Plane Crashes

Over the history of commercial flight there have been many air disasters that have involved a great loss of life and over the last 60 years statistics reveal that many of these were as a result of some sort of pilot error. Mechanical failure was followed by weather. In the last 12 years (1998 - 2010) there have been 73 disasters:

1998 4, 1999 2, 2000 7, 2001 4, 2002 10, 2003 7, 2004 2

2005 9, 2006 5, 2007 6, 2008 6, 2009 8, 2010 3

The 100 worst aviation disasters in terms of the descending number of fatalities since 1956 (30th June, Grand Canyon: 128 fatalities) are listed in the Table below, but as a mode of travel this remains proportionately hugely safer when compared to traffic collision. An aircraft that crashes generally has a higher relative number of deaths per incident that a fatal car crash. Coach crashes are reported, but a car crash is relegated to the inconsequential unless a multiple pile-up happens.

1	2907*	09/11/2001	New York City, New York	American /United Airlines	B767 / B767
2	583	03/27/1977	Tenerife, Canary Islands	Pan Am / KLM	B747 / B747
3	520	08/12/1985	Mt. Osutaka, Japan	Japan Air Lines	B747
4	349	11/12/1996	New Delhi, India	Saudi / Kazastan	B747 / Il76
5	346	03/03/1974	Bois d' Ermenonville, France	Turkish Airlines	DC10
6	329	06/23/1985	Atlantic Ocean West of Ireland	Air India	B747
7	301	08/19/1980	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	Saudi Arabian Airlines	L1011
8	290	07/03/1988	Persian Gulf	Iran Air	A300
9	275	02/19/2003	Shahdad, Iran	Islamic Revolution's Guards Co.	Il-76MD
10	273	05/25/1979	Chicago, Illinois	American Airlines	DC10
11	270	12/21/1988	Lockerbie, Scotland	Pan American World Airways	B747
12	269	09/01/1983	Sakhalin Island, Russia	Korean Airlines	B747
13	265	11/12/2001	Belle Harbor, Queens, New York	American Airlines	A300
14	264	04/26/1994	Komaki, Japan	China Airlines	A300
15	261	07/11/1991	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia	Nationair/charter Nigeria AW	DC8
16	257	11/28/1979	Mt. Erebus, Antarctica	Air New Zealand	DC10
17	256	12/12/1985	Gander, Newfoundland, Canada	Arrow Airways	DC8
18	234	09/26/1997	Buah Nabar, Indonesia	Garuda Indonesia Airlines	A300
19	230	07/17/1996	Off East Moriches, New York	Trans World Airlines	B747
20	229	09/02/1998	Off Nova Scotia, Canada	Swissair	MD11
21	228	06/01/2009	Atlantic Ocean	Air France	A330
-	228	08/06/1997	Agana, Guam	Korean Airlines	B747
23	227	01/08/1996	Kinshasa, Zaire	African Air	AN32
24	225	05/25/2002	Off Penghu, Taiwan	China Airlines	B747
25	223	05/26/1991	Ban Nong Rong, Thailand	Lauda Air	B767
26	217	10/31/1999	Off Nantucket, Massachusetts	EgyptAir	B767
27	213	01/01/1978	Off Bandra, Maharashtra, India	Air India	B747
28	203	02/16/1998	Taipei, Taiwan	China Airlines	A300
29	200	07/10/1985	Uchuduk, Uzbekistan, USSR	Aeroflot	TU154
30	199	07/17/2007	Sao Paulo, Brazil	TAM Brazil	A320
31	191	12/04/1974	Maskeliya, Sri Lanka	Martinair Holland	DC8
32	189	09/11/2001	Arlington, Virginia	American Airlines	B757
-	189	02/06/1996	Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic	Alas Nacionales (Birgenair)	B757
34	188	08/03/1975	Immouzer, Morocco	Aila Royal Jordanian Airlines	B707
35	183	05/09/1987	Warsaw, Poland	Polskie Linie Lotnicze	IL62
-	183	11/15/1978	Katunavake, Sir Lanka	Loftleidir	DC8
37	181	11/27/1983	Madrid, Spain	Avanca	B747
38	180	12/01/1981	Mt. San Pietro, Corsica, France	Index Adria Avioproment	MD80
39	178	10/11/1994	Omsk, Russia	Aeroflot	TU154
-	178	08/11/1979	Dneprodzerzhinsk, USSR	Aeroflot / Aeroflot	TU134/TU134
41	176	06/07/1989	Paramaribo, Surinam	Surinam Airways	DC8
-	176	09/10/1976	Gaj, Hrvatska, Yugoslavia	Index Adria Avio / BA	DC9 /Trident
-	176	01/22/1973	Kano, Nigeria	Aila Royal Jordanian Airlines	B707
44	174	10/13/1972	Krasnaya Polyana, USSR	Aeroflot	IL62
45	171	09/19/1989	Bilma, Niger	Union des Trans. Aeriens	DC10
-	171	09/03/1989	Havana, Cuba	Cubana	IL62M
47	170	08/22/2006	Donetsk, Ukraine	Pulkovo Airlines	Tu-154M
48	169	01/30/2000	Off Abidjan, Ivory Coast	Kenya Airways	A310-304
49	168	07/15/2009	Qazvin, Iran	Caspian Airlines	Tu-154M
50	167	09/28/1992	Bhadagon, Katmandu, Nepal	Pakistan Inter. Airlines	A300
-	167	03/31/1986	Maravatio, Mexico	Mexicana	B727
52	166	07/07/1980	Nar Alma-Ata, Kasakastan, USSR	Aeroflot	TU154B
53	163	07/30/1971	Morioko, Japan	All Nippon / Japanese AF	B727 / F86F
54	160	08/16/2005	La Cucharita, Venezuela	West Carribean Airlines	MD-82
-	160	12/20/1995	Buga, Columbia	American Airlines	B757
-	160	06/06/1994	Xi'an, China	China Northwest Airlines	TU154M
57	159	11/28/1987	Mauritius, Indian Ocean	South Africian Airways	B747
58	158	05/22/2010	Mangalore, India	Air India Express	B737
59	157	12/22/1992	Tripoli, Libya	Libya Arab Airlines / Lib AF	B727
60	156	08/16/1987	Romulus, Michigan	Northwest Airlines	MD82
-	156	08/14/1972	KKönigs Wusterhausen, E. Germany	Interflug	IL62
-	156	11/26/1979	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia	Pakistan Inter. Airlines	B707
63	155	12/03/1972	Tenerife, Canary Islands	Spantax	Convair 990
-	155	04/04/1975	Siagon, Vietnam	U.S. Air Force	C-5 Gallaxy
65	154	03/16/1969	Maracaibo, Venezuela	Venezolana Inter. de Av.	DC9
-	154	09/19/1976	Karatepe Mountains, Turkey	Turkish Airlines	B727
-	154	09/29/2006	Sao Felix do Araguaia,Brazil	Gol Airlines	B-737
68	153	07/09/1982	Kenner, Louisiana	Pan American World Airways	B727
-	153	08/20/2008	Madrid, Spain	Spanair	MD-82
70	152	06/30/2009	Mitsamiouli, Comoros	Yemenia	A310
71	149	05/04/2002	Kano, Nigeria	EAS Airlines	BAC-111
72	148	02/19/1985	Mt. Oiz, Spain	Iberia Airlines	B727
-	148	01/03/2004	Off Sharm el Sheikh-Ophira, Egypt	Flash Air	B737
74	146	04/25/1980	Tenerife, Canary Islands	Dan Air	B727
75	145	07/04/2001	Irkutsk, Russia	Vladivostokavia	TU154
76	144	02/08/1989	Santa Maria, Azores	Independent Air Inc	B707
-	144	09/25/1978	San Diego, California	Pacific Southwest/Private	B727 /C172
78	143	11/07/1996	Lagos, Nigeria	Aviation Devel. Corp.	B727
-	143	03/17/1988	Cucuta, Colombia	Avianca	B727
-	143	08/23/2000	Off Manama, Behrain	Gulf Air	A320
-	143	09/05/2005	Medan, Indonesia	Mandala Airlines	B737
82	141	08/29/1996	Spitsbergen, Norway	Vnokovo Airlines	TU154
-	141	12/18/1995	Kahengula, Angola	Trans Service Airlift	L188C
-	141	11/24/1992	Liutang, Guangxi, China	China Southern Airlines	B737
85	140	12/25/2003	Cotonou, Benin	UTA	B727
86	137	06/08/1982	Near Pacatuba, Brazil	VASP	B727
87	135	08/02/1985	Ft. Worth-Dallas, Texas	Delta Air Lines	L1011	5
88	134	12/16/1960	Staten Island/Brooklyn, New York	United Air Lines / TWA	DC8 / L1049
89	133	02/04/1966	Tokyo Bay, Japan	All Nippon Airways	B727
-	133	02/08/1993	Tehran, Iran	Iran Air / Air Force	TU154M
91	132	09/08/1994	Aliquippa, Pennsylvania	USAir	B737
-	132	05/19/1993	Medellin, Colombia	SAM	B727
-	132	06/28/1982	Southern Belarus, USSR	Aeroflot	YAK42
94	131	11/19/1977	Funchal, Is. of Madeira, Portugal	TAP	B727
-	131	04/19/2000	Samal Island, Philippines	Air Philippines	B737
96	130	10/02/1990	Kuwait City, Kuwait	Iraqi Airways	IL76
-	130	11/08/1983	Lubango, Huila, Angola	TAAG Angola Airlines	B737
-	130	11/16/1967	Near Sverdlovsk, Russia	Aeroflot	IL62
-	130	06/03/1962	Villeneuve-le-Roi, France	Air France	B707
100	128	04/15/2002	Buscan, South Korea	Air China	B767
-	128	10/02/1990	Guangzhou, China	Xiamen / China SW	B737 / B757
-	128	01/21/1980	Elburz Mountains, Iran	Iran National Airlines	B727
-	128	06/30/1956	Grand Canyon, Arizona	United Airlines / TWA	DC7 / L1049
-	128	07/09/2006	Irkutsk, Russia	Sibir (S7)	A310