the Andes after transmitting an enigmatic coded message ("STENDEC"); the fate of the plane remains a mystery until the crash site is located in 2000; four crew and nine passengers are killed.
- August 28 - A flying boat of type Short Sandringham named "Kvitbjørn" crashes into a mountain near Lødingen in Norway; all 35 on board (28 passengers and 7 crew) perish.
- October 24 – United Airlines Flight 608, a DC-6, crashes near Bryce Canyon Airport, Utah, when fire caused by a design flaw destroys the aircraft; all 52 on board die.

1948

- January 28 – A DC-3 flight chartered by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service crashes in the hills west of Coalinga, California, killing 32; the crash becomes the impetus of the Woody Guthrie song "Deportee."
- January 30 – A British South American Airways Avro Tudor IV, Star Tiger, disappears without a trace en route from the Azores to Bermuda with 31 on board. The loss of the aircraft along with that of BSAA Avro Tudor Star Ariel in 1949 remain unsolved to this day, with the resulting speculation helping to develop the Bermuda Triangle legend.
- March 12 – Northwest Airlines Flight 4422, a DC-4, crashes into Mount Sanford in the Alaska Territory, killing 30.
- April 5 – In the 1948 Gatow air disaster, a British European Airways Vickers VC.1 Viking crashes near RAF Gatow, Berlin after a collision with a Soviet Air Force Yakovlev Yak-3 fighter; all 14 people on board the Viking are killed, as is the Soviet pilot.
- June 17 – United Airlines Flight 624, a DC-6, crashes near Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania after errors in attempting to extinguish what was believed to have been an on-board fire; all 43 on board die.
- July 17 – Miss Macao, a Catalina seaplane operated by a Cathay Pacific subsidiary, over the Pearl River delta from Macau to Hong Kong, is hijacked with 23 passengers and three crew on board by a group attempting to rob the passengers; following a struggle in the cockpit, a crash kills all on board except one passenger, later identified as the lead hijacker; this is the earliest known airliner hijacking.
- October 2 – In the Bukken Bruse disaster, a flying boat crashes upon landing in Trondheim, Norway; 19 are killed; Bertrand Russell is among the 24 survivors.
- October 20 – In the 1948 KLM Constellation air disaster, a Lockheed Constellation named Nijmegen crashes near Prestwick, Scotland, killing 40.

1949

- January 17 – A British South American Airways Avro Tudor IV, Star Ariel, disappears without a trace en route from Bermuda to Jamaica with 20 on board. The loss of the aircraft along with that of BSAA Avro Tudor Star Tiger in 1948 remain unsolved to this day, with the resulting speculation helping to develop the Bermuda Triangle legend.
- May 4 – In the Superga air disaster, an Italian Airlines Fiat G.212 CP carrying the Torino football team crashes into the Superga hills near Turin, killing all 31 on board, including 18 players.
- September 9 – A Canadian Pacific Airlines Douglas DC-3 explodes in flight en route from Quebec City to Baie-Comeau, Quebec as the result of sabotage known as the Albert Guay Affair, killing all 23 on board.
- October 27 - An Air France Lockheed Constellation, F-BAZN, crashes at night on the Pico da Vara, a mountain on São Miguel island in the Azores archipelago, en route from Paris to New York. All the 11 crew and 37 passengers are killed, among whom the French violinist Ginette Neveu and boxer Marcel Cerdan.
- November 1 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 537, a Douglas DC-4, on approach to Washington National Airport, suffers a mid-air collision with a Lockheed P-38; all 55 people on board the DC-4 died, including Congressman George J. Bates, New Yorker cartoonist Helen E. Hokinson, and former Congressman Michael J. Kennedy; the pilot and sole occupant of the P-38 is seriously injured.
- November 29 – American Airlines Flight 157, a Douglas DC-6 en route from New York City to Mexico City, veers off the runway and strikes buildings after the flight crew loses control of the aircraft during its final approach to Dallas Love Field; 26 passengers and two flight attendants die.

1950

- March 12- An Airflight Avro 689 Tudor V stalls and crashes after the rear cargo hold was overloaded, resulting in a center of gravity exceeding the aft limit; 80 out of the 83 people on board die.
- June 24 – Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2501, a Douglas DC-4 with 58 people on board, disappears without a trace over Lake Michigan.
- August 31 – TWA Flight 903, a Lockheed L749A Constellation, crashes because of an engine fire, in the desert about 65 miles NNW of Cairo, Egypt; all 55 on board are killed.
- November 3 – Air India Flight 245, a Lockheed L749A Constellation, crashes into Mont Blanc in France; all 40 passengers and 8 crew are killed. Sixteen years later Air India Flight 101 crashes in almost the exact same spot.

1951

- March 27 - A Douglas C-47A-75-DL Dakota 3 cargo aircraft operated by Air Transport Charter and en route to Nutts Corner Airport, Antrim, Northern Ireland, crashes shortly after take-off following the aircraft's failure to gain height, killing two of the three crew and two of the three passengers.
- April 25 – Cubana de Aviación Flight 493, a Douglas DC-4 en route from Miami, Florida to Havana, Cuba, collides in mid-air with a United States Navy Beech SNB-1 Kansan off Key West; all 43 aboard both aircraft are killed.
- June 22 – Pan Am Flight 151, a Lockheed L049 Constellation en route from Accra, Ghana to Monrovia, Liberia, crashes into a hill near Sanoye in Bong County, Liberia, 54 miles (86 km) from the airport; all 31 passengers and 6 crew members die.
- August 24 – United Airlines Flight 615, a Douglas DC-6B, crashes near Decoto (now Union City), California, while on final approach to Oakland, California; all 44 passengers and 6 crew members die.

1952

- January 22 - American Airlines Flight 6780, a Convair CV-240 crashes on approach to Newark into dwellings in Elizabeth, New Jersey, killing 30 and leading to the Doolittle Commission recommendation for laws coordinating urban zoning to keep airport approach paths clear.
- April 28 – Pan Am Flight 202, a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, crashes after a propeller failure in a remote area of Brazil on its way from Buenos Aires, Argentina to New York City via Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; all 50 on board are killed.
- June 28 - American Airlines Flight 910, a Douglas DC-6 carrying 55 passengers and 5 crew collides with a Temco Swift private plane on final approach to Dallas Love Field, killing both occupants of the Swift; the DC-6 lands safely with no injuries to the passengers or crew.

1953

- October 29 – British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines Flight 304, a Douglas DC-6B, crashes into King's Mountain, southeast of Half Moon Bay, California, on its approach to the San Francisco International Airport, killing all 11 passengers, including American pianist William Kapell, and a crew of eight.

1954

- January 10 – BOAC Flight 781, a de Havilland Comet flying from Rome to London on the last leg of a flight from Singapore, disintegrates in mid-air, when metal fatigue from repeated pressurization cycles compromises the fuselage, killing the 29 passengers and six crew.
- April 8 – South African Airways Flight 201, a de Havilland Comet flying from Rome to Cairo bound for Johannesburg, disintegrates in mid-air, killing all 14 passengers and seven crew; as in BOAC Flight 781, the cause is metal fatigue at stress risers at the corners of the square windows in the aluminum skin; subsequently, all pressurized aircraft windows are constructed with wide radius corners.
- April 8 - a Royal Canadian Air Force Canadair Harvard collided with a Trans-Canada Airlines Canadair North Star over Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, killing 36 people on the aircraft and 1 person on the ground.
- September 5 – KLM Flight 633, a Lockheed L1049 Super Constellation, ditches after takeoff from Shannon Airport in Ireland, killing 28 of 56 on board.

1955

- February 19 – TWA Flight 260, a Martin 404, crashes into the Sandia Mountains near Albuquerque, New Mexico, killing all 16 on board.
- March 20 – American Airlines Flight 711, a Convair CV-240, strikes the ground during final approach in Springfield, MO; of the 35 person aboard, 22 survive.
- March 26 – Pan American World Airways Flight 845/26, a Boeing 377, ditches into the Pacific Ocean off the Oregon coast, killing four.
- April 11 – An Air India aircraft named Kashmir Princess explodes under suspicious circumstances; 16 people are killed and three survive.
- July 27 – El Al Flight 402, a Lockheed L-049 Constellation, inadvertently strays over Bulgarian territory on its way from Vienna to Tel Aviv, and is shot down by two Bulgarian fighter aircraft, killing all 58 on board.
- October 6 – United Airlines Flight 409, a Douglas DC-4, crashes near Centennial, Wyoming, killing all 66 on board.
- November 1 – United Airlines Flight 629, a Douglas DC-6B, is bombed by Jack Gilbert Graham over Denver, Colorado; all 44 on board are killed.

1956

- April 2 – Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2, a Boeing Stratocruiser, ditches into Puget Sound after takeoff from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport after the cowl flaps are incorrectly set for takeoff; four passengers and a flight attendant die, probably of hypothermia, while waiting for rescue; 33 survive.
- June 30 – United Airlines Flight 718, a DC-7, collides with TWA Flight 2, a Lockheed Constellation, over the Grand Canyon, killing all 128 aboard both planes; operating under VFR, the planes fail to see each other; the Federal Aviation Administration is created in the aftermath; the FAA establishes new rules for passenger carriers, among them the requirement to operate under IFR, even in good weather.
- July 9 – A Trans-Canada Air Lines Vickers Viscount sheds a propeller blade over Flat Rock, Michigan; the blade penetrates the passenger cabin, killing one of 35 aboard; this is the first known case of a turboprop shedding a blade in passenger service.
- October 16 – Pan Am Flight 6, a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, is forced to ditch in the Pacific Ocean between Hawai'i and San Francisco; all 31 on board are rescued by a nearby United States Coast Guard ship.
- December 9 – Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810, a Canadair North Star, crashes near Hope, British Columbia, Canada, killing all 62 people on board; the wreckage is located almost a year later.

1957

- February 1 – Northeast Airlines Flight 823, a Douglas DC-6, crashes during a snowstorm shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport; twenty of the 101 occupants die.
- November 8 – Pan Am Flight 7, a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, vanishes between San Francisco and Honolulu; small pieces of wreckage and human remains are found almost a week later by the United States Navy; all 44 on board are believed to have been killed; Carbon monoxide poisoning is a suspected cause of the crash.
- November 15 - Aquila Airways Short Solent flying boat crashes near Chessell, Isle of Wight, UK, killing 45 out of the 58 on board.

1958

- February 6 – In the Munich air disaster, a British European Airways Airspeed Ambassador crashes during takeoff from Munich-Riem airport, killing 23 of 44, including eight Manchester United footballers.
- February 27 – In the Winter Hill air disaster, a Silver City Bristol 170 Freighter travelling from the Isle of Man to Manchester Ringway Airport crashes into Winter Hill, Rivington Moor, Lancashire, killing 35 people and injuring seven.
- April 6 – Capital Airlines Flight 67, a Vickers 745D Viscount, crashes at Tri-City Airport (now MBS International Airport) near Freeland, Michigan, killing all 47 passengers and crew; an undiscovered ice buildup on the wing and windy conditions are possible causes.
- April 21 – United Airlines Flight 736, a Douglas DC-7, collides near Las Vegas, Nevada with a US Air Force F-100 Super Sabre fighter on a training mission. All 47 aboard the airliner and both F-100 crew members are killed.
- August 14 – KLM Flight 607-E, a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation (named "Hugo de Groot") en route from Amsterdam to New York, crashes into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after takeoff from Shannon Airport in Ireland, killing all 99 passengers and crew, including six members of the Egyptian fencing team.
- October 22 - British European Airways Flight 142, a Vickers Viscount, collided with an Italian Air Force North American F-86 Sabre over Italy, all 31 on board died.

1959

- February 3 – American Airlines Flight 320, a Lockheed L-188 Super Electra, crashes into the East River, New York City, as a result of pilot error; sixty-five passengers and crew are killed.
- February 17 – A Turkish Airlines Vickers Viscount 793 charter flight carrying the Turkish prime minister and other government officials crashes in heavy fog during its final approach into London Gatwick Airport; five of the eight crew and nine of the sixteen passengers die in the accident; Prime Minister Adnan Menderes is among the ten survivors.
- May 12 – Capital Airlines Flight 75, a Vickers Viscount 745D flying from New York City to Atlanta, breaks up in flight over Chase, Maryland, due to loss of control in severe turbulence; all 31 on board are killed.
- October 30 – Piedmont Airlines Flight 349, a Douglas DC-3, crashes on Bucks Elbow Mountain near Charlottesville, Virginia, killing the crew of three and 23 of 24 passengers; the sole survivor is seriously injured; the cause is a navigational error during an ILS approach.
- November 16 – National Airlines Flight 967, a Douglas DC-7B, crashes into the Gulf of Mexico while on a flight from Tampa, Florida to New Orleans, Louisiana, in a possible case of sabotage; all 40 on board perish.

1960

- January 6 – National Airlines Flight 2511, a DC-6B bound from New York to Miami, crashes near Bolivia, North Carolina, when a bomb planted on board explodes in mid-air; all 34 people on board are killed.
- January 18 – Capital Airlines Flight 20, a Vickers Viscount flying from Washington to Norfolk crashes near Holdcroft, Virginia due to engine failure caused by icing conditions; all 50 on board are killed.
- March 17 – Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 710, a Lockheed L188 Super Electra en route from Chicago, Illinois to Miami, Florida, breaks apart at 15,000 feet and crashes near Tell City, Indiana, killing all 63 on board.
- October 4 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 375, a Lockheed L188 Super Electra, crashes on takeoff from Boston's Logan International Airport into Winthrop Bay, after multiple bird strikes; 62 of 72 aboard die.
- October 29 – A chartered Curtiss C-46 crashes on take-off at the Toledo Express Airport in Toledo, Ohio with the loss of twenty-two people including sixteen players on the California Polytechnic State University football team.
- December 16 – The 1960 New York air disaster: United Airlines Flight 826, a Douglas DC-8, and TWA Flight 266, a Lockheed Super Constellation, collide in mid-air over Staten Island in New York; all 128 aboard the two planes and six people on the ground are killed.

1961

- January 3 – Aero Flight 311, a Douglas DC-3, crashes into woods near Koivulahti, Finland, killing all 25 on board.
- February 15 – Sabena Flight 548, a Boeing 707, crashes on approach in Brussels, Belgium, killing 73, including the entire United States figure skating team: a runaway stabilizer is thought to have been the cause of the first fatal accident involving a 707 in regular passenger service.
- May 30- Viasa Flight 897, a Douglas DC-8 crashes shortly after taking off from Lisbon Portela Airport. All 61 passengers and crew on board are killed.
- September 1 - Trans World Airlines Flight 529, a Lockheed Constellation L-049 propliner, abruptly pitches up and crashes shortly after takeoff from Chicago's Midway Airport, killing all 73 passengers and 5 crew on board; a 5/16 inch bolt which fell out of the elevator control linkage just before the crash is blamed.
- September 12 - Air France Flight 2005, a Sud Aviation Caravelle, crashes on approach to Rabat-Salé Airport, killing all 71 people and 6 crew on board.
- September 17 – Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 706, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, crashes on takeoff from Chicago as a result of a maintenance error causing the ailerons to become detached from the control wheels; all 37 on board die.
- November 8 - Imperial Airlines Flight 201/8, a Lockheed Constellation L-049, crashes on landing at Byrd Field near Richmond, Virginia; all 74 passengers — mostly new US Army recruits being flown to their base for training — die of carbon monoxide asphyxiation, along with three crew members; the captain and flight engineer survive by escaping the burning wreckage.
- November 23 - Aerolineas Argentinas Flight 322, a de Havilland Comet 4 DH-106 turbojet, crashes in Campinas, Brazil shortly after takeoff, killing all 12 crew and 40 passengers on board.

1962

- March 1 – American Airlines Flight 1, a Boeing 707, crashes in Jamaica Bay, Queens, New York, killing 95.
- March 4 – Caledonian Airways Flight 153, a Douglas DC-7, crashes into a jungle swamp at Douala, Cameroon, killing 111.
- March 16 – Flying Tiger Line Flight 739, a Lockheed L1049 Super Constellation chartered by the United States military, and carrying 96 American soldiers en route to South Vietnam, disappears over the western Pacific.
- May 22 – Continental Airlines Flight 11, a Boeing 707, breaks up in mid-air near Unionville after a passenger's bomb exploded in the lavatory; all 45 on board are killed.
- June 3 – In the 1962 Air France Orly crash, a chartered Boeing 707 skids and burns after the pilot rejects takeoff, killing many of Atlanta, Georgia's civic and cultural leaders; two flight attendants are the only survivors, as 130 die in the worst one-aircraft accident to that date.
- June 22 - Air France Flight 117, an international scheduled multi-leg Boeing 707 crashes in a forest hill on the island of Guadeloupe, while approaching Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport; 113 die in that accident with no survivors; the worst accident in Guadeloupe.
- June 30 - an Aeroflot domestic flight, shot down by a missile near Voznesenka, Krasnoyarsk krai; all 84 die; the worst air accident in Russia at that time.
- July 7 - Alitalia Flight 771, hit high terrain while descending due to navigation error near Junnar, Maharashtra, India; all 94 die.
- July 19 - United Arab Airlines Flight 869 - an international scheduled flight from Hong Kong to Cairo with a stopover in Bangkok; de Havilland DH-106 Comet 4C crashed in the Khao Yai mountain, descending to Bangkok, a CFIT error; all 26 die.
- November 23 – United Airlines Flight 297, a Vickers Viscount 745D, crashes near Ellicott City, Maryland, following a bird strike; all 17 people on board die.
- November 30 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 512, a Douglas DC-7B, crashes as a result of pilot error during a missed approach at New York's Idlewild Airport; 25 of 51 on board are killed.

1963

- June 3 - Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 293, a Douglas DC-7C crashed into the Pacific Ocean, 182.5 miles (293.7 km) WSW of Annette Island, Alaska, United States. All 101 on board killed.
- July 3 – New Zealand National Airways Corporation Flight 441, a DC-3 Skyliner flying from Whenuapai Airport, Auckland to Tauranga, crashes into the Kaimai Ranges; all 23 aboard die, making it the worst air disaster in mainland New Zealand to date.
- July 3 – Mohawk Airlines Flight 121, a Martin 404, crashes near Rochester, New York while attempting takeoff, killing seven of the 43 people on board.
- August 21 – an Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-124 ditches in the Neva river in Leningrad after engine failure; there were no fatalities among the 52 on board, but the aircraft is destroyed.
- November 29 – Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 831, a Douglas DC-8, crashes shortly after takeoff from Montréal/Dorval Airport, killing all 118 people on board.
- December 8 – Pan Am Flight 214, a Boeing 707, is struck by positive lightning and crashes near Elkton, Maryland, killing all 81 people on board.

1964

- February 25 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 304, a Douglas DC-8 flying from New Orleans International Airport to Washington National Airport, crashes into Lake Pontchartrain killing all 51 passengers and seven crew aboard.
- May 7 – Pacific Air Lines Flight 773, a Fairchild F27, crashes near San Ramon, California, killing all 44 aboard, after a passenger shoots both the captain and first officer before turning the gun on himself.
- November 15 – Bonanza Air Lines Flight 114, a Fairchild F27, slams into a mountain in poor weather while on a nighttime approach to Las Vegas, Nevada; all 29 aboard perish when the plane crashes only 10 feet (3 m) below a ridge; initially blamed on a pilot's misreading his approach chart, years later the chart maker agrees to pay a settlement of US$490,000 to some of the victims' heirs after it is shown the chart had incorrect markings.
- November 20 – Linjeflyg Flight 277, a Convair CV-340, crashes during the approach to Engelholm, Sweden, when, in instrument meteorological conditions, the crew abandons the set procedure and descends prematurely; 31 people are killed and 12 survived.
- December 24 – Flying Tiger Line Flight 282, a Lockheed Constellation, crashes near San Bruno, California after an unexplained course deviation, killing the crew of three.

1965

- February 8 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 663, a Douglas DC-7B on takeoff, overreacts in avoiding Pan Am Flight 212 (a Boeing 707) on approach, loses control, and crashes into the ocean several miles off Jones Beach State Park, New York, killing all 84 on board.
- May 20 – Pakistan International Airlines Flight 705, a Boeing 720, crashes on descent to Cairo International Airport, killing 119.
- July 1 – Continental Airlines Flight 12, a Boeing 707, runs off the end of the runway at Kansas City Downtown Airport, breaking into three pieces; all 66 on board survive.
- August 16 – United Airlines Flight 389, a Boeing 727, crashes into Lake Michigan at night, after the pilots apparently misread their altimeters; all 24 passengers and six crew perish.
- July 8 – Canadian Pacific Airlines Flight 21, a Douglas DC-6, crashes near 100 Mile House, British Columbia after the explosion of a device in the lavatory; all 46 passengers and six crew aboard perish.
- November 11 – United Airlines Flight 227, a Boeing 727, crashes short of the runway during landing at Salt Lake City International Airport, Utah; forty-three of 91 aboard are killed.

1966

- January 24 – Air India Flight 101, a Boeing 707-437, crashes into the south west face of Mont Blanc in France; all 106 passengers and 11 crew are killed. Sixteen years earlier Air India Flight 245 crashed in almost the exact same spot.
- February 4 – All Nippon Airways Flight 60, a Boeing 727-100, crashes into Tokyo Bay, Japan; all 133 aboard are killed.
- March 4 – Canadian Pacific Airlines Flight 402 (CP402), a McDonnell Douglas DC-8-43 crashes on landing at Tokyo International Airport in Japan, killing 64 passengers and crew; eight passengers survive.
- March 5 – BOAC Flight 911, a Boeing 707 bound for Hong Kong, crashes at Mount Fuji near Gotenba, Japan, killing all 124 passengers and crew.
- August 6 – All 42 on board are killed when Braniff Flight 250, a BAC One-Eleven, flies into an active squall line and breaks apart in mid-air near Falls City, Nebraska.
- October 1 – West Coast Airlines Flight 956 crashes with 18 fatalities 5.5 miles south of Wemme, Oregon, marking the first loss of a Douglas DC-9.
- November 13 – All Nippon Airways Flight 533, a NAMC YS-11, plunges into Seto Inland Sea after an overrun at Matsuyama Airport, Shikoku, Japan, killing all 50 passengers and crew.
- November 15 – Pan Am Flight 708, a Boeing 727, crashes near Berlin, Germany; all three crew members are killed.
- November 24 – Bulgarian-Soviet Transport Aviation Corporation Flight 101, an Ilyushin IL-18B, crashes into a wooded hillside shortly after takeoff from Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, killing all 82 aboard.

1967

- March 9 – TWA Flight 553, a Douglas DC-9, collides with a Beechcraft Baron near Dayton, Ohio, killing all 26 on both planes.
- March 13 South African Airways Flight 406, a Vickers Viscount 818, crashed into the sea while on approach to East London, South Africa. All 25 passengers and crew on board were killed. The pilot of the plane suffered a fatal heart attack while on approach and the co-pilot was unable to regain control of the aircraft.
- April 20 - A Globe Air Bristol Britannia on a charter flight crashed in bad weather at Nicosia Airport, Cyprus, 126 killed.
- June 4 – In the Stockport air disaster, a British Midland Canadair C-4 Argonaut carrying passengers returning from Palma de Mallorca is on approach to Manchester Airport when an engine loses power because of a design failure in the aircraft's fuel system; 72 of 84 on board are killed.
- June 23 – Mohawk Airlines Flight 40, a BAC One-Eleven, crashes in Blossburg, Pennsylvania, killing all 34 people on board.
- July 19 – Piedmont Airlines Flight 22, a Boeing 727 departing from Asheville, North Carolina, crashes shortly after takeoff after a mid-air collision with a twin-engine Cessna 310 on instrument approach to Asheville; all 82 passengers and crew on both aircraft die.
- November 4 – Iberia Airlines Flight 062, a Sud Aviation Caravelle, crashes at Black Down Hill Sussex, United Kingdom; all 37 passengers and crew are killed, including actress June Thorburn, who was five months pregnant.
- November 20 – TWA Flight 128, a Convair 880, crashes in Constance, Kentucky on approach to Greater Cincinnati Airport, killing 70 of 82 persons on board.

1968

- March 24 – Aer Lingus Flight 712, a Vickers Viscount 803, crashes off the Irish coast; all 61 on board perish.
- April 8 – BOAC Flight 712, a Boeing 707, suffers an engine fire after takeoff from London Heathrow Airport; the plane makes an emergency landing at Heathrow, but five of 127 aboard die in the resulting fire.
- May 3 – Braniff Flight 352, a Lockheed L188A Super Electra en route from Houston, Texas to Dallas, crashes in a thunderstorm, killing its five crew and 80 passengers.
- May 22 – Los Angeles Airways Flight 841, a Sikorsky S-61L, crashes near Paramount, California resulting in the loss of 23 lives.
- July 1 – Seaboard World Airlines Flight 253, a Douglas DC-8, is forced to land in the Soviet Union; on board are over 200 American troops bound for Vietnam.
- July 3 - In the 1968 BKS Air Transport Heathrow crash, an Airspeed Ambassador freight aircraft experiences metal fatigue and crashes while landing, striking two unoccupied British European Airways airliners. Six of the freighter's crew of eight are killed, as are eight racehorses being transported. All Airspeed Ambassadors are grounded until a redesign strengthens the flaps. One of the BEA aircraft is repaired but is lost in the 1972 Staines air disaster.
- August 14 – Los Angeles Airways Flight 417, a Sikorsky S-61L prototype, crashes in Compton, California resulting in the loss of 21 lives.
- September 11 – Air France Flight 1611, a Sud Caravelle, crashes off Nice, France, killing 95 passengers and crew.
- October 25 – Northeast Airlines Flight 946, a Fairchild 227, crashes near Etna, New Hampshire, killing 32 passengers and crew.
- December 2 - Wien Consolidated Airlines Flight 55, a Fairchild F-27B. crashes into Pedro Bay Alaska. All 39 passengers and crew on board are killed.

1969

- January 18 – United Airlines Flight 266, a Boeing 727 en route from Los Angeles to Milwaukee, Wisconsin loses all electrical power and crashes into Santa Monica Bay; six crew and 32 passengers are killed.
- February 18 – Hawthorne Nevada Airlines Flight 708, a Douglas DC-3, crashes near Lone Pine, California, killing all 35 people on board.
- March 16- Venezolana Internacional de Aviación, Sociedad Anónima ("Viasa") Flight 742, a McDonnell-Douglas DC-9-30, crashes on takeoff from Aeropuerto Grano de Oro, Maracaibo, Venezuela. All 84 passengers on board, plus 71 people on the ground were killed in the crash. At 155 people dead, it was the worst aviation disaster in history at that time.
- April 2 – LOT Polish Airlines Flight LO 165, an Antonov An-24, crashes in southern Poland, killing all 53 people on board.
- September 9 – Allegheny Airlines Flight 853, a Douglas DC-9, collides in flight with a Piper PA-28 Cherokee and crashes near Fairland, Indiana, killing all 83 occupants aboard the two aircraft.
- September 12 – Philippine Airlines Flight 158, a BAC One-Eleven, crashes on approach to Manila International Airport killing 45 of the 47 passengers and crew on board.
- November 19 – Mohawk Airlines Flight 411, a Fairchild 227, crashes near Glens Falls, New York, killing all 14 people on board.

1970

- February 15 – Contaminated fuel causes dual engine failure shortly after takeoff from Las Américas International Airport near Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in the Dominicana DC-9 air disaster; all 102 on board were killed.
- February 21 – A bomb in the cargo hold of Swissair Flight 330, a Convair CV-990, detonates nine minutes after takeoff from Zürich International Airport in Kloten, Switzerland; all 38 passengers and nine crew perish.
- March 31 – Japan Airlines Flight 351, a Boeing 727, is hijacked to North Korea by a Japanese Red Army faction.
- May 2 – ALM Flight 980, a Douglas DC-9 operated by Overseas National Airways, ditches near St. Croix, Virgin Islands, killing 23, including two infants and one crew member; 40, including 4 crew members, survive.
- July 5 – Air Canada Flight 621, a Douglas DC-8, explodes following a failed landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport, with 109 fatalities.
- August 9 – LANSA Flight 502, a Lockheed Electra turboprop, crashes and burns shortly after takeoff from Cuzco, Peru, killing 99 people on the plane and two on the ground; among the dead are 49 American high school exchange students.
- August 12 – China Airlines Flight 206, a NAMC YS-11, crashes in thick fog and a severe thunderstorm into Yuan Mountain, near Taipei Airport, killing 14 of 31 people on board.
- September 6 – The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine orchestrates the Dawson's Field hijackings of El Al Flight 219, Pan Am Flight 93, Swissair Flight 100, TWA Flight 741, and (on September 9) BOAC Flight 775; the unprecedented scale of the incident draws international outrage and plays a major role in instigating the eventual widespread implementation of air passenger screening, heretofore done only haphazardly and inconsistently.
- October 2 – In what is known as the Wichita State Crash, a Martin 4-0-4 aircraft crashes near Silver Plume, Colorado; it is one of two planes carrying the Wichita State University football team to Logan, Utah for a game; twenty-eight passengers, the plane's captain and a flight attendant die out of forty passengers on board.
- November 14 – Southern Airways Flight 932, a chartered Douglas DC-9, crashes on approach at Tri-State Airport in Huntington, West Virginia, killing all 75 on board, including 37 players of the Marshall University football team and all but one of the coaching staff.

1971

- June 6 – A United States Marine Corps McDonell-Douglas F-4B Phantom II fighter jet collides with Hughes Airwest Flight 706, a Douglas DC-9, which crashes into the San Gabriel Mountains near Duarte, California, killing all 49 people aboard; the pilot of the Phantom also dies, while his radar intercept officer successfully bails out.
- July 3 – Toa Domestic Airlines Flight 64, a NAMC YS-11, hits Yokotsudake (Yokotsu Mountain) near Hakodate Airport, Hokkaid?, Japan, killing all 68 passengers and crew.
- July 30 – ANA Flight 58, a Boeing 727-200, collides with a JSDF F-86 fighter jet at Shizukuishi near Morioka, Japan, killing all 162 passengers and crew; the JSDF pilot parachutes to safety, and is later arrested by local police on suspicion of colliding with a civilian aircraft.
- July 30 – Pan American Airways Flight 845, a Boeing 747-100, attempts to take off from San Francisco at the wrong speed, over-running the runway and colliding with approach lighting structures; the aircraft sustains damage to flight control and other systems, but becomes airborne, circles over the ocean to dump fuel, and lands back in San Francisco; of the 218 on board, 29 are injured, 10 seriously.
- November 24 – A man reported as D. B. Cooper hijacks Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305, a Boeing 727, out of Portland, Oregon, releasing the passengers in exchange for US$200,000 and four parachutes; the crew takes off with Cooper on board, and he parachutes from the plane; Cooper is never found and his fate remains unknown, although a roll of bills from his ransom is found in a riverbed many years later.
- December 24 – LANSA Flight 508, a Lockheed Electra en route from Lima to Pucallpa, Peru, breaks apart in mid-air after being set aflame by lightning; it crashes in the Amazon Rainforest and 91 people die; one teenage girl survives after falling two miles (3 km) down into the Amazon rainforest strapped to her seat; she walks through the jungle for 10 days until being rescued by local lumbermen.

1972

- January 26 – JAT Yugoslav Flight 367, a Douglas DC-9, suffers a bomb explosion while en route from Copenhagen to Zagreb; twenty-seven of twenty-eight on board are killed; Vesna Vulovi?, the only survivor, is entered in the Guinness Book of World Records for surviving the longest fall without a parachute, over ten thousand meters.
- March 3 – Mohawk Airlines Flight 405, a Fairchild Hiller FH227B twin-engine turboprop, crashes near Albany, New York while descending to land, killing 16 of the 48 people on board and 1 on the ground.
- May 5 – Alitalia Flight 112, a Douglas DC-8 flying from Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome, Italy, to Palermo International Airport crashes into Mount Longa, about 5 km (3.1 mi) south-west of Palermo while on approach, killing all 115 passengers and crew; it remains the deadliest single-aircraft disaster in Italy.
- June 12 – American Airlines Flight 96, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, suffers explosive decompression when one of its cargo doors fails in flight; the crew manages an emergency landing at Detroit, Michigan and all 67 on board evacuate safely.
- June 15 – A carry-on suitcase bomb explodes on Cathay Pacific Flight 700Z, a Convair CV-880, at 29,000 feet over Vietnam; all 81 on board perish.
- June 18 – British European Airways Flight 548, a Hawker Siddeley Trident, undergoes a series of stalls as a result of pilot error, followed by a deep stall, crashing near Staines, United Kingdom; all 118 on board are killed.
- June 24 – Prinair Flight 191 is over-rotated because of pilot error and crashes in Ponce, Puerto Rico, killing 5 of 20 people on board.
- August 14 - Interflug Flight DM-SEA crashes near Königs Wusterhausen, all 156 passengers and crew are killed making it the worst air disater in Germany of all times.
- October 13 – Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashes in the Andes; passengers survive for 72 days by feeding on the dead.
- December 8 – United Airlines Flight 553 crashes after aborting its landing attempt at Chicago Midway International Airport, killing 43 of 60 people on board and 2 people on the ground; among those killed was Dorothy Hunt, wife of Watergate conspirator E. Howard Hunt.
- December 23 – Braathens Flight 239 crashes in Asker upon landing at Fornebu airport, Oslo, Norway, killing 40 of 45 people on board.
- December 29 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 401, a Lockheed Tristar, crashes in the Florida Everglades, killing 103 of 176 people on board; the crew is distracted by a faulty gear-down light, resulting in controlled flight into terrain; this is the first crash of a widebody aircraft.

1973

- February 21 – Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114, a Boeing 727, strays off course and is shot down by Israeli jets in the Sinai war zone, killing 108 of 113 people on board.
- April 10 - Invicta International Airlines Flight 435, a Vickers Vanguard 952 from Bristol Lulsgate to Basle, flies into a hillside near Hochwald, Switzerland, somersaults and breaks up, killing 108 with 40 survivors.
- July 11 – Varig Flight 820, a Boeing 707, experiences an on-board fire and crashes near Paris, France, killing 123 out of 134 on board.
- July 22 – Pan American World Airways Flight 816, a Boeing 707, crashes shortly after takeoff from Faa'a's airport Tahiti, French Polynesia killing 77 out of 78 on board.
- July 23 – Japan Air Lines Flight 404, a Boeing 747, is hijacked after takeoff from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands; one hijacker is killed and the flight's purser injured by a grenade blast; after several days and multiple flight legs, the passengers are released in Benghazi, Libya and the aircraft is blown up on the ground.
- July 31 – Delta Air Lines Flight 723, a Douglas DC-9, descends prematurely and crashes on final approach to Boston Logan International Airport, killing all on board; probable cause is unstabilized final approach by the flight crew.
- August 13 – Aviaco Flight 118, a Sud Caravelle en-route from Madrid to La Coruña crashes while approaching La Coruña Alvedro airport, in Montrove, 2 km from the airport; 84 of 85 died.
- December 17 – Pan Am Flight 110, a Boeing 707, is firebombed by Palestinian gunmen while at gate in Rome, Italy killing 29 of 68 passengers and crew; other gunmen then hijack a Lufthansa Boeing 737 to Athens; in total, 33 die as a result of the firebombing and hijacking.

1974
Artist rendering of what occurred on Turkish Airlines Flight 981

- January 30- Pan American World Airways Pan Am Flight 806, a Boeing 707-321B, crashes on approach to Pago Pago International Airport on American Samoa. 97 of the 101 passengers on board are killed.
- March 3 – Turkish Airlines Flight 981, a DC-10, crashes in the Ermenonville forest near Senlis, France after the rear underfloor cargo door opens during flight; all 346 on board die.
- April 22- Pan American World Airways Pan Am Flight 812, a Boeing 707-321B, crashes into mountainous terrain 42.5 nautical miles northwest of Denpasar, Bali,. All 107 passengers and crew on board are killed.
- September 8 – A bomb in the cargo hold of TWA Flight 841 plunges it into the Ionian Sea, killing all 88 on board.
- September 11 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 212, a DC-9, crashes on approach to Charlotte, North Carolina; 72 of 82 people on board are killed.
- September 15 – Air Vietnam Flight 706 is hijacked and crashes in Phan Rang, Vietnam; all 75 on board die.
- November 20 – Lufthansa Flight 540 crashes shortly after takeoff in Nairobi, Kenya; 59 of 157 on board are killed in the first crash of a Boeing 747.
- December 1 – TWA Flight 514, a Boeing 727 inbound to Dulles International Airport, crashes into Mount Weather in Bluemont, Virginia, killing all 85 passengers and 7 crew.
- December 29 - An Antonov An-24 (YR-AMD) operating on a domestic scheduled flight from Bucharest to Sibiu, crashed into the side of the Muntii Lotrului (22km south of Sibiu) at an altitude of 1700 m, killing all 28 passengers and 5 crew members. The crew's incorrect approach procedure execution, which lead to the aircraft drifting south off course by 20 km, while the wind was increasing turbulence was present.

1975

- January 9 - Golden West Airlines Flight 261, a De Havilland Twin Otter, collides with a Cessna 150 near Whittier, California, killing all 14 people in both aircraft.
- June 24 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 66, a Boeing 727, encounters wind shear on final approach and strikes approach lights at John F. Kennedy International Airport, killing 112 of 124 people on board.
- September 30 – Malév Flight 240, a Tupolev Tu-154, crashes on approach near Lebanon, killing all 60 people on board.

1976

- January 1 – Middle East Airlines Flight 438, a Boeing 720, crashes in Saudi Arabia when a bomb explodes in the forward baggage compartment, killing all 81 people on board.
- April 27 – American Airlines Flight 625, a Boeing 727, crashes on approach to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, killing 37 of 88 people on board.
- June 27 – Air France Flight 139, an Airbus A300, is hijacked from Athens by two Palestinians and two Germans who divert the flight to Libya and then to Uganda, where the plane is met by pro-Palestinian forces from Idi Amin's government; Israeli troops eventually storm the airport in Operation Entebbe, killing hijackers and Ugandan soldiers and freeing all but three of the hostages; Israeli colonel Yonatan Netanyahu, brother of Benjamin Netanyahu, is also killed in the raid.
- July 28 – ?SA Flight OK-NAB, an Ilyushin Il-18, crashes near Bratislava in Czechoslovakia, killing 76 of 78 people on board.
- August 15 – SAETA Flight 232, a Vickers Viscount 785D, goes missing mid-route from Quito to Cuenca, Ecuador; all 4 crew members and 55 passengers are killed, but the scene remains undiscovered for 26 years until October 17, 2002, when climbers on the eastern face of the stratovolcano Chimborazo come upon the site.
- September 10 – A mid-air collision occurs between a British Airways Hawker Siddeley Trident and an Inex-Adria Douglas DC-9 near Zagreb, Yugoslavia, killing all 176 people on board both aircraft.
- October 6 – Cubana Flight 455, a Douglas DC-8, is bombed by anti-Castro militants and crashes near Bridgetown, Barbados, killing all 73 people on board.

1977

- January 15 – Skyline Sweden-operated Linjeflyg Flight 618, a Vickers Viscount 838, crashes in Kälvesta, Sweden just outside Stockholm, killing all 22 on board.
- March 27 – KLM Flight 4805 and Pan Am Flight 1736, both Boeing 747s, collide on the runway in the Tenerife disaster (Los Rodeos Airport) Tenerife Canary Islands; 583 of 644 people on board both aircraft are killed in the worst accident in the history of commercial aviation.
- April 4 – Southern Airways Flight 242, a Douglas DC-9, crash-lands on a highway near New Hope, Georgia after dual engine failure encountered in a thunderstorm; 63 out of 85 aboard are killed, along with 9 people on the ground.
- April 28 – An Aviateca Convair 240 crashes near Guatemala City, Guatemala, killing all 28 people on board.
- May 14 – A Dan-Air/IAS Cargo Boeing 707 crashes near Lusaka, Zambia, killing all 6 on board.
- May 27 – An Aeroflot Ilyushin Il-62 crashes on approach in Havana, Cuba; 68 out of 70 people on board are killed plus one person on the ground. It remains the second-worst air accident in Cuba's history.
- September 28 – Japan Air Lines Flight 472, a Douglas DC-8, is hijacked after taking off from Mumbai, India by Japanese Red Army (JRA) terrorists, who force the plane to land in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where they demand US$6,000,000 and the release of nine imprisoned JRA members being held in Japan; the Japanese government complies and all of the hostages are eventually released.
- October 13 – Lufthansa Flight 181, a Boeing 737, is hijacked by four Palestinian members of the PFLP, who kill the captain; subsequently, German police commandos from GSG 9 storm the aircraft, killing three of the hijackers and capturing the fourth, with no other casualties.
- October 20 – Lynyrd Skynyrd's chartered Convair 240 airliner runs out of fuel en route to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, crashing five miles north of Gillsburg, Mississippi in a swampy pine forest while trying to reach an alternate airport; band members Ronnie Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, plus assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick and the two pilots of the plane, are killed in the accident.
- November 19 – TAP Portugal Flight 425, a Boeing 727, overruns the runway at Madeira Airport and plunges over a steep bank, bursting into flames and killing 131 of the 164 people on board.
- December 4 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 653, a Boeing 737, is hijacked under mysterious circumstances; minutes later, the airliner crashes into a swamp near Tanjung Kupang, Malaysia at a steep angle, killing all 100 people aboard.
- December 18 – SA de Transport Aérien Flight 730, a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle 10R, crashes into the sea while on final approach to Madeira Airport, killing 36 people.

1978

- January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747, crashes into the Arabian Sea as a result of instrument malfunction and pilot error; all 213 passengers and crew die.
- February 11 – Pacific Western Airlines Flight 314, a 737-200 from Edmonton crashes at Cranbrook Airport after thrust reversers did not fully stow following a rejected landing, killing 42 of the 48 people on board.
- March 16 - a Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Tupolev Tu-134 crashes near the village of Gabare, Bulgaria; all 73 people on board die.
- April 20 – Korean Air Lines Flight 902, a Boeing 707, is shot down by Soviet fighter planes; the plane crash-lands near the Soviet Union's border with Finland; two of the 109 people on board are killed, the rest were subsequently released.
- May 8 – National Airlines Flight 193, a Boeing 727, lands short on approach to Pensacola, Florida, United States in Escambia Bay, as a result of pilot error; three passengers out of fifty-eight people on board drown.
- June 26 – Air Canada Flight 189, a McDonnell-Douglas DC-9, crashes on takeoff in Toronto, Ontario, Canada because of tire failure; two die out of 107 passengers on board.
- September 3 – Air Rhodesia Flight RH825 from Kariba to Salisbury is shot down by a SA-7 surface-to-air missile; eighteen of the fifty-six passengers initially survive the emergency landing, 10 are subsequently killed by ZIPRA militants.
- September 25 – Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182, a Boeing 727, collides with a Cessna 172 over San Diego, California, United States; all 135 aboard the airliner, both pilots of the Cessna, and 7 people on the ground are killed, making this the worst aviation disaster in California history.
- November 15 – Icelandic Airlines Flight LL 001, a Douglas DC-8 on a charter flight, crashes into a coconut plantation while on approach to Katunayake, Sri Lanka for a refueling stop; 184 out of 264 people on board are killed.
- December 23 - Alitalia Flight 4128, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32, crashed into the Tyrrhenian Sea when on approach to Palermo International Airport in Palermo, Italy. 108 of the 129 passengers and crew on board are killed.
- December 28 – United Airlines Flight 173, a Douglas DC-8, runs out of fuel while circling near Portland, Oregon, United States, as the crew investigates a light indicating a problem with the landing gear; the plane crashes in a wooded area, killing 10 and injuring 24 of the 181 on board.

1979

- February 12 - Air Rhodesia Flight RH827, a scheduled civilian flight between Kariba and Salisbury is shot down by ZIPRA militants using a SA-7 (Strela 2) surface-to-air missile soon after take off in similar circumstances to Flight RH825 five month earlier; all 55 passengers and 4 crew are killed.
- May 25 – American Airlines Flight 191, a McDonnell-Douglas DC-10, crashes on takeoff from O'Hare International Airport after an engine falls off, killing all 271 on board and 2 on the ground; prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks, this was the deadliest airliner occurrence in American history, and it remains the worst single-aircraft airliner accident on US soil.
- July 11 – A Garuda Indonesia Fokker F28 strikes a volcano on approach to Medan Airport, Indonesia, killing all 61 on board.
- July 31 - A Dan-Air Flight 0034, a Hawker Siddeley HS 748 failed to become airborne at Sumburgh Airport, Scotland. Of the 47 on board, 15 passengers and two crew died.
- August 11 - Two Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-134s collide over Dniprodzerzhynsk, Ukraine, 178 killed.
- October 31 – Western Airlines Flight 2605, a McDonnell-Douglas DC-10, strikes a vehicle on a closed runway in dense fog at Mexico City, Mexico; 72 die.
- November 26 – Pakistan International Airlines Flight 740, a Boeing 707, crashes after a fire in the cabin in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; all 145 passengers and 11 crew die.
- November 28 – Air New Zealand Flight 901, a McDonnell-Douglas DC-10, hits high terrain on Mount Erebus, Antarctica during a sightseeing flight, killing all 257 people on board; becomes known as Mount Erebus Disaster.

1980

- January 21 – Iran Air Boeing 727 crashes near Tehran, Iran hitting high ground in a snowstorm during the approach to land; all 128 aboard are killed.
- March 14 – LOT Polish Airlines Flight 007, an Ilyushin Il-62, crashes near Warsaw, Poland after the No. 2 engine disintegrates and severs the elevator and rudder control lines; all 87 on board are killed.
- April 25 - Dan-Air Flight 1008 a Boeing 727 crashes into mountain near Tenerife, Spain; all 138 passengers and eight crew die.
- June 27 – Aerolinee Itavia Flight 870 crashes into the sea near Italy in controversial circumstances, killing all 81 people on board.
- August 19 – Saudia Flight 163 lands at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia when a fire breaks out on board; the evacuation of the plane is delayed and all 301 on board die.

1981

- August 22 – Far Eastern Air Transport Flight 103, a Boeing 737, disintegrates during flight and crashed near Taipei, Taiwan; severe corrosion in the fuselage structure leads to explosive decompression and disintegration at high altitude; all 110 on board are killed.
- October 6 – NLM Cityhopper Flight 431, a Fokker F28, is destroyed by a tornado near Rotterdam, killing all 17 people on board.
- December 1 – Inex-Adria McDonnell Douglas MD-81 crashes in the mountains while approaching Campo dell'Oro Airport in Ajaccio, Corsica, killing all 180 on board.

1982
Salvage operations on Air Florida Flight 90

- January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737, crashes into the frozen Potomac River after takeoff from Washington National Airport; five on board survive; 78 on board and 4 on the ground die, including one initial survivor who dies after ensuring that the other crash survivors are rescued from the frozen river.
- January 23 – World Airways Flight 30, a McDonnell-Douglas DC-10, overshoots the runway at Boston, Massachusetts; two passengers were reported missing.
- February 9 – Japan Air Lines Flight 350, a Douglas DC-8-61, crashes on approach to Tokyo International Airport (Haneda); of the 166 passengers and 8 crew, 24 passengers are killed.
- March 11 – Widerøe Flight 933 crashed into the Barents Sea near Mehamn, killing all 15 on board; this accident remains highly controversial in Norway.
- March 20 – A Garuda Indonesia Fokker F28 overruns the runway in bad weather at Tanjung Karang-Branti Airport; all 27 are killed when the aircraft bursts into flames.
- June 8 – VASP Flight 168, a Boeing 727, crashes into a hillside in Brazil, killing all 137 on board; the deadliest accident in Brazil to this date.
- June 21 – Air India Flight 403, a Boeing 707-420, crashes at Sahar International Airport in Mumbai, India while landing during a heavy rainstorm; 15 of 99 passengers and 2 of 12 crew are killed.
- June 24 – British Airways Flight 009, a Boeing 747-200, flies through a cloud of volcanic ash south of Java; all engines fail in flight, forcing the plane to glide; the crew is able to restart the engines and make a safe landing.
- July 6 – Aeroflot Flight 411, an Ilyushin Il-62, crashes after take-off from Sheremetyevo International Airport; all 90 on board are killed.
- July 9 – Pan Am Flight 759, crashes in Kenner, Louisiana, shortly after takeoff; all 145 on board and 8 people on the ground are killed.
- September 13 – Spantax Flight 995, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30CF, is destroyed by fire after an aborted take-off at Malaga, Spain; fifty of the 294 on board die.

1983

- January 16 – Turkish Airlines Flight 158, a Boeing 727-2F2, lands about 50 m (160 ft) short of the runway at Ankara Esenbo?a Airport, Turkey in driving snow, breaks up and catches fire; 47 passengers are killed, all seven crew and 13 passengers survive the accident with injuries.
- June 2 – Air Canada Flight 797, a McDonnell-Douglas DC-9, catches fire during flight over Kentucky; 23 of 46 passengers die from smoke inhalation even after the crew successfully lands the aircraft in Cincinnati, Ohio.
- July 16 – A British Airways Sikorsky S-61 helicopter crashes into the sea off the Isles of Scilly; 20 of 26 people on board die, in the worst helicopter accident in the United Kingdom to this date and sparking a review of helicopter safety.
- July 23 – Air Canada Flight 143, a Boeing 767, runs out of fuel above Manitoba because of a miscalculation; the crew successfully glides the aircraft to a safe landing at a former Air Force base (and current drag strip) at Gimli, Manitoba; the aircraft becomes known as the Gimli Glider.
- September 1 – Korean Air Lines Flight 007, a Boeing 747, is shot down by Soviet fighter planes near Sakhalin after straying into Soviet airspace; all 269 people on board are killed.
- September 23 – Gulf Air Flight 771, a Boeing 737, crashes near Mina Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates after a bomb planted by the Abu Nidal Organization detonates on board; all 112 people on board perish.
- November 27 – Avianca Flight 11, a Boeing 747, strikes a hill because of a navigational error while attempting to land in Madrid, Spain; of the 192 passengers and crew aboard, 11 survive.
- December 20 - Ozark Airlines Flight 650, a DC-9, collides with a snow plow in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; all on-board survive, however the driver of the snow plow is killed.

1984

- January 10 – a Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Tupolev Tu-134 crashes into a forest near Sofia, Bulgaria during a snowstorm; all 50 people on board die.
- March 22 – Pacific Western Airlines Flight 501, a Boeing 737, suffers an uncontained engine failure during takeoff from Calgary; all passengers and crew were safely evacuated, but the plane burns to the ground.
- August 30 - Cameroon Airlines Flight 786, a Boeing 737 with 109 passengers and 7 crew on board, suffers an uncontained engine failure during taxi for take-off at the Douala, Cameroon airport, starting a fire; two persons die as the plane burns to the ground.
- October 11- a Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-154B-1 Aeroflot Flight 3352 crashed on landing at Tsentralny Airport, Omsk Russia. 174 passengers, and four people on the ground perished in the crash.

1985

- January 1 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 980, a Boeing 727, impacts Mount Illimani in Bolivia. All 29 people on board are killed.
- January 21 – Galaxy Airlines Flight 203, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, crashes in Reno, Nevada while attempting to return to the airport to troubleshoot a noise, killing 70 of the 71 people on board. It is later discovered that the air start door was not properly secured.
- February 19 – China Airlines Flight 006, a Boeing 747SP, suffers an engine flameout off the coast of California and dives 30,000 feet before regaining control and landing safely in San Francisco.
- June 14 – TWA Flight 847, a Boeing 727, is hijacked by Lebanese militants. One passenger is murdered during the three-day ordeal.
- June 23 – Air-India Flight 182, a Boeing 747, is bombed by Sikh extremists. It crashes into the ocean near Ireland, killing all 329 people on board.
- July 10 – Aeroflot Flight 7425, a Tupolev Tu-154B, stalls while cruising at 38,000 feet (11,600 m) and enters an unrecoverable spin, killing all 200 aboard.
- August 2 – Delta Air Lines Flight 191, a Lockheed Tristar, crashes on approach to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport because of wind shear from a sudden microburst thunderstorm. Of the 163 passengers and crew aboard, 29 survive.
- August 12 – Japan Air Lines Flight 123, a Boeing 747, crashes into Mount Osutaka after catastrophic failure of the tailplane severs all hydraulic lines and renders the aircraft uncontrollable. 520 of 524 people on board are killed. To date, it is the worst single-aircraft disaster in history.
- August 22 – British Airtours Flight 28M, a Boeing 737, aborts its takeoff from Manchester, England because of an engine fire. While 63 passengers and crew escape alive, 53 are killed, most from smoke inhalation.
- August 25 – Bar Harbor Airlines Flight 1808 crashes near Auburn, Maine killing all 8 people on board, including Samantha Smith and her father.
- September 6 – Midwest Express Airlines Flight 105, a DC-9, crashes after takeoff from Milwaukee, Wisconsin because of engine failure and pilot error. All 31 people on board are killed.
- November 23 – EgyptAir Flight 648, a Boeing 737, is hijacked by Palestinian militants. Egyptian special forces storm the plane on the island of Malta. The incident kills 58 out of 90 passengers and all but one of the hijackers.
- December 12 – Arrow Air Flight 1285, a Douglas DC-8, crashes after takeoff in Gander, Newfoundland, killing all 256 passengers and crew on board, making it currently the worst air disaster to occur in Canada; the cause is determined to be a stall most likely caused by wing icing.

1986
AeroMéxico Flight 498 falling to the ground immediately after a mid-air collision with a Piper Cherokee.

- March 31 – Mexicana Flight 940, a Boeing 727, crashes into high ground near Santiago Maravatío, Mexico. All 167 passengers and crew are killed.
- April 2 – TWA Flight 840, a Boeing 727, is bombed by Palestinian militants, killing four out of 121 people on board. The plane manages to land safely in Athens.
- August 31 – Aeroméxico Flight 498, a McDonnell-Douglas DC-9, collides with a Piper Cherokee over Cerritos, California, killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft and 15 people on the ground.
- September 5 – Pan Am Flight 73, a Boeing 747, is hijacked on the ground at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan, by Palestinian militants. About twenty passengers and crew out of 379 on board die during a shootout inside the plane.
- November 6 – A Boeing 234LR Chinook helicopter operated by British International Helicopters crashes on approach to Sumburgh Airport, Shetland Islands with the loss of 45 lives.
- December 25 – Iraqi Airways Flight 163, a Boeing 737, is hijacked by Hezbollah militants while en route to Amman, Jordan. A shootout with security forces causes the plane to crash, killing 63 of the 106 people on board.

1987

- January 3 - Varig Flight 797, a Boeing 707, crashes near Abidjan because of engine failure. Out of the 52 passengers and crew on board, there is only 1 survivor.
- May 9 – LOT Polish Airlines Flight 5055, an Ilyushin Il-62M, crashes near Warsaw during landing because of engine failure. All 183 passengers and crew members perish.
- June 27 – Philippine Airlines Flight 206, a Hawker Siddeley HS 748, crashes on the slopes of Mount Ugo, Benguet, as it begins its approach to Loakan Airport in Baguio City; all 50 passengers and crew are killed. Poor visibility is blamed for the crash.
- August 16 – Northwest Airlines Flight 255, an McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashes on takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Michigan, 25 miles west of Detroit, as a result of pilot error. Out of 155 on board, Cecelia Cichan, a 4-year-old girl, is the only survivor.
- August 31 – Thai Airways Flight 365, a Boeing 737, crashes into the ocean off the coast of Thailand as a result of pilot error. All 83 passengers and crew perish.
- November 15 – Continental Airlines Flight 1713, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 crashes on take-off during a snowstorm at Stapleton International Airport, in Denver. 25 passengers and 3 crew perish.
- November 28 – South African Airways Flight 295, a Boeing 747, crashes into the Indian Ocean after a fire in the cargo hold. All 159 aboard die.
- November 29 – Korean Air Flight 858, a Boeing 707, crashes into the Andaman Sea after a bomb explodes on board. All 115 people on board are killed.
- December 7 – Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771, a BAe 146, is hijacked and deliberately crashed near Cayucos, California, by a disgruntled airline employee. All 43 people on board, including the hijacker, are killed.

1988
Aloha Airlines Flight 243

- March 17 – Avianca Flight 410, a Boeing 727, crashes into terrain near Cúcuta, Colombia after takeoff as a result of pilot error. All 142 people on board die.
- April 28 – Aloha Airlines Flight 243, a Boeing 737, suffers explosive decompression during flight but manages to land safely. Of 95 people on board, one flight attendant is blown out of the plane and killed, and several passengers are injured.
- May 6 – A Widerøe-operated Dash 7 crashes in Torghatten, Norway in heavy fog, killing all 36 passengers in the worst-ever Dash 7 accident.
- June 26 – Air France Flight 296, an Airbus A320, makes a low pass over Mulhouse-Habsheim Airport in landing configuration during an air show and crashes into trees at the end of the runway. Of 130 passengers aboard, 3 die.
- July 3 – Iran Air Flight 655, an Airbus A300, is shot down over Iranian waters by the missile cruiser USS Vincennes near Dubai. All 290 people on board are killed.
- August 31 – Delta Air Lines Flight 1141, a Boeing 727, crashes on takeoff from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport as a result of pilot error; of 108 people on board, 12 passengers and two crew members are killed.
- October 19 – Indian Airlines Flight 113 hits an electric mast 5 miles (8 kilometers) out on approach in poor visibility in Ahmedabad, India. All six crew members and 124 of 129 passengers are killed.
- December 21 – Pan Am Flight 103, a Boeing 747, disintegrates in the air over Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland after a terrorist bomb explodes on board. All 259 people on board and 11 on the ground are killed. The incident is also known as the Lockerbie air disaster.

1989

- January 8 – British Midland Flight 92, a Boeing 737, crashes near Kegworth, Leicestershire, United Kingdom after one of its engines loses a fan blade and fails. Of the 118 passengers and 8 crew, 79 survive. The incident became known as the Kegworth air disaster.
- February 8 – Independent Air Flight 1851, a Boeing 707, crashes into a hill on approach to Santa Maria, the Azores. All 144 people on board are killed.
- February 24 – United Airlines Flight 811, a Boeing 747, suffers an explosive decompression shortly after takeoff from Honolulu, Hawaii, United States caused by a cargo door which burst open during flight. Of 355 people on board, nine passengers are sucked out of the plane, but the crew manage to land safely at Honolulu.
- March 10 – Air Ontario Flight 1363, a Fokker F28, crashes immediately after takeoff from Dryden, Ontario, Canada because of ice on the wings, killing 24 of 69 people on board.
- June 7 – Surinam Airways Flight PY764, a Douglas DC-8, crashes while attempting to land in heavy fog at Paramaribo, Suriname. The plane hits trees and flips upside down, killing 176 of 187 people on board.
- July 19 – United Airlines Flight 232, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, suffers a complete hydraulic system failure over Iowa, United States after the tail-mounted engine disintegrates. The crew maintains partial control of the aircraft using differential throttle, bringing it to a crash landing on the runway of the Sioux City, Iowa airport. Of the 296 people on board, 111 die.
- September 3 – Varig Flight 254, a Boeing 737, runs out of fuel because of incorrect navigation and crashes in the Brazilian jungle, killing 13 of the 54 people on board.
- September 8 – Partnair Flight 394, a Convair 580, crashes into the North Sea after its tail section falls off in mid-air. All 55 people on board perish.
- September 19 – UTA Flight 772, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, explodes in mid-air over the Sahara desert when a bomb hidden in its forward cargo hold detonates. All 170 people on board are killed. Responsibility for the bombing is later traced back to Abdullah Sanussi, the brother-in-law of Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi, whose government in 2003 agrees to pay compensation to the victims.
- November 27 – Avianca Flight 203, a Boeing 727, explodes in mid-air over Colombia, killing all 107 people on board and three people on the ground. The Medellín Cartel claimed responsibility for the attack.
- December 15 – KLM Flight 867, a Boeing 747 flying from Amsterdam to Anchorage, Alaska, flies through a cloud of volcanic debris, subsequently losing power from all four engines. The crew is able to restart the engines and land the plane safely.

1990
Wreckage of the China Southern Airlines aircraft hit by Xiamen Airlines Flight 8301

- January 25 – Avianca Flight 52, a Boeing 707, runs out of fuel and crashes while attempting to land at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Of the 158 people on board, 85 survive.
- February 14 – Indian Airlines Flight 605, an Airbus A320, crashes on its final approach to Bangalore airport. 92 out of 146 people on board are killed.
- June 10 – British Airways Flight 5390, a BAC One-Eleven, suffers explosive decompression over Didcot, Oxfordshire, England when one of the front windscreen panes blows out. The captain is partially sucked out of the cockpit, but a flight attendant manages to keep his unconscious body from falling from the aircraft. The first officer lands the aircraft safely at Southampton Airport. All on board survive.
- October 2 – Xiamen Airlines Flight 8301, a Boeing 737, is hijacked. During landing at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, it clips a China Southwest Airlines Boeing 707 and collides with a China Southern Airlines Boeing 757, killing a total of 128.
- December 3 – Northwest Airlines Flight 1482, a Douglas DC-9, collides with Northwest Airlines Flight 299, a Boeing 727, when the crew of the Douglas aircraft mistakenly taxis onto the active runway at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. Seven passengers and one crewmember out of the 54 on board Flight 1482 perish; all on board Flight 299 survive.

1991

- February 1 – USAir Flight 1493, a Boeing 737, strikes SkyWest Airlines Flight 5569, a Fairchild Metro commuter plane waiting to take off from the same runway on which the Boeing 737 was landing at Los Angeles International Airport. Of the 101 people on both aircraft, 34 people, including all 12 aboard the Metro and 22 of the Boeing 737 passengers, are killed.
- March 3 – United Airlines Flight 585, a Boeing 737, crashes while attempting to land at Colorado Springs, Colorado, killing all 25 people on board. The cause of the crash is not identified until the investigation into the crash of USAir Flight 427 in 1994; both crashes are eventually attributed to defects in a valve associated with the rudder.
- March 26 – Singapore Airlines Flight 117 is hijacked by Pakistani militants en route to Singapore, where, upon landing, it is stormed by Singapore Special Operations forces. All of the hijackers are killed in the operation, with no fatalities amongst the passengers and crew.
- April 5 – Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311, an Embraer 120RT Brasilia, rolls sharply and crashes on final approach to Brunswick, Georgia, killing all 23 people on board, including former Texas senator John Tower, his adult daughter, and astronaut Sonny Carter.
- May 26 – Lauda Air Flight 004, a Boeing 767, disintegrates in mid-air over Uthai Thani Province, Thailand, killing all 223 people on board. A thrust reverser had accidentally deployed in flight, causing the disaster. It is the first fatal crash of a Boeing 767.
- July 10 – L'Express Airlines Flight 508, a Beechcraft Model 99, crashes while on approach Birmingham Municipal Airport in Birmingham, Alabama, due to severe thunderstorms. Two survive the crash out of 15 on board.
- July 11 – Nigeria Airways Flight 2120, a Nationair DC-8-61 chartered by Nigeria Airways to transport Nigerian pilgrims to Mecca, crashes shortly after takeoff from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, because of a fire caused by tyre failure. All 261 on board die, including 14 Canadian crew members.
- August 16 – Indian Airlines Flight 257 hits high ground during descent about 30 km from the Imphal airport. All six crew members and 63 passengers were killed.
- September 11 – Continental Express Flight 2574 crashes on descent in Eagle Lake, Texas, killing all 14 people on board. Maintenance crews traded work shifts during repairs to the horizontal stabilizer, inadvertently leaving 47 bolts missing. Reformers pointed to this error and called for development of a "safety culture".
- December 27 – Both engines of SAS Flight 751, an McDonnell-Douglas MD-81, fail shortly after takeoff from Stockholm, Sweden. The pilots successfully make an emergency landing in a nearby field, injuring 25 passengers but incurring not a single fatality.

1992
The Bijlmermeer in Amsterdam where El Al Flight 1862 crashed.

- January 3 – CommutAir Flight 4821, a Beechcraft 1900, crashes while landing at Adirondack Regional Airport in Franklin County, New York. Out of two passengers and two crew, two are killed.
- January 20 - Air Inter Flight 148, an Airbus A320, crashes in the Vosges Mountains on approach to Strasbourg, France, killing 87 of 96 people on board.
- March 22 – USAir Flight 405, a Fokker F-28, crashes on takeoff from New York because of ice buildup. Twenty-seven of the 51 people on board are killed. The then-president of Cleveland, Ohio's renowned Cleveland Clinic is among the survivors.
- July 30 – TWA Flight 843 aborts takeoff at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The Lockheed L-1011 turns off the runway onto grass in order to avoid striking a concrete barrier. The plane is destroyed by fire shortly after all 292 passengers and crew evacuate with no loss of life.
- July 31 – Thai Airways International Flight 311 crashed on approach into Kathmandu, Nepal, killing all 14 crew and 99 passengers on board.
- September 28 – Pakistan International Airlines Flight 268, an Airbus A300, crashes near Kathmandu, Nepal, killing all 12 crew and 155 passengers.
- October 4 – El Al Flight 1862, a Boeing 747 freighter, crashes into high-rise apartment buildings in Amsterdam after two of its engines detach from the wing. Forty-three people, including the plane's crew of 3, are killed. The incident became known as the Bijlmerramp (Bijlmer disaster).
- November 15 – An Aerocaribbean Ilyushin Il-18 en route from Santo Domingo International Airport to Gregorio Luperón International Airport, crashes into the side of Mount Isabel de Torres, in Puerto Plata province -Dominican Republic- while flying in IFR conditions on approach. All 34 aboard perish.
- December 21 – Martinair Flight 495 crashes in Faro, Portugal, killing 54 people and injuring 106.

1993

- April 26 – Indian Airlines Flight 491, a Boeing 737, strikes a large vehicle on a road just outside the Aurangabad airport and crashes subsequently, killing 55 of the 118 people on board.
- July 26 – Asiana Airlines Flight 733, a Boeing 737, crashes into a mountain in Haenam, South Korea after failed landing attempts, killing 78 of the 110 people on board.
- September 14 – Lufthansa Flight 2904, an Airbus A320, crashes after overrunning the runway in Warsaw, Poland, killing 2 and injuring 68 of the 72 people on board.
- September 21 – Transair Georgian Airline Crash (September 21): A Tupolev Tu-134A is hit on approach to Sukhumi-Babusheri Airport by a surface-to-air missile; the plane crashes into the Black Sea, killing all five crew members and all 22 passengers.
- September 22 – Transair Georgian Airline Crash (September 22): Another plane, a Tupolev Tu-154A carrying refugees from a besieged city, Tbilisi, is shot down on takeoff from Sukhumi-Babusheri Airport; the plane crashes on the runway and catches fire, killing 106 of the 132 people on board.
- November 4 – China Airlines Flight 605, a Boeing 747-409, overruns Kai Tak Airport runway 13 while landing in gale force winds during a typhoon. Despite the plane's unstable approach, the captain did not go-around, and touches down more than two-thirds down the runway. The 747 was unable to stop before crashing into Hong Kong harbor. All 374 aboard escape serious injury, but the hull is written off as a total loss.

1994

- March 23 – Aeroflot Flight 593, an Airbus A310, crashes into a wooded hillside in Siberia. All 75 passengers and crew are killed.
- April 4 - KLM Flight 433, a Saab 340, crashes while trying to return to Schiphol Airport, due to pilot error and equipment failure; the pilot and two passengers die, nine passengers are injured.
- April 7 – FedEx Express Flight 705, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30, experiences an attempted hijacking by a FedEx employee; the three crew members are severely injured, but manage to subdue the attacker and land the aircraft safely with no loss of life.
- April 26 – China Airlines Flight 140, an Airbus A300, crashes while landing at Nagoya, Japan as a result of pilot error. 264 people of the 271 on board die.
- June 6 – China Northwest Airlines Flight 2303, a Tupolev Tu-154M, breaks up in mid-air and crashes near Xian, China killing all 160 on board. The deadliest airplane crash ever to occur in China is attributed to a maintenance error.
- July 2 – USAir Flight 1016, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashes while attempting to land at Charlotte, North Carolina during a thunderstorm. 37 of the 51 people on board are killed.
- July 19 – Alas Chiricanas Flight 00901, an Embraer EMB-110, explodes in mid-air over Panama, killing all 21 people on board. Investigators conclude that a suicide bomber caused the plane to explode, although motives and affiliation of the bomber remain unclear.
- September 8 – USAir Flight 427, a Boeing 737, crashes while attempting to land at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, killing all 133 people on board. Investigations showed that a fault in the Boeing 737 rudder was to blame for the crash.
- October 31 – American Eagle Flight 4184, an ATR 72 turboprop, crashes near Roselawn, Indiana, while waiting to land at Chicago, Illinois, because of ice buildup on its wings. All 68 people on board die.
- December 11 – A bomb explodes on board Philippine Airlines Flight 434, a Boeing 747, killing one passenger, in a prelude to the terrorist Bojinka Plot. Despite subsequent difficulties in controlling the aircraft, the crew succeeds in making an emergency landing at Naha, Okinawa.
- December 24 – Air France Flight 8969, an Airbus A300, is hijacked on the tarmac at Algiers, Algeria by the militant group GIA. After a two-day standoff, the plane is allowed to fly to Marseille, France, where it is stormed by French commandos who kill the hijackers.
- December 29 – Turkish Airlines Flight 278, a Boeing 737-4Y0, crashes during its final approach to land at Van Ferit Melen Airport in eastern Turkey in driving snow. Five of the seven crew and 52 of the 69 passengers are killed.

1995

- March 31 – Tarom Flight 371, an Airbus A310, crashes near Balote?ti, Romania killing all 60 on board.
- June 5 – Ansett New Zealand Flight 703, a de Havilland DHC-8, crashes during a landing approach near the Tararua Ranges, New Zealand killing four of the 21 people on board.
- August 21 – Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529, an Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia, crashes in a field near Carrollton, Georgia in the United States, killing 10 of the 29 people on board.
- December 13 – Banat Air Flight 166, a Romavia Antonov Antonov An-24 (registered YR-AMR), crashes after taking off from Verona airport, because of overloading and ice accumulation on the wings. All 4 crew and all 45 passengers die.
- December 18 – A Trans Service Airlift Lockheed L-188 Electra crashes after taking off from Jamba, Angola, because of overloading. Of the 144 people on board, 141 are killed.
- December 20 – American Airlines Flight 965, a Boeing 757, crashes into a mountain while approaching Santiago de Cali, Colombia; of the 164 people on board, only 4 people and a dog survive.

1996

- January 8 – An overloaded Air Africa Antonov An-32 aborts takeoff and overruns into a market in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing 297.
- February 6 – Birgenair Flight 301, a Boeing 757 with 189 people on board, crashes into the ocean off Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic shortly after taking off. All passengers and crew are killed.
- February 29 – Compañía de Aviación Faucett Flight 251, a Boeing 737, crashes into a hill while attempting to land at Arequipa, Peru. All 123 people on board die.
- May 11 – ValuJet Airlines Flight 592, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashes in the Everglades near Miami, Florida, because of a fire in its cargo hold. All 110 people on board are killed.
- July 17 – TWA Flight 800, a Boeing 747, explodes in mid-air above the ocean off East Moriches, New York, killing all 230 people on board.
- August 19 – Spair Airlines Flight PAR-3601, an Ilyushin Il-76, crashes near Belgrade with twelve fatalities.
- August 29 – Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801, a Tupolev Tu-154, crashes into a mountain on Spitsbergen, an island in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, killing all 141 on board.
- October 2 – Aeroperú Flight 603, a Boeing 757, crashes into the ocean off Pasamayo, Peru, because of a maintenance error. All 70 people on board are killed.
- October 31 – TAM Airlines Flight 402, a Fokker 100, crashes shortly after takeoff from Congonhas/São Paulo International Airport, Brazil, striking an apartment building and several houses. All 90 passengers and 6 crew members on board die. Three people are killed on the ground.
- November 12 – Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 763, a Boeing 747, collides in mid-air with Air Kazakhstan Flight 1907, an Ilyushin Il-76, near Charkhi Dadri, India. All 312 on board the Boeing 747 and all 37 on board the Ilyushin Il-76 are killed.
- November 23 – Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961, a Boeing 767, is hijacked over Kenya. The aircraft runs out of fuel, and the pilot attempts to ditch the aircraft in the ocean off Moroni, Comoros. Of the 175 people on board, 123 are killed.

1997

- January 9 – Comair Flight 3272, an Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia, crashes near Ida, Michigan during a snowstorm. All 29 on board die.
- May 8 – China Southern Airlines Flight 3456, a Boeing 737, makes a hard landing in Shenzhen, China during poor weather and crashes, killing 35 of the 74 people on board.
- June 9 – Air Malta Flight 830 was hijacked. The hijack ended in Cologne with no casualties.
- July 31 - FedEx Express Flight 14 a McDonnell Douglas MD-11, crashes upon landing at Newark Liberty International Airport; the two crewmembers and three passengers escape uninjured.
- August 6 – Korean Air Flight 801, a Boeing 747, crashes while attempting to land in heavy rain in Hagåtña, Guam. Of the 254 people on board, 228 die.
- September 3 – Vietnam Airlines Flight 815, a Tupolev Tu-134, crashes on approach to Phnom Penh International Airport in heavy rain, killing 65 of the 66 people on board.
- September 26 – Garuda Indonesia Flight 152, an Airbus A300, crashes into a mountain near Buah Nabar, Indonesia killing all 234 on board.
- October 10 - Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 2553, a Douglas DC-9-32, crashes near Fray Bentos, Uruguay traveling from Posadas to Buenos Aires, resulting in the death of all 74 occupants - 5 crew members and 69 passengers.
- December 16 – Air Canada Flight 646, a Canadair CRJ-100, crashes after a failed go-around attempt in Fredericton, New Brunswick. All passengers and crew survive.
- December 19 – SilkAir Flight 185, a Boeing 737, crashes abruptly into the Musi River near Palembang, Indonesia, killing all 102 people on board.

1998

- February 2 – Cebu Pacific Air Flight 387, a McDonnell-Douglas DC-9, crashes into a mountain near Mount Sumagaya in Misamis Oriental in the Philippines. The plane is flying an unfamiliar route not well documented in maps following an unscheduled stop in Leyte to drop off two mechanics. All 104 passengers and crew members are killed.[1]
- February 16 – China Airlines Flight 676, an Airbus A300, crashes into a residential area while attempting to land in Taipei, Taiwan. All 196 people on board are killed, in addition to six on the ground.[1]
- March 22 – Philippine Airlines Flight 137, an Airbus A320, overshoots the end of the runway while landing at Bacolod City in the Philippines, plowing through several houses. None of the passengers was harmed, but three people on the ground were killed and several more injured.
- April 20 – TAME Airlines Flight 422, a Boeing 727, crashed into the mountains east of Bogotá, Colombia when it was taking off from El Dorado International Airport of Bogotá at about 4:45pm local time. The plane was owned by TAME, an Ecuadoran airline, but leased to Air France. The accident was caused by foggy weather and all passengers and crew were lost, at least 53 people.
- May 26 – A MIAT Mongolian Airlines Harbin Y-12 crashes 13 minutes after takeoff from Erdenet Airport, Mongolia killing all 28 passengers and crew.
- September 2 – Swissair Flight 111, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11, crashes into the sea near Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada, because of an on-board fire. All 229 people on board perish.[1]
- December 11 – Thai Airways Flight 261, an Airbus A310, crashes during poor weather near Surat Thani, Thailand. Of the 146 people on board, 102 are killed.[1]

1999

- June 1 – American Airlines Flight 1420, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, skids off the runway on landing at Little Rock, Arkansas during strong winds; eleven of 145 on board die.
- July 24 – All Nippon Airways Flight 61, a Boeing 747, is hijacked by a passenger, Yuji Nishizawa, wielding a knife; after fatally stabbing the captain, he is overpowered by the crew; the first officer lands the plane safely at Haneda, Japan.
- August 22 – China Airlines Flight 642, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11, crashes on landing at Hong Kong International Airport during Typhoon Sam; of the 315 people on board, three die.
- August 31 – LAPA Flight 3142, a Boeing 737, overshoots the runway in Buenos Aires, Argentina and crashes into a golf course; of the 103 people on board, 64 are killed as well as ten on the ground.
- September 14 – Britannia Airways Flight 226A, a Boeing 757, veers off the runway at Girona, Catalonia (Spain) while landing in a thunderstorm and comes to rest in a field, broken apart in two places; 43 on board are injured, two seriously, but a passenger initially diagnosed as "lightly injured" dies five days later of unsuspected internal injuries.
- September 23 – Qantas Flight 1, a Boeing 747, overshoots the runway upon landing in Bangkok, Thailand; none of the 410 people on board is seriously injured.
- October 31 – EgyptAir Flight 990, a Boeing 767 bound for Cairo, Egypt, crashes into the Atlantic Ocean off Nantucket, Massachusetts, killing all 217 passengers and crew; cause is disputed: a deliberate suicide/homicide act by the relief first officer according to NTSB, vs. a Boeing mechanical flaw according to Egyptian aviation authorities.
- November 9 – TAESA Flight 725, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashes near Uruapan, Mexico killing all 18 on board.
- December 24 – Indian Airlines Flight 814, an Airbus A300, is hijacked en route to Delhi, India; one hostage is killed.

2000

- January 10 – Crossair Flight 498, a Saab 340, crashes two minutes after takeoff in Niederhasli, Switzerland, killing all ten people on-board.
- January 30 – Kenya Airways Flight 431, an Airbus A310, carrying 169 passengers and 10 crew members, crashes into the Atlantic Ocean off Côte d'Ivoire after takeoff from Abidjan. Only ten people survive.
- January 31 – Alaska Airlines Flight 261, an MD-83, crashes into the Pacific Ocean off Point Mugu, California after problems with its horizontal stabilizer. All 83 passengers and 5 crew members are killed.
- March 5 – Southwest Airlines Flight 1455, a Boeing 737-300, overruns the runway in Burbank, California. Of the 142 people on board, 43 are injured, two seriously.
- April 19 – Air Philippines Flight 541, a Boeing 737-200, crashes in a coconut grove on Samal Island, Davao del Norte while preparing to approach the Davao International Airport, killing all 131 people on board.
- July 12 – Hapag-Lloyd Airlines Flight 3378, an Airbus A310, lands 500 meters short of the runway in Vienna after running out of fuel in flight. There are no serious injuries or fatalities.
- July 17 – Alliance Air Flight 7412, a Boeing 737-200, crashes into government housing in Patna, India as it approaches the airport, killing 55 of the 58 on board and five people on the ground.
- July 25 – Air France Flight 4590 Concorde crashes during takeoff from Paris, France after its fuel tank catches fire, killing 9 crew and 100 passengers as well as four on the ground; the entire Concorde fleet is grounded for one year, and is eventually retired.
- August 23 – Gulf Air Flight 072, an Airbus A320, crashes into the Persian Gulf off Manama, Bahrain while attempting to land. All 143 passengers and eight crew members are killed.
- October 31 – Singapore Airlines Flight 006, a Boeing 747-400, strikes construction equipment after using a closed runway for takeoff in Taipei, Taiwan and crashes, killing 83 out of 179 people on board.

2001
The neighborhood in Queens, New York where American Airlines Flight 587 crashed.

- January 31 – Japan Airlines Flight 907 and Japan Airlines Flight 958 narrowly avoid colliding near Yaizu, Japan.
- March 29 – An Avjet charter flight, a Gulfstream III jet with 15 passengers and 3 crew, crashes on approach into Aspen, CO, killing all on board
- July 4 – Vladivostok Air Flight 352, a Tupolev Tu-154 enters a flat spin on approach to Irkutsk Airport in Irkutsk, Russia, crashes down onto its belly and bursts into flames in a wooded area killing all 145 aboard.
- August 24 – Air Transat Flight 236 runs out of fuel over the Atlantic Ocean and makes an emergency landing in the Azores. Upon landing some of the tires blow out, causing a fire that is extinguished by emergency personnel on the ground. None of the 304 people on board the Airbus A330-200 were seriously injured.
- September 11 – September 11, 2001 attacks
o American Airlines Flight 11, a 767-200ER with 92 people on board, is hijacked after taking off from Boston, and is flown into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City; all on board are killed as well as others on the ground and in the building.
o United Airlines Flight 175, a Boeing 767-200ER with 65 people on board, is hijacked after taking off from Boston and is flown into the south tower of the World Trade Center in New York City; all on board are killed as well as others on the ground and in the building; the collapse of both towers brings the total death toll from the two crashes to at least 2,759.
o American Airlines Flight 77, a Boeing 757-200 with 64 people on board, is hijacked after taking off from Dulles International Airport and is flown into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia; all on board are killed as well as 125 people in the building and on the ground.
o United Airlines Flight 93, a Boeing 757-200 with 44 people on board, is hijacked after taking off from Newark, New Jersey; passengers struggle with the hijackers, and the aircraft crashes in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing all on board.
- October 4 – Siberia Airlines Flight 1812, a Tupolev Tu-154, is shot down by a Ukrainian missile over the Black Sea. All 66 passengers and 12 crew members are killed.
- October 8 – SAS Flight 686, a MD-87, crashes into a Cessna business jet on takeoff from Milan, Italy. The McDonnell Douglas MD-87 then swerves into a baggage handling building and catches fire. All 110 people on board Flight 686 die as well as all four in the Cessna. Four people on the ground are also killed.
- November 12 – American Airlines Flight 587, an Airbus A300, crashes into a Queens neighborhood in New York City when the plane's vertical tail fin snaps just after takeoff. All 251 passengers and nine crew members on board are killed as well as five people on the ground.
- November 24 – Crossair Flight 3597, an Avro RJ100, crashes near Bassersdorf, Switzerland, while attempting to land in Zürich. Of the 28 passengers and five crew members on board, 21 passengers (including dance singer Melanie Thornton of La Bouche) and three crew members die.
- December 22 – On board American Airlines Flight 63, a Boeing 767, a passenger, Richard Reid, attempts to detonate explosives hidden in his shoe, but fails and is subdued by two flight attendants and passengers. The plane lands safely in Boston

2002

- January 14 – Lion Air Flight JT-386, a Boeing 737-200, crashes while attempting to take off from Riau, Indonesia; all 103 on board survive.
- January 16 – Garuda Indonesia Flight 421, a Boeing 737-300, experiences a dual flameout after entering a thunderstorm, and ditches in the Bengawan Solo River. A flight attendant is the only casualty; 59 passengers and crew survive.
- January 28 – TAME Flight 120, a Boeing 727, crashes into a volcano on approach to Tulcán, Ecuador in low-visibility conditions; all 94 on board are killed.
- April 15 – Air China Flight 129, a Boeing 767-200ER, crashes into a hill during a landing attempt at Busan, South Korea in misty conditions; of the 155 passengers and 11 crew, 38 survive.
- May 4 - EAS Airlines Flight 4226, a BAC 1-11 500 series, crashes into the Gwammaja neighborhood at Kano, Nigeria shortly after takeoff; the ensuing crash resulted in the deaths of 75 passengers and at least 73 civilians on the ground.
- May 7 – EgyptAir Flight 843, a Boeing 737-566, crashes near Tunis, Tunisia, while landing in rough weather; of the 62 people on board, 14 perish.
- May 7 – China Northern Airlines Flight 6136, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashes near Dalian, China, after a passenger sets fire to the cabin with gasoline; all 103 passengers and 9 crew are killed.
- May 25 – China Airlines Flight 611, a Boeing 747-200B, disintegrates above the Taiwan Strait, apparently because of metal fatigue; all 206 passengers and 19 crew members are killed.
- July 1 – Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937, a Tupolev Tu-154 with 57 passengers and 14 crew members on board, collides with DHL Flight 611, a Boeing 757 cargo plane with 2 pilots on board near Lake Constance, Germany; all people on both planes perish.
- July 1 – America West Airlines Flight 556, an Airbus A319, is ordered back to the terminal at Miami, Florida before take-off after security screeners report that the pilots appear intoxicated; the pilots are eventually given prison sentences.
- November 6 – Luxair Flight 9642, a Fokker 50, crashes short of the runway while landing near Niederanven, Luxembourg in foggy conditions; of the 19 passengers and three crew on board, only two survive.

2003

- January 8 – Air Midwest Flight 5481, a Beechcraft 1900, crashes on takeoff from Charlotte North Carolina in the United States; all 19 passengers and 2 pilots are killed.
- January 8 – Turkish Airlines Flight 634, an Avro RJ100 , crashes during its final approach to land at Diyarbak?r Airport, Turkey in extensive fog. All of the 5 crew and 70 of the 75 passengers are killed, 5 passengers survive with heavy injuries.
- March 6 – Air Algerie Flight 6289, a Boeing 737-200, veers off the runway on takeoff in Tamanrasset, Algeria; 96 of the 97 passengers and all 6 crew members perish.
- May 29 – A man attempts to hijack QantasLink Flight 1737 in Melbourne, Australia, intending to crash the plane in Tasmania. He is overpowered by the flight crew and passengers, but injures three people.
- July 8 – Sudan Airways Flight 39, a Boeing 737-200, crashes shortly after taking off from Port Sudan, Sudan. The plane crashed into a hill while attempting an emergency landing. All 117 on board the plane perish; a two-year-old boy initially survived the crash, but died the following day.
- November 22 – A DHL Airbus A300 is struck by a missile near Baghdad, Iraq and loses hydraulic system function, but manages to land safely with only engine controls without any fatalities. This is the first safe landing of an airliner without control surfaces.
- December 18 - FedEx Express Flight 647, a McDonnell Douglas MD-10-10, veers off the runway upon landing after a landing gear collapse and catches fire at Memphis International Airport; two crew members and five passengers escape with only minor injuries.
- December 25 – Union des Transports Aériens de Guinée Flight 141, a Boeing 727, runs off the end of the runway upon takeoff at Cotonou, Benin and crashes onto the beach on the Bight of Benin, killing 151 of the 163 occupants.

2004

- January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 604, a Boeing 737-300, crashes into the Red Sea, killing all 135 passengers and 13 crew members.
- May 9 – American Eagle Flight 5401 is damaged by high winds during landing in San Juan, Puerto Rico, injuring 13 people.
- August 13 – Air Tahoma Flight 185, a Convair 580, crashes near Covington, Kentucky while descending to land, killing the first officer.
- August 24 – Russian aircraft bombings of August 2004:
o Siberia Airlines Flight 1047, a Tupolev Tu-154, explodes in mid-air while flying over Rostov Oblast, Russia killing all 38 passengers and 8 crew members on board.
o Volga-AviaExpress Flight 1303, a Tupolev Tu-134, explodes in mid-air while flying over Tula Oblast, Russia killing all 34 passengers and 9 crew members on board.
- October 19 – Corporate Airlines Flight 5966, a Handley Page Jetstream, crashes near Kirksville, Missouri in the United States; 13 of the 15 people on board die.
- November 21 – China Eastern Airlines Flight 5210, a Bombardier CRJ-200LR, stalls and crashes near Baotou, China shortly after takeoff because of frost contamination; all 53 on board and two people on the ground are killed.
- November 30 – Lion Air Flight 538, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crash-lands in Solo City, Indonesia, killing 25 of the 154 people on board.

2005
The burnt-out wreckage of Flight 358 at Toronto Pearson International Airport

- February 3 – Kam Air Flight 904, a Boeing 737-200, crashes in a snowstorm in Afghanistan. All 96 passengers and eight crew members die.
- February 20 - British Airways Flight 268, a Boeing 747-400 taking off from Los Angeles to London suffers fire in engine 2. The plane flies on three engines to Manchester, where it performs an emergency landing. None of the people on board is harmed.
- May 3 – Airwork Flight 23, a Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner crashes in Taranaki, New Zealand killing both crew members.
- June 9 – US Airways Flight 1170 and Aer Lingus Flight 132 almost collide on a runway at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts. None of the 381 people on either plane is harmed.
- August 2 – Air France Flight 358, an Airbus A340-300, skids off a runway in Toronto, Ontario, while landing and catches fire; all 309 on board escape without fatalities or serious injuries, but the aircraft is completely destroyed by the fire.
- August 6 – Tuninter Flight 1153, an ATR 72, ditches into the ocean near Palermo, Sicily with 35 passengers and 4 crew members on board; 14 passengers and 2 crew members die.
- August 10 – Copterline Flight 103, a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter crashes off Tallinn, Estonia killing all 14 on board.
- August 14 – Helios Airways Flight 522, a Boeing 737-300, crashes near Kalamos, Greece with 115 passengers and 6 crew members on board; there are no survivors.
- August 16 – West Caribbean Airways Flight 708, an McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashes in western Venezuela. All on board, 152 passengers and 8 crew members, die.
- August 23 – TANS Peru Flight 204, a Boeing 737-200, crashes near Pucallpa, Peru. Forty of the 92 passengers on board, as well as four of the six crew members, perish.
- September 5 – Mandala Airlines Flight 091, a Boeing 737-200, crashes in Medan, Indonesia, killing 103 of the 111 passengers and all 5 crew members on the plane and an additional 47 people on the ground.

JetBlue Airways Flight 292 upon landing in Los Angeles

- September 21 – JetBlue Airways Flight 292, an Airbus A320, makes an emergency landing in Los Angeles, California in the United States because of landing gear steering failure. There are no injuries to the 139 passengers and six crew members.
- October 22 – Bellview Airlines Flight 210, a Boeing 737-200, crashes in central Nigeria, killing all 117 people on board.
- December 7 – A passenger disembarking American Airlines Flight 924, a Boeing 757, in Miami, Florida is shot and killed by an air marshal when the marshal believes that he hears the man say that he has a bomb.
- December 8 – Southwest Airlines Flight 1248, a Boeing 737-700, slides off the runway during landing at Chicago Midway International Airport in Chicago, Illinois in heavy snow. None of the people on board are injured, but the plane hits two automobiles on the ground, killing a six-year-old boy.
- December 10 – Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 with 110 people on board, crashes during landing in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. 107 people die.
- December 19 – Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101, a Grumman Mallard, crashes off the coast of Miami Beach, Florida, killing all 20 on board.

2006

- May 3 – Armavia Flight 967, an Airbus A320, crashes into the Black Sea near the Russian city of Sochi, killing all 113 on board.
- July 9 – S7 Airlines Flight 778, an Airbus A310, crashes into a concrete barricade and catches fire on landing in Irkutsk, Russia. Of the 203 people on board, 128 are killed.
- July 10 – Pakistan International Airlines Flight 688, a Fokker F27, crashes into a wheat field near Multan, Pakistan ten minutes after taking off, killing all 41 passengers and 4 crew members on board.
- August 22 – Pulkovo Airlines Flight 612, a Tupolev Tu-154, crashes near Donetsk, Ukraine, killing all 170 people on board.
- August 27 – Comair Flight 191, a Canadair CRJ-100, crashes during takeoff near Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49 of the 50 people on board.
- September 1 – An Iran Air Tours Tu-154 carrying 148 people crashes while attempting to land in Mashad, Iran killing 28 people.
- September 29 – Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907, a Boeing 737-800, collides with an Embraer Legacy business jet and crashes in Mato Grosso, Brazil; the Embraer Legacy, with seven on board, lands safely with no reported injuries while all 154 people on board the Boeing 737 perish.
- October 3 – Turkish Airlines Flight 1476, a Boeing 737-400, is hijacked over Greece. The plane lands in Brindisi, Italy. None of the 113 people on board are hurt.
- October 10 – Atlantic Airways Flight 670, a BAe 146, slides off the runway at Stord, Norway, killing four of the 16 people on board.
- October 29 – ADC Airlines Flight 53, a Boeing 737-200, crashes near Abuja, Nigeria, killing 96 of the 105 people on board.

2007

- January 1 – Adam Air Flight 574, a Boeing 737-400 with 102 people on board, crashes into the ocean off the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, killing all on board.
- January 9 – An AerianTur-M Antonov An-26 crashes near Balad, Iraq, killing 34 of the 35 people on board. The official cause of the crash is poor weather conditions, but other sources claim that the plane was shot down by a missile.
- January 24 – Air West Flight 612, a Boeing 737 with 103 people on board, is hijacked over Sudan shortly after taking off from Khartoum, but lands safely in N'Djamena, Chad.
- February 15 – An Air Mauritanie Boeing 737 is hijacked after taking off from Nouakchott, Mauritania, but lands safely in Las Palmas, Spain without any serious injuries among the 79 people on board.
- February 18 – A Shuttle America Embraer ERJ-170 jet, operating as Delta Connection flight 6448, is substantially damaged when it overruns a snow covered runway by 150 feet on landing at the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Cleveland, Ohio and contacts the localizer antenna and fence; none of the 74 on board are injured.
- February 21 – Adam Air Flight 172, a Boeing 737-300, suffers structural damage while landing near Surabaya, Indonesia; none of the 149 people on board are seriously injured.
- March 7 – Garuda Indonesia Flight 200, a Boeing 737-400, overshoots the runway and crashes while landing at Yogyakarta, Indonesia, killing 22 of the 140 people on board.
- March 17 – UTair Flight 471, a Tupolev Tu-134, suffers severe structural damage while landing in Samara, Russia, killing six of the 63 people on board.
- March 23 – A TransAVIAexport Airlines Ilyushin Il-76 crashes in Mogadishu, Somalia killing all 11 on board; the plane, which crashes during the Battle of Mogadishu, is thought to have been shot down.
- March 30 – A Sudan Airways flight with 284 people on board is hijacked but lands safely in Khartoum, Sudan.
- May 5 – Kenya Airways Flight 507, a Boeing 737-800 with 114 people on board, crashes near Douala, Cameroon killing everyone on board.
- June 3 – A Paramount Airlines Mil Mi-8 helicopter crashes in Lungi, Sierra Leone killing all 22 people on board.
- June 21 – A Free Airlines Let-410UVP crashes shortly after takeoff from Kamina Town, Democratic Republic of Congo because of severe overloading, killing 1 and injuring 4 of the 21 people on board.
- June 25 – PMTair Flight 241, an Antonov An-24, crashes in southwestern Cambodia killing all 22 on board.
- June 28 – A TAAG Angola Airlines Boeing 737-200, D2-TBP, with 78 people on board, loses control while landing and crashes in M'banza-Kongo, Angola, killing at least six people on board and injuring an unknown number of others.

The wreckage of TAM Airlines Flight 3054

- July 17 – TAM Airlines Flight 3054, an Airbus A320, crashes at Congonhas-São Paulo Airport, Brazil killing all 187 people on board and 12 on the ground.
- August 9 – An Air Moorea de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter crashes into the lagoon of the island of Moorea in French Polynesia just 11 seconds after take off, killing all 20 on board. Suspected failure of steering equipment.
- August 20 – China Airlines Flight 120, a Boeing 737-800, bursts into flames after landing at Naha, Japan; none of the 165 passengers are seriously injured.
- Scandinavian Airlines 2007 Dash 8 landing gear incidents:
o September 9 – Scandinavian Airlines Flight 1209, a de Havilland Canada Dash 8, experiences a landing gear failure in Aalborg, Denmark; none of the 73 people on board are seriously injured, but three days later, after a similar incident, the airline grounds the aircraft type.
o September 12 – Scandinavian Airlines Flight 2748, a de Havilland Canada Dash 8, experiences a landing gear failure in Vilnius, Lithuania; none of the 52 people on board are injured, but because of a similar incident three days earlier, all their Dash 8s are grounded.
o October 27 – Scandinavian Airlines Flight 2867, a de Havilland Canada Dash 8, experiences a landing gear failure in Copenhagen, Denmark; none of the 44 people on board are injured, but because of similar incidents in September, the airline "permanently" removes its Dash 8s from service; cause is eventually ascribed to maintenance error.
- September 16 – One-Two-GO Airlines Flight 269, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 carrying 130 people, crashes and bursts into flames after attempting to land in Phuket, Thailand during poor weather conditions killing 90 people.
- October 4 – An Africa One Antonov An-26 crashes into a residential area in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, shortly after taking off. At least 50 people are killed, most of whom were on the ground.
- November 30 – Atlasjet Flight 4203, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83, crashes into a mountain near Isparta, Turkey killing all 57 on board.
- December 30 – TAROM Flight 3107, a Boeing 737-300 is written-off after hitting a maintenance car on the runway and veering off the runway during takeoff run at Henri Coand? International Airport, Otopeni, Romania; none of the 123 on board are injured.

2008
British Airways Flight 38

- January 4 – A Transaven Let L-410 Turbolet crashes near the Los Roques archipelago off Venezuela killing all 14 on board.
- January 17 – British Airways Flight 38, a Boeing 777-200ER, lands short of the runway at London Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom. Nine of the 152 people on board are treated for minor injuries, but there are no fatalities.
- February 8 – Eagle Airways Flight 2279, a BAe Jetstream 32 is hijacked ten minutes after taking off from Blenheim, New Zealand by a passenger who attacked both pilots. The hijacker is eventually restrained by the co-pilot and the flight lands safely at Christchurch. All nine on board survive the incident.
- February 14 – Belavia Flight 1834, a Bombardier CRJ100, hits its left wing on the runway while taking off from Yerevan, Armenia. All 21 on board escape the aircraft before it erupts into flames.
- February 21 – Santa Bárbara Airlines Flight 518, an ATR 42-300, crashes shortly after taking off from Mérida, Venezuela killing all 46 on board.
- April 3 – An Antonov An-28 operated by Blue Wing Airlines crashes near Benzdorp in Suriname. All nineteen on board are killed.
- April 11 – A Sudanese airline Antonov An-32 crashes returning shortly after taking off from Chi?in?u International Airport, Moldova for Turkey. All eight on board are killed.
- April 15 – A Douglas DC-9 operated by Hewa Bora Airways crashes into a market near Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing 40 people, including three passengers.
- May 25 – A Kalitta Air Boeing 747-200F crashes at Brussels Airport and snaps in two, but without serious injury.
- May 30 – TACA Airlines Flight 390, an Airbus A320, overruns the runway at Toncontín International Airport in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, killing five (including two on ground).
- June 10 – Sudan Airways Flight 109, an Airbus A310, crashes at Khartoum International Airport and breaks apart, catching fire. 30 deaths are confirmed, 6 passengers are listed as missing.
- July 25 – Qantas Flight 30, a Boeing 747-438 en route from Hong Kong to Melbourne, performs an emergency descent and lands in Manila after a hull penetration results in rapid decompression. All aboard survive.
- August 20 – Spanair Flight 5022, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 crashes on takeoff at Barajas Airport in Madrid, Spain. Of the 172 people on board, 154 are killed.
- August 24 – Itek Air Flight 6895, a Boeing 737-200 crashes just after take-off from Manas Airport in capital Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Reports suggest some 71 are killed while 19 survive of the 83 passengers and 7 crew aboard.
- September 14 – Aeroflot Flight 821, a Boeing 737-500, crashes on approach to Perm Airport from Moscow. All 88 people on board are killed.
- October 7 – Qantas Flight 72 an Airbus A330-300 makes an emergency landing in Exmouth, Australia following a rapid descent that leaves over 70 people injured, 14 of them seriously.
- October 8 – Yeti Airlines Flight 103 De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter crashes 60 NM from Mt Everest, Nepal killing 18 of 19 people on board.
- December 20 – Continental Airlines Flight 1404, a Boeing 737-500 with 115 people on board, veers off the runway upon takeoff from Denver International Airport, comes to rest in a ravine near the runway and catches fire. There are no fatalities, over 38 people are injured, at least two of them seriously.

2009
US Airways Flight 1549

- January 15 – US Airways Flight 1549, an Airbus A320 ditches in the Hudson River just after taking off from LaGuardia Airport in New York City after engine failure due to multiple bird strikes, no fatalities.
- February 7 – A Manaus Aerotáxi Embraer EMB-110 Bandeirante crashes near Santo António, Brazil killing 24 of the 28 aboard.
- February 12 – Colgan Air Flight 3407, a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 flying from Newark Liberty International in New Jersey to Buffalo Niagara International Airport in New York crashes into a house in Clarence, New York at 10:17 pm local time; all 49 aboard the plane are killed, with one fatality on the ground.
- February 25 – Turkish Airlines Flight 1951, a Boeing 737-800 flying from Atatürk Airport in Istanbul to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam crashes in a field during final approach; of the 127 passengers and 7 crew on board, 9 are killed, 85 injured.
- March 20 – Emirates Airline Flight 407, an Airbus A340-500 flying from Melbourne Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne to Dubai International Airport in Dubai has a tailstrike during take off and returns to Melbourne Airport with no fatalities.
- March 23 – FedEx Express Flight 80, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 flying from Guangzhou, China crashes at Tokyo Narita International Airport, Japan; both the captain and the co-pilot of the plane are killed.
- April 19 – CanJet Flight 918 is seized on the ground by an armed man who slipped through security checks at Sangster International Airport, Montego Bay, Jamaica; all passengers are released early on; six crew members are kept as hostages for several hours before being freed unharmed.
- June 1 – Air France Flight 447, an Airbus A330-200 flying from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Paris, France, crashes in the Atlantic Ocean killing all 228 occupants, including 12 crew; bodies and aircraft debris are not recovered until several days later.
- June 30 – Yemenia Flight 626, an Airbus A310-300 flying from Sana'a, Yemen to Moroni, Comoros, crashes into the Indian Ocean with 153 people aboard; one 12-year-old is found clinging to the wreckage.
- July 13 – Southwest Airlines Flight 2294, a Boeing 737-300 from Nashville to Baltimore makes an emergency landing in Charleston, West Virginia after a 14x17 inch hole opens in the skin of the fuselage at 34,000 feet, causing a loss of cabin pressure; the plane lands safely with no injuries.
- July 15 – Caspian Airlines Flight 7908, a Tupolev Tu-154, crashes 16 minutes after takeoff near Qazvin, Iran, killing all 153 passengers and 15 crew.
- July 24 – Aria Air Flight 1525, an Ilyushin Il-62 skids off a runway in Iran, killing at least 17 with 136 survivors.
- August 2 – Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 9760, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter crashes into a mountain in good weather over Indonesia, killing all 13 passengers and 3 crew.
- August 4 – Bangkok Airways Flight 266, an ATR 72-200 carrying 68 passengers crashes in severe weather on landing at Samui airport in the resort island of Ko Samui in Thailand, resulting in at least 1 confirmed death and 37 injuries.
- August 11 – Airlines PNG Flight 4684, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter carrying 11 passengers and 2 crew crashes into a mountain at Isurava, Papua New Guinea whilst attempting a go around at Kokoda Airport, Papua New Guinea; all passengers and crew perished in the accident.
- September 4 – Air India Flight 829, a Boeing 747-400 with 213 passengers and 16 crew, catches fire on push-back at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai; all are evacuated with 21 receiving minor injuries, the aircraft sustains substantial damage.
- September 9 – AeroMéxico Flight 576, a Boeing 737-800 with 104 passengers onboard, is hijacked whilst flying from Cancún to Mexico City; after landing at Mexico City International Airport, Mexican officials storm the plane and take 5 men into custody; there are no casualties.
- October 21 – Azza Transport Flight 2241, a Boeing 707-330C, crashes on take off from Sharjah International Airport, United Arab Emirates; all 6 crew members are killed.
- October 21 – Northwest Airlines Flight 188 overshoots its Minneapolis destination from San Diego by about 150 miles and lands safely over one hour late; pilots are apparently distracted on personal laptop computers.
- November 12 – RwandAir Flight 205, a Bombardier CRJ-100, crashes into a terminal shortly after an emergency landing at Kigali International Airport, Rwanda; of the 10 passengers and 5 crew, 1 passenger dies.
- December 22 – American Airlines Flight 331, a Boeing 737-800 from Miami International Airport overruns the runway at Norman Manley International Airport, Kingston, Jamaica; there are 40 injuries and no fatalities.
- December 25 – Northwest Airlines Flight 253, an Airbus A330-200 is attacked by a man using a small explosive device, causing only a small fire inside the plane, which is extinguished by a flight attendant; the man is subdued by passengers and crew; there are 3 injuries.

2010

- January 24 – Taban Air Flight 6437, a Tupolev Tu-154M, crashes while making an emergency landing at Mashhad International Airport, Iran due to a medical emergency; all 157 passengers and 13 crew survive the accident with 47 receiving minor injuries.
- January 25 - Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, a Boeing 737-800, crashes into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after take-off from Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport. The flight was heading to the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. All 90 passengers and crew on board are presumed dead.

References

1. "1983: Korean airliner 'shot down'". BBC News. 1983-09-01. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/1/newsid_2493000/2493469.stm. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
2. "Flying still the safest form of travel". BBC News. 8 May 2000. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/736582.stm. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
3. "Flight into danger". New Scientist Space. 07 August 1999. http://space.newscientist.com/article/mg16321985.200-flight-into-danger.html.
4. "The risks of travel". numberwatch.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 September 2001. http://web.archive.org/web/20010907173322/http://www.numberwatch.co.uk/risks_of_travel.htm. Retrieved 26 January 2009. The website attributes the source as an October 2000 article by editor Roger Ford in the magazine Modern Railways and based on an unidentified DETR survey.
5. David Noland (18 July 2007). "Safest Seat on a Plane: PM Investigates How to Survive a Crash". Popular Mechanics. http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/air_space/4219452.html?safe.
6. Watt, Nick (17 January 2007). "Staying Alive During a Plane Crash". ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=2619382&page=1. Retrieved 2 December 2009.
7. 2007 : excellent year for civil aviation Geneva, 1st January 2008
8. Death number by year (ACRO)
9. Accident number by year (ACRO)
10. http://www.nlr-atsi.nl
11. Grossman, David. "Check your travel superstitions, or carry them on?," USA Today

Bibliography

-KLu Crash Archief; Ongevallenfoto's 1945 - 1965, 'Flash Aviation', 2003.
-KLu Crash Archief 2; Ongevallenfoto's 1964 - 1974, 'Flash Aviation', 2004.
-BLu Crash Archief; Ongevallenfoto's 1945 - 1965, 'Flash Aviation', 2004.

-Aircraft Crashes Record Office based in Geneva, Switzerland
-Aviation Safety Network Established in 1996. The ASN Safety Database contains descriptions of over 12200 airliner, military and corporate jet aircraft accidents/incidents since 1943.
-National Transportation Safety Board Accident Database & Synopses
-Human Error Vs. Airborne Terrorism - editorial citing examples of most severe consequences of pilot error and other human error.
-Computer-Related Incidents with Commercial Aircraft: A Compendium of Resources, Reports, Research, Discussion and Commentary, compiled by Peter B. Ladkin et al.
-Why Aircraft Fail Common causes of structural failure in aircraft components.
-http://www.airdisaster.com/ Air disasters website

Living Warbirds: The best warbirds DVD series.

Source: WikiPedia

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