In this post I would like to tell you about biggest and worst plane crashes in the history of world aviation. Most of the stories below are truly creepy. In general, it’s hard to believe that all this is possible... For some reason, real life not everything always ends with a happy ending, this is not a movie for you, friends...
In this context, I judged the most terrible disasters by total number victims in an air accident. The September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, in which thousands of civilians and passengers on Boeing 767 and 757 aircraft hijacked by terrorists were injured, were not taken into account in the rating. Another interesting piece of information is that from the 1970s to 2017, the number of disasters occurring decreased by more than 3 times:
Plane crash in New York in 2009 with a happy outcome
The article will be full of terrible disasters that claimed thousands of lives. I want to start this tragic article with a rare incident in world aviation. Thanks to the professionalism of the pilots, on January 15, 2009, the lives of 155 people were saved. The US Airways Airbus A320 took off from New York Airport, but a few minutes later problems developed in the engine. Both engines were damaged and stopped due to the plane colliding with a flock of birds. The pilots managed to land the almost uncontrollable car directly into the Hudson River. More than 1,000 people took part in saving the lives of passengers. Read more about this terrible plane crash, but happy ending, you will learn from the video:
Plane crash in Tenerife - 1977
1. The largest and most tragic plane crash in aviation history occurred on March 27, 1977. On this tragic day on the Spanish island of Tenerife, 2 Boeing 747 airlines Pan Am and KLM collided on the runway. You can read more about the worst plane crash in which 583 people died.
Film about the plane crash in Tenerife:
Plane accident in Japan - 1985
2. August 12, 1985 in Japan near famous mountain A Japan Airlines Boeing 747 crashed in Fuji. The plane crash in Japan is the second after the tragedy in Tenerife in terms of the total number of victims, and the largest air accident in the history of aviation involving a single aircraft. As a result of the Boeing 747 crash, 520 people died; only 4 passengers of the ill-fated Japan Airlines flight managed to survive. As a result of the investigation into the plane crash in Japan, it was found that the main cause of the tragedy was errors and negligence made during the repair of the aircraft, as a result of which, during the fatal flight, the Boeing 747 with tail number JA 8119 lost control and crashed.
Film with details of a terrible plane accident in Japan (on English language):
Delhi plane crash - 1966
3. On November 12, 1996, two aircraft collided in the air over Delhi: an Il-76 of Kazakhstan Airlines and a Boeing 747 of Saudi Arabian Airlines. As a result of a misunderstanding by the crew of the Kazakh IL-76 of the air traffic controller's commands, the plane landing at a speed of 500 km/h crashed into the fuselage of a Boeing 747 flying towards the meeting. In a plane crash on November 12, 1996 over Delhi, all those on board the 2 planes died - 349 people. In addition to the error of the IL-76 crew, one of the reasons for the accident was that both airliners were not equipped with a collision avoidance system.
First film excerpt National Geographic about the plane crash in Delhi (you can also find the rest on YouTube):
Turkish Airlines plane crash - 1974
4. The largest Turkish Airlines plane crash occurred on March 3, 1974 in France near Paris Orly airport. A McDonnell Douglas DC-10 airliner crashed. The cause of the largest air disaster in the history of the DC-10 aircraft was an error in the design of the cargo compartment door, as a result of which the door was simply torn off during the flight, which led to subsequent depressurization of the cabin. The airliner became completely uncontrollable and crashed in the forests near Paris. The Turkish Airlines McDonnell Douglas crash killed all 346 people on board the plane.
Air India plane bombing - 1985
5. On June 23, 1985, over the Atlantic Ocean south of the coast of Ireland, extremists blew up an Air India Boeing 747 flying on the route Montreal (Canada) - London (UK) - Delhi (India). As a result of the terrorist attack (bomb explosion) on board the plane in the plane crash of flight No. 182, all 329 people were killed. Sikh extremists also planned to blow up another Air India plane, but the bomb exploded prematurely in the luggage compartment of Tokyo airport.
Saudi Arabian Airlines plane fire - 1980
6. On August 19, 1980, a Saudi Arabian Airlines Lockheed L-1011-200 TriStar on flight 163 from Riyadh to Jeddah caught fire after takeoff from International airport Riyadh International Airport. 7 minutes after takeoff, a fire occurred in the cargo compartment of the plane, and the crew decided to return and make an emergency landing at Riyadh airport. As a result of numerous crew errors, after a successful landing, all passengers on flight No. 163 died from poisonous gases caused by the fire. In total, 301 people died in this tragic and terrible plane crash; no one managed to get out of the cabin of the burning Lockheed plane...
Iranian airliner shot down by US missile - 1988
7. On July 3, 1988, the American cruiser Vincennes mistakenly shot down an Iranian Airbus A300 airliner with 290 people on board over the Persian Gulf. Subsequently, in 1996, the United States paid Iran compensation in the amount of 61.8 million US dollars for 248 victims, at the rate of 300 thousand dollars for each able-bodied victim and 150 thousand for each dependent.
American Airlines plane crash - 1979
8. On May 25, 1979, the worst air disaster in US history occurred when an American Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-10 crashed 31 seconds after takeoff from Chicago International Airport. The terrible tragedy was caused by errors in pilot training and DC-10 repair technology. As a result terrible plane crash In Chicago, 271 people on board were killed, and 2 residents were killed when the plane crashed to the ground in a trailer park located next to the airport. But there could have been many more victims...
Watch a video investigation of the worst plane crash in US history. Only in English, but very detailed.
Pan Am plane bombing by Libyan terrorists - 1988
9. On December 21, 1988, Libyan terrorists blew up a Pan Am Boeing 747 flying from London to New York over the Scottish town of Lockerbie. The plane crash over Lockerbie killed 270 people.
Korean Airlines crash - 1983
10. September 1, 1983 in the airspace of the USSR over the waters Pacific Ocean A Korean Airlines Boeing 747 was shot down by a Soviet interceptor fighter. The incident occurred due to the severe diversion of the New York-Seoul flight and its intrusion into closed Soviet airspace. As a result, the Boeing with 246 passengers on board and 23 crew members was shot down by 2 Soviet R-98 missiles.
11. In 2016, a TU-154 aircraft of the Russian Ministry of Defense crashed, killing 100 people (92 passengers and 8 crew members).
12. 2017 turned out to be a relatively calm year. In Kyrgyzstan, due to fog, a passenger Boeing 747 crashed during landing, falling on residential buildings. 37 people died.
Air transport is much safer than other types of travel. However, although the number of plane crashes in the world is less than the number of road accidents, many air incidents are much larger in scale. Any accident can lead to both the disaster itself and an increase in the number of victims if a tragedy has already occurred. Incorrect actions of the crew, malfunctions on board, terrorism, adverse weather conditions - all this can cause the incident to be included in the list of “The World's Worst Aircraft Disasters”. Many of them were distinguished by a huge number of victims.
Statistics of plane crashes in the world
Every 2-3 seconds a plane takes off or lands. Every year, air transport transports about 4.5 billion people, and only about 1,000 of them become victims of tragic accidents. Statistics of air accidents in the world state that in 2014, for example, there were 15 accidents in which 980 people died, in 2015 the number of accidents was only 5, accidents claimed the lives of 478 passengers and crew members.
Boeing captured by terrorists 09/11/01
In the coordinated terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, two planes operating on domestic flights were hijacked. The Logan-Los Angeles and Boston-Los Angeles flights, which on that ill-fated day ended up in the hands of terrorists, are ahead of the world in the number of plane crash victims.
In total, four planes were hijacked by terrorists, but another Boeing crashed into a field in Pennsylvania without reaching its target, and another crashed into the Pentagon building. The plane that attacked the military department caused the death of approximately 64 people from among the passengers and crew members, and another 106 people were injured on the ground. Another flight crashed onto a field as a result of a struggle between terrorists and crew members along with passengers, killing 44 people. The target of this liner was the White House.
The Logan-Los Angeles flight was diverted by terrorists to the south tower of the World Trade Center. Events developed in the following sequence:
- The hijackers boarded the flight at about 7:30 a.m., departure was scheduled for 8:00 a.m. Two terrorists were seated in first class, and two more took seats in business class.
- The flight was hijacked half an hour after takeoff. The hijackers killed the commander and co-pilot and herded the flight attendants to the front of the ship.
- The plane veered off course, air traffic controllers noticed the changes and attempted to contact the pilots.
- Several passengers were able to make a call from the hijacked aircraft, providing information about the hijackers and the situation on board.
At a speed of almost 1000 km/h, the plane crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center. There were 65 people on board, all of them died. Some 637 more people died during the attack, from explosion, tower collapse or fire, or were trapped on the upper floors.
The second Boeing that attacked the World Trade Center towers
The plane, flying from Boston to Los Angeles, crashed into the World Trade Center tower fifteen minutes earlier. This is the worst plane crash in the world. After seizing control and killing the pilots, the terrorist tried to make an announcement to the passengers of the aircraft, but mistakenly contacted the Boston center. He said that this and several other planes had been hijacked, and the terrorist himself was planning to return to the airport. The military department received information from air traffic controllers about the hijacking of the aircraft just nine minutes before the crash; the fighters planning to intercept the plane took off seven minutes after the WTC attack. All 92 people on board were killed, and about 1,000 people on the ground also became victims of the terrorist attack.
Runway collision
The world's worst plane crashes include one that occurred on March 27, 1977. Two planes collided in the Canary Islands - flights from Los Angeles and Amsterdam. The number of casualties on both aircraft was 583, and more than fifty more were injured.
Shortly before the accident in largest airport There was a terrorist attack on the Canary Islands. A bomb exploded in the airport waiting room; the incident did not cause any casualties, but some passengers waiting to board their flights, those arriving and greeting them were injured. The airport administration decided to temporarily stop accepting aircraft, so all flights were now directed to Los Rodeos.
The small airport was overloaded. Adding to the unfavorable situation were weather conditions, as well as non-functioning lights marking the boundaries of the runway. In addition, there were communication problems - the air traffic controller spoke with a strong Spanish accent, the pilots interrupted each other. The collision took place nose to nose.
As a result of the incident, one of the main reasons for which was a misunderstanding between the dispatcher and the pilots, International organization civil aviation has developed a unified standard of phrases so that the number of plane crashes in the world does not increase due to incorrect interpretation of the words of the crew.
Plane crash near Tokyo
The largest single plane crash occurred in 1985, 112 kilometers from Tokyo. This and others are very famous plane crashes in the world. The list has been expanded, and this incident was placed in fourth place after the attack on the World Trade Center towers by two planes, as well as the incident in the Canary Islands. The plane crash killed 520 people, but such a large number of victims could have been avoided.
Twelve minutes after takeoff, the tail stabilizer came off; for half an hour the crew kept the aircraft in the air, but then the plane crashed into a mountain. It is unknown exactly how many passengers and crew members died directly when they fell and hit the ground. If the rescue operation had started in a timely manner, he would have survived more people. This was established by the investigation.
The start of the search for survivors was delayed due to competition between Japan's numerous rescue services. The rescue team arrived at the scene of the disaster only half a day after the incident. Only two women and two girls were found alive and were immediately taken to the hospital. In addition, doctors found that some passengers remained alive for 10 hours after the plane crashed.
Mid-air collision over Charkhi Dadri
The world's worst plane crashes were replenished with another incident on November 12, 1996. Then two planes collided in the air over an Indian city, the total death toll was 349 people. The causes of the disaster (and this is the largest air disaster in the world among mid-air collisions) were recognized as poor knowledge of English by the crew members, which created difficulties in communicating with the dispatcher, incorrect understanding of commands, lack of standard phraseology, unsatisfactory performance of their duties by the crew, and lack of professionalism. In addition, the reasons for the tragedy include the presence of only one air corridor on this section of the route, the lack of a navigation system on both aircraft and a radar at Delhi airport.
Turkish Airlines crash near Paris
The world's worst plane crashes include a Turkish Airlines plane near Paris. The airliner, flying from Istanbul to London via Paris, went into a dive a few minutes after takeoff due to the opening of the cargo compartment and decompression. The cause of the disaster was a technical malfunction of the aircraft.
As a result of the incident, 346 people died. There was not even a fire during the crash. The plane literally cut through a forest belt and collapsed into small fragments. Of all the dead, only 40 people were visually identified.
Terrorist attack 176 km from Cork
The world's worst plane crashes are often the result of terrorist attacks. Such a case was the crash near Cork (essentially in the neutral waters of the world ocean). In 1985, an explosion occurred in the cargo hold of a plane flying from Montreal to Bombay via London. The pilots did not even have time to issue a distress signal before the plane was destroyed. Everyone on board died, i.e. 307 people.
The disaster was preceded by another terrorist attack, which can be considered a failure. An explosion occurred on a plane landing in Tokyo while passengers were already entering the airport building and baggage handlers were working in the cargo hold. Two people died from service personnel airport. If the explosion had occurred an hour earlier, all 390 people flying from Vancouver to Tokyo could have died.
Fire on board L-1011 in Riyadh
The world's worst disasters include the 1980 incident at Riyadh, the largest airport Saudi Arabia. A few minutes after takeoff, a fire started and the pilots requested an emergency landing. The crew received clearance and the plane successfully landed at the departure airport.
However, ground rescue services were in no hurry to begin a rescue operation. Airport staff were unable to quickly open emergency and main exits because it took them time to understand the instructions in English. After opening the exits, the flames spread throughout the cabin, and five minutes later the fire was extinguished. All passengers and crew members of the plane were killed.
Malaysian Boeing crashes over Donetsk
Plane crashes recent years in the world were marked by an exceptional incident that happened in 2014 over the combat zone between Ukraine and the DPR/LPR. A Malaysian Boeing flying over the so-called gray zone - the territory between two fronts - was allegedly shot down by a Buk missile launcher. The world's plane crashes, which have occurred since 2001, have become the largest in terms of the number of victims.
The airliner crashed near Torez, Donetsk region. The arrival of the expert group to investigate the crash was delayed, and even after the arrival of international experts, their work was complicated by the ongoing hostilities. The results of the investigation revealed that the plane was indeed shot down by a missile. 298 people died in the disaster.
An-32B cargo crash in Zaire
A Russian cargo plane on a domestic flight to Zaire in 1996 failed to take off and skidded off the runway. There was a market very close to the runway, into which the plane crashed. The accident occurred due to the aircraft being overloaded, as well as due to a crew error. As a result of the incident, 298 people on the ground died, one of whom was on the plane - the incident was included in the list of “The Worst Air Disasters in the World.” Among the dead are mainly women and children. Crowd reprisals against the plane crew were avoided only as a result of coordinated police actions.
The history of air travel goes back hundreds of years. major disasters. Such accidents, although rare, are usually fatal. The worst plane crash to date claimed the lives of almost six hundred people.
The most famous plane crashes
As you know, even a minor mistake made when flying an airliner can lead to its crash. It is the human factor that often becomes the cause of most disasters. Today, large-capacity aircraft take to the skies, and because of this, disasters are becoming more and more widespread. Here are some of the most famous major plane crashes. 
Japan Airlines Flight No. 123
Five hundred and twenty people were killed in the 1985 crash of a Boeing 747 owned by Japan Airlines. He was supposed to fly from Tokyo to Osaka. After twelve minutes of flight, technical problems made themselves felt. 
After the Boeing's fin came off, the crew continued to fly the plane for thirty-two minutes, trying to stabilize the condition of the airliner. However, it went out of control and crashed into a mountain range. It is known that four passengers managed to survive.
Disaster over India (Charkhi Dadri)
Three hundred and forty-nine victims - this is the result of a mid-air collision between a Boeing 747-100B and an Il-76 aircraft. The disaster occurred just sixty kilometers from Delhi. An Il-76 belonging to Kazakh Airlines descended from fifteen to fourteen thousand feet without receiving permission. As a result, he rammed the stabilizer and left wing of the Boeing. 
No one survived this terrible accident. The Boeing disintegrated in the air after the collision, the IL remained “intact”, but lost control.
Plane crash in Ermenonville
In France, the largest plane crash is considered to have occurred in 1974. We are talking about Turkish Airlines flight 981. The plane was supposed to fly from Istanbul to Paris and then fly to London. After takeoff from the airport in Paris, there was a sharp decompression of the cabin. This happened due to a poorly fixed cargo hatch, which, unable to withstand the load, opened. The control systems were damaged. 
Just seventy-two seconds after the incident, the plane crashed. Three hundred and forty-six people were killed in the Ermenonville disaster.
L-1011 disaster
The Saudi plane, which stopped in Riyadh, was heading to its destination - Jeddah. Seven minutes into the flight, a fire started in the cargo compartment. The team decided to return to Riyadh. 
The airliner managed to land, but for unknown reasons did not turn off the engines, but continued to move, stopping much further than the firefighters who were waiting for it. They did not dare to approach the board. Twenty-three minutes later the plane was completely engulfed in flames. Everyone inside, three hundred and one people, burned or died from suffocation.
Flight IR655
In the summer of 1988, an Airbus A300 was shot down over the Persian Gulf in Iranian airspace. He was flying from Tehran to Dubai. The American military cruiser Vincennes incorrectly identified it, which is why it was shot down using surface-to-air missiles. 
America never admitted its guilt, and no apologies were made to the families of the two hundred and ninety victims. However, the US authorities paid compensation in the amount of almost sixty-two million dollars.
American Airlines Flight 191
In the history of American air travel, the largest in terms of the number of victims and the most famous is the disaster that occurred in 1979. The plane was flying from Chicago to Los Angeles. After takeoff, one of the engines failed, which was the result of poor maintenance of the airliner. As a result, the engine came off, damaging the wing - the airliner crashed next to the runway. Two hundred and seventy-three people died. 
Plane crash near Donetsk
On July 17, 2014, the worst plane crash of a Malaysian Boeing 777 occurred near Donetsk. The plane was flying from Amsterdam to the city of Kuala Lumpur. 
Its crash occurred over Donetsk. Almost three hundred people died. As you know, the Boeing fell into a zone of active military operations and was shot down.
The results of the investigation are due to be made public in 2018.
A321 crash over the Sinai Peninsula
On October 31, 2015, the Airbus A321-231 airliner, performing a charter flight on the Sharm el-Sheikh-St. Petersburg route, disappeared from radar 23 minutes after takeoff. The wreckage of the plane was found near the town of Nekhel. The tragedy claimed the lives of 224 people - 7 crew members, 192 adult passengers and 25 children were killed. 
Among those returning from vacation was a little ten-month-old girl, Darina Gromova. Her photo at Pulkovo airport, which her mother posted on social network with an inscription " Main passenger", became a symbol of the plane crash and was replicated by many media. The A321 crash became the largest mass death Russian citizens throughout the history of world aviation.
The worst plane crash to date The most terrible, unexpected and even ridiculous plane crash is considered to be the one that occurred in 1977. It claimed the lives of nearly six hundred people.
At the Tenerife airport in 1977, two large airliners collided during takeoff. We are talking about Boeing 747, owned by Dutch and American airlines. They ended up in Tenerife by chance. Airplanes were redirected there due to the terrorist attack that took place in Gran Canaria the day before.
The Boeings were moving along the taxiway towards each other and did not have time to avoid the collision. Five hundred and eighty-three people died in that disaster. Only sixty-one passengers managed to survive.
According to the site, the fastest aircraft in the world were taken out of service precisely because emergency situations often occurred with them.
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Air travel is considered one of the most safe species passenger transportation. Every day, more than 80,000 aircraft around the world successfully fly, transporting approximately three million people over vast distances. However, the history of world aviation includes dozens air disasters. Yes, plane crashes are extremely rare, but the scale of such incidents is fatal. Hundreds of people die in a matter of minutes, and often they do not have a single chance of salvation. Cases of a person surviving an airliner crash are rare and cause widespread resonance.
Tenerife: the worst plane crash in world history
The largest plane crash in terms of number of victims occurred on March 27, 1977 on the island of Tenerife. By an absurd accident, a fatal collision of two Boeing 747s occurred right on the runway of the Canary airport Los Rodeos: the American airline Pan Am and the Dutch KLM. Terrible disaster killed 583 people. There were far fewer survivors - only 61 passengers from the Pan Am flight, including the captain and co-pilot, as well as the flight engineer.
The main cause of the accident was considered to be bad weather conditions, as a result of which radio communication with the pilots was disrupted. The Boeing command staff was unable to correctly interpret the air traffic controller's instructions and practically did not hear each other. The situation was aggravated by heavy fog, which reduced visibility to one hundred meters.
As a result of these ridiculous accidents, both airliners ended up on the same runway almost simultaneously. Moving towards each other, the pilots had no physical ability assess the full picture of what is happening. The KLM Boeing was the first to take off and only at that moment did it see a Pan Am plane moving towards it.
The pilot tried to lift the plane off the ground to prevent a collision, but the maneuvering distance was insufficient. The liners collided head-on at full speed. The force of the impact was so great that the KLM plane made a giant hole in the Pan Am's fuselage. After that, it fell onto the runway and caught fire. Everyone inside died in the fire. Some passengers on the second plane miraculously survived.
Japan: 4 people survived in a collision with a mountain range
On August 12, 1985, there was a plane crash, in terms of the number of victims slightly inferior to the disaster in Tenerife. The Japan Airlines Boeing took off on its standard Tokyo-Osaka route. 12 minutes after takeoff, serious technical problems occurred, as a result of which the fin completely came off. The team tried to stabilize the plane for more than half an hour, but their attempts were unsuccessful. The airliner lost control and crashed into a mountain range near Fuji.
The disaster took the lives of 520 people. Four passengers survived, and this was perceived as nothing less than a miracle. The Japanese government held official investigation, during which experts determined the causes of the plane crash. The tragedy was caused by the negligence of the repair personnel, who made critical errors during scheduled work.
Sinai Peninsula: mass deaths of Russian citizens in the ISIS terrorist attack
Most major plane crash Egypt and Russia became involved in the crash of an Airbus A320 over the Sinai Peninsula on October 31, 2015. 23 minutes after takeoff, radars stopped detecting the charter airliner, which was heading to St. Petersburg from Sharm El-Sheikh. And soon after that military aviation Egypt discovered its fragments in the mountains near the city of Nehel. The collision with the ground completely destroyed the plane, and its parts were scattered over an area of more than 30 km. There were no survivors among the 224 people.
In the first days after the incident, the organization ISIS, banned in Russia, took responsibility for the events. During the investigation, information about the terrorist attack was confirmed: the Airbus A320 crashed due to an improvised explosive device hidden in the tail section. It was quietly placed there by unknown persons and disguised under a pile of luggage and baby strollers. No suspects were identified in the crime.
There were 25 children among the passengers of different ages, including a 10-month-old girl. Later she became a symbol of the tragedy, and many foreign publications circulated her photograph taken by her parents on the eve of the trip.
France: Ermenonville disaster kills 346 people
The crash of a Turkish Airlines plane has received worldwide attention as the “Ermenonville plane crash.” Technological errors in the design of the cargo door led to the death of 346 people.
On March 3, 1974, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 took off from Paris airport for Istanbul, after which it was scheduled to fly to London. However, tragedy struck just six minutes after it took off. As soon as the plane reached an altitude of 3,500 meters, a breakdown of the locking mechanism in the cargo compartment hatch was discovered. Because of this, it was torn off and an explosive decompression of the cabin began, which disabled all control systems. It was not possible to successfully land the DC-10 in such a situation: just a minute and a half later, it dived at high speed into the Ermenonville forest and caught fire.
Plane collision in India kills 349 people
On November 12, 1996, an air collision occurred between the Kazakh airliner Il-76TD and the Arab Boeing 747. The disaster cost the lives of all 349 passengers who were inside both aircraft. The incident was recognized as the largest in terms of the number of deaths in mid-air collisions.
In this disaster, people did not have a single chance to survive: without recognizing the air traffic controller’s command, the Kazakh Il-76TD sharply lowered its altitude and, at a speed of 500 km/h, rammed the fuselage of a Boeing 747, which was flying towards it. After the collision, the Boeing immediately fell apart while still in the air. The IL-76TD survived, but lost control and also crashed to the ground.
One of the reasons for the disaster is not only crew error, but also the lack of a collision avoidance system on the liners.
