- In recent months, aviation disasters have captured global attention, highlighting the devastating nature of air accidents
- Despite flying being statistically the safest mode of travel, these tragic accidents showed the unpredictable and deadly consequences of aviation disasters
- From military collisions to commercial flight crashes, TheRadar compiled seven of the deadliest aviation accidents around the world
In recent months, plane crashes have been dominating the headlines across the globe, a tragic reminder of the unpredictability that can accompany air travel.
Despite flying being statistically the safest mode of transportation, aviation disasters remain a reality. When things go wrong in the air, the consequences could be deadly.
The most recent incident, a medical transport jet crash in northeast Philadelphia, claimed the lives of six people, including a child and her mother.
This tragedy followed closely in the wake of a mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter, resulting in the deaths of all 67 people on board in Washington DC.
These incidents are only a few of the many air disasters that have shaken the world.
TheRadar compiled 7 of the deadliest aviation accidents below:
7 deadliest plane crashes around the world
1. Jeju Air Flight 2216 (2024)
On December 29, 2024, Jeju Air Flight 2216, a Boeing 737-800, tragically crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Muan International Airport in South Korea.
The crash was reportedly caused by a bird strike, which led to a dual-engine failure, leaving the pilots with few options. The aircraft skidded off the runway and into a concrete embankment, resulting in the deaths of 179 out of 181 passengers and crew members onboard.
Investigators later found that the failure of the landing gear had exacerbated the crash, forcing the crew to perform a belly landing. Additionally, the presence of a rigid embankment at the far end of the runway increased the impact force, which further reduced the chances of survival.
2. Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (2014)
On March 8, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing and was never seen again. Air traffic control lost contact with the plane, and no warning of trouble had been issued before the disappearance.
The search for the missing aircraft became a global tragedy, with extensive searches conducted across the southern Indian Ocean.
In 2015, a flaperon was recovered on Reunion Island, 3,700 km from the search area, offering the closest clue to the plane’s fate. All 239 passengers and crew members on board were presumed to have died in the incident.
3. Nigeria Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145 (2005)
On Saturday, December 10, 2005, Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145, operating a domestic passenger service between Abuja and Port Harcourt crashed during its approach to Port Harcourt International Airport.
The McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32, piloted by Captain Benjamin Adekunle Adebayo, a 48-year-old with over 10,000 flight hours, encountered severe weather conditions as it neared its destination.
At approximately 14:08 local time, the aircraft crashed while attempting to land in stormy conditions. The plane hit the ground with force and immediately erupted in flames.
Despite several passengers surviving the initial impact, many died in the subsequent fire. The plane was carrying 110 people, including 103 passengers and 7 crew members.
Tragically, none of the seven crew members survived the crash. Among the passengers were 60 students from Loyola Jesuit College in Abuja. Of those 60, only one, Kechi Okwuchi, survived.
While seven individuals were initially rescued from the wreckage, most later succumbed to their injuries, bringing the total death toll to 107. The crash remains one of the deadliest in Nigeria's aviation history.
4. American Airlines Flight 587 (2001)
On November 12, 2001, American Airlines Flight 587 crashed shortly after departing from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
The crash, which claimed the lives of all 260 people onboard and five on the ground, was initially feared to be another terrorist attack, given its proximity to the 9/11 attacks.
However, investigations revealed that pilot error was to blame. The plane’s rudder had been overused in the wake of turbulence, which led to a fire in the engines and caused the aircraft to crash in Queens, New York.
5. Air France Flight 4590 (2000)
On July 25, 2000, Air France Flight 4590, a Concorde supersonic jet, crashed shortly after taking off from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.
During takeoff, the aircraft ran over debris on the runway, which caused a tyre blowout. The tyre debris struck the Concorde's left wing, leading to a fire that caused the plane to crash, killing all 113 people onboard.
The debris was later traced back to a Continental Airlines plane. This incident, combined with other contributing factors, ultimately led to the end of the Concorde’s commercial operations.
6. Charkhi Dadri Collision (1996)
On November 12, 1996, a tragic midair collision occurred near Charkhi Dadri, Northern India, between Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907 and Saudia Flight 763.
The Saudia flight had departed from Delhi, while Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907 was en route from Shymkent to Indira Gandhi International Airport.
The Kazakhstan Airlines plane descended too quickly and collided with the Saudia aircraft, causing it to spiral out of control. The collision resulted in the deaths of 312 people aboard the Saudia flight and 37 on the Kazakhstan Airlines flight.
7. China Airlines Flight 140 (1994)
On April 26, 1994, China Airlines Flight 140, an Airbus A300B4-622R, crashed just before landing at Nagoya Airport in Japan. The flight had departed from Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taiwan.
The First Officer accidentally activated the Takeoff/Go-around button, causing a shift in the throttle position. As the pilots struggled to regain control, the autopilot system interfered, and the plane began to stall.
The aircraft’s speed drastically decreased, and it eventually crashed, resulting in the deaths of 264 of the 271 people onboard.
“Dark, painful day”: Reactions pour in following deadliest US aviation disaster since 2001
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that public reactions continued to pour following the devastating mid-air collision that killed all 67 people on board.
TheRadar compiled some of the public reactions that surfaced following the tragic incident that marked the deadliest US aviation disaster since 2001.