Causes of Airline Crashes (1950-2001)
Author / Coordinator:General Aviation
March 2007
| Notable Causes by Category | ||
| Air Traffic Control Error | ||
| 06/13/1947 | Leesburg, Virginia | Pen Central Air |
| 11/11/1949 | Arlington, Virginia | Eastern / U.S. AF |
| 04/14/1958 | Castel de Fels, Spain | Aviaco |
| 07/21/1961 | Shemya, Alaska | Alaska AL |
| 02/08/1965 | New York, New York | Eastern AL |
| 03/05/1969 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Prinair |
| 01/14/1970 | Mt. Pumacona, Peru | Faucett |
| 02/06/1970 | Samarkand, USSR | Aeroflot |
| 12/20/1972 | Chicago, Illinois | Delta/North Central |
| 09/09/1976 | Adler, Russia | Aeroflot / Aeroflot |
| 09/10/1976 | Gaj, Yugoslavia | Inex / British AW |
| 08/11/1979 | Dneprodzerzhinsk, USSR | Aeroflot |
| 04/19/1983 | Keninakan, Russia | Aeroflot |
| 02/01/1991 | Los Angeles, California | USAir/Skywest |
| 05/19/1993 | Medellin, Colombia | SAM |
| 11/07/1996 | Lagos, Nigeria | Aviation Dev. Corp. |
| 09/26/1997 | Buah Nabar, Indonesia | Garuda Indonesian AL |
| Bird Strike | ||
| 10/04/1960 | Boston, Massachusetts | Eastern AL |
| 11/23/1962 | Ellicott, Maryland | United AL |
| 09/15/1988 | Bahar Dar, Ethiopia | Ethiopian AL |
| 04/18/1990 | Off Panama | Aero Perlas |
| 09/22/1995 | Anchorage, Alaska | U.S. Air Force |
| 04/19/2000 | Pepo, Congo | Centrafricain Airlines |
| Cargo Hold / Cabin Fire | ||
| 07/09/1945 | Florence, South Carolina | Eastern AL |
| 06/17/1948 | Mt. Carmel, Pennsylvania | United AL |
| 08/02/1949 | Jaquirana, Brazil | Varig |
| 01/09/1964 | Zarate, Argentina | Aero Litoral Argentina |
| 07/09/1964 | Parrottsville, Tennesee | United AL |
| 07/26/1969 | Biskra, Algeria | Air Algerie |
| 08/14/1972 | Konigs, East Germany | Interflug |
| 08/31/1972 | Magnitogorsk, Russia | Aeroflot |
| 07/11/1973 | Paris, Orly, France | Varig |
| 11/03/1973 | Boston, Massachusetts | Pan American |
| 11/26/1979 | Ta’if, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | Pakistan Inter. AL |
| 08/19/1980 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Saudi Arabian AL |
| 12/24/1982 | Guangzhou, China | CAAC |
| 06/02/1983 | Covington, Kentucky | Air Canada |
| 07/02/1986 | Syktyvar, Russia | Aeroflot |
| 05/09/1987 | Warsaw, Poland | LOT |
| 11/28/1987 | Mauritius, Indian Ocean | South African Airways |
| 01/13/1990 | Pervouralsk, Russia | Aeroflot |
| 07/12/1995 | Gumey, New Guinea | Milne Bay Air |
| 05/11/1996 | Everglades, Florida | ValuJjet |
| 09/02/1998 | Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia | Swissair |
| Design Flaw | ||
| 03/31/1933 | Bazaar, Kansas | Trans Cont. & Western AW |
| 10/24/1947 | Bryce Canyon, Utah | United AL |
| 11/11/1947 | Gallup, New Mexico | American AL |
| 06/17/1948 | Mt. Carmel, Pennsylvania | United AL |
| 08/29/1948 | Winona, Minnesota | Northwest Orient AL |
| 05/02/1953 | Jalalogori, India | British Overseas AW |
| 01/10/1954 | Elba, Italy | British Overseas AW |
| 04/08/1954 | Off Stromboli, Italy | Trans Canada AL |
| 02/05/1955 | Calabar, Nigeria | West African AW |
| 09/29/1959 | Buffalo, Texas | Braniff AL |
| 03/17/1960 | Tell City, Indiana | Northwest Orient AL |
| 07/05/1970 | Toronto, Canada | Air Canada |
| 07/06/1982 | Moscow, Russia | Aeroflot |
| 07/30/1992 | New York, New York | Trans World AL |
| 04/06/1993 | Over the Pacific Ocean | China Eastern AL |
| 03/03/1991 | Colorado Springs, Colorado | United AL |
| 09/08/1994 | Aliquippa, Pennsylvania | USair |
| Sabotage – Explosive Device | ||
| 03/28/1933 | Dixmude, Belgium | Imperial AW |
| 10/10/1933 | Chesterton, Indiana | United AL |
| 05/07/1949 | Sibuyan Sea, Philippines | Phillipine AL |
| 09/09/1949 | Sault-aux-Cochons, Canada | Canadian Pacific AL |
| 08/12/1952 | Palmeria de Goias, Brazil | Trans Aero Nac. |
| 04/11/1955 | Great Natuna Island, Sarawak | Air India |
| 11/01/1955 | Longmont, Colorado | United AL |
| 07/25/1957 | Daggett, California | Western AL |
| 04/17/1959 | Puerto Kino,Mexico | Tigres Voladores |
| 09/08/1959 | Poza Rica, Mexico | Mexicana |
| 11/16/1959 | Gulf of Mexico | National AL |
| 01/06/1960 | Bolivia, North Carolina | National AL |
| 05/10/1961 | In Amenas, Libya | Air France |
| 05/22/1962 | Unionville, Missouri | Continental AL |
| 12/08/1964 | Tripuani, Bolivia | Aerolineas Abaroa |
| 07/08/1965 | Dog Creek, British Columbia | Canadian Pacific AL |
| 11/22/1966 | Aden, Yemen | Aden AW |
| 02/09/1967 | Mexico City, Mexico | Cubana |
| 10/12/1967 | Rhodes, Greece | British European AW |
| 12/22/1969 | Nha Trang, Vietnam | Air Vietnam |
| 02/21/1970 | Zurich, Switzerland | Swissair |
| 04/21/1970 | Manila, Philippines | Philippine AL |
| 11/21/1971 | Penhu Island, Taiwan | China AL |
| 01/26/1972 | Hermsdorf, Czechoslovakia | JAT |
| 06/15/1972 | Pleiku, Vietnam | Cathay Pacific AW |
| 03/19/1973 | Ben Me Thout, South Vietnam | Air Vietnam |
| 04/21/1973 | Patabangan, Philippines | Philippine AL |
| 12/17/1973 | Rome, Italy | Pan American AW |
| 09/08/1974 | Ionian Sea, Greece | Trans World AL |
| 01/01/1976 | Al Qaysumah, Saudi Arabia | Middle East AL |
| 10/06/1976 | Bridgetown, Barbados | Cubana |
| 02/19/1979 | Barentu, Ethiopia | Ethiopian Airlines |
| 06/27/1980 | Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy | Itavia |
| 12/21/1980 | Rio Hacha, Colombia | Trans. Aereos del Caribe |
| 09/23/1983 | Mina Jebel Ali, UAE | Gulf Air |
| 06/23/1985 | Atlantic Ocean, Ireland | Air India |
| 04/02/1986 | Athens, Greece | Trans World AL |
| 05/03/1986 | Colombo, Sri Lanka | Air Lanka |
| 11/29/1987 | Andaman Sea | Korean AL |
| 03/01/1988 | Johannesberg, South Africa | Comair |
| 12/21/1988 | Lockerbie, Scotland | Pan American AW |
| 09/19/1989 | Bilma, Niger | Union des Trans. Aeriens |
| 11/27/1989 | Bogota, Colombia | Avianca |
| 07/19/1994 | Colon, Panama | Alas Chiricanas |
| 12/11/1994 | Pacific Ocean, Okinawa | Philippine AL |
| 07/09/1997 | Suzano, Brazil | TAM |
| 03/03/2001 | Bangkok, Thailand | Thai Airways |
| Fuel Starvation | ||
| 05/18/1935 | Knowles Flying Service | Flint, Michigan |
| 12/31/1935 | Imperial Airways | Alexandria, Egypt |
| 05/06/1936 | Macon, Missouri | Transcon. & West. Air |
| 01/14/1936 | Goodwin, Arkansas | American AL |
| 07/02/1937 | Lae, New Guinea | Purdue Res. Found. |
| 11/28/1938 | Off Point Reyes, Calif. | United Air Lines |
| 02/09/1943 | Gander, Newfoundland | British Overseas AW |
| 12/28/1946 | Michigan City, Michigan | American AL |
| 01/05/1947 | Carmel, New Jersey | Nationwide Air Trans. |
| 01/11/1947 | Lympne, England | BOAC |
| 01/07/1948 | Savannah, Georgia | Coastal Air Lines |
| 01/30/1948 | Near Bermuda | British So. Am. AW |
| 12/28/1948 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Airborne Transport |
| 08/15/1949 | Lurga Point, Ireland | Transocean Air Lines |
| 07/28/1950 | Porte Alegre, Brazil | Penair do Brasil |
| 04/30/1952 | Delhi, India | Deccan, AW |
| 05/26/1952 | Atar, Mauritania | British Overseas Airways |
| 06/19/1954 | Folkestone, England | Swissair |
| 12/22/1954 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Johnson Flying Service |
| 04/04/1967 | Stockport, England | British Midland AW |
| 05/02/1970 | St. Croix, Virgin Islands | Antillian AL |
| 12/05/1970 | Delhi, India | Jamair |
| 02/01/1972 | Tegal, Indonesia | Penas |
| 07/24/1973 | Honolulu, HI | Air Hawaii |
| 08/11/1974 | Ouagadougou, Upper Volta | Air Mali |
| 10/20/1977 | Gillsburg, Mississippi | L & J Company |
| 12/02/1977 | Al Bayda, Lebanon | Balkan Bulgarian AL |
| 12/28/1978 | Portland, Oregon | United AL |
| 09/04/1982 | Rio Branco, Brazil | Cia Bras. de Tratores |
| 07/23/1983 | Gimli, Manitoba, Canada | Air Canada |
| 09/03/1989 | Sao Jose do Xingu, Brazil | Varig |
| 01/25/1990 | Cove Neck, New York | Avianca |
| 09/11/1990 | Off Newfoundland, Canada | Faucett |
| 06/26/1991 | Sokotu, Nigeria | Okada Air |
| 11/15/1993 | Kerman, Iran | Magistralnye Avialinii |
| 09/18/1994 | Tamanrasset, Algeria | Oriental AL |
| 09/26/1994 | Vanavera, Russia | Cheremshanka AL |
| 09/11/1995 | Jalalabad, Afghanistan | Ariana Afghan AL |
| 10/31/1995 | Piedras Negras, Mexico | TACSA |
| 04/05/1996 | Petropavlovsk, Russia | Krasnoyarskie AV |
| 01/13/1998 | Tor Kach, Pakistan | Ariana Afghan AL |
| 03/24/2000 | Kadirana, Sri Lanka | OMSK |
| Hijacking (resulting in fatalities) | ||
| 07/16/1948 | Pacific Ocean | Cathay Pacific AW |
| 11/01/1958 | Nipe Bay, Cuba | Cubana |
| 04/28/1960 | Calabozo, Venezuela | Linea Aero. Venezolana |
| 1/23/1971 | Korean Air Lines | Sokcho, South Korea |
| 12/06/1971 | Tikaka, Sudan | Sudan AW |
| 05/18/1973 | Chita, Russia | Aeroflot |
| 09/15/1974 | Phan Rang, Vietnam | Air Vietnam |
| 05/23/1976 | Zamboanga, Philippines | Philippine AL |
| 06/27/1976 | Entebbe, Uganda | Air France |
| 12/04/1977 | Kampung Ladang, Malaysia | Malaysia AL |
| 06/14/1985 | Athens, Greece | Trans World AL |
| 11/24/1985 | Luqa, Malta | Egyptair |
| 09/05/1986 | Karachi, Pakistan | Pan American AW |
| 12/25/1986 | Ay, Saudi Arabia | Iraqi AW |
| 07/24/1987 | Geneva, Switzerland | Air Afrique |
| 04/05/1988 | Combi, Cyprus | Kuwait AW |
| 10/02/1990 | Guangzhou, China | Xiamen/China SW AL |
| 08/28/1993 | Khorag, Tajikistan | Tadzhikistan Nat. AL |
| 12/26/1994 | Algiers, Algeria | Air France |
| 11/23/1996 | Moroni, Comoros Islands | Ethiopian AL |
| 07/23/1999 | Tokyo, Japan | All Nippon AW |
| 09/11/2001 | New York, New York | American AL |
| 09/11/2001 | New York, New York | United AL |
| 09/11/2001 | Arlington, Virginia | America AL |
| 09/11/2001 | Shanksville, Pennsylvania | United AL |
| Lightning | ||
| 07/22/1938 | Stulpica, Romania | LOT |
| 08/31/1940 | Lovettsville, Virginia | Penn Central AL |
| 01/17/1951 | Civitavecchia, Italy | Alitalia |
| 06/26/1959 | Varese, Italy | Trans World AL |
| 08/29/1960 | Dakar, Senegal | Air France |
| 07/19/1961 | Azul, Brazil | Aerolineas Argentinas |
| 12/19/1962 | Warsaw, Poland | LOT |
| 08/12/1963 | Lyon, France | Air Inter |
| 12/08/1963 | Elkton, Maryland | Pan American AW |
| 12/24/1971 | Puerto Inca, Peru | Lineas Aereas Nacionales |
| 05/09/1976 | Madrid, Spain | Iran Air Force |
| 02/08/1988 | Mulheim, Germany | NFD |
| 06/22/2000 | Shitai, China | Wuhan AL |
| Pilot Incapacitation | ||
| 10/30/1959 | Waynesborough, Virginia | Piedmont AL |
| 12/14/1962 | Burbank, California | Flying Tiger Line |
| 10/06/1965 | Centennial, Wyoming | United AL |
| 04/22/1966 | Ardmore, Oklahoma | American Flyers AL |
| 03/13/1967 | East London, South Africa | South African AW |
| 01/14/1970 | Mt. Pumacona, Peru | Faucett |
| 06/18/1972 | Staines, Surrey, England | British European AW |
| 10/13/1972 | Krasnaya, Polyana, USSR | Aeroflot |
| 02/09/1982 | Tokyo, Japan | Japan AL |
| 03/31/1995 | Balotesti, Romania | Trans. Aeriene Rom. |
| Pilots Shot by Passenger | ||
| 05/07/1964 | San Ramon, California | Pacific AL |
| 12/04/1977 | Kampung Ladang, Malaysia | Malaysian AL |
| 12/07/1987 | San Luis Obispo, California | Pacific Southwest AL |