List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft


This list of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft includes notable events that have a corresponding Wikipedia article. Entries in this list meet this list's size criteriapassenger aircraft with a seating capacity of at least 10 passengers, or commercial cargo aircraft of at least. The list is grouped by the year in which the accident or incident occurred.

1910s and 1920s

1919

  • July 21 – The Goodyear dirigible Wingfoot Air Express caught fire and crashed into the Illinois Trust and Savings Building in Chicago, Illinois, while carrying passengers to a local amusement park, killing 13 people: three out of the five on board and ten others on the ground, with 27 others on the ground being injured.
  • August 2 – A [1919 Verona Caproni Ca.48 crash|Caproni Ca.48 1988 Talia Airways Boeing 727 crash|crashed at Verona], Italy, during a flight from Venice to Taliedo, Milan, killing all on board.

1920

1921

1922

1923

  • January 13 – An Aeromarine 75 seaplane of Aeromarine West Indies Airways, Columbus, rapidly sank after a botched ditching in the Straits of Florida north of Havana, Cuba, leading to the deaths of four passengers out of the nine occupants in the first airliner disaster of American aviation.
  • May 14 – An Air Union Farman F.60 Goliath crashed near Monsures, Somme, France, following the structural failure of a wing, killing all six on board.
  • August 27 – An Air Union Farman F.60 Goliath crashed near East Malling, Kent, England, because of an engine failure, and the passengers misunderstanding given instructions, killing one of 13 on board.
  • September 14 – A Daimler Airway de Havilland DH.34 crashed at Ivinghoe, Buckinghamshire, England, after stalling while attempting an emergency landing, killing all five on board.

1924

  • April 24 – A KLM Fokker F.III disappeared while flying from Croydon Airport to Waalhaven, killing all three on board. It was the first major accident of KLM since it had been founded four years earlier.
  • December 24 – An Imperial Airways de Havilland DH.34 crashed near Purley, Surrey, England, because of a stall during an attempted emergency landing in response to an unknown mechanical defect. All eight on board were killed.

1925

1926

  • August 18 – An Air Union Blériot 155 crashed during a failed emergency landing attempt at College Farm in Aldington, Kent, England, after experiencing an engine failure. Two of the 15 on board were killed on impact and the pilot died of his injuries one day later.
  • October 2 – An Air Union Blériot 155 crashed at Leigh, Kent, England, after the aircraft caught fire in mid-air during an attempted emergency landing at Penshurst Airfield, killing all seven on board; this was the first in-flight fire to occur on an airliner.

1927

  • August 22 – A KLM Fokker F. VIII crashed near Sevenoaks, Kent, England, following a structural failure of the tailfin, killing one of 11 on board.

1928

1929

1930s

1930

  • February 10 – An Air Union Farman F.63 Goliath crashed during an emergency landing at Marden Airfield, Marden, Kent, following failure of the right tailplane, killing two of the six on board.
  • October 5 – On its maiden voyage from the United Kingdom to British India, the British civil airship R101 crashed and burned in Allonne, Oise, France, while flying at low altitude at night in a rainstorm, killing 48 out of 54 on board, the worst civil airship disaster in history.

1931

1933

  • March 28 – The 1933 Imperial Airways Diksmuide crash: An Armstrong Whitworth Argosy II caught fire in mid-air and crashed near Diksmuide, Belgium, in the first suspected case of air sabotage; all 15 on board were killed.
  • October 10 – United Air Lines Trip 23, a Boeing 247, exploded in mid-air over Chesterton, Indiana, United States, in the first proven case of air sabotage on a commercial aircraft; all seven on board were killed.
  • December 30 – In the 1933 Imperial Airways Ruysselede crash in Belgium, an Avro Ten struck a radio mast, killing all 10 on board.

1934

  • February 23 – A United Air Lines Boeing 247 crashed into a Utah canyon in bad weather, killing all eight on board.
  • May 9 – An Air France Wibault 282T crashed into the English Channel off Dungeness, Kent, killing all six on board.
  • July 27 – A Swissair Curtiss T-32 Condor II crashed near Tuttlingen, Germany, after a wing separated in a thunderstorm, killing all 12 passengers and crew on board.
  • September 29 – A London, Scottish & Provincial Airways Airspeed Courier crashed near Shoreham, England. All four people on board were killed and two on the ground were injured.
  • October 2 – A Hillman's Airways de Havilland Dragon Rapide crashed into the English Channel off Folkestone, Kent, because of pilot error, killing all seven on board.
  • December 20 – A KLM Douglas DC-2 crashed in the Iraqi desert while en route from Amsterdam to Batavia, Dutch East Indies. All seven people on board were killed.

1935

  • May 6 – TWA Flight 6, a Douglas DC-2 operating a multi-leg flight from Los Angeles, California, to Newark, New Jersey, United States, crashed on farmland near Atlanta, Macon, or Kirksville, Missouri, because of poor visibility and depleted fuel; five of the 13 on board were killed, including Senator Bronson M. Cutting.
  • July 24 – A SACO Trimotor Ford 5-AT-B and SCADTA Trimotor Ford 5-AT-B that operated the same route Medellin-Bogota collided in the runway, killing all seven people in the SACO Trimotor Ford 5-AT-B and 10 of the 13 people in the SCADTA Trimotor Ford 5-AT-B
  • October 7 – United Air Lines Trip 4, a Boeing 247D flying from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States, crashed near Silver Crown, Wyoming, because of pilot error; all 12 people on board died.
  • December 10 – A SABENA Savoia-Marchetti S.73 crashed near Tatsfield, Surrey, England, because of pilot error, while en route from Brussels Airport, Belgium, to Croydon Airport in England; all 11 people on board died in the accident.

1936

  • January 14 – American Airlines Flight 1, a Douglas DC-2, crashed into a swamp near Goodwin, Arkansas, for reasons unknown, killing all 17 passengers and crew on board.
  • April 7 – TWA Flight 1, a Douglas DC-2, crashed near Uniontown, Pennsylvania, United States, because of pilot error, killing 12 of the 14 passengers and crew.
  • June 16 – In the Havørn Accident, a Norwegian Air Lines Junkers Ju 52 crashed into Lihesten mountain in Hyllestad, Norway, killing all seven on board.
  • August 5 – Chicago and Southern Flight 4, a Lockheed Model 10 Electra, crashed after takeoff because of pilot error, killing all eight on board.
  • December 9 – A KLM Douglas DC-2 crashed on takeoff from Croydon Airport, England; 15 of 17 on board died.
  • December 27 – United Airlines Trip 34, a Boeing 247, crashed at Rice Canyon because of pilot error, killing all 12 on board.

1937

1938

  • January 10 – Northwest Airlines Flight 2, a Lockheed L14H Super Electra, crashed near Bozeman, Montana, United States, killing all 10 on board; the machine with which the manufacturer measured component vibration was found to be inaccurate, causing the aircraft to be more prone to flutter than anticipated.
  • January 11 – Pan American World Airways Flight 1, a Sikorsky S-42 flying boat named the Samoan Clipper, exploded in mid-air over Pago Pago, American Samoa, killing all seven on board.
  • March 1 – TWA Flight 8, a Douglas DC-2, disappeared on a flight from San Francisco to Winslow, Arizona; the aircraft was found three months later on a mountain in Yosemite National Park; all nine on board died.
  • July 28 – Pan American World Airways Flight 229, a Martin M-130 flying boat named the Hawaii Clipper, disappeared over the Pacific Ocean westbound from Guam to Manila with 15 on board.
  • August 24 – The Kweilin, a Douglas DC-2 operated by China National Aviation Corporation, was shot down by Japanese military aircraft killing 14 of the 17 people on board. It was the first shootdown of a civilian airliner.
  • October 25 – Kyeema, an Australian National Airways Douglas DC-2, crashed in heavy fog into Mount Dandenong in Victoria, Australia, killing all 18 people on board.
  • November 4 – In the 1938 Jersey Airport disaster, a Jersey Airways de Havilland D.H.86 crashed on takeoff from Jersey Airport because of pilot error; all 13 passengers and crew lost their lives as well as one person on the ground.

1939

  • January 13 – Northwest Airlines Flight 1, a Lockheed L14H Super Electra, crashed on descent to Miles City, Montana, United States, after an intense fire broke out in the cockpit following a fuel leak from the aircraft's cross-feed fuel valve; all four on board were killed.
  • January 21 – An Imperial Airways flying boat ditched in the North Atlantic, southeast of New York, after losing power; the aircraft later sank and three of the 12 on board died.
  • August 13 – A Pan Am Sikorsky S-43 crashed into Guanabara Bay, Brazil, because of loss of control following engine failure, killing 12 of the 14 on board.

1940s

1940

  • June 14 – In the Kaleva shootdown, Aero Flight 1631, an Aero Junkers Ju 52 en route from Tallinn, Estonia, to Helsinki, Finland, was shot down by two Soviet bombers over the Gulf of Finland during peacetime; all nine on board were killed.
  • August 31 – In the Lovettsville air disaster, Pennsylvania Central Airlines Trip 19, a Douglas DC-3A, crashed at Lovettsville, Virginia, United States, during an intense thunderstorm; all 25 on board died.
  • November 8 – A Deutsche Lufthansa Ju 90 crashed near Schönteichen in Saxony, Germany, because of tail icing, killing all 29 passengers and crew on board.

1941

  • February 26 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 21, a Douglas DC-3, crashed while descending to land at Atlanta, Georgia, United States, killing eight of 16 on board; World War I hero and Eastern Air Lines president Eddie Rickenbacker was among the survivors.
  • October 30 – American Airlines Flight 1, a Douglas DC-3, stalled and crashed at Lawrence Station, Ontario, Canada, while attempting to find a place to land, killing all 20 on board; the cause of the crash was never determined.
  • October 30 – Northwest Airlines Flight 5, a Douglas DC-3, crashed at Moorhead, Minnesota, in fog, because of icing; of the 15 on board, only the pilot survived.
  • December 26 – In the Alma-Ata G-2 crash, a G-2 touched the ground with its left wingtip while doing a left turn, then crashed, killing 26 of the 34 occupants.

1942

  • January 16 – TWA Flight 3, a Douglas DC-3 returning to California, crashed into Potosi Mountain southwest of Las Vegas, Nevada, United States; all 22 on board were killed, including actress Carole Lombard and her mother.
  • January 30 – Qantas Short Empire G-AEUH was shot down by seven Japanese fighters and crashed from East Timor; 13 of 18 on board were killed.
  • March 3 – KNILM Douglas DC-3 PK-AFV was shot down by three Japanese fighters and crashed north of Broome, Western Australia, killing four of 12 on board.
  • October 23 – American Airlines Flight 28, a Douglas DC-3, crashed near Palm Springs, California, United States, after colliding with a U.S. Army Air Corps Lockheed B-34 bomber; the DC-3 crashed, killing all 12 on board, while the bomber landed safely with minor damage.
  • November 17 – In the Aeroflot Li-2 Krasnoyarsk crash, a Li-2 crashed on the airfield grounds immediately after takeoff, killing all 30 on board.
  • December 14 – A Tupolev ANT-20bis crashed outside Tashkent, Uzbekistan, after a passenger took control and turned off the autopilot, killing all 36 on board.

1943

  • January 21 – Pan Am Flight 1104, a Martin M-130 named the Philippine Clipper, crashed into a mountain near Boonville, California, United States, because of pilot error; all 19 occupants were killed, including Rear Admiral Robert H. English, the serving submarine commander of the US Pacific Fleet.
  • February 22 - The Pan Am Boeing 314 flying boat Yankee Clipper crashed in the Tagus river near Lisbon, Portugal, killing 24 of the 39 people on board.
  • June 1 – BOAC Flight 777, a Douglas DC-3 flying from Lisbon in Portugal, to Bristol, England, was shot down by Luftwaffe fighter aircraft over the Bay of Biscay, killing all 17 people on board, including film actor Leslie Howard.
  • July 28 – American Airlines Flight 63, a Douglas DC-3 named the Flagship Ohio, crashed near Trammel, Kentucky, United States, after the crew lost control in severe turbulence and violent downdrafts; 20 of the 22 people on board were killed.
  • August 2 – A Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express operated by United Air Lines on a lease agreement from the USAAF, crashed near Whenuapai, New Zealand, killing 16 of the 30 people on board.
  • October 15 – American Airlines Flight 63, a Douglas DC-3 named the Flagship Missouri, crashed near Centerville, Tennessee, United States, because of wing and propeller icing; all eight passengers and three crew members were killed.

1944

  • February 10 – American Airlines Flight 2, a Douglas DC-3, crashed into the Mississippi River between Arkansas and Tennessee, United States, for reasons unknown, killing all 24 occupants.
  • June 20 – TWA Flight 277, a Douglas C-54 Skymaster, crashed into Fort Mountain, Maine, United States, in severe weather, killing all seven passengers and crew on board.

1945

  • January 8 – The China Clipper, a Pan Am Martin M-130 flying boat operating an airmail service from Miami, Florida, United States, to Leopoldville in the Belgian Congo, crashed at Port of Spain, Trinidad, killing 23 of the 30 people on board.
  • January 10 – American Airlines Flight 6001, a Douglas DC-3-277B, crashed into a hillside on approach to Hollywood Burbank Airport, killing all 24 on board.
  • January 31 – The Tokana, a Stinson operated by Australian National Airways, crashed near Tooborac, about north of Melbourne, Victoria, as the result of a fatigue crack in a wing spar; all 10 people on board were killed.
  • February 23 – American Airlines Flight 009 crashed on Glade Mountain, Virginia, while en route from New York to Washington, then Nashville and then Los Angeles. Out of the 22 occupants, 17 were killed.
  • July 12 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 45, a Douglas DC-3A, collided with a Douglas A-26 Invader over Florence, South Carolina, United States; one of the 20 on board the DC-3 and two of the three on board the A-26 died.
  • October 5 – National Airlines Flight 16, a Lockheed L-18 Lodestar operating a multi-leg domestic flight in Florida, United States, overshot the runway after landing at the new municipal airport in south Lakeland, killing two of the 15 people on board.
  • November 3 – The Honolulu Clipper, Boeing's 314 prototype, made a forced landing in the Pacific Ocean east of Oahu following double engine failure; all 37 on board survived the incident; the aircraft was deliberately sunk when salvage was deemed impractical.

1946

  • January 6 – Pennsylvania Central Airlines Flight 105, a Douglas DC-3, crashed in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, killing three of the four crew members; the flight attendant and all 16 passengers survived.
  • January 14 – In the Kolpny Li-2 crash, a Lisunov Li-2 entered clouds in severe icing conditions, leading to the left part of the elevator becoming detached from the aircraft, following ice accumulation on the tail. The plane then entered a spin and broke up in mid-air during an attempt at recovery. All 22 occupants were killed.
  • March 10 – The 1946 Australian National Airways DC-3 crash near Hobart, Tasmania, killed all 25 on board.
  • July 11 – TWA Flight 513, a Lockheed L-049 Constellation, crashed near Reading, Pennsylvania, United States, after a fire in the baggage compartment; of the six crew on board, only one survived.
  • August 7 – British European Airways Flight 530, a Douglas C-47, crashed into Mistberget mountain near Eidsvoll, Norway, killing three of five crew; all 10 passengers survived.
  • September 18 – A Sabena Douglas DC-4 crashed near Gander, Canada. 27 of the 44 people on board were killed.
  • October 3 – An American Overseas Airlines Douglas DC-4 crashed into mountainous terrain after takeoff from Stephenville, Newfoundland, killing all 39 passengers and crew on board.
  • November 5 – Vnukovo aircraft crashes:
  • * A Lisunov Li-2 with tail number CCCP-Л4181, operating as a cargo-passenger flight, crashed while performing a standard turn at low altitude during holding pattern position, killing all five occupants.
  • * A Douglas C-47B with tail number CCCP-Л946 sharply raised its nose, caused by a sudden throttle-up during go-around. The aircraft rapidly lost forward speed, then stalled and crashed; 13 of the 26 occupants died.
  • * A Lisunov Li-2 with tail number CCCP-Л4207 struck light poles during its fifth approach and crashed, because of fuel exhaustion. One of the 26 occupants died.
  • November 14 – In the 1946 KLM Douglas DC-3 Amsterdam accident, a Douglas DC-3 crashed while attempting to land at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands; all 26 passengers and crew on board were killed.
  • December 19 – In the 1946 Railway Air Services Dakota crash, a Douglas DC-3 crashed shortly after taking off from Northolt Airport, England and came to rest on top of a house. All five occupants survived the crash without injury.
  • December 25 – Black Christmas disaster:
  • * Central Air Transport Corporation Flight 48, a Douglas C-47, hit the roof of a house and crashed during descent. All 11 occupants and one person on the ground died.
  • * China National Aviation Corporation Flight 140, a Douglas DC-3, hit the slope of a hill short of the runway during descent, killing 19 of the 30 on board.
  • * China National Aviation Corporation Flight 115, a Curtiss C-46, crashed short of the runway, killing 31 of the 36 occupants.
  • December 28 – TWA Flight 6963, a Lockheed L-049 Constellation, crashed near Shannon Airport, Ireland, because of an inaccurate altimeter, caused by maintenance errors, killing nine of 23 on board.
  • December 28 – American Airlines Flight 2207, a Douglas C-50, crashed near Michigan City, Indiana, United States, following double engine failure, caused by unexplained fuel starvation; both pilots died, while the remaining crew member and all 18 passengers survived.

1947

  • January 11 – In the 1947 BOAC Douglas C-47 crash, a BOAC Douglas C-47A crashed into Barley Hill near Stowting, Kent, United Kingdom, because of fuel starvation, killing eight of the 16 on board.
  • January 12 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 665, a Douglas C-49, crashed into high ground near Galax, Virginia, after the pilot became disorientated; of the 17 on board, only one survived.
  • January 25 – In the 1947 Croydon Dakota accident, a Spencer Airways Douglas C-47A failed to get airborne at Croydon Airport, United Kingdom, and crashed into a parked ČSA aircraft; 12 of the 22 on board were killed.
  • January 26 – In the 1947 KLM Douglas DC-3 Copenhagen accident, a Douglas DC-3 crashed shortly after takeoff from Kastrup Airport in Denmark, killing all 22 passengers and crew.
  • February 15 – An Avianca Douglas DC-4 crashed into Mount El Tabalazo in Colombia because of pilot error, killing all 53 passengers and crew.
  • April 22 – In the 1947 Columbus mid-air collision, a Delta Air Lines Douglas DC-3 collided with a Tuskegee Aviation Institute Vultee BT-13, killing all nine people on board both aircraft.
  • May 29 – In the 1947 Héðinsfjörður air crash, a Flugfélag Islands Douglas DC-3 crashed into Hestfjall on the west side of Héðinsfjörður fjord, killing all 25 on board in Iceland's deadliest air disaster.
  • May 29 – United Air Lines Flight 521, a Douglas DC-4, crashed on takeoff from LaGuardia Airport, New York, United States, because of pilot error; 42 of the 48 on board died.
  • May 30 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 605, a Douglas DC-4, lost control and crashed near Bainbridge, Maryland, United States, killing all 53 passengers and crew on board in the deadliest airliner crash in US history at the time.
  • June 13 – Pennsylvania Central Airlines Flight 410, a Douglas DC-4, crashed into Lookout Rock, in the West Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains of the United States, en route from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C.; all 50 passengers and crew were killed.
  • June 19 – Pan Am Flight 121, a Lockheed L-049 Constellation, crashed in the Syrian desert, en route from Karachi to Istanbul, killing 14 of the 36 on board.
  • August 2 – In the 1947 BSAA Star Dust accident, an Avro Lancastrian airliner disappeared over the Andes after transmitting an enigmatic coded message ; the fate of the aircraft remained a mystery for more than 50 years until the crash site was finally located in 2000; it was apparent that all 11 people on board had died in the accident.
  • August 28 – In the Kvitbjørn disaster, a Norwegian Air Lines Short Sandringham flying boat struck a mountain near Lødingsfjellet, Norway, killing all 35 on board.
  • October 24 – United Air Lines Flight 608, a Douglas DC-6, crashed near Bryce Canyon Airport, Utah, United States, when a fire caused by a design flaw destroyed the aircraft; all 52 on board died in the first hull loss of the DC-6.
  • October 26 – Pan Am Flight 923, a Douglas DC-4, crashed into Tamgas Mountain on Annette Island, Alaska, for reasons unknown, killing all 18 passengers and crew.
  • December 27 – In the 1947 Korangi Creek crash, an Air India Douglas C-48 crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 23 on board.

1948

  • January 28 – In the 1948 Los Gatos DC-3 crash, an Airline Transport Carriers Douglas DC-3 crashed in the Diablo Range, California, after an engine fire; all 32 passengers and crew were killed.
  • January 30 – In the BSAA Star Tiger disappearance, an Avro Tudor IV disappeared without trace en route from the Azores to Bermuda with 31 on board; the loss of the aircraft remains an unsolved mystery, with the resulting speculation contributing to the Bermuda Triangle legend.
  • March 2 – In the 1948 Heathrow disaster, a Sabena DC-3 crashed at Heathrow Airport, London, in poor visibility. The crash, caused by pilot error, killed 20 of 22 on board.
  • March 10 – Delta Air Lines Flight 705, a Douglas DC-4, crashed on takeoff from Chicago Municipal Airport. Of the 13 passengers and crew, 12 were killed.
  • March 12 – Northwest Airlines Flight 4422, a Douglas C-54 Skymaster, crashed into Mount Sanford in the Alaska Territory, killing all 30 on board; although found, the wreckage was initially inaccessible and was not rediscovered until 1999 after being buried for more than 50 years.
  • April 5 – In the 1948 Gatow air disaster, a British European Airways Vickers VC.1 Viking crashed near RAF Gatow, Berlin, following a collision with a Soviet Air Force Yakovlev Yak-3 fighter; all 14 people on board the Viking were killed, as well as the Soviet pilot.
  • April 15 – Pan Am Flight 1-10, a Lockheed Constellation, crashed while on approach to Shannon Airport, Ireland; of the 31 people on board, only one survived.
  • April 21 – British European Airways Flight S200P, a Vickers VC.1 Viking, crashed into Irish Law Mountain in Scotland because of pilot error; all on board survived.
  • April 24 – In the 1948 Bodaybo Li-2 crash, a Lisunov Li-2T encountered snow charges and turbulence, causing deformation of the fuselage and wing. Another snow charge caused the aircraft to roll to the left and plunge into an icy river near Mamakan, Russia. Of the 29 occupants, only one passenger survived.
  • May 12 – In the 1948 Sabena Douglas DC-4 crash, a Douglas DC-4 crashed near Libenge, Belgian Congo, after flying into a tornado, killing 31 of 32 on board.
  • June 17 – United Air Lines Flight 624, a Douglas DC-6, crashed near Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, after failed attempts to extinguish what was believed to have been an onboard fire; all 39 passengers and four crew were killed.
  • July 1 – An Avio Linee Italiane Fiat G.212, flying from Milan to Brussels, crashed near Keerbergen during an emergency landing; eight of the 12 people on board were killed.
  • July 4 – The 1948 Northwood mid-air collision, between a Scandinavian Airlines System-operated Douglas DC-6 and an RAF Avro York, killed all 39 passengers and crew on board both aircraft.
  • July 17 – Miss Macao, a Catalina seaplane en route from Macau to Hong Kong in southern China, was hijacked over the Pearl River delta by a group attempting to rob the passengers; following a struggle in the cockpit, a crash killed all but one of the 26 people on board ; this is the earliest known airliner hijacking.
  • August 1 – Air France Flight 072, a Latécoère 631, disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean with the loss of all 52 people on board. This was the worst aviation accident in the Atlantic Ocean at the time and remains the worst ever involving the Latécoère 631.
  • August 29 – Northwest Airlines Flight 421, a Martin 2–0–2, crashed near Winona, Minnesota, because of structural failure of a wing, killing all 37 on board in the worst ever accident involving the Martin 2–0–2. This crash was also the first loss of a 2–0–2.
  • August 31 –A Sabena Douglas C-47 went out of control during its approach to the airport and crashed during an the emergency landing. All 13 on board died.
  • September 2 – Australian National Airways Flight 331, a Douglas DC-3, crashed into high terrain near Nundle, New South Wales, killing all 13 people on board.
  • October 2 – In the Bukken Bruse disaster, a Norwegian Air Lines Short Sandringham flying boat crashed upon landing in Trondheim, Norway, killing 19 of the 43 people on board; Bertrand Russell was among the 24 survivors.
  • October 12 – An Aeroflot Ilyushin Il-12 disappeared over the Caucasus Mountains, near Yevlakh, Azerbaijan, with ten on board.
  • October 20 – In the 1948 KLM Constellation air disaster, a Lockheed Constellation named Nijmegen, flying from Schiphol Airport, Netherlands, to New York City, United States, crashed near Prestwick, Scotland, killing all 40 on board.
  • December 28 – In the 1948 Airborne Transport DC-3 (DST) disappearance, a Douglas DC-3 flying from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Miami, Florida, disappeared without trace off the coast of Florida with 32 on board.

1949

  • January 17 – In the BSAA Star Ariel disappearance, an Avro Tudor IV disappeared without trace en route from Bermuda to Jamaica with 20 on board; the loss of the aircraft remains an unsolved mystery to this day, with the resulting speculation contributing to the Bermuda Triangle legend.
  • January 30 – Pan Am Flight 100, a Lockheed L-749 Constellation, collided in mid-air with a private Cessna 140 over Port Washington, New York. The Cessna crashed, killing the pilot and the sole passenger; the Constellation sustained substantial damage but landed without casualties.
  • February 19 – A British European Airways Douglas Dakota collided with an RAF Avro Anson over Exhall, Warwickshire, killing all 14 on board both aircraft.
  • March 10 – A Queensland Airlines Lockheed Lodestar crashed on takeoff from Coolangatta airstrip, killing all 21 on board.
  • May 4 – In the Superga air disaster, an Italian Airlines Fiat G.212 CP carrying the Torino football team crashed into the Superga hills near Turin, killing all 31 on board.
  • May 13 – Aeroflot Flight 17, an Ilyushin Il-12, was likely struck by lightning, then encountered hail. The aircraft lost altitude and crashed into an embankment, killing all 25 occupants.
  • June 7 – In the 1949 Strato-Freight Curtiss C-46A crash, a Curtiss Wright C-46A-50 Modified D crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after takeoff from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Of the 81 passengers and crew, 53 were killed.
  • July 2 – A MacRobertson Miller Airlines Douglas DC-3 crashed on takeoff from Perth, Western Australia, killing all 18 on board.
  • July 12 – Standard Air Lines Flight 897R, a Curtiss C-46, crashed at Chatsworth, California, because of pilot error, killing 35 of 48 on board.
  • August 19 – A British European Airways Douglas DC-3 crashed into a hillside near Oldham, United Kingdom; of the 32 on board, only eight survived.
  • September 9 – Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 108, a Douglas DC-3, exploded over Cap Tourmente near Sault-au-Cochon, Quebec. The cause was a bomb planted by Albert Guay; all 19 passengers and four crew members were killed.
  • September 26 – A Mexicana de Aviacion DC-3 crashed into Popocatepetl volcano, killing all 23 on board.
  • October 28 – Air France Flight 009, a Lockheed Constellation, crashed into a mountain on São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal, killing all 48 people on board, including boxer Marcel Cerdan and violinist Ginette Neveu.
  • November 1 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 537, a Douglas DC-4, collided with a Lockheed P-38 on approach to Washington National Airport; 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 was seriously injured.
  • November 20 – In the Hurum air disaster, an Aero Holland Douglas DC-3 crashed near Hurum, Norway, killing 34 of the 35 on board, including 25 children.
  • November 29 – American Airlines Flight 157, a Douglas DC-6 en route from New York City to Mexico City with 46 passengers and crew, veered off the runway and struck buildings after the flight crew lost control on final approach to Dallas Love Field; 26 passengers and two flight attendants died.
  • December 7 – An Arrow Air Douglas DC-3 crashed near Benicia, California, killing all nine people on board.
  • December 18 – A Sabena Douglas DC-3 crashed after suffering a structural failure of a wing, killing all eight on board.

1950s

1950

  • January 5 – In the 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, a Lisunov Li-2 crashed near Sverdlovsk, Soviet Union, killing all 19 on board.
  • March 7 – Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 307, a Martin 2–0–2, crashed near Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport after hitting a flagpole during approach, killing all 13 on board and two on the ground.
  • March 12 – In the Llandow air disaster, an Airflight Avro 689 Tudor V stalled and crashed on approach to Llandow Aerodrome in Wales. Improper loading caused the centre of gravity to exceed the aft limit; 80 of the 83 people on board died, at the time the worst air disaster in history.
  • 1950 Air France multiple Douglas DC-4 accidents:
  • * June 12 – An Air France Douglas DC-4 on a flight from Saigon to Paris crashed in the Arabian Sea while on approach to Bahrain Airport, killing 46 of 52 on board.
  • * June 14 – An Air France Douglas DC-4, F-BBDM, crashed in the Arabian Sea while on approach to Bahrain Airport, killing 40 of 53 on board. This aircraft was operating on the same flight route as F-BBDE.
  • June 24 – Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2501, a Douglas DC-4 with 58 people on board, disappeared without trace over Lake Michigan.
  • June 26 – Australian National Airways Amana, a Douglas DC-4, crashed after takeoff from Perth Airport, killing all 29 people on board.
  • July 18 – Panair do Brasil Flight 099, a Lockheed L-049 Constellation, crashed into a hill near Porto Alegre after a failed approach, killing all 51 people on board.
  • July 30 – An Ilyushin Il-12 veered sharply to the left, entered a spin, and crashed into the ground due to an unexplained engine failure, ATC error and pilot error. All 25 on board perished.
  • August 31 – TWA Flight 903, a Lockheed L-749A Constellation, crashed in the desert about NNW of Cairo, Egypt, following an engine fire. The crash, the worst ever accident involving the Lockheed L-749, killed all 55 on board.
  • October 31 – A British European Airways Vickers VC.1 Viking crashed on the runway at London Heathrow Airport in foggy weather; of the 30 on board, only a stewardess and a passenger survived.
  • November 3 – Air India Flight 245, a Lockheed L-749A Constellation, crashed into Mont Blanc in France; all 40 passengers and eight crew were killed.
  • November 13 – In the 1950 Tête de l'Obiou C-54 crash, a Douglas C-54 Skymaster operated by Curtiss Reid Flying Services crashed from Grenoble, France, on the Tête de l'Obiou mountain; all 52 passengers and crew died.

1951

  • January 14 – National Airlines Flight 83, a Douglas DC-4, crashed on landing at Philadelphia International Airport, Pennsylvania. Seven of the 28 passengers and crew were killed, one of them being flight attendant Frankie Housley, who died trying to save more passengers.
  • January 31 - An Air Iceland Douglas DC-3 crashed on approach to Faxaflói, killing all 20 on board.
  • March 27 – In the 1951 Ringway Dakota crash, an Air Transport Charter Douglas DC-3 crashed shortly after taking off from Manchester-Ringway Airport, England. Two of the three crew members were killed.
  • April 21 – An Aeroflot Antonov An-2 disappeared while flying from Kyzyl to Abakan. The plane was located in 2019. All four people on board were killed in the first fatal crash of the An-2.
  • April 25 – Cubana de Aviación Flight 493, a Douglas DC-4 en route from Miami to Havana, collided in mid-air with a United States Navy Beech SNB-1 Kansan off Key West; all 43 on board both aircraft were killed.
  • June 22 – Pan Am Flight 151, a Lockheed L-049 Constellation en route from Accra, Ghana, to Monrovia, Liberia, crashed into a hill near Sanoyie in Bong County, Liberia, 54 miles from the airport; all 31 passengers and six crew members died.
  • June 30 – United Air Lines Flight 610, a Douglas DC-6, crashed into a mountain in Larimer County, Colorado, because of navigational error; all 45 passengers and five crew members were killed.
  • July 12 – A Douglas C-47 operated by Linhas Aéreas Paulistas hit a tree and crashed on approach to Aracajo, Brazil, killing all 33 people on board.
  • July 16 – A Qantas DHA-3 Drover crashed in the Huon Gulf while en route from Wau to Lae, Papua New Guinea. All seven people on board were killed.
  • July 21 – Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 3505, a Douglas DC-4, disappeared on a flight from Vancouver to Tokyo; all 37 on board were presumed dead; the aircraft has never been found.
  • August 24 – United Air Lines Flight 615, a Douglas DC-6B, crashed near Decoto, California, while on final approach to Oakland, California; all 44 passengers and six crew members died.
  • October 17 – Queen Charlotte Airlines Flight 102, a Consolidated PBY Catalina on a domestic flight in Canada from Kitimat to Vancouver, crashed into Mount Benson. All 23 on board were killed.
  • November 15 – A LOT Polish Airlines Lisunov Li-2 crashed near Tuszyn shortly after takeoff, because of engine failure, killing all 16 passengers and crew.
  • November 17 – An Ilyushin Il-12P stalled on the left wing during takeoff due to ice accumulation. The aircraft quickly lost altitude and crashed with the left wing, then the nose, with running engines, into the ground. All 23 occupants perished.
  • December 16 – A Miami Airlines Curtiss C-46 Commando crashed at Elizabeth, New Jersey, because of loss of control following an engine fire, killing all 58 passengers and crew.
  • December 22 – A Misrair SNCASE Languedoc crashed west of Tehran in a snowstorm, killing all 20 people on board.
  • December 29 – Continental Charters Flight 44-2, a Curtiss C-46, crashed into a ridge near Napoli, New York, while en route to Buffalo, New York; three crew members and 23 passengers died.

1952

  • January 10 – An Aer Lingus C-47 crashed near Llyn Gwynant after encountering a mountain wave triggered by Snowdon, killing all 23 on board.
  • January 19 – Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 324, a Douglas DC-4, crashed into the sea off Sandspit, Canada, after a failed go-around, killing 36 of the 43 people on board.
  • January 22 – American Airlines Flight 6780, a Convair 240 on approach to Newark, New Jersey, crashed 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.
  • February 11 – National Airlines Flight 101, a Douglas DC-6, crashed into an apartment building in Elizabeth, New Jersey, two minutes after departing Newark Airport, killing 33 people.
  • March 3 – An Air France SNCASE Languedoc crashed on takeoff from Nice, France, because of jammed controls. All 38 people on board were killed.
  • March 22 – KLM Flight 592, a Douglas DC-6, crashed for reasons unknown on approach to Frankfurt, Germany, killing 45 of 47 on board.
  • April 9 – Japan Air Lines Flight 301, a Martin 2-0-2 leased from Northwest Airlines and named Mokusei, struck the side of Mount Mihara, killing all 37 on board; the cause was not determined, but a navigation error was blamed.
  • April 11 – Pan Am Flight 526A, a Douglas DC-4, ditched in the Atlantic north of San Juan, Puerto Rico, following double engine failure; 52 of 69 on board died.
  • April 29 – Pan Am Flight 202, a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, broke up in mid-air and crashed after a possible engine separation in a remote area of Brazil on its way from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to New York City via Rio de Janeiro; all 50 on board were killed in the deadliest accident involving the Boeing 377.
  • June 28 – American Airlines Flight 910, a Douglas DC-6 carrying 55 passengers and five crew, collided with a Temco Swift private plane on final approach to Dallas Love Field; the Swift crashed, killing both occupants, while the DC-6 landed safely with no injuries to the passengers or crew.
  • August 12 – A Transportes Aéreos Nacional Douglas C-47A crashed on a domestic flight in Brazil following an in-flight fire; all 24 on board died.
  • October 26 – BOAC Flight 115, a de Havilland Comet, overshot the runway on takeoff from Rome Ciampino Airport due to an excessive nose-up input. The aircraft was destroyed but all on board survived.
  • December 6 – A Cubana de Aviación Douglas DC-4 stalled and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Bermuda shortly after takeoff from Kindley Air Force Base, killing 37 of 41 on board.

1953

  • January 5 – In the 1953 Nutts Corner BEA Vickers Viking accident, a Vickers Viking operated by British European Airways crashed on approach to Nutts Corner, Belfast, Northern Ireland, killing 27 of the 31 on board.
  • January 7 – Associated Air Transport Flight 1-6-6A, a Curtiss C-46F Commando, crashed in a ravine because of wing icing and severe turbulence, killing all 40 passengers and crew.
  • February 2 – In the 1953 Skyways Avro York disappearance, a plane with 39 on board disappeared over the North Atlantic.
  • February 14 – National Airlines Flight 470, a Douglas DC-6 en route from Tampa, Florida, to New Orleans, Louisiana, broke up in mid-air and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico after encountering severe turbulence, killing all 46 on board.
  • March 20 – Transocean Air Lines Flight 942, a Douglas DC-4, crashed on approach to Oakland, California, killing all 35 occupants.
  • April 20 – Western Air Lines Flight 636, a Douglas DC-6, crashed in San Francisco Bay, killing eight of the 10 occupants.
  • May 2 – BOAC Flight 783, a de Havilland Comet, broke up in mid-air and crashed near Calcutta, India, after flying into a thunderstorm; all 43 on board died.
  • May 17 – Delta Air Lines Flight 318, a Douglas DC-3, lost control and crashed after entering a downdraft, killing 19 and leaving one survivor.
  • May 27 – Two Lisunov Li-2s collided in mid-air following miscalculation by the pilot of CCCP-А4031 and violation of the established flight route by the pilot-in-command of CCCP-Л4534. All 27 on both aircraft were killed.
  • June 14 – Aeroflot Flight 229, an Ilyushin Il-12P, flew into a thunderstorm, then entered an uncontrollable descent. The wings were torn off during an attempt at recovery, and the plane crashed, killing all 18 occupants.
  • July 12 – Transocean Air Lines Flight 512, a Douglas DC-6A, crashed for reasons unknown in the Pacific Ocean while en route from Wake Island to Honolulu, Hawaii, killing all 58 on board.
  • August 3 – Air France Flight 152, a Lockheed L-749A Constellation, ditched in the Mediterranean Sea following engine separation while en route from Rome to Beirut. Four elderly passengers drowned.
  • September 1 – Air France Flight 178, a Lockheed L-749 Constellation, crashed into Mont Le Cimet in southern France; all 42 on board were killed.
  • September 16 – American Airlines Flight 723, a Convair 240, crashed while on approach to Albany Airport; all 28 passengers and crew died.
  • October 14 – A Sabena Convair 240 lost control and crashed shortly after takeoff from Frankfurt Airport following double engine failure, killing all 44 on board.
  • October 27 – Aeroflot Flight 783, an Ilyushin Il-12P, banked sharply during takeoff, because of ice accumulation and overloading. After reaching an altitude of 50–70 meters, the aircraft pitched down and crashed, killing 22 of the 32 on board.
  • October 29 – BCPA Flight 304, a Douglas DC-6B, crashed into King's Mountain, southeast of Half Moon Bay, California, on approach to San Francisco International Airport, killing all 19 on board, including American pianist William Kapell.

1954

  • January 10 – BOAC Flight 781, a de Havilland Comet flying from Rome to London on the last leg of a flight from Singapore, broke up in mid-air because of metal fatigue in the fuselage and crashed in the Mediterranean Sea off Elba, killing all 35 on board.
  • February 26 – Western Air Lines Flight 34, a Convair CV-240, crashed in Wyoming for undetermined reasons, killing all nine on board.
  • March 13 – A BOAC Lockheed L-749A Constellation crashed as it attempted to land at Kallang Airport, Singapore; of the 40 passengers and crew, 33 were killed.
  • April 8 – South African Airways Flight 201, a de Havilland Comet flying from Rome to Cairo bound for Johannesburg, broke up in mid-air and crashed in the Mediterranean between Naples and Stromboli, killing all 21 on board; as in BOAC Flight 781, the cause was metal fatigue at stress risers at the corners of the square windows in the aluminum skin.
  • April 8 – Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 9, a Canadair C-4 North Star, collided with an RCAF Harvard over Moose Jaw, Canada, killing all 37 on both aircraft.
  • June 19 – In the 1954 Swissair Convair CV-240 crash, a Convair 240 ditched in the English Channel after running out of fuel. All survived the ditching, but three of the passengers drowned because of a lack of lifejackets.
  • July 23 – A Cathay Pacific Douglas DC-4 was shot down by two PLAAF La-7 fighters and crashed off Hainan Island, China, killing 10 of 19 on board.
  • August 23 – KLM Flight 608, a Douglas DC-6, crashed into the North Sea for reasons unknown, killing all 21 on board.
  • September 5 – KLM Flight 633, a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation, ditched after takeoff from Shannon Airport in Ireland after the landing gear extended, killing 28 of 56 on board.
  • September 27 – Aeroflot Flight 10, an Ilyushin Il-12, struck trees and crashed near Severny Airport in Russia, killing all 29 on board.
  • October 28 – Aeroflot Flight 136, an Ilyushin Il-12P, crashed into Mount Sivukha due to pilot miscalculation and ATC error, killing all 19 on board.
  • December 18 – Linee Aeree Italiane Flight 451, a Douglas DC-6, descended too low and crashed into a pier on approach to New York City, killing 26 of the 32 on board.
  • December 25 – In the 1954 Prestwick air disaster, a British Overseas Airways Corporation Boeing 377 Stratocruiser crashed on landing at Prestwick Airport, Scotland, because of pilot error, killing 28 of the 36 on board.

1955

  • January 12 – TWA Flight 694, a Martin 2–0–2, collided with a privately owned Douglas DC-3 over Cincinnati, Ohio, killing all 15 on board both aircraft.
  • February 13 – Sabena Flight 503, a Douglas DC-6B, crashed into Monte Terminillo, Italy, in poor weather, killing all 29 on board.
  • February 19 – TWA Flight 260, a Martin 4–0–4, crashed in the Sandia Mountains, near Albuquerque, New Mexico, following an unexplained deviation from the flight route, killing all 16 on board.
  • March 20 – American Airlines Flight 711, a Convair 240, crashed into a field on approach to Springfield-Branson Regional Airport, Missouri, because of pilot error, killing 13 of 35 on board.
  • March 26 – Pan Am Flight 845/26, a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, ditched in the Pacific Ocean off the Oregon coast following engine separation, killing four of the 23 on board.
  • April 4 – A United Air Lines Douglas DC-6 crashed after takeoff from Long Island MacArthur Airport during a training flight, because of pilot error, killing all three on board.
  • April 11 – Air India Flight 300, a Lockheed L-749 Constellation named Kashmir Princess, crashed off the Natuna Islands, Indonesia, following a bomb explosion; 16 people were killed and three survived.
  • May 18 – East African Airways Flight 104, a Douglas DC-3, struck the ridge of Mawenzi at 15,200 feet and exploded on impact, killing all 20 on board.
  • July 27 – El Al Flight 402, a Lockheed L-049 Constellation, inadvertently strayed over Bulgarian territory on its way from Vienna to Tel Aviv and was shot down by two Bulgarian fighter aircraft, killing all 58 on board.
  • August 4 – American Airlines Flight 476, a Convair CV-240, suffered an engine fire over Missouri. A wing broke off during an attempted emergency landing, in which all 30 on board died.
  • August 6 – Aeroflot Flight 214, an Ilyushin Il-14, the right engine failed and caught fire developing a fire which led to the destruction of the wing. The aircraft lost control and crashed, killing all 25 occupants.
  • October 6 – United Air Lines Flight 409, a Douglas DC-4, crashed into Medicine Bow Peak near Centennial, Wyoming, killing all 66 on board.
  • November 1 – United Air Lines Flight 629, a Douglas DC-6B, was blown up over Longmont, Colorado, by a bomb planted by Jack Gilbert Graham; all 44 on board were killed.

1956

  • February 18 – In the Żurrieq Scottish Airlines crash, a Scottish Airlines Avro York crashed near Żurrieq, Malta, due to pilot error, killing all 50 on board.
  • February 20 – A TAI Douglas DC-6 crashed on approach to Cairo, killing 52 people.
  • April 1 – TWA Flight 400, a Martin 4–0–4, crashed on takeoff from Greater Pittsburgh International Airport, killing 22 of the 36 on board.
  • April 2 – Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2, a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, ditched into Puget Sound after takeoff from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport after the cowl flaps were incorrectly set for takeoff; four passengers and a flight attendant died.
  • June 20 – Linea Aeropostal Flight 253, a Lockheed L-1049 Constellation, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Asbury Park, New Jersey. All 74 passengers and crew were killed.
  • June 24 – In the 1956 Kano Airport BOAC Argonaut crash, a Canadair C-4 Argonaut crashed shortly after taking off from Kano Airport, Nigeria, into a thunderstorm, killing 32 of the 38 passengers and three of the seven crew.
  • June 30 – In the 1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision, United Airlines Flight 718, a DC-7, and TWA Flight 2, a Lockheed Constellation, collided over the Grand Canyon, killing all 128 on board both aircraft. The planes had been operating under Visual Flight Rules and failed to see each other; the Federal Aviation Administration was created in the aftermath.
  • July 9 – Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 304, a Vickers Viscount, shed a propeller blade over Flat Rock, Michigan; the blade penetrated the passenger cabin, killing one of 35 on board; this was the first known case of a turboprop shedding a blade in passenger service.
  • July 15 – A Swissair Convair CV-440 entered a steep role angle turn and crashed on approach, killing all 4 occupants.
  • October 16 – Pan Am Flight 6, a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, ditched in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and San Francisco following double engine failure; all 31 on board were rescued by a nearby United States Coast Guard ship.
  • November 7 – Braathens SAFE Flight 253, a de Havilland Heron, crashed into Hummelfjell mountain near Tolga, Norway, killing two of 12 on board.
  • November 24 – Linee Aeree Italiane Flight 451, a Douglas DC-6, lost altitude and crashed for undetermined reasons shortly after takeoff from Paris, killing 33 and leaving only two survivors.
  • November 24 – ČSA Flight 548, an Ilyushin Il-12, suffered an engine failure on takeoff from Zurich and crashed while attempting to return, killing all 23 on board.
  • November 27 – Linea Aeropostal Flight 253, a Lockheed L-749 Constellation, crashed on approach to Caracas International Airport, killing all 25 on board.
  • December 9 – Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810-9, a Canadair North Star, crashed near Hope, British Columbia, Canada, killing all 62 people on board; the wreckage was located several months later. On board were four members of the Canadian Football League Saskatchewan Roughriders, and former Iowa Hawkeye Outland Trophy winner Cal Jones.
  • December 9 – An Aeroflot Lisunov Li-2 crashed into mount Ioanna, killing all 12 occupants.

1957

  • January 6 – American Airlines Flight 327, a Convair CV-240, flew into the ground on approach to Tulsa, killing one.
  • January 31 – In the 1957 Pacoima mid-air collision, a Douglas Aircraft Company DC-7 collided with a US Air Force F-89 Scorpion. The DC-7 disintegrated and crashed into a schoolyard killing all four crew on board and three students on the ground. The Scorpion crashed in the mountains, killing the pilot.
  • February 1 – Northeast Airlines Flight 823, a Douglas DC-6, crashed during a snowstorm shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport, New York; 20 of the 101 occupants died
  • March 14 – British European Airways Flight 411, a Vickers Viscount, crashed while on approach to Manchester Airport, killing all 20 on board and two on the ground.
  • April 7 – A Varig Curtiss C-46 Commando crashed after a fire broke out in the left wing, killing all 40 people on board.
  • May 1 – In the 1957 Blackbushe Viking accident, an Eagle Aviation Vickers VC.1 Viking crashed after engine failure at Blackbushe Airport; of the 35 on board, only a passenger survived.
  • May 9 – Aviaco Flight 111, a Bristol 170, crashed on approach to Madrid after a flight from Santiago de Compostela. All 37 people on board were killed.
  • June 14 – LOT Polish Airlines Flight 232, an Ilyushin Il-14, crashed during approach to Vnukovo Airport, killing nine of the 13 passengers and crew on board.
  • July 16 – KLM Flight 844, a Lockheed Super Constellation, crashed after takeoff from Biak-Mokmer Airport, Indonesia, killing 58 of 68 on board.
  • August 11 – Maritime Central Airways Flight 315, a Douglas DC-4, crashed near Issoudun, Quebec, Canada, after encountering turbulence in a thunderstorm, killing all 79 passengers and crew on board.
  • August 16 – Varig Flight 850, a Lockheed Super Constellation, ditched in the Atlantic after three engines detached, killing one.
  • August 17 – In the 1957 Kiev mid-air collision, two Ilyushin Il-14s collided over Kiev, Ukraine, killing all nine on board both aircraft; six people on the ground also died.
  • September 15 – Northeast Airlines Flight 285, a Douglas DC-3, crashed on approach to New Bedford Regional Airport, Massachusetts, following a premature descent due to pilot error, killing 12 of 24 on board.
  • October 1 – Aeroflot Flight 11, an Ilyushin Il-12P, after four failed approach attempts, crash-landed into a forrested hill due to fuel exhaustion, killing 27 of the 28 on board.
  • October 23 – A British European Airways Vickers Viscount 802 crashed during go-around, killing all 7 occupants.
  • November 6 – A prototype Bristol Britannia aircraft crashed in woods near Overndale Road in Downend on its landing approach at Filton airport during a test flight. All fifteen on board perished
  • November 8 – Pan Am Flight 7, a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, disappeared between San Francisco and Honolulu; small pieces of wreckage and human remains were found almost a week later by the United States Navy; all 44 on board were believed to have been killed.
  • November 15 – In the 1957 Aquila Airways Solent crash, a flying boat crashed near Chessell, Isle of Wight, UK, due to engine failure, killing 45 of 58 on board.
  • December 8 – Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 670, a Douglas DC-4, broke up in mid-air due to severe turbulence, killing all 61 on board.
  • December 18 – Aeroflot Flight 10, an Ilyushin Il-12P, entered a descent in a spiral due to rudder failure and crashed into a hillside, killing all 27 on board.

1958

  • January 15 – A Channel Airways de Havilland DH.104 Dove crashed near Dungeness, United Kingdom. All seven on board survived, with one injured.
  • February 6 – In the Munich air disaster, a British European Airways Airspeed Ambassador operating as Flight 609 crashed while attempting a take off in a snowstorm from Munich-Riem Airport, killing 23 of 44 passengers and crew members on board including eight Manchester United footballers.
  • February 27 – In the Winter Hill air disaster, a Silver City Airways Bristol 170 Freighter travelling from the Isle of Man to Manchester Ringway Airport crashed into Winter Hill, Lancashire, killing 35 people and injuring seven.
  • April 6 – Capital Airlines Flight 67, a Vickers 745D Viscount, crashed at Tri-City Airport near Freeland, Michigan, killing all 47 passengers and crew; an undiscovered ice buildup on the wing and windy conditions were possible causes.
  • April 21 – United Airlines Flight 736, a Douglas DC-7, collided with a US Air Force F-100 Super Sabre fighter on a training mission near Las Vegas. All 47 on board the airliner and both F-100 crew members were killed.
  • May 18 – A Sabena Douglas DC-7 crashed southwest of Casablanca, Morocco, during a flight from Leopoldville to Brussels; 65 of the 69 people on board were killed.
  • May 20 – Capital Airlines Flight 300, a Vickers Viscount, collided with a USAF T-33, killing all 13 on board the Viscount and one of two on board the T-33; the T-33's pilot parachuted to the ground and survived.
  • May 25 – An Avro York 685 cargo aircraft crashed during a forced landing after an engine caught fire en route from Karachi to Delhi, killing four of the five people on board.
  • June 2 – Aeronaves de México Flight 111, a Lockheed Constellation, hit a mountain shortly after takeoff from Guadalajara, Mexico, killing all 46 on board.
  • June 9 – Aeroflot Flight 105, an Ilyushin Il-12P, crashed into Marchekan Hill during the approach, killing all 24 occupants.
  • August 9 – Central African Airways Flight 890, a Vickers Viscount, crashed due to pilot error near Benina International Airport, Libya. Of the 54 on board, 36 were killed.
  • August 14 – KLM Flight 607-E, a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation en route from Amsterdam to New York, crashed in 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.
  • August 15 – Aeroflot Flight 04, a Tupolev Tu-104, crashed after stalling in an updraft, killing all 64 people on board.
  • August 15 – Northeast Airlines Flight 258, a Convair 240, crashed near Nantucket International Airport due to pilot error, killing 25 of 34 on board.
  • September 2 – An Independent Air Travel Vickers VC.1 Viking crashed near Southall, Middlesex, killing all three crew on board and another four people on the ground.
  • September 5 – Aeroflot Flight 365, an Avia 14P, was hijacked in mid-air by a passenger who demanded to talk to the pilot. The aircraft landed at Jõhvi, USSR, in flames after the hijacker's bomb started a fire; all 17 on board escaped the burning aircraft except the hijacker, who died when the aircraft burned out.
  • September 7 – Aeroflot Flight 164, an Ilyushin Il-14P, was struck by lightning on its left side and crashed near Konstantinovka. All 27 occupants perished.
  • September 19 – An Ilyushin Il-12P crashed in Lazo District due to fuel exhaustion, killing all 28 occupants.
  • October 17 – An Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-104 crashed near Kanash, Russia, due to a loss of control after encountering severe turbulence, killing all 80 on board.
  • 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 the Viscount died, but the Italian F-86 pilot survived.
  • November 3 – A Yemen Airlines Douglas C-47, flying from Rome to Belgrade, crashed near Poggiodomo, Italy. All eight people on board were killed.
  • December 4 – An Aviaco SNCASE Languedoc crashed in the Guadarrama Mountains, Spain, killing all 21 people on board.
  • December 24 – A BOAC Bristol Britannia crashed near Christchurch, Dorset, England, killing nine of 12 on board.

1959

  • January 8 – Southeast Airlines Flight 308, a Douglas DC-3A, crashed into the Holston Mountain range, Tennessee, on approach to the Tri-Cities Regional Airport, killing all 10 people on board.
  • January 11 – Lufthansa Flight 502, a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation, crashed on approach to Rio de Janeiro–Galeão International Airport, Brazil; 36 of the 39 on board were killed.
  • January 16 – Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 205, a Curtiss C-46 Commando, crashed after a missed approach to Mar Del Plata Airport in Argentina, killing 51 of the 52 people on board.
  • January 18 – Aeroflot Flight 205, an Ilyushin Il-14P, crashed near Gumrak Airport, killing all 25 on board.
  • February 3 – American Airlines Flight 320, a Lockheed L-188 Super Electra, crashed into the East River, New York City, as a result of pilot error; 65 passengers and crew were killed.
  • February 3 – Pan Am Flight 115, a Boeing 707 with 119 people on board, experienced an unplanned emergency descent from 35,000 ft to 6,000 ft. The crew managed to regain control and make an emergency landing in Gander, Canada.
  • February 17 – In the 1959 Turkish Airlines Gatwick crash, a chartered Vickers Viscount 793 carrying the Turkish prime minister and other government officials crashed in heavy fog during its final approach into London Gatwick Airport; five of the eight crew and nine of the 16 passengers died in the accident; Prime Minister Adnan Menderes was among the 10 survivors.
  • April 23 – In the 1959 Air Charter Turkey crash, an Avro Super Trader IV crashed on Mount Süphan, Turkey; all 12 crew on board died.
  • May 12 – Capital Airlines Flight 75, a Vickers Viscount 745D flying from New York City to Atlanta, broke up in flight over Chase, Maryland, due to loss of control in severe turbulence; all 31 on board were killed.
  • June 22 – Pan Am Clipper Panama, a Douglas DC-6, caught fire after a propeller separated on takeoff. The aircraft was destroyed but everyone survived.
  • June 26 – TWA Flight 891, a Lockheed Starliner, broke up in mid-air and crashed near Marnate, Italy, after it was struck by lightning; all 68 passengers and crew on board were killed.
  • August 15 – American Airlines Flight 514, a Boeing 707, crashed near Calverton-Peconic River Airport, New York, after a loss of control. All five crew members were killed in the first crash involving a Boeing 707.
  • August 19 – A Transair Douglas Dakota crashed into a mountain in Spain, killing all 32 on board.
  • September 24 – TAI Flight 307, a Douglas DC-7, crashed into a pine forest on departure from Mérignac Airport, France; 54 of the 65 people on board were killed.
  • September 29 – Braniff Flight 542, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, broke up in mid-air and crashed from Buffalo, Texas; all 34 on board died.
  • October 19 – A Boeing 707-227 crashed during a test flight before being delivered to Braniff International Airlines due to excessive Dutch rolls which caused three engines to be detached. The plane crash-landed at Stillaguamish River, killing 4 crew of the 8 on board.
  • October 23 – Aeroflot Flight 200, an Ilyushin Il-14, struck trees on approach to Vnukovo, killing 28 and leaving one survivor.
  • October 30 – Piedmont Airlines Flight 349, a Douglas DC-3, crashed on Bucks Elbow Mountain near Charlottesville, Virginia, killing the crew of three and 23 of 24 passengers; the sole survivor was seriously injured; the cause was a navigational error during an Instrument Landing System approach.
  • November 16 – National Airlines Flight 967, a Douglas DC-7B, exploded in mid-air for reasons unknown and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico while on a flight from Tampa, Florida, to New Orleans, Louisiana; all 40 on board died.
  • November 16 – Aeroflot Flight 315, an Antonov An-10, entered a nosedive due to tail icing and crashed on approach to Lviv Airport, Ukraine, killing all 40 on board.
  • November 21 – Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 202, a Douglas DC-4, crashed into a hillside near Beirut shortly after takeoff, killing 24 of 27 on board.
  • November 24 – TWA Flight 595, a Lockheed L-1049H, banked excessively exceeding 45 degrees during the final approach due to pilot error, which sank rapidly. It crashed into a residential area, killing all 3 on board and on the ground
  • December 1 – Allegheny Airlines Flight 371, a Martin 2–0–2, crashed on approach into Williamsport Regional Airport, Pennsylvania. Only one passenger survived out of the 26 passengers and crew on board.

1960s

1960

  • January 6 – National Airlines Flight 2511, a Douglas DC-6B bound from New York to Miami, exploded in mid-air and crashed near Bolivia, North Carolina, following a possible bomb explosion; all 34 people on board were killed.
  • January 18 – Capital Airlines Flight 20, a Vickers Viscount en route from Washington National Airport to Norfolk International Airport, crashed near Holdcroft, Virginia, due to engine failure caused by icing; all 50 on board were killed.
  • January 19 – Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 871, a Sud Aviation Caravelle, crashed while on approach to Esenboğa Airport, Ankara, Turkey, following an unexplained descent, killing all 42 on board in the first fatal crash of the Caravelle.
  • January 21 – Avianca Flight 671, a Lockheed L-1049E Constellation, crashed on landing at Sangster International Airport, Montego Bay, Jamaica, following a heavy landing, killing two of the seven crew and 35 of 39 passengers on board in Jamaica's worst aviation accident.
  • February 5 – In the 1960 Douglas DC-4 Cochabamba crash, a domestic flight in Bolivia from Cochabamba to La Paz crashed shortly after takeoff following an apparent engine fire, killing all 59 on board; a technical defect was blamed.
  • February 25 – The 1960 Rio de Janeiro mid-air collision: A United States Navy Douglas R6D-1 collided with Real Transportes Aéreos Flight 753, a Douglas DC-3, over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; of the 64 people on board both aircraft, only three survived, all from the R6D-1.
  • February 26 – Aeroflot Flight 315, an Antonov An-10A, crashed short of the runway at Lviv Airport, Ukraine, due to tail icing; of the 33 on board, only a passenger survived.
  • February 26 – Alitalia Flight 618, a Douglas DC-7C, crashed for reasons unknown shortly after takeoff from Shannon Airport, Ireland, killing 34 of 52 on board.
  • March 17 – Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 710, a Lockheed L-188 Super Electra en route from Chicago to Miami, Florida, broke up in mid-air at and crashed near Tell City, Indiana, killing all 63 on board.
  • June 10 – Trans Australia Airlines Flight 538, a Fokker F-27, crashed into the ocean near Mackay, Queensland, Australia, for reasons unknown, killing all 29 on board in Australia's worst civilian air disaster. This crash was responsible for the mandatory installation of cockpit voice recorders in airliners in Australia.
  • June 10 – Aeroflot Flight 207, an Ilyushin Il-14, crashed into a mountain near Tkvarcheli, Georgia, after the crew deviated from the flight route; all 31 on board died.
  • June 24 - Real Transportes Aéreos Flight 435, a Convair 340, crashed into the sea near Rio de Janeiro, killing all 54 on board.
  • July 14 – Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 1-11, a Douglas DC-7C, ditched off Polillo Island, Philippines, following an engine failure and in-flight fire; one passenger was killed when the number-two propeller slashed through the fuselage.
  • July 19 – Trans Australia Airlines Flight 408, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, was hijacked by Alex Hildebrandt, who was armed with a sawn-off.22 long rifle and a bomb. The crew and Alex got into a fight where the hijacker was under control. All 49 occupants survived in Australia's first aircraft hijacking.
  • July 27 – Chicago Helicopter Airways Flight 698, a Sikorsky S-58, crashed in Illinois after suffering a main rotor failure, killing all 13 on board.
  • August 17 – Aeroflot Flight 36, an Ilyushin Il-18, crashed near Tarasovich, Ukraine, following an engine fire, killing all 34 on board.
  • August 29 – Air France Flight 343, a Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation, crashed in the Atlantic Ocean off Dakar, Senegal, for reasons unknown following an aborted landing, killing all 63 on board.
  • September 19 – World Airways Flight 830, a Douglas DC-6, struck Mount Barrigada, Guam, due to pilot error, killing 80 of 94 on board.
  • September 26 – Austrian Airlines Flight 901, a Vickers Viscount, crashed short of runway 07 at Sheremetyevo International Airport, Soviet Union; 31 of the 37 passengers and crew on board were killed.
  • October 4 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 375, a Lockheed L-188 Super Electra, crashed on takeoff from Boston's Logan International Airport after multiple bird strikes; 62 of 72 on board died.
  • October 29 – The Cal Poly football team plane crash: a chartered Curtiss C-46 crashed into Winthrop Bay on takeoff from the Toledo Express Airport in Toledo, Ohio, killing 22 people including 16 players from the California Polytechnic State University football team.
  • November 23 – Philippine Air Lines Flight S26, a Douglas DC-3C, struck the slope of Mount Baco due to a possible navigation error; all 33 on board died.
  • December 16 – The 1960 New York mid-air collision: United Airlines Flight 826, a Douglas DC-8, and TWA Flight 266, a Lockheed Super Constellation, collided in mid-air over Staten Island in New York; all 128 on board the two planes and six people on the ground were killed. This was the first crash in which a flight recorder was used to provide details in a crash investigation. The accident was the deadliest aviation disaster in history at the time.
  • December 22 – Philippine Airlines Flight S85, a Douglas DC-3C, crashed shortly after takeoff due to loss of control following engine failure, killing 28 of 37 on board.

1961

  • January 3 – Aero Flight 311, a Douglas DC-3, crashed into woods near Kvevlax, Finland, due to pilot error, killing all 25 on board. Both pilots were drunk.
  • January 19 – Aeronaves de México Flight 401, a Douglas DC-8, overshot the runway on takeoff in New York City, killing four out of the 106 occupants.
  • January 24 – Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 424, a Douglas DC-3, hit a mountain near Bandung, Indonesia, killing all 21 on board.
  • January 28 – American Airlines Flight 1502, a Boeing 707, crashed into the sea off Montauk Point, New York, during a training flight following a loss of control. All six crew members on board were killed.
  • February 3 – Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 542, a Douglas DC-3, disappeared off Madura Island, Indonesia, with 26 on board.
  • February 15 – Sabena Flight 548, a Boeing 707, crashed on approach in Brussels, Belgium, killing 73, including the entire United States figure skating team; a runaway stabilizer was thought to have been the cause of the first fatal accident involving a 707 in regular passenger service.
  • March 16 – Aeroflot Flight 068, a Tupolev Tu-104, crashed shortly after takeoff from Koltsovo Airport following engine failure, killing five of 51 on board; two people on the ground also died when the aircraft hit a house.
  • March 28 – ČSA Flight 511, an Ilyushin Il-18, broke up and crashed at Gräfenberg, West Germany. All 52 passengers and crew on board were killed.
  • April 3 – LAN-Chile Flight 621, a Douglas DC-3, crashed in the Andes for reasons unknown, killing all 24 on board including footballers and coaching staff from the CD Green Cross Chilean football team. The fuselage was found in 2015.
  • May 10 – Air France Flight 406, a Lockheed Starliner, broke up in mid-air and crashed into the Sahara Desert near the Edjele oilfield in Algeria following a possible bomb explosion, killing all 78 on board.
  • May 30 – Viasa Flight 897, a Douglas DC-8, crashed shortly after taking off from Lisbon Portela Airport. All 61 passengers and crew on board were killed.
  • June 12 – KLM Flight 823, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, crashed while on approach to Cairo International Airport due to pilot error; 20 of 36 on board died.
  • June 22 – An Aeroflot Ilyushin Il-18 crash-landed near Bogoroditsk after an engine fire. All 97 on board survived.
  • July 11 – United Airlines Flight 859, a Douglas DC-8, crashed on landing at Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado, killing 17 passengers and one person on the ground.
  • July 12 – ČSA Flight 511, an Ilyushin Il-18, crashed at Anfa Airport, Morocco, for reasons unknown, killing all 72 on board.
  • July 19 – Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 644, a Douglas DC-6, broke up and crashed 12 miles west of Pardo, Buenos Aires, Argentina, after encountering severe turbulence shortly after takeoff. All 67 passengers and crew on board were killed.
  • July 21 – Alaska Airlines Flight 779, a Douglas DC-6A on a military contract flight, crashed short of the runway at Shemya Air Force Base, Alaska. All six crew members were killed.
  • August 6 – In the 1961 Malév Hungarian Airlines Douglas C-47 Skytrain crash, a Malév Douglas C-47 crashed into an apartment building in Zugló, Budapest, during a sightseeing flight, due to pilot error, killing all 27 on board and three more on the ground; all those in the apartment building survived.
  • August 9 – The Holtaheia Accident: An Eagle Airways Vickers VC.1 Viking crashed at Holta, Strand, Norway, killing all 39 on board, including 36 people from the Archbishop Lanfranc School.
  • September 1 – TWA Flight 529, a Lockheed Constellation L-049 propliner, abruptly pitched up and crashed shortly after takeoff from Chicago's Midway Airport, killing all 73 passengers and five crew on board; a 5/16-inch bolt that had fallen out of the elevator control linkage just before the crash was blamed.
  • September 10 – A President Airlines Douglas DC-6 crashed shortly after takeoff from Shannon Airport en route to Gander due to loss of control caused by possible pilot error, killing all 83 passengers and crew on board. The crash remains the worst in Ireland.
  • September 12 – Air France Flight 2005, a Sud Aviation Caravelle, crashed on approach to Rabat–Salé Airport due to misread instruments, killing all 77 on board.
  • September 17 – Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 706, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, crashed 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 died.
  • September 18 – In the 1961 Ndola Transair Sweden DC-6 crash, a Douglas DC-6B carrying Dag Hammarskjöld, second Secretary-General of the United Nations, crashed near Ndola, Northern Rhodesia, killing all 16 on board.
  • September 23 – Turkish Airlines Flight 835, a Fokker F27 Friendship, crashed while on approach to Esenboğa Airport; of the 29 on board, only a passenger survived.
  • October 7 – In the 1961 Derby Aviation crash, a Douglas Dakota crashed into the Canigou mountain in France en route to Perpignan from London, due to a navigation error, killing all 34 on board.
  • November 8 – Imperial Airlines Flight 201/8, a Lockheed Constellation L-049, crashed on landing at Byrd Field near Richmond, Virginia; all 74 passengers – mostly new US Army recruits being flown to their base for training – died of carbon monoxide asphyxiation, along with three crew members; the captain and flight engineer survived by escaping the burning wreckage.
  • November 23 – Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 322, a de Havilland Comet, crashed at Campinas, Brazil, because of pilot error shortly after takeoff, killing all 52 on board.
  • November 30 – Ansett-ANA Flight 325, a Vickers Viscount, crashed into Botany Bay, Australia, nine minutes after takeoff due to in-flight breakup in a thunderstorm, killing all 15 people on board. Australia would require all airliners to have weather radar by 1963.
  • December 17 – Aeroflot Flight 245, an Ilyushin Il-18, entered a nosedive and crashed near Chebotovka, Russia, after the pilot deployed the flaps by mistake, killing all 59 on board.
  • December 21 – British European Airways Flight 226, a de Havilland Comet, crashed after stalling shortly after takeoff; 27 of the 34 occupants were killed.
  • December 31 – An Aeroflot Ilyushin Il-18 crashed near Mineralnye Vody; 32 of the 119 people on board were killed.

1962

  • February 25 – An Avensa Fairchild F-27 crashed into San Juan mountain on Margarita Island in the Caribbean Sea, killing all 23 on board.
  • March 1 – American Airlines Flight 1, a Boeing 707 destined for Los Angeles, California, United States, crashed in Jamaica Bay, Queens, New York, due to a rudder malfunction; all 95 passengers and crew on board were killed.
  • March 4 – Caledonian Airways Flight 153, a Douglas DC-7 operating a non-scheduled multi-leg flight out of Luxembourg, crashed into a jungle swamp at Douala, Cameroon, for reasons unknown, killing all 111 on board.
  • March 8 – A Turkish Airlines Fairchild F-27 crashed into the Bolkar Mountains while on approach to Turkey's Adana Airport, killing all 11 on board.
  • March 16 – Flying Tiger Line Flight 739, a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation chartered by the United States military to transport 96 American soldiers to South Vietnam, disappeared over the western Pacific.
  • May 6 – A Channel Airways Douglas C-47 Dakota crashed into a hill on the Isle of Wight in bad weather, while en route from Jersey to London's Southend Airport, killing 12 of the 18 on board.
  • May 12 – An Eastern Provincial Airlines Canso flying boat sank at Godthåb Harbour, Greenland, killing 15 of the 21 on board.
  • May 22 – Continental Airlines Flight 11, a Boeing 707 flying from Chicago, Illinois, to Kansas City, Missouri, broke up in mid-air near Unionville, Missouri, after a bomb brought on board by a passenger exploded in the lavatory, killing all 45 people on board.
  • June 3 – Air France Flight 007, a chartered Boeing 707, caught fire after overshooting the runway on takeoff, killing all but two of the 132 passengers and crew on board; among the fatalities were many of the civic and cultural leaders of Atlanta, Georgia; it was the worst single-aircraft accident to that date.
  • June 22 – Air France Flight 117, a Boeing 707 operating an international multi-leg flight from Paris, France, to Santiago, Chile, crashed into a forested hill on the island of Guadeloupe for reasons unknown, while approaching Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport; all 113 on board were killed.
  • June 30 – Aeroflot Flight 902, a Tupolev Tu-104 operating a domestic flight in the Soviet Union, was shot down by a missile near Voznesenka, Krasnoyarsk Krai; all 84 people on board died in Russia's worst air accident to that date.
  • July 7 – Alitalia Flight 771, a Douglas DC-8 operating a multi-leg flight between Sydney, Australia, and Rome, Italy, hit high terrain while descending near Junnar in India, due to navigation error; all 94 on board were killed.
  • July 19 – United Arab Airlines Flight 869, a de Havilland Comet 4C operating an international scheduled flight from Hong Kong to Cairo, via Bangkok, crashed into Khao Yai mountain while descending to Bangkok; all 26 people on board lost their lives.
  • July 22 – Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 301, a Bristol Britannia destined for Nadi, Fiji, crashed during an attempted "go-around" on a three-engined approach at Honolulu Airport, Hawaii, after experiencing engine problems shortly after takeoff; 27 of the 40 on board were killed.
  • July 28 – Aeroflot Flight 415, an Antonov An-10 operating a domestic flight in the Soviet Union, crashed into a mountain near Sochi Airport due to ATC and crew errors; all 81 on board lost their lives.
  • September 3 – Aeroflot Flight 3, a Tupolev Tu-104 operating a domestic flight in the Soviet Union, crashed near Kuruna, Nanaysky District, due to an unexplained loss of control; all 86 on board were killed.
  • September 18 – Aeroflot Flight 213, an Ilyushin Il-14 operating a domestic flight in the Soviet Union, crashed near Chersky Airport, Sakha Republic, after controlled flight into terrain caused by poor weather; all 32 people on board were killed.
  • September 23 – Flying Tiger Line Flight 923, a Lockheed Super Constellation, ditched in the North Atlantic 800 kilometres west of Ireland after three engines failed, killing 28 of the 76 on board.
  • November 23 – Malév Flight 355, an Ilyushin Il-18V, flying from Budapest to Paris via Frankfurt, stalled and crashed near Paris's Le Bourget Airport in Roissy-en-France, resulting in the deaths of all 21 people on board, due to suspected severe icing on the horizontal stabilizer caused by design flaws, although the official investigation never conclusively determined the exact cause.
  • November 23 – United Airlines Flight 297, a Vickers Viscount 745D operating a multi-leg flight between the US states of New Jersey and Georgia, crashed near Ellicott City, Maryland, following a bird strike; all 17 people on board lost their lives.
  • November 27 – Varig Flight 810, a Boeing 707-441 flying from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Los Angeles, California, United States, crashed into a mountain near Lima airport in Peru, killing all 97 occupants.
  • November 30 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 512, a Douglas DC-7B operating a domestic flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, to New York City, crashed as a result of pilot error during a missed approach at New York's Idlewild Airport; 25 of the 51 on board were killed.
  • December 14 – A Lockheed L-049 Constellation crashed near Manaus in Brazil, after a flight from Rio de Janeiro with multiple stopovers; all 50 people on board were killed.
  • December 19 – A LOT Vickers Viscount crashed on approach to Okęcie International Airport, Warsaw, Poland, due to loss of control; all 33 passengers and crew lost their lives.
  • December 29 – An Air Nuatic Boeing 307 crashed into Monte Renoso mountain, killing all 25 occupants in the deadliest Boeing 307 crash.

1963

  • February 1 – In the Ankara mid-air collision, Middle East Airlines Flight 265, a Vickers Viscount, collided with a Turkish Air Force Douglas C-47, killing all 17 on board both aircraft and 87 on the ground.
  • February 12 – Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 705, a Boeing 720, broke up in turbulence associated with a severe thunderstorm and crashed into the Everglades; all 43 passengers and crew members on board were killed.
  • March 2 – Philippine Airlines Flight 984, a Douglas C-47B, crashed on the slopes of Mount Boca after reported bad weather. All 27 on board died.
  • March 5 – Aeroflot Flight 191, an Ilyushin Il-18, crashed on landing at Ashgabat International Airport due to a dust storm, killing 12 of 54 on board.
  • April 4 – Aeroflot Flight 25, an Ilyushin Il-18, crashed in Tatarstan after suffering an engine malfunction, killing all 67 people on board.
  • May 3 – Engine No.2 of a Convair CV-340 operated as Serviços Aéreos Cruzeiro do Sul Flight 144 burst into flames. While trying to make an emergency landing, the plane lost its lift and crashed. 37 people died, and the other 13 were injured.
  • June 3 – Northwest Airlines Flight 293, a Douglas DC-7C operating a military charter, crashed into the sea off Annette Island, Alaska, for reasons unknown. All 101 passengers and crew were killed.
  • July 2 – Mohawk Airlines Flight 121, a Martin 4–0–4, crashed near Rochester, New York, while attempting takeoff, killing seven of the 43 people on board.
  • July 3 – New Zealand National Airways Corporation Flight 441, a Douglas DC-3 en route from Whenuapai Airport, Auckland, to Tauranga, crashed into the Kaimai Ranges; all 23 on board died, making it the worst air disaster in mainland New Zealand to date.
  • July 13 – Aeroflot Flight 012, a Tupolev Tu-104, crashed on approach to Irkutsk following a premature descent, killing 33 of 35 on board.
  • July 28 – United Arab Airlines Flight 869, a de Havilland Comet 4C, crashed into the sea while on approach to Bombay Airport, India, killing all 63 on board.
  • August 12 – Air Inter Flight 2611, a Vickers Viscount, crashed into a farmhouse near Lyon in poor weather conditions, killing 16 including one on the ground.
  • August 21 – Aeroflot Flight 366, a Tupolev Tu-124, ditched in the Neva River in Leningrad after engine failure; there were no fatalities among the 52 on board, but the aircraft was destroyed.
  • August 24 – Aeroflot Flight 663, an Avia 14P, crashed into a mountain near Gegechkori, Georgia, in bad weather after the pilot deviated from the flight route; all 32 on board died.
  • September 4 – Swissair Flight 306, a Sud Aviation Caravelle, crashed near Dürrenäsch, Switzerland, due to an in-flight fire, killing all 80 on board.
  • November 8 – Aero Flight 217, a Douglas DC-3, crashed in poor visibility near Mariehamn Airport, killing 22 out of 25 on board.
  • November 29 – Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 831, a Douglas DC-8, crashed shortly after takeoff from Montreal/Dorval Airport, killing all 118 people on board.
  • December 8 – Pan Am Flight 214, a Boeing 707, was struck by positive lightning and crashed near Elkton, Maryland, killing all 81 people on board.

1964

  • February 25 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 304, a Douglas DC-8, crashed in Lake Pontchartrain due to loss of control following a pitch trim failure, killing all 51 passengers and seven crew.
  • February 29 – British Eagle International Airlines Flight 802/6, a Bristol Britannia, crashed into a mountain near Innsbruck, Austria. All 75 passengers and eight crew were killed in the crash.
  • March 1 – Paradise Airlines Flight 901A, a Lockheed L-049 Constellation, struck a mountain near Lake Tahoe due to pilot error in low visibility, killing all 85 on board.
  • March 28 – Alitalia Flight 45, a Vickers Viscount flying from to Turin to Naples, with a stopover in Rome, crashed into Mount Somma on approach to its final destination. All 45 people on board were killed.
  • April 17 – Middle East Airlines Flight 444, a Sud Aviation Caravelle, crashed into the Persian Gulf on approach to Dahran International Airport, killing all 49 passengers and crew on board.
  • May 7 – Pacific Air Lines Flight 773, a Fairchild F27, crashed near San Ramon, California, killing all 44 on board, after a passenger shot both the captain and first officer before turning the gun on himself.
  • May 20 – Philippine Airlines Flight 26/25, a de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter, crashed at Sibuco Point, Philippines, killing all 11 on board.
  • June 20 – Civil Air Transport Flight 106, a Curtiss C-46, crashed near Shenkang, Taiwan, due to loss of control following engine failure, killing all 57 on board.
  • July 9 – United Air Lines Flight 823, a Vickers Viscount, crashed near Parrottsville, Tennessee, following an unexplained in-flight fire; all 39 passengers and crew died.
  • September 2 – Aeroflot Flight 721, an Ilyushin Il-18, crashed into a hillside while on approach to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport due to pilot error, killing 87 of 93 on board.
  • September 4 – VASP Flight 141, a Vickers Viscount, crashed into a mountain, killing all 39 occupants.
  • October 2 – A UTA Douglas DC-6 crashed into Mount Alcazaba, Spain, due to an unexplained deviation from the flight route, killing all 80 on board.
  • November 15 – Bonanza Air Lines Flight 114, a Fairchild F-27, struck a hilltop in poor weather while on a nighttime approach to Las Vegas, Nevada, killing all 29 on board; the crash was initially thought to have been caused by the pilot misreading the approach chart, but it was later revealed that the approach chart was marked incorrectly.
  • November 20 – Linjeflyg Flight 267V, a Convair 440, crashed during the approach to Engelholm, Sweden, when, in instrument meteorological conditions, the crew abandoned the set procedure and descended prematurely; 31 people were killed and 12 survived.
  • November 23 – TWA Flight 800, a Boeing 707, suffered engine failure and crashed at Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport when a thrust reverser failed to deploy, killing 49 of 73 on board.
  • December 24 – Flying Tiger Line Flight 282, a Lockheed Constellation, crashed near San Bruno, California, after an unexplained course deviation, killing the crew of three.

1965

  • January 4 – Aeroflot Flight 101/X-20, an Ilyushin Il-18, crashed on approach to Alma-Ata in poor visibility, killing 64 of 103 on board.
  • February 6 – LAN Chile Flight 107, a Douglas DC-6, crashed shortly after takeoff from Santiago-Los Cerrillos Airport in Santiago, Chile. All 87 passengers and crew were killed.
  • February 8 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 663, a Douglas DC-7B, overreacted during takeoff trying to avoid Pan Am Flight 212 on approach, lost control, and crashed into the ocean several miles off Jones Beach State Park, New York, killing all 84 on board.
  • March 7 – Aeroflot Flight 542, a Lisunov Li-2, crashed in the mountains in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, after the left wing failed in severe turbulence, killing all 31 on board in the deadliest accident involving an Li-2.
  • March 8 – Aeroflot Flight 513, a Tupolev Tu-124V, stalled and crashed after taking off from Kuibyshev Airport, Russia; 30 of the 39 passengers and crew were killed.
  • March 20 – An Aeroflot Antonov An-24 crashed on landing at Khanty-Mansiysk airport; 43 of the 47 people on board were killed.
  • April 14 – British United Airways Flight 1030X, a Douglas C-47, crashed on landing at Jersey Airport due to pilot error; of the 27 passengers and crew, only a flight attendant survived.
  • May 5 – Iberia Airlines Flight 401, a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation, crashed after hitting a tractor on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport, Tenerife, during a go-around in foggy weather; 30 of 49 passengers and crew died.
  • May 20 – PIA Flight 705, a Boeing 720, crashed on descent to Cairo International Airport, killing 119 of 125 on board in the worst-ever accident involving the 720.
  • June 28 – Pan Am Flight 843, a Boeing 707-321B, experienced an uncontained engine failure, causing the last of the right wing, along with the damaged engine, to break off from the rest of the aircraft. All 153 on board survived.
  • July 1 – Continental Airlines Flight 12, a Boeing 707, ran off the end of the runway at Kansas City Downtown Airport and broke into three pieces; all 66 on board survived.
  • July 8 – Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 21, a Douglas DC-6, crashed near 100 Mile House, British Columbia, after a bomb in the lavatory exploded; all 46 passengers and six crew died.
  • July 10 – A Skyways Coach-Air Avro 748 crashed on landing at Lympne Airport, Kent, United Kingdom, due to a waterlogged runway. All 52 on board survived; the crash marked the first loss of an Avro 748/HS 748.
  • July 20 – In the Cambrian Airways Liverpool crash, a Vickers Viscount crashed on approach into Liverpool-Speke Airport, United Kingdom. Both crew members, as well as two on the ground, were killed.
  • July 23 – Allegheny Airlines Flight 604, a Convair CV-440, experienced an engine failure and crashed, due to a procedural shortcut; all 40 passengers and crew survived.
  • August 16 – United Airlines Flight 389, a Boeing 727, crashed into Lake Michigan at night after the pilots apparently misread their altimeters; all 24 passengers and six crew died in the first fatal crash of a Boeing 727.
  • September 17 – Pan Am Flight 292, a Boeing 707, crashed into Chances Peak, Montserrat, in stormy weather; all 30 on board died.
  • October 20 – Philippine Airlines Flight 741, a Douglas DC-3, crashed shortly after takeoff from Manila Airport due to rudder deflection caused by pilot error, killing one of 37 on board.
  • October 27 – A British European Airways Vickers Vanguard crashed during landing at London Heathrow Airport, killing all 36 on board.
  • November 8 – American Airlines Flight 383, a Boeing 727, crashed while on approach to Greater Cincinnati airport; of the 62 people on board, one flight attendant and three passengers survived.
  • November 11 – United Air Lines Flight 227, a Boeing 727, crashed short of the runway during landing at Salt Lake City International Airport, Utah; 43 of 91 on board were killed.
  • November 11 – Aeroflot Flight 99, a Tupolev Tu-124, crashed near Murmansk, Russia, due to pilot error, killing 32 of 64 on board.
  • December 4 – In the 1965 Carmel mid-air collision, Eastern Air Lines Flight 853, a Lockheed Super Constellation, collided with TWA Flight 42, a Boeing 707, over Carmel, New York. Flight 42 was able to land safely at John F. Kennedy International Airport with no casualties, while Flight 853 was forced to crash-land on Hunt Mountain, near Danbury, Connecticut, killing three passengers and one of the pilots.
  • December 25 – Japan Airlines Flight 813, a Douglas DC-8-33, experienced an uncontained engine failure in its number one engine shortly after takeoff. The crew made an emergency landing at Metropolitan Oakland International Airport across San Francisco Bay. All 41 passengers and crew survived without any injuries.

1966

  • January 15 – Avianca Flight 4, a Douglas C-54, suffered engine failure and crashed off Cartagena, Colombia, killing 56 of the 64 on board.
  • January 24 – Air India Flight 101, a Boeing 707-437, crashed into the southwest face of Mont Blanc in France; all 106 passengers and 11 crew were killed.
  • January 28 – Lufthansa Flight 005, a Convair 440, stalled and crashed at Bremen Airport while attempting a go-around following an aborted landing; all 46 on board died.
  • February 2 – Pakistan International Airlines Flight 17, a Sikorsky S-61 helicopter, crashed near Faridpur, Bangladesh, Pakistan following main gearbox failure; of the 23 on board, only one passenger survived.
  • February 4 – All Nippon Airways Flight 60, a Boeing 727-100, crashed in Tokyo Bay, Japan, for reasons unknown; all 133 on board were killed in Japan's worst air disaster at that time.
  • February 16 – Aeroflot Flight 302, an Ilyushin Il-14, suffered an engine fire and crashed while attempting an emergency landing on a field near Pechora, killing all 26 passengers and crew.
  • February 17 – Aeroflot Flight 065, a Tupolev Tu-114, crashed on takeoff from Sheremetyevo International Airport due to crew and ATC errors, killing 21 of 63 on board.
  • March 4 – Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 402, a McDonnell Douglas DC-8-43, crashed on landing at Tokyo International Airport due to pilot error, killing 64 of 72 on board.
  • March 5 – BOAC Flight 911, a Boeing 707 bound for Hong Kong, broke up in mid-air in severe turbulence and crashed at Mount Fuji near Gotenba, Japan, killing all 124 passengers and crew.
  • March 18 – United Arab Airlines Flight 749, an Antonov An-24, crashed while attempting to land at Cairo International Airport. All 30 passengers and crew on board were killed.
  • April 22 – American Flyers Airline Flight 280/D, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, crashed into a hill short of Ardmore Municipal Airport in Oklahoma, United States, after the pilot suffered a heart attack, killing 83 of 98 on board.
  • April 23 – Aeroflot Flight 2723, an Ilyushin Il-14, ditched in the Caspian Sea following unexplained engine problems; all 33 on board died.
  • April 27 – LANSA Flight 501, a Lockheed L-749A Constellation, crashed into a mountain in Tomas District, Peru, killing all 49 passengers and crew.
  • June 3 – A Hawker Siddeley Trident 1C crashed during the pre-delivery test flight. The crew had delayed doing recovery manoeuvres for too long, which caused the plane to enter a deep stall and flat spin, respectively, killing all 4 of them.
  • June 29 – Philippine Air Lines Flight 785, a McDonnell Douglas DC-3, crashed due to pilot error aggravated by strong turbulence and gusts, killing 26 of the 28 on board.
  • July 4 - An Air New Zealand Douglas DC-8 on a training flight crashed on takeoff after reverse thrust was inadvertently deployed. Two of the five on board were killed.
  • August 6 – Braniff Flight 250, a BAC One-Eleven, flew into an active squall line and broke apart in mid-air near Falls City, Nebraska. All 42 on board were killed.
  • August 26 – Japan Air Lines Convair 880 crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 5 on board. Eyewitness stated that the plane had yawed to the left and skidded before being destroyed. The cause is still undetermined.
  • September 1 – Britannia Airways Flight 105, a Bristol Britannia, crashed on approach to Jože Pučnik Airport, Slovenia, due to an incorrectly set altimeter, killing 98 of 117 passengers and crew.
  • September 22 – Ansett-ANA Flight 149, a Vickers Viscount, crashed near Winton, Queensland, Australia, after a fire had weakened a wing which had then broken off, killing all 24 people on board.
  • September 28 – Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 648, a Douglas DC-4, was hijacked by 18 Argentine nationalists and force-landed in the Falkland Islands in protest against the UK's presence in the islands. On September 29, after negotiations, the group surrendered.
  • October 1 – West Coast Airlines Flight 956, a Douglas DC-9, crashed south of Wemme, Oregon, for reasons unknown, killing all 18 on board in the first loss of a DC-9.
  • November 13 – All Nippon Airways Flight 533, a NAMC YS-11, plunged into Seto Inland Sea after an overrun at Matsuyama Airport, Shikoku, Japan, killing all 50 passengers and crew; this crash was the first loss of a YS-11.
  • November 15 – Pan Am Flight 708, a Boeing 727, crashed near Berlin, Germany, for reasons unknown; all three crew members were killed.
  • November 24 – TABSO Flight 101, an Ilyushin Il-18B, crashed into a wooded hillside shortly after takeoff from Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, due to pilot error, killing all 82 on board.
  • December 24 – A Flying Tiger Line Canadair CL-44 crashed into the village of Binh Thai, South Vietnam, due to pilot error, killing all four crew and another 107 on the ground.

1967

  • January 14 – Aeroflot Flight 5003, an Antonov An-12, crashed shortly after takeoff from Tolmachevo Airport following an in-flight fire, killing the six crew.
  • February 16 – Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 708, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, crashed while landing at Manado, Indonesia, killing 22 of 84 passengers on board; all eight crew survived.
  • February 28 – Philippine Air Lines Flight 345, a Fokker F-27, lost control while on approach to Cebu International Airport and crashed due to improper weight distribution, killing 12 of 19 on board.
  • March 5 – Lake Central Airlines Flight 527, a Convair 580, broke up in mid-air and crashed near Marseilles, Ohio, due to propeller failure; all 38 on board died.
  • March 5 – Varig Airlines Flight 837, a Douglas DC-8, crashed while on approach to Roberts International Airport due to pilot error, killing 51 of 90 on board as well as five on the ground.
  • March 9 – TWA Flight 553, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, collided with a Beechcraft Baron near Dayton, Ohio, killing all 26 on both aircraft.
  • March 10 – West Coast Airlines Flight 720, a Fokker F27 Friendship, crashed shortly after taking off from Klamath Falls, Oregon, due to icing, killing all four on board.
  • March 13 – South African Airways Flight 406, a Vickers Viscount 818, crashed in the Indian Ocean off Cape Province, South Africa, while on approach to East London following an unexplained loss of control, killing all 25 passengers and crew.
  • March 30 – Delta Air Lines Flight 9877, a Douglas DC-8, stalled during a simulated two engine-out approach and crashed at New Orleans, killing all six people on board and 13 on the ground.
  • April 11 – An Air Algérie DC-4 crashed into a mountain near Tamanrasset, Algeria, killing 35 of 39 on board.
  • April 20 – The 1967 Nicosia Britannia disaster: a Globe Air-operated Bristol Britannia on a charter flight crashed near Lakatamia, Cyprus, killing 126 of 130 on board.
  • June 3 – In the 1967 Air Ferry DC-4 accident, a Douglas DC-4 struck a mountain en route from Manston Airport, England, to Perpignan Airport, France, due to crew errors stemming from carbon monoxide poisoning, killing all 88 on board.
  • June 4 – The Stockport air disaster: British Midland Flight 542, a Canadair C-4 Argonaut carrying passengers returning from Palma de Mallorca, crashed near Stockport while on approach to Ringway Airport, Manchester, after both right-side engines failed due to a defect in the fuel system, killing 72 of 84 on board.
  • June 23 – Mohawk Airlines Flight 40, a BAC One-Eleven, crashed at Blossburg, Pennsylvania, due to loss of control following an in-flight fire, killing all 34 people on board.
  • June 30 – Thai Airways International Flight 601, a Sud Aviation Caravelle, crashed into the sea due to pilot error on landing at Kai Tak Airport during a typhoon, killing 24 of 80 on board.
  • July 6 – Philippine Airlines Flight 385, a Fokker F-27 Friendship 100, struck Mount Kanlaon in bad weather, killing all 21 on board.
  • July 19 – Piedmont Airlines Flight 22, a Boeing 727 departing from Asheville, North Carolina, collided with a Cessna 310 on instrument approach to Asheville, killing all 82 on board both aircraft.
  • September 5 – ČSA Flight 523, an Ilyushin Il-18D, crashed after takeoff from Gander, Canada, after it failed to climb for reasons unknown, killing 37 of 69 people on board.
  • October 12 – Cyprus Airways Flight 284, a de Havilland Comet, broke up in mid-air over the Mediterranean Sea after a bomb exploded, killing all 66 on board.
  • November 4 – Iberia Flight 062, a Sud Aviation Caravelle, struck Blackdown Hill, United Kingdom, for reasons unknown, killing all 37 on board.
  • November 6 – TWA Flight 159, a Boeing 707, overshot the runway at Greater Cincinnati Airport and caught fire; all on board escaped the aircraft, but a passenger died four days later.
  • November 16 – Aeroflot Flight 2230, an Ilyushin Il-18, crashed shortly after takeoff from Koltsovo Airport due to electrical and instrument failure following engine failure, killing all 107 passengers and crew.
  • November 20 – TWA Flight 128, a Convair 880, crashed at Constance, Kentucky, on approach to Greater Cincinnati Airport due to pilot error, killing 70 of 82 people on board.
  • December 8 – A Faucett Perú Douglas C-54 crashed into a mountain near Cordillera de Carpish, Peru, killing all 72 on board.
  • December 30 – Aeroflot Flight L-51, an Antonov An-24, crashed on approach to Liepāja Airport, Latvia, due to pilot error, killing 43 of 51 on board.

1968

  • January 6 – Aeroflot Flight 1668, an Antonov An-24, crashed shortly after takeoff from Olekminsk, Russia, due to an unexplained loss of control, killing all 45 on board.
  • February 16 – Civil Air Transport Flight 10, a Boeing 727, crashed at Hunan village, Linkou Township, Taipei County, Taiwan, due to pilot error, killing 21 of 63 on board and one person on the ground.
  • February 29 – Aeroflot Flight 15, an Ilyushin Il-18D, lost control and crashed near Parchum, Russia; of the 84 on board, only one survived.
  • March 6 – Air France Flight 212, a Boeing 707, crashed into the northwestern slope of La Soufrière Mountain in Guadeloupe with the loss of all 63 lives on board.
  • March 24 – Aer Lingus Flight 712, a Vickers Viscount 803, crashed off the Irish coast due to an unexplained mid-air breakup, killing all 61 on board.
  • March 27 – Ozark Air Lines Flight 965, a Douglas DC-9, collided with a Cessna 150 over St. Louis, Missouri; the Cessna crashed, killing both occupants, while the DC-9 landed safely at Lambert Field with no casualties.
  • April 8 – BOAC Flight 712, a Boeing 707, suffered an uncontained engine failure after takeoff from London Heathrow Airport; the plane made an emergency landing at Heathrow, but five of 127 on board died in the resultant fire.
  • April 20 – South African Airways Flight 228, a Boeing 707, crashed just after takeoff from Strijdom International Airport, Windhoek, South West Africa, due to pilot error; of the 128 on board, only five survived.
  • May 3 – Braniff International Airways Flight 352, a Lockheed L-188A Super Electra en route from Houston, Texas, to Dallas, broke up in mid-air in a thunderstorm and crashed near Dawson, Texas, killing all 85 on board.
  • May 22 – Los Angeles Airways Flight 841, a Sikorsky S-61L, crashed near Paramount, California, due to rotor system failure, killing all 23 on board.
  • May 28 – Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 892, a Convair 990, crashed after takeoff from Bombay, India, killing all 29 on board and one on the ground.
  • July 1 – Seaboard World Airlines Flight 253A, a Douglas DC-8, was forced to land in the Soviet Union; on board were over 200 American troops bound for Vietnam.
  • July 3 – In the 1968 BKS Air Transport Heathrow crash, an Airspeed Ambassador freight aircraft experienced metal fatigue and crashed while landing, striking two unoccupied British European Airways airliners. Six of the freighter's crew of eight were killed, as were eight racehorses being transported. All Airspeed Ambassadors were grounded until a redesign strengthened the flaps.
  • July 23 – Three members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hijacked El Al Flight 426 from Rome to Tel Aviv. Diverting to Algiers, the negotiations extended over 40 days. Both the hijackers and the hostages went free.
  • August 2 - Alitalia Flight 660, a Douglas DC-8 flying from Rome to Montreal with a stopover in Milan, crashed on Mount San Giacomo, Italy; 12 of the 95 people on board were killed.
  • August 9 - British Eagle Flight 802, a Vickers Viscount, crashed into a highway near Langenbruck, Germany, after all electrical generators disconnected. All 48 on board were killed.
  • August 10 – Piedmont Airlines Flight 230, a Fairchild F-27 flying from Louisville to Roanoke with stopovers in Cincinnati and Charleston, crashed on approach to Charleston; 35 of the 37 people on board were killed.
  • August 14 – Los Angeles Airways Flight 417, a Sikorsky S-61L prototype, crashed at Compton, California, after a main rotor blade separated due to fatigue, killing all 21 on board.
  • September 11 – Air France Flight 1611, a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle, crashed near Nice, France, due to loss of control following an unexplained in-flight fire, killing all 95 passengers and crew on board.
  • October 25 – Northeast Airlines Flight 946, a Fairchild Hiller FH-227, crashed near Etna, New Hampshire, due to pilot error, killing 32 passengers and crew.
  • November 22 – Japan Air Lines Flight 2, a Douglas DC-8, ditched in San Francisco Bay as a result of pilot error; all 107 on board survived.
  • November 24 – Pan Am Flight 281: Four men hijacked a Pan Am flight heading from JFK International Airport to San Juan International Airport, Puerto Rico. All 208 people survived and the hijackers were arrested.
  • December 2 – Wien Consolidated Airlines Flight 55, a Fairchild F-27B, crashed in Pedro Bay, Alaska, after a wing separated in severe turbulence, killing all 39 on board.
  • December 12 – Pan Am Flight 217, a Boeing 707, crashed near Caracas, Venezuela, as a result of pilot error; all 51 on board died.
  • December 24 – Allegheny Airlines Flight 736, a Convair 580, crashed while on approach to Bradford Regional Airport, killing 20 of 47 on board
  • December 26 – The Palestine Liberation Organization attacked El Al Flight 253, killing one passenger and injuring two more of the 51 on board. This attack and Flight 426 then led to the 1968 Israeli raid on Beirut Airport.
  • December 26 – Pan Am Flight 799, a Boeing 707-321C, crashed shortly after takeoff due to retracted flaps, killing all three occupants.
  • December 27 – North Central Airlines Flight 458, a Convair 580, crashed into a hangar at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, due to pilot error and spatial disorientation, killing 27 of the 45 people on board and one person on the ground.
  • December 27 – Ozark Air Lines Flight 982, a Douglas DC-9 headed from Sioux Falls to Chicago, crashed shortly after take off from its stopover in Sioux City. All 68 people on board survived, but 35 were injured.
  • December 31 – MacRobertson Miller Airlines Flight 1750, a Vickers Viscount, crashed near Port Hedland in Western Australia after much of the right wing separated due to a maintenance error, killing all 26 people on board.

1969

  • January 5 – Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701, a Boeing 727-100C on approach to London Gatwick Airport from Frankfurt Airport, crashed into a house in dense fog, killing 48 of the 62 people on board; a married couple living at the house also died, but their baby survived.
  • January 6 – Allegheny Airlines Flight 737, a Convair CV-580, crashed while on approach to Bradford Regional Airport; 11 of the 28 passengers and crew were killed.
  • January 13 – Scandinavian Airlines Flight 933, a Douglas DC-8, crashed into Santa Monica Bay due to pilot error, killing 15 of 45 on board.
  • January 18 – United Air Lines Flight 266, a Boeing 727 en route from Los Angeles to Milwaukee, lost all electrical power and crashed into Santa Monica Bay; six crew and 32 passengers were killed.
  • February 18 – El Al Flight 432 was attacked by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, killing one on board.
  • February 18 – Hawthorne Nevada Airlines Flight 708, a Douglas DC-3, crashed near Lone Pine, California, killing all 35 people on board.
  • February 24 – Far Eastern Air Transport Flight 104, a Handley Page Dart Herald, suffered engine failure and crashed while on approach to Tainan Airport, Taiwan; all 36 on board died.
  • March 5 – Prinair Flight 277, a de Havilland Heron, crashed into mountainous territory at Luquillo, Puerto Rico, killing all 19 people on board.
  • March 16 – Viasa Flight 742, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30, crashed on takeoff from 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.
  • March 20 – In the 1969 Aswan Ilyushin Il-18 crash, a United Arab Airlines flight crashed while attempting to land at Aswan International Airport; 100 of the 105 passengers and crew were killed.
  • March 25 – Delta Air Lines Flight 821 was hijacked by a man who wanted to go to Havana, Cuba. No one died of the 114 occupants.
  • April 2 – LOT Polish Airlines Flight 165, an Antonov An-24, crashed in southern Poland, killing all 53 people on board.
  • April 28 – LAN-Chile Flight 160, a Boeing 727, crashed near Colina, Chile; all 60 on board survived.
  • June 4 – Mexicana de Aviación Flight 704, a Boeing 727, crashed near Salinas Victoria in Mexico. All 79 passengers and crew on board were killed.
  • June 23 – In the Yukhnov mid-air collision, Aeroflot Flight 831, an Ilyushin Il-14, collided in mid-air with a Soviet Air Force Antonov An-12 over Yukhnovsky District, Russia, killing all 120 people on both aircraft.
  • June 23 – Dominicana de Aviación Flight 401, an ATL-98 Carvair operating a cargo flight to Santo Domingo, crashed on takeoff from Miami. All four people on board were killed; additionally, six people on the ground were killed and 12 were injured.
  • June 28 – Aeroflot Flight F-28, an Ilyushin Il-14G, crashed after it deviated from the flight path, killing all 40 people on board.
  • July 26 – TWA Flight 5787, a Boeing 707-331C, crashed after it failed to engage the hydraulic pumps. Only three engines were on as this was a test flight; the plane lost directional control, killing all five on board.
  • August 3 – Aeroflot Flight N-826, an Antonov An-24, crashed after the left propeller detached, causing it to enter a steep spiral. The crash killed all 55 on board.
  • August 26 – Aeroflot Flight 1770, an Ilyushin Il-18B, belly-landed due to the pilots' forgetfulness and failure to be aware of the situation; 16 of the 101 on board died due to smoke inhalation.
  • August 29 – In the TWA Flight 840 hijacking, two operatives from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine forced a Boeing 707 to land at Damascus, Syria; all passengers were released except for two passengers who were released two months later; there were no casualties among the 127 on board, but the aircraft's nose section was blown up.
  • September 9 – Allegheny Airlines Flight 853, a Douglas DC-9, collided in mid-air with a Piper PA-28 Cherokee and crashed near Fairland, Indiana, killing all 83 occupants of the two aircraft.
  • September 12 – Philippine Air Lines Flight 158, a BAC One-Eleven, crashed on approach to Manila International Airport, killing 45 of the 47 passengers and crew.
  • September 21 – Mexicana de Aviación Flight 801, a Boeing 727, crashed into an embankment during approach to Mexico City; 27 of the 118 passengers and crew were killed.
  • November 19 – Mohawk Airlines Flight 411, a Fairchild 227, crashed near Glens Falls, New York, killing all 14 people on board.
  • November 20 – Nigeria Airways Flight 925, a Vickers VC-10, crashed on approach to Lagos International Airport, killing all 87 passengers and crew.
  • December 3 – Air France Flight 212, a Boeing 707-328B, crashed into the sea shortly after takeoff from Simón Bolívar International Airport, Venezuela, with the loss of all 62 on board.
  • December 8 – Olympic Airways Flight 954, a DC-6, crashed into Mt. Paneio while on approach to Athens-Ellinikon International Airport. All 90 passengers and crew were killed.
  • December 11 – A Korean Air Lines YS-11 was hijacked by a North Korean agent while flying from Gangneung to Seoul. Out of the 51 South Koreans on board, 11 were presumed to have been retained in North Korea.

1970s

1970

  • January 1 — Serviços Aéreos Cruzeiro do Sul Flight 114, a Sud Aviation Caravelle SE 210, was hijacked by six members of VAR-Palmares. From Montevideo, the plane was diverted to Havana where the hijack stopped after 47 hours. All 28 occupants survived.
  • January 5 — A Spantax Convair 990 Coronado crashed shortly after takeoff from Stockholm's Arlanda Airport when the flight crew lost control of the aircraft; five of the ten people on board were killed.
  • January 29 — Aeroflot Flight 145, a Tupolev Tu-124V, crashed into a wooded hill, killing 11 of the 38 occupants.
  • February 4 – Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 707, a Hawker Siddeley HS 748 operating a multi-leg flight from Paraguay to Argentina, crashed near Loma Alta when the pilots lost control of the aircraft due to severe turbulence; all 37 passengers and crew were killed.
  • February 4 – TAROM Flight 35, an Antonov An-24 on a domestic route from Bucharest to Oradea, crashed on Mount Vlădeasa, killing 20 of the 21 people on board.
  • February 6 – Aeroflot Flight U-45, an Ilyushin Il-18 operating a domestic flight in Uzbekistan, crashed into a mountain on approach to Samarkand International Airport due to ATC error; 92 of the 106 people on board were killed.
  • February 15 – Dominicana de Aviación Flight 603, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashed shortly after takeoff from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, due to a dual-engine failure; all 102 people on board were killed.
  • February 21 – Swissair Flight 330, a Convair CV-990 bound for Tel Aviv, Israel, en route to Hong Kong, crashed when a bomb detonated in the cargo hold nine minutes after takeoff from Zurich International Airport, Switzerland; all 38 passengers and nine crew were killed.
  • March 14 — Paraense Transportes Aéreos Flight 903, a Fairchild F-27, crashed during descent in the Guajará Bay, killing 37 of the 39 on board.
  • March 17 – Eastern Air Lines Shuttle Flight 1320, a Douglas DC-9-31 flying from Newark, New Jersey, to Boston, Massachusetts, was hijacked by a suicidal man who shot both pilots before being subdued; the captain made a successful emergency landing in Boston, where the hijacker was arrested; the co-pilot died from his injuries.
  • March 31 – Japan Airlines Flight 351, a Boeing 727 operating a domestic flight from Tokyo to Fukuoka, was hijacked by a Japanese Red Army faction who forced the crew to proceed to North Korea after releasing 21 passengers at Fukuoka Airport; the hijackers eventually surrendered and all 129 people on board the flight were unharmed.
  • April 1 – Aeroflot Flight 1661, an Antonov An-24 operating a domestic flight in Russia, crashed on climbout after departing from Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport, due to a collision with a weather balloon; all 45 passengers and crew were killed.
  • April 4 — A Royal Air Maroc Caravelle crashed while attempting to avoid a town in Berrechid, Morocco, killing 61 of the 81 on board, and possibly four more who were reported to have later died in hospital.
  • April 21 – Philippine Airlines Flight 215, a Hawker Siddeley HS 748 operating a domestic flight from Cauayan Airport to Manila International Airport, exploded in mid-air and crashed north of its destination, killing all 36 on board; a bomb was most likely responsible for the crash.
  • May 2 – ALM Flight 980, a Douglas DC-9 operated by Overseas National Airways, ditched into the Caribbean Sea near St. Croix, Virgin Islands, due to fuel exhaustion after several unsuccessful landing attempts at St. Maarten in the Dutch Antilles; 23 of the 63 people on board were killed.
  • July 3 – Dan-Air Flight 1903, a de Havilland Comet 4 operating a flight from Manchester, England, to Barcelona, Spain, crashed near Arbúcies in Catalonia on approach to El Prat Josep Tarradellas Airport; all 112 people on board were killed.
  • July 5 – Air Canada Flight 621, a Douglas DC-8 operating a flight from Montreal, Canada, to Los Angeles, United States, crashed during a failed landing attempt at its scheduled stopover at Toronto Pearson International Airport, killing all 109 on board.
  • July 22 — Olympic Airways Flight 255 was hijacked by six members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and possibly the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front. They demanded the release of seven Palestinians held in Greece for three terrorist incidents including El Al Flight 253. The Greek authorities accepted the demands, and all 55 people survived. However, it was the basis of the Dawson's Field hijackings.
  • July 27 – Flying Tiger Line Flight 45, a Douglas DC-8, crashed just short of Naha Airport, killing all four crew members on board.
  • August 9 – LANSA Flight 502, a Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprop operating a domestic flight in Peru, crashed shortly after takeoff from Cusco's Quispiquilla Airport due to engine failure, killing 99 of the 100 people on board, including 49 U.S. high school exchange students, as well as two on the ground.
  • August 12 – China Airlines Flight 206, a NAMC YS-11, crashed into Yuan Mountain in thick fog during a severe thunderstorm, while on approach to Taipei International Airport; 14 of the 31 people on board lost their lives.
  • September 2 – Aeroflot Flight 3630, a Tupolev Tu-124 en route from southern Russia to Lithuania, crashed after the pilots lost control of the aircraft at cruise altitude between Rostov-on-Don Airport and Vilnius Airport, on the second leg of the flight; all 37 passengers and crew were killed.
  • September 3 – Aeroflot Flight Sh-4 crashed on Mount Airy-Tash, while flying from Fruzne to Dushnabe. All 21 people on board were killed in the first hull loss of the Yakolev Yak-40.
  • September 6 – The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine orchestrated the Dawson's Field hijackings of El Al Flight 219, Pan Am Flight 93, Swissair Flight 100, TWA Flight 741, and BOAC Flight 775 ; the unprecedented scale of the incident drew international outrage and contributed to the eventual widespread implementation of systematic air passenger screening; Pan Am Flight 93 was the first ever loss of the Boeing 747.
  • September 8 – Trans International Airlines Flight 863, a Douglas DC-8 on a re-positioning flight, crashed during takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, killing all 11 crew members.
  • September 26 – Flugfélag Islands Flight 704, a Fokker F-27 Friendship, crashed into an island while approaching Vágar Airport in clouds; eight occupants were killed and 26 survived.
  • October 2 – A chartered Martin 4-0-4 airliner crashed into a mountain near Silver Plume, Colorado, United States, while carrying members of the Wichita State University football team to Logan, Utah, for a game; 31 of the 40 people on board were killed.
  • October 15 – Aeroflot Flight 244, an Antonov An-24 flying from Georgia to Abkhazia along the Black Sea coast, was hijacked by a Lithuanian national and his 13-year-old son. They killed one flight attendant and forced the plane to divert to Trabzon, Turkey, where they surrendered to the Turkish government; this was the first known successful airline hijacking in the Soviet Union.
  • November 14 – Southern Airways Flight 932, a chartered Douglas DC-9 flying from North Carolina to West Virginia, United States, crashed on approach to Huntington's Tri-State Airport due to pilot error; all 75 on board were killed, including 37 players of the Marshall University football team and eight of the coaching staff.
  • November 27 – Capitol International Airways Flight C2C3/26, a chartered Douglas DC-8 scheduled to fly from McChord Field to Cam Ranh Air Base, crashed on takeoff from Alaska after a stopover, resulting in the deaths of 47 out of the 229 people on board.
  • December 28 – Trans Caribbean Airways Flight 505 crashed after overshooting the runway at St Thomas, US Virgin Islands, after a flight from New York. Two of the 55 on board were killed, and 51 of the survivors were injured.
  • December 31 – Aeroflot Flight 3012, an Ilyushin Il-18V, banked steeply to the right during takeoff due to improper aircraft configuration and began losing altitude. It then impacted nose-first and slid another 210 m. According to Aviation Safety Network, 6 out of 86 people died while some source said all 88 occupants died.

1971

  • January 18 – Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 130, an Ilyushin Il-18D, crashed during approach after it deviated from the course, killing 45 of the 47 occupants.
  • January 22 – An Aeroflot Antonov An-12 crashed due to icing while on approach to Surgut International Airport, RSFSR, Soviet Union, killing all 14 on board.
  • January 23 – A Korean Air Lines Fokker F27 was hijacked and was forcefully diverted to North Korea. During the struggle, the co-pilot and the hijacker was killed by a gernade. The captain successfully landed the plane in a beach.
  • January 30 – In the 1971 Indian Airlines hijacking, a Fokker F-27 Friendship 100 operating a domestic passenger flight was hijacked en route from Srinagar to Jammu and flown to Lahore in Pakistan, where the passengers and crew were released and the plane subsequently destroyed.
  • January 31 – An Aeroflot Antonov An-12 crashed due to icing while on approach to Surgut International Airport, RSFSR, Soviet Union. All seven on board were killed.
  • March 31 – Aeroflot Flight 1969, an Antonov An-10, crashed on approach to Voroshilovgrad Airport, Ukrainian SSR, following an unexplained structural failure of the right wing, killing all 65 on board.
  • May 23 – Aviogenex Flight 130, a Tupolev Tu-134 flying from London's Gatwick Airport to Rijeka Airport in Yugoslavia, crashed on landing at its destination due to an optical illusion, killing 78 of the 83 people on board.
  • June 6 – Hughes Airwest Flight 706, a Douglas DC-9 operating a domestic flight from Los Angeles, California, to Seattle, Washington, United States, collided with a US Marine Corps McDonnell Douglas F-4B Phantom II fighter jet and crashed into the San Gabriel Mountains near Duarte, California, killing all 49 people on board; the fighter jet pilot was also killed, but the Radar Intercept Officer successfully bailed out.
  • June 7 – Allegheny Airlines Flight 485, a Convair CV-580 operating a multi-leg domestic flight between Washington, D.C., and Virginia in the United States, crashed on approach to Tweed New Haven Airport, Connecticut, killing 28 of the 31 people on board.
  • July 3 – Toa Domestic Airlines Flight 63, a NAMC YS-11 operating a domestic flight in Japan, crashed into Yokotsu Mountain near Hakodate Airport on Japan's Hokkaidō island, killing all 68 passengers and crew in the worst-ever disaster involving the YS-11.
  • July 25 – Aeroflot Flight 1912, a Tupolev Tu-104 operating a multi-leg domestic flight between Odessa and Vladivostok in the Soviet Union, landed hard and crashed short of the runway at Irkutsk Airport, killing 97 of the 126 people on board.
  • July 30 – All Nippon Airways Flight 58, a Boeing 727-200 operating a domestic flight from Sapporo to Tokyo, Japan, collided with a JASDF F-86 Sabre fighter jet at Shizukuishi near Morioka, killing all 162 passengers and crew on board; the F-86 pilot parachuted to safety, but was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter.
  • July 30 – Pan Am Flight 845, a Boeing 747-100 flying from Los Angeles, California, United States, to Tokyo, Japan, collided with approach lighting structures on taking off from its intermediate stop, San Francisco International Airport, and then crashed after turning back to attempt an emergency landing at the same airport; there were no fatalities but 29 of the 199 passengers were injured.
  • August 28 – Malév Flight 731, an Ilyushin Il-18, crashed into Øresund off the coast of Denmark, about from Copenhagen Airport, during a heavy rainstorm. Of the 34 people on board, only two survived.
  • September 4 – Alaska Airlines Flight 1866, a Boeing 727 operating a flight from Anchorage, Alaska, to Seattle, Washington, United States, crashed into a mountain in the Tongass National Forest near Juneau, Alaska, killing all 111 on board.
  • September 6 – Paninternational Flight 112, a BAC One-Eleven flying from Hamburg, Germany, to Málaga, Spain, suffered dual engine failure shortly after takeoff and crashed onto the motorway near Hamburg Airport, killing 22 of the 121 people on board.
  • September 16 – Malév Flight 110, a Tupolev Tu-134, crashed while on approach to Kiev-Borispol Airport, Ukrainian SSR, in foggy weather, killing all 49 passengers and crew.
  • October 2 – British European Airways Flight 706, a Vickers Vanguard turboprop flying from London's Heathrow Airport to Salzburg, Austria, broke up in mid-air and crashed near Aarsele, Belgium, after suffering explosive decompression, killing all 63 people on board.
  • October 10 – Aeroflot Flight 773, a Tupolev Tu-104, broke up and crashed near Baranovo, Naro-Fominsky District, Russia, when a bomb placed in the cabin exploded; all 25 on board died.
  • November 10 – A Merpati Nusantara Vickers Viscount 828 crashed in the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, on approach to Tabing Airport in Padang, due to poor visibility in bad weather; all 69 people on board were killed.
  • November 12 – Aeroflot Flight N-63, an Antonov An-24, stalled and crashed near Vinnitsa Airport, Ukrainian SSR, during a go-around in foggy weather, killing all 48 people on board.
  • November 20 – China Airlines Flight 825, a Sud Aviation Caravelle, exploded in mid-air and crashed into the Taiwan Strait while on a flight from Taipei to Hong Kong, due to a terrorist bomb, killing all 25 people on board.
  • November 24 – Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305, a Boeing 727 flying from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle, Washington, United States, was hijacked by an unidentified person who parachuted from the aircraft mid-flight after extorting US$200,000 of ransom money from the US government; the aircraft landed safely and all 41 on board were unharmed, but the perpetrator has never been apprehended.
  • December 1 – Aeroflot Flight 2174, an Antonov An-24, lost control and crashed on approach to Saratov Airport due to wing icing, killing all 57 on board.
  • December 3 – Pakistan International Airlines Flight 712, a Boeing 720, was hijacked by Jean Kay, a 28 year old French humanitarian activist, with his members. He controlled the aircraft and landed while demanding the control tower medical supplies. Two police arrested him and there are no fatalities among the 28 occupants.
  • December 24 – LANSA Flight 508, a Lockheed L-188 Electra en route from Lima to Pucallpa, Peru, broke up in mid-air during a thunderstorm and crashed in the Amazon rainforest; of the 92 on board, the sole survivor was a German teenager who fell strapped to her seat, and then walked for 10 days through the rainforest before being rescued by local lumbermen.

1972

  • January 7 – Iberia Airlines Flight 602, a Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle flying from Valencia to Ibiza, crashed into a mountain while on approach to Ibiza Airport, killing all 104 passengers and crew.
  • January 21 – a Turkish Airlines DC-9 crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Adana Airport, killing one of the five crew members.
  • January 26 – JAT Flight 367, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, suffered a bomb explosion in mid-air, killing 27 of the 28 on board; Vesna Vulović, the only survivor, was entered in the Guinness Book of World Records for surviving the longest fall without a parachute, over.
  • February 22 – Lufthansa Flight 649, a Boeing 747 en route from Tokyo to Frankfurt, was hijacked during the Delhi–Athens leg and forced to divert to Aden, South Yemen, where all 182 passengers and crew were released in exchange for a $5 million ransom.
  • March 3 – Mohawk Airlines Flight 405, a Fairchild F-27 flying from New York City to Albany, New York, crashed while descending to land at Albany County Airport, killing 16 of the 48 people on board and one on the ground.
  • March 14 – Sterling Airways Flight 296, a Sud Caravelle flying from Colombo, Ceylon, to Copenhagen, Denmark, crashed near Kalba in the United Arab Emirates due to pilot error; all 112 on board died. This was the worst air disaster in the history of the UAE.
  • March 19 – EgyptAir Flight 763, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 flying from Egypt to South Yemen, crashed on approach to Aden International Airport, killing all 30 passengers and crew.
  • April 18 – East African Airways Flight 720, a Vickers VC10, crashed after overshooting the runway on takeoff. There were 43 deaths and 67 survivors.
  • May 4 – Aeroflot Flight B-608, a Yakovlev Yak-40, encountered a snowstorm with a strong downdraft. The plane rapidly descended, clipped the tops of trees, lost speed, and crashed, killing all 18 on board.
  • May 5 – Alitalia Flight 112, a Douglas DC-8 operating a domestic flight from Rome to Palermo, Italy, crashed into Mount Longa some southwest of its destination, killing all 115 passengers and crew; it remains the deadliest single-aircraft disaster in Italy.
  • May 5 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 175, a Boeing 727, was hijacked by a man named Frederick Hahneman. After switching planes due to a mechanical issue, Hahneman forced the pilots to fly over Honduras airspace and jumped out of the plane with a parachute. He surrendered 28 days later.
  • May 8 – Sabena Flight 571, a Boeing 707 flying from Brussels to Tel Aviv, was hijacked by members of the Black September Organisation demanding the release of Palestinian prisoners by Israel; during a commando raid the hijackers were killed or captured and one hostage terminally injured, the others freed.
  • May 18 – Aeroflot Flight 1491, an Antonov An-10, suffered an in-flight structural failure on approach to Kharkiv Airport in Ukraine and crashed. All 122 passengers and crew were killed.
  • May 30 – Delta Air Lines Flight 9570, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 on a training flight, crashed due to wake turbulence from another aircraft, killing all 4 crew members.
  • June 12 – American Airlines Flight 96, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, suffered explosive depressurisation when one of its cargo doors failed mid-flight; the crew performed an emergency landing at Detroit Metro Airport, Michigan, where all 67 on board were evacuated safely.
  • June 14 – Japan Airlines Flight 471, a Douglas DC-8 en route from Bangkok, Thailand, to New Delhi, India, crashed on approach to Palam Airport, killing 82 of the 87 on board and three people on the ground.
  • June 15 – A carry-on suitcase bomb exploded on Cathay Pacific Flight 700Z, a Convair 880, at over Vietnam; all 81 on board died.
  • June 18 – British European Airways Flight 548, a Hawker Siddeley Trident, underwent a series of stalls due to pilot error, followed by a deep stall, and crashed near Staines, United Kingdom; all 118 on board were killed.
  • June 24 – Prinair Flight 191, a de Havilland Heron, overrotated because of pilot error and crashed in Ponce, Puerto Rico, killing five of the 20 people on board.
  • June 29 – In the 1972 Lake Winnebago mid-air collision, North Central Airlines Flight 290, a Convair CV-580, and Air Wisconsin Flight 671, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, collided over Lake Winnebago near Appleton, Wisconsin, killing all 13 people on board the two aircraft.
  • July 2 – Pan Am Flight 841, a Boeing 747 en route from San Francisco to Saigon, South Vietnam, was hijacked over the South China Sea by a political protester; the hijacker was killed at a fake refuelling stop and no one else was harmed.
  • July 5 – Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 710, a Boeing 737-200, was hijacked by two people. The plane landed at San Francisco, where the FBI stormed into the plane and ended the hijacking. Of 84 occupants, three were killed including the hijackers.
  • July 29 – Avianca Flight 630 collided in mid-air over Mámbita, Colombia, with Avianca Flight 626. All 38 people on board both DC-3s were killed.
  • July 29 to August 2 – Delta Air Lines Flight 841, a McDonnell Douglas DC-8-51, was hijacked by five people who boarded with their three children. Their demand was accepted and the plane flew to Algeria, where the 86 hostages were released. All 101 people survived.
  • August 14 – In the 1972 Königs Wusterhausen air disaster, an Interflug Ilyushin Il-62 flying from East Germany to Bulgaria, crashed near Königs Wusterhausen, to the southeast of Berlin; all 156 passengers and crew were killed. This was Germany's worst air disaster.
  • August 16 – A Burma Airways Douglas C-47 crashed into the sea shortly after departing from Thandwe Airport in Burma, killing 25 of the 28 on board.
  • August 31 – Aeroflot Flight 558, an Ilyushin Il-18 en route from Karaganda, Kazakhstan, to Moscow in the Soviet Union, crashed following an in-flight fire; all 102 people on board were killed.
  • September 24 – Japan Airlines Flight 472, a Douglas DC-8 flying from London to Tokyo with 122 on board, overshot the runway after landing at the wrong airport; there were no fatalities.
  • October 1 – Aeroflot Flight 1036, an Ilyushin Il-18V, crashed into the Black Sea during takeoff from Sochi International Airport in the Soviet Union, for reasons unknown; all 109 passengers and crew were killed.
  • October 13 – Aeroflot Flight 217, an Ilyushin Il-62 flying from Paris to Moscow, crashed on approach to Sheremetyevo International Airport for reasons unknown; all 174 passengers and crew on board were killed.
  • October 13 – Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, a Fairchild F-27 en route from Montevideo, Uruguay, to Santiago, Chile, crashed in the Andes due to pilot error; 29 of the 45 on board lost their lives, and the remaining 16 survived for 72 days by feeding on the dead.
  • October 21 – Olympic Airways Flight 506, a NAMC YS-11 en route from Corfu, crashed into the sea and later sank, on approach to Athens; 37 of the 53 people on board were killed.
  • October 27 – Air Inter Flight 696Y, a Vickers Viscount 724 en route from Lyon to Clemont-Ferrand, crashed near Noirétable, France, killing 60 of the 68 people on board.
  • October 29 – Lufthansa Flight 615, a Boeing 727 en route from Damascus to Frankfurt, was hijacked by sympathizers of Black September who demanded the release of the three surviving perpetrators of the Munich massacre; the ensuing stand-off was eventually resolved and there were no casualties.
  • October 30 – Aero Trasporti Italiani Flight 327, a Fokker F27 Friendship on a domestic flight from Naples to Bridinisi, with a stopover in Bari, crashed due to pilot error near Poggiorsini, in the Apulia region, killing all 27 people on board.
  • November 10 – Southern Airways Flight 49, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15, was hijacked by three people. The plane went to many places and ended up diverted to Havana, Cuba, where hijackers were arrested by the Cuban authorities. All 38 occupants survived.
  • November 15 – Ansett Airlines Flight 232, a Fokker F27 Friendship operating a domestic flight in Australia, was hijacked on approach to Alice Springs; after landing at the airport, the perpetrator fatally shot himself during a confrontation with the police.
  • November 28 – Japan Air Lines Flight 446, a Douglas DC-8 operating an international flight from Copenhagen, Denmark, to Tokyo, Japan, via Moscow, USSR, stalled and crashed after rotation from Sheremetyevo International Airport, due to pilot error; 62 of the 76 people on board were killed.
  • December 3 – Spantax Flight 275, a Convair 990 Coronado, crashed in Tenerife while taking off in almost zero visibility; all 155 passengers and crew were killed.
  • December 8 – United Airlines Flight 553, a Boeing 737, crashed after aborting its landing attempt at Chicago Midway International Airport, killing 43 of 60 people on board and two people on the ground; one of the fatalities was Dorothy Hunt, wife of Watergate conspirator E. Howard Hunt. The crash was the first fatal crash involving the 737-200.
  • December 8 – Pakistan International Airlines Flight 631, a Fokker F27, crashed into a mountain, halfway through its flight in Pakistan, killing all 31 passengers and crew.
  • December 8 - Ethiopian Airlines Flight 708, a Boeing 720-060B, was involved in a hijacking incident when seven members of the Eritrean Liberation Front tried to gain control of the aircraft. During the process, some sky marshals on board the aircraft opened fire killing six of the seven hijackers. Also, a grenade from the hijackers exploded on board the aircraft, damaging some control systems. The aircraft managed to land back at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The seventh hijacker later died in hospital due to his injuries.
  • December 20 – In the 1972 Chicago–O'Hare runway collision, Delta Air Lines Flight 954, a Convair CV-880, and North Central Airlines Flight 575, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, collided on the runway due to ATC communication errors, killing 10 people and injuring 17.
  • December 23 – Braathens SAFE Flight 239, a Fokker F-28 operating a domestic flight in Norway, crashed into terrain in Asker on approach to Oslo Airport, Fornebu, killing 40 of the 45 people on board.
  • December 29 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 401, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar flying from New York to Miami, crashed in the Florida Everglades when the crew was distracted by a faulty gear-down light, resulting in the deaths of 101 of the 176 people on board. This was the first crash of a widebody aircraft and the first loss of a Lockheed Tristar.
  • December 31 – An American Express Leasing Douglas DC-7 crashed off the coast of Puerto Rico, while en route from San Juan to Managua. All five on board were killed.

1973

  • January 2 – Pacific Western Airlines Flight 3801, a Boeing 707-321C on a cargo flight from Athens to Edmonton, crashed on approach to its destination. All five people on board were killed.
  • January 21 – Aeroflot Flight 6263, an Antonov An-24, lost control for unknown reasons, broke up and crashed while on approach to Perm Airport, killing all 39 on board.
  • January 22 – In the Kano air disaster, a Boeing 707 crashed while attempting to land at Kano International Airport in Nigeria, killing 176 of the 202 passengers and crew on board.
  • January 29 – EgyptAir Flight 741 crashed in the Kyrenia mountain range in Northern Cyprus while on approach to Nicosia International Airport; all 37 on board died.
  • February 19 – Aeroflot Flight 141, a Tupolev Tu-154, crashed short of the runway at Prague Ruzyně Airport for unknown reasons, killing 66 of 100 on board.
  • February 21 – Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114, a Boeing 727, strayed off course and was shot down by Israeli jets in the Sinai war zone, killing 108 of 113 people on board.
  • February 24 – Aeroflot Flight 630, an Ilyushin Il-18, crashed from Ura-Tube, Tajikistan, due to loss of control as a result of pilot error, killing all 79 on board.
  • February 28 – Aeroflot Flight X-167, a Yakovlev Yak-40, crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 32 on board.
  • March 3 – Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 307, an Ilyushin Il-18, crashed short of the runway at Sheremetyevo International Airport, killing all 25 on board.
  • March 5 – In the Nantes mid-air collision, an Iberia McDonnell Douglas DC-9 collided with a Spantax Convair CV-990. All 68 people on board the DC-9 were killed, while the CV-990 was able to make a successful emergency landing at Cognac – Châteaubernard Air Base.
  • April 10 – Invicta International Airlines Flight 435, a Vickers Vanguard 952 flying from Bristol Lulsgate to Basle, crashed into a hillside near Hochwald, Switzerland, then somersaulted and broke up, killing 108 with 37 survivors.
  • April 23 – Aeroflot Flight 2420, a Tupolev Tu-104B, was hijacked by a man who demanded to go to Stockholm, Sweden. Due to lack of fuel, and no permission to fly to Stockholm being given by the Leningrad ATC, the crew decided to land at Leningrad. When the hijacker realized what was happening, he detonated a bomb 30 seconds before the aircraft landed. The hijacker and one crew member died.
  • May 11 – Aeroflot Flight 6551, an Ilyushin Il-18, broke up and crashed south of Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan, following an unexplained loss of control; all 63 on board were killed.
  • May 18 – Aeroflot Flight 109, a Tupolev Tu-104, was hijacked en route to Chita from Irkutsk; the hijacker detonated a bomb and the aircraft crashed east of Lake Baikal, killing all 81 on board.
  • May 30 – SAM Colombia Flight 601, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, was hijacked by two football players. After negotiation and ineffective actions, they surrendered. All 88 occupants survived.
  • May 31 – Indian Airlines Flight 440, a Boeing 737, crashed while on approach to Palam Airport in New Delhi, India. 48 of the 65 passengers and crew on board were killed in the accident.
  • June 10 – In the 1973 Royal Nepal Airlines DHC-6 hijacking, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter operated by Royal Nepal Airlines was hijacked after takeoff from Biratnagar Airport, Nepal. The hijackers forced the pilot to land in a grass field in Forbesganj, Bihar, India. All 19 occupants survived.
  • June 20 – Aeroméxico Flight 229, a Douglas DC-9, crashed into the side of Las Minas Mountain while on approach to Lic. Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport; all 27 on board were killed.
  • July 11 – Varig Flight 820, a Boeing 707, experienced an onboard fire and crashed near Paris, France, killing 123 out of the 134 on board.
  • July 22 – Pan Am Flight 816, a Boeing 707, crashed shortly after takeoff from Faa's International Airport, French Polynesia, killing 77 out of the 78 on board.
  • July 23 – Japan Air Lines Flight 404, a Boeing 747, was hijacked after takeoff from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands; one hijacker was killed, while the flight purser was injured by a grenade blast; after several days and multiple flight legs, the passengers were released in Benghazi, Libya, and the aircraft was blown up on the ground; this was the first loss of a Boeing 747-200.
  • July 23 – Ozark Air Lines Flight 809, a Fairchild-Hiller FH-227, crashed short of the runway at St. Louis International Airport due to windshear from a thunderstorm, killing 38 of 44 on board.
  • July 31 – Delta Air Lines Flight 723, a Douglas DC-9, descended prematurely and crashed on final approach to Boston Logan International Airport, killing all 89 on board; the probable cause was determined to be an unstabilized final approach by the flight crew.
  • August 13 – Aviaco Flight 118, a Sud Caravelle en route from Madrid to A Coruña, crashed in Montrove 2 km from the airport, killing all 85 on board and one on the ground.
  • August 18 – Aeroflot Flight A-13, an Antonov An-24, crashed near Baku, Azerbaijan, after striking a cable on an oil rig following an engine failure, killing 56 of the 64 on board. The accident remains the deadliest in Azerbaijan.
  • August 27 – An Aerocondor Lockheed L-188 Electra struck a mountain after takeoff from Bogotá, killing all 42 on board.
  • August 28 – TWA Flight 742, a Boeing 707, experienced severe porpoising oscillations during a descent over the Pacific Ocean near Los Angeles; all on board initially survived, but a passenger died two days later from injuries sustained in the accident.
  • September 8 – World Airways Flight 802, a Douglas DC-8-63CF, crashed on approach into Cold Bay Airport, Alaska. All six occupants were killed.
  • September 11 – JAT Airways Flight 769, a Sud Aviation Caravelle, crashed into Mt. Maganik near Kolašin, Montenegro, killing all 41 on board.
  • September 27 – Texas International Airlines Flight 655, a Convair 600, crashed into Black Fork Mountain while avoiding thunderstorms, killing all 11 passengers and crew.
  • September 30 – Aeroflot Flight 3932, a Tupolev Tu-104, crashed shortly after takeoff from Koltsovo Airport in Sverdlovsk, Russia, after the pilots became disorientated following an electrical failure; all 108 on board died.
  • October 13 – Aeroflot Flight 964, a Tupolev Tu-104, crashed while on approach to Domodedovo International Airport, Moscow, Russia, after the pilots became disorientated following an electrical failure; all 122 on board died in the deadliest accident involving the Tu-104.
  • November 2 – Aeroflot Flight 19, a Yakovlev Yak-40, was hijacked ten minutes before landing at Bryansk Airport, Russia. The aircraft was then diverted to Moscow's Vnukovo Airport where it was stormed by the authorities; one of the four hijackers was killed and a second committed suicide, while the other two hijackers survived, along with all passengers and crew.
  • November 3 – National Airlines Flight 27, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 with 128 on board, suffered an uncontained engine failure at 39,000 feet 65 miles southwest of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Debris from the engine punctured the fuselage and a passenger was blown out of the aircraft, but the aircraft was able to land safely with no other casualties.
  • November 3 – Pan Am Flight 160, a Boeing 707 operating a cargo flight, crashed after smoke in the cockpit prevented the crew from maintaining control of the aircraft while attempting an emergency landing at Boston Logan International Airport, Massachusetts; all three crew members died.
  • November 25 – KLM Flight 861, a Boeing 747, was hijacked over Iraq. The hijackers forced the crew to land at several different airports, the last one being Dubai International Airport, where the hijackers surrendered to the authorities. All 264 people on board survived.
  • December 16 – Aeroflot Flight 2022, a Tupolev Tu-124, crashed near Karacharovo, Russia, after entering a nosedive following a failure in the horizontal stabilizer, killing all 51 on board.
  • December 17 – Iberia Flight 933, a Douglas DC-10, crash-landed on the runway of Boston Logan International Airport, Massachusetts, after colliding with the approach lighting system short of the runway threshold. All 168 on board survived, but three occupants received serious injuries.
  • December 17 – In the 1973 Rome airport attacks and hijacking, armed gunmen killed two people in the terminal, then firebombed Pan Am Flight 110, a Boeing 707, killing 30 inside the aircraft. The gunmen then hijacked Lufthansa Flight 303, a Boeing 737 en route to Munich, killing two more before landing and surrendering in Kuwait.
  • December 22 – In the 1973 Royal Air Maroc Sud Aviation Caravelle crash, a Sud Aviation Caravelle operated by Sobelair crashed into Mount Mellaline near Tanger-Boukhalef Airport, Morocco, killing all 106 on board.

1974

  • January 6 – Commonwealth Commuter Flight 317, a Beechcraft Model 99A, crashed short of the runway on approach to Johnstown–Cambria County Airport, Pennsylvania, following a premature descent, killing 12 of the 17 on board.
  • January 6 – Aeroflot Flight H-75, an Antonov An-24B, crashed while entering an uncontrolled dive, killing all 24 on board.
  • January 26 – Turkish Airlines Flight 301, a Fokker F28-1000, stalled and crashed after takeoff from Izmir Cumaovasi Airport due to wing icing; of the 73 on board, only six survived.
  • January 30 – Pan Am Flight 806, a Boeing 707-320B, crashed on approach to Pago Pago International Airport, American Samoa, due to pilot error after encountering a microburst 97 of 101 on board died.
  • February 22 – Delta Air Lines Flight 523, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30, was hijacked by Samuel Byck, who planned to attempt to kill Richard Nixon. Byck killed a police officer on the ground before boarding the plane, where he shot both the pilots, killing one; Byck was subsequently shot by police, then killed himself.
  • March 3 – Turkish Airlines Flight 981, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, crashed in the Ermenonville forest near Senlis, France, after the rear underfloor cargo door opened mid-flight; all 346 on board were killed.
  • March 13 – Sierra Pacific Airlines Flight 802, a Convair CV-440, crashed shortly after takeoff from Eastern Sierra Regional Airport, near Bishop, California, while transporting a movie crew to Burbank. All 36 on board were killed.
  • March 15 – Sterling Airways Flight 901, a Sterling Airways Sud Aviation Caravelle, suffered a landing gear failure at Mehrabad International Airport. The right wing contacted the runway, rupturing the fuel tank and starting a fire that killed 15 of 92 passengers; all four crew survived.
  • April 4 – A Wenela Air Services Douglas DC-4 crashed near Francistown, Botswana, killing 78 of the 84 people on board.
  • April 18 – Court Line Flight 95, a BAC One-Eleven, collided with a Piper Aztec on the runway at London Luton Airport, killing the pilot of the Aztec; there were no casualties on board the One-Eleven, but the aircraft was substantially damaged; the Aztec was written off.
  • April 22 – Pan Am Flight 812, a Boeing 707-320B, crashed into mountainous terrain northwest of Denpasar, Bali, due to instrument failure and pilot error, killing all 107 on board.
  • April 27 – An Aeroflot Ilyushin Il-18 crashed shortly after takeoff from Pulkovo Airport, Leningrad, Russia, due to loss of control following engine failure; all 109 on board died.
  • July 10 – An EgyptAir Tupolev Tu-154 crashed near Cairo International Airport during a training flight, killing all six crew members.
  • September 8 – TWA Flight 841, a Boeing 707, broke up and plunged into the Ionian Sea after a bomb exploded in the cargo hold; all 88 on board died.
  • September 11 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 212, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashed on approach to Charlotte, North Carolina; 72 of 82 people on board were killed.
  • September 15 – Air Vietnam Flight 706, a Boeing 727, was hijacked and crashed in Phan Rang, Vietnam, following an aborted landing; all 75 on board died.
  • October 30 - Panarctic Oils Flight 416, a Lockheed L-188 Electra carrying Petro-Canada employees, crashed in the Byam Channel while en route from Edmonton to Rea Point; 32 of the 34 people on board were killed.
  • November 20 – Lufthansa Flight 540 crashed shortly after takeoff in Nairobi, Kenya; 59 of 157 on board were killed. This was the first crash of a Boeing 747.
  • December 1 – Northwest Airlines Flight 6231, a Boeing 727, stalled and crashed 12 minutes after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, due to wing icing caused by pilot error, killing the three crew.
  • December 1 – TWA Flight 514, a Boeing 727 inbound to Dulles International Airport, crashed into Mount Weather in Bluemont, Virginia, killing all 92 on board.
  • December 4 – Martinair Flight 138, a Douglas DC-8 on a charter flight, crashed into a mountain on approach to Katunayake, Sri Lanka, for a refuelling stop; all the passengers – 182 Indonesian hajj pilgrims bound for Mecca – and all nine crew members died.
  • December 22 – Avensa Flight 358, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, suffered dual engine failure after takeoff and crashed near Maturín, Venezuela, killing all 75 on board.

1975

  • January 9 – Golden West Airlines Flight 261, a de Havilland Twin Otter, collided with a Cessna 150 near Whittier, California, killing all 14 people in both aircraft.
  • January 17 – A Sikorsky S-55 helicopter operated by Þyrluflug crashed due to wind conditions and overloading, while en route from Reykjavik and Vegamót. All seven people on board were killed.
  • January 30 – Turkish Airlines Flight 345, a Fokker F-28, crashed into the Sea of Marmara after a missed approach; all 42 on board died, and the cause was never determined.
  • February 3 – 197 people fell ill on board a Japan Air Lines Boeing 747 en route from Anchorage, Alaska, to Copenhagen, Denmark, after consuming an in-flight meal contaminated with Staphylococci; 144 people were hospitalized, making it the largest food poisoning incident on board a commercial airliner.
  • March 31 – A charter Pilatus PC-6 Porter operated by Royal Nepal Airlines crashed near Boudha Stupa, Nepal, while en route from Kathmandu to Phaplu. All five people on board died, including the wife and daughter of Sir Edmund Hillary, for whom the flight was chartered.
  • June 24 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 66, a Boeing 727, encountered wind shear on final approach and struck approach lights at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, killing 113 of 124 people on board.
  • July 15 – Aeroflot Flight E-15, a Yakovlev Yak-40, crashed into a mountain while gaining altitude to go-around, killing all 40 occupants.
  • July 31 – Far Eastern Air Transport Flight 134, a Vickers Viscount 837, crashed on approach after being hit by a downdraft, killing 27 out of 75 occupants.
  • August 3 – The Agadir air disaster: an Air Maroc-operated Boeing 707 owned by Royal Jordanian Airlines crashed while on approach to Agadir, Morocco, due to pilot error; all 188 on board died. This was the worst accident involving the Boeing 707.
  • August 20 – ČSA Flight 540, an Ilyushin Il-62, crashed while on approach to Damascus, Syria; 126 of the 128 passengers and crew on board died in the accident.
  • August 30 – Wien Air Alaska Flight 99, a Fairchild F-27, crashed into Seuvokuk Mountain, Alaska, while on approach to Gambell Airport, killing 10 of 32 on board.
  • September 1 – Interflug Flight 1107, a Tupolev Tu-134, crashed while on approach to Leipzig, killing 27 of 34 on board.
  • September 24 – Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 150, a Fokker F-28, crashed in foggy weather while on approach to Palembang, Indonesia; 25 of 61 on board died, plus one person on the ground.
  • September 30 – Malév Flight 240, a Tupolev Tu-154, crashed on approach near Lebanon, killing all 60 people on board.
  • October 6 – Connair Flight 1263, a de Havilland DH-114 Heron, crashed near Cairns airport, Australia, after a flight from Mount Isa. All 11 people on board were killed.
  • October 30 – Inex-Adria Aviopromet Flight 450, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashed on approach in a Prague suburb, killing 79 of 120 on board.
  • November 12 – Overseas National Airways Flight 032, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30CF, initiated a rejected takeoff after being struck by a large flock of gulls. All 139 on board survived, but 32 people were injured due to the post-crash fire.
  • November 17 – Aeroflot Flight 6274, an Antonov An-24, crashed into the steep slope of Mount Apshara during the descent, killing all 38 on board.
  • November 26 – In the 1975 Michigan mid-air incident, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 nearly collided with a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar. The pilot of Flight 182, Guy Eby, lowered the plane after realising the danger, saving all 319 occupants.

1976

  • January 1 – Middle East Airlines Flight 438, a Boeing 720, crashed in Saudi Arabia after a bomb exploded in the forward baggage compartment, killing all 81 people on board.
  • January 3 – Aeroflot Flight 2003, a Tupolev Tu-124, crashed just after takeoff from Vnukovo Airport, due to instrument failure, killing all 61 passengers and crew on board and one person on the ground.
  • January 15 – In the Taxi Aereo el Venado Douglas DC-4 accident, a Douglas DC-4 crashed into a mountain in Colombia, killing all 13 on board.
  • February 9 – Aeroflot Flight 3739, a Tupolev Tu-104, crashed on takeoff from Irkutsk after the aircraft rolled to the right, killing 24 of 114 on board.
  • March 6 – Aeroflot Flight 909, an Ilyushin Il-18, crashed near Voronezh due to loss of control following an electrical failure, killing all 111 on board.
  • April 5 - Alaska Airlines Flight 60, a Boeing 727, overshot the runway at Ketchikan International Airport due to pilot error. One person was killed and 49 were injured.
  • April 27 – American Airlines Flight 625, a Boeing 727, crashed on approach to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, killing 37 of 88 people on board.
  • May 15 – Aeroflot Flight 1802, an Antonov An-24, crashed near Viktorovka, Chernigov Region, due to loss of control following an unexplained rudder deflection, killing all 52 on board.
  • May 21 – Six hijackers stormed the BAC One-Eleven-527FK operated as Philippine Airlines Flight 116, and then diverted to Zamboanga Airport in the Philippines. Negotiation continued until May 23, when the authorities stormed the plane. Ten passengers and three of the hijackers were killed.
  • June 1 – Aeroflot Flight 418, a Tupolev Tu-154, crashed into a mountainside on the island of Bioko in Equatorial Guinea for reasons unknown; all 46 on board died.
  • June 4 – Air Manila Flight 702, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, crashed shortly after takeoff from NAS Agana, Guam, due to engine failure and pilot error, killing all 45 on board; one person on the ground also died when a car was struck by the aircraft.
  • June 6 – In the 1976 Sabah Air GAF Nomad crash, a GAF N-22B Nomad crashed into the sea on approach into Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Malaysia. All 11 passengers and crew were killed. Several local political leaders were on board at the time.
  • June 27 – Air France Flight 139, an Airbus A300, was hijacked from Athens by two Palestinians and two Germans who diverted the flight to Libya and then to Uganda, where the plane was met by pro-Palestinian forces from Idi Amin's government; Israeli troops eventually stormed the airport in Operation Entebbe, killing hijackers and Ugandan soldiers and freeing all but three of the hostages; Israeli colonel Yonatan Netanyahu was also killed in the raid.
  • July 28 – ČSA Flight 001, an Ilyushin Il-18, crashed near Bratislava in Czechoslovakia, killing 76 of 78 people on board.
  • August 15 – SAETA Flight 232, a Vickers Viscount 785D, went missing en route from Quito to Cuenca, Ecuador; all four crew members and 55 passengers were killed, but the site of the crash remained unknown for 26 years until its discovery in October 2002 by climbers on the eastern face of the stratovolcano Chimborazo.
  • August 23 – EgyptAir Flight 321 was hijacked by three armed terrorists. The plane landed in Luxor where the aircraft was stormed. Everyone survived.
  • September 9 – In the 1976 Anapa mid-air collision, Aeroflot Flight 7957, an Antonov An-24, collided with Aeroflot Flight S-31, a Yakovlev Yak-40, over the Black Sea off Anapa due to ATC and crew errors, killing all 70 on board both aircraft.
  • September 10 – In the 1976 Zagreb mid-air collision, British Airways Flight 476, a Hawker Siddeley Trident, and Inex-Adria Aviopromet Flight 550, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, collided near Zagreb, Yugoslavia, killing all 176 people on board both aircraft.
  • September 10 – TWA Flight 355, a Boeing 27-231, was hijacked by five members of "Fighters for Free Croatia". All 46 occupants survived, but a NYPD officer was killed.
  • September 19 – Turkish Airlines Flight 452, a Boeing 727, crashed into a hillside near Karatepe, Turkey, while on approach to Antalya Airport; all 154 passengers and crew died.
  • October 6 – Cubana de Aviación Flight 455, a Douglas DC-8, was bombed by anti-Castro militants and crashed near Bridgetown, Barbados, killing all 73 people on board.
  • October 12 – Indian Airlines Flight 171, a Sud Caravelle, crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Bombay Airport; all 95 passengers and crew on board were killed.
  • October 13 – A Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano Boeing 707 crashed on takeoff from El Trompillo airport, Bolivia. All three crew members were killed, along with 88 people on the ground.
  • November 23 – Olympic Airways Flight 830, a NAMC YS-11A, crashed into a mountain in Greece in low visibility, killing all 50 on board.
  • November 28 – Aeroflot Flight 2415, a Tupolev Tu-104, crashed shortly after takeoff from Sheremetyevo International Airport, due to crew disorientation following artificial horizon failure, killing all 73 on board.
  • December 17 – Aeroflot Flight N-36, an Antonov An-24, crashed on approach to Kiev-Zhuilany Airport, killing 48 of 55 on board.
  • December 25 – EgyptAir Flight 864, a Boeing 707, crashed into an industrial complex near Bangkok, Thailand, due to pilot error; all 52 on board were killed as well as another 19 on the ground.

1977

  • January 13 – Aeroflot Flight 3843, a Tupolev Tu-104 operating a flight from Khabarovsk Novy Airport, Soviet Union, to Almaty Airport in Kazakhstan, crashed in a field just short of its destination due to an engine fire; all 90 people on board were killed.
  • January 13 - Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1045, a Douglas DC-8 operated by Japan Airlines, stalled and crashed after takeoff from Anchorage International Airport. The plane was heading to Tokyo Haneda Airport. All five people on board were killed.
  • January 15 – Linjeflyg Flight 618, a Skyline Vickers Viscount 838 operating a multi-leg domestic flight in Sweden, crashed in the district of Kälvesta, western Stockholm, due to atmospheric icing, killing all 22 people on board.
  • February 15 – Aeroflot Flight 5003, an Ilyushin Il-18 operating a domestic flight in the western Soviet Union, crashed due to pilot error after a missed approach to Mineralnye Vody Airport, killing 77 of the 98 people on board.
  • March 17 – A British Airtours Boeing 707 crashed due to engine failure after takeoff. All four occupants survived.
  • March 27 – In the Tenerife airport disaster, two Boeing 747s, KLM Flight 4805 and Pan Am Flight 1736, collided on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport in heavy fog; 583 of the 644 people on board the two aircraft were killed; all 61 of the survivors suffered injuries. This was the deadliest accident in the history of commercial aviation.
  • April 4 – Southern Airways Flight 242, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 flying from northwest Alabama to Atlanta, Georgia, crash-landed on a highway near New Hope, Georgia, after encountering dual engine failure in a thunderstorm; 63 of the 85 people on board were killed, as well as nine on the ground.
  • April 12 – Delta Air Lines Flight 1080, a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar operating a domestic flight in California, United States, experienced a loss of pitch control during takeoff from Los Angeles International Airport, due to a malfunctioning elevator; the aircraft was able to land safely with no casualties.
  • May 7 – Two Aeroflot Antonov An-2s collided near Tavda, Russia, killing all 29 people on board both aircraft.
  • May 14 – A Dan-Air Boeing 707 crashed near Lusaka Airport, Zambia, after a multi-leg flight from London's Heathrow Airport, via Athens and Nairobi, due to structural failure; the one passenger and five crew members were killed.
  • May 27 – Aeroflot Flight 331, an Ilyushin Il-62 operating a multi-leg flight from Moscow, Soviet Union, to Havana, Cuba, crashed due to pilot error while on approach to José Martí International Airport, killing all but two of the 69 people on board.
  • July 10 – Two people hijacked a Tupolev Tu-134, registered CCCP-65639. The hijackers demanded to go to Stockholm, Sweden, but landed at Helsinki, Finland, due to fuel starvation. All 75 occupants survived.
  • July 20 – Aeroflot Flight B-2, an Avia 14, crashed shortly after takeoff from Vitim Airport, Russia, due to pilot and ATC errors; of the 40 on board, only one passenger survived.
  • September 21 – Malév Flight 203, a Tupolev Tu-134, was a passenger flight from Istanbul to Budapest with a scheduled stop in Bucharest. It crashed near Otopeni Airport in Bucharest, killing 29 people of the 53 on board.
  • September 27 – Japan Airlines Flight 715, a McDonnell Douglas DC-8 operating a multi-leg flight from Tokyo to Singapore, crashed into a hillside due to pilot error while on approach to Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Malaysia, killing 34 of the 79 people on board.
  • September 28 – Japan Airlines Flight 472, a McDonnell Douglas DC-8 bound for Tokyo, was hijacked by Japanese Red Army militants shortly after departing from Bombay, India, and forced to land in Dhaka, Bangladesh; the hijackers' demands were eventually met, and all 151 passengers and crew were released unharmed. Among the five hijackers, four years before Flight 472, Osamu Maruoka also hijacked a Boeing 747-246B operated as Japan Air Lines Flight 404.
  • October 13 – Lufthansa Flight 181, a Boeing 737 flying from Mallorca to Germany, was hijacked over the Mediterranean Sea by members of the PFLP who killed the pilot; the aircraft eventually landed in Mogadishu where it was stormed by German police commandos; three of the hijackers were killed, while the fourth was captured, and there were no other fatalities.
  • October 20 – A Convair CV-240 chartered by Lynyrd Skynyrd crashed into a heavily wooded swamp in Amite County, Mississippi, United States, while en route from Greenville, South Carolina, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, due to fuel exhaustion; four of the 24 passengers and both crew members were killed.
  • October 29 – Vietnam Civil Aviation Flight 509, a Douglas DC-3, was hijacked by four armed Vietnamese hijackers seeking asylum in Singapore. The flight firstly diverted to U-Tapao Air Base, then landed at Seletar Air Base where hijackers surrendered after negotiating with Singapore officials for five hours. Of the 36 occupants, 2 crew members were killed in the first aircraft hijacking on a Vietnam Airlines's aircraft, and also the first aircraft hijacking after the Fall of Saigon in 1975.
  • November 19 – TAP Portugal Flight 425, a Boeing 727 operating a multi-leg flight from Belgium to Portugal, plunged over a steep bank and burst into flames after overshooting the runway at Madeira Airport, due to pilot error, killing 131 of the 164 people on board.
  • November 21 – Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 9, a BAC One-Eleven 420EL, crashed into a mountain at Cerro Pichileufú, Argentina, killing 46 out of 79 people on board.
  • December 2 – A Libyan Arab Airlines Tupolev Tu-154 crashed near Benghazi, Libya, due to fuel exhaustion, while en route from King Abdulaziz International Airport, Saudi Arabia, to Benina International Airport in Libya; 59 of the 165 people on board lost their lives.
  • December 4 – Malaysian Airline System Flight 653, a Boeing 737 operating a flight from Penang to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, crashed into a swamp near Tanjung Kupang, Johor, as a result of a failed hijacking attempt; all 100 people on board were killed.
  • December 13 – Air Indiana Flight 216, a Douglas DC-3 carrying the Evansville University Purple Aces basketball team on a charter flight from Evansville, Indiana, to Nashville, Tennessee, crashed shortly after takeoff due to overloading and pilot error, killing all 29 passengers and crew.
  • December 18 – United Airlines Flight 2860, a McDonnell Douglas DC-8 flying from San Francisco, California, to Chicago, Illinois, in the United States, crashed in the Wasatch mountain range in Utah, killing the three crew.
  • December 18 – SA de Transport Aérien Flight 730, a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle operating a flight from Geneva, Switzerland, to Madeira, Portugal, crashed into the sea while on final approach to its destination, due to pilot error, killing 36 of the 57 people on board.
  • December 19 – A Vieques Air Link Britten-Norman crashed en route from the US Virgin Islands to Puerto Rico, killing five of the 10 people on board.

1978

  • January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747, crashed into the Arabian Sea as a result of instrument malfunction and pilot error, killing all 213 passengers and crew.
  • February 11 – Pacific Western Airlines Flight 314, a Boeing 737-200 arriving from Edmonton, crashed at Cranbrook Airport, Canada, after one thrust reverser did not fully stow following an aborted landing, killing 43 of the 49 people on board.
  • March 1 – Continental Airlines Flight 603, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, crashed on takeoff from Los Angeles International Airport after a tire blew out on the left main landing gear, causing it to collapse; of 200 on board, two died at the time and two others died of their injuries three months later.
  • March 3 – A Línea Aeropostal Venezolana Hawker Siddeley HS 748 crashed on departure from Simón Bolívar International Airport, Venezuela, due to a possible instrument failure; all 46 on board were killed.
  • March 9 – A man tried to hijack China Airlines Flight 831, a Boeing 737-200 en route from Kaohsiung to Hong Kong. The plane landed safely in Hong Kong; among the 101 on board, the only fatality was the hijacker.
  • March 13 – A man claiming to have a bomb hijacked United Airlines Flight 696. The plane first landed at Oakland, California, and the passengers and cabin crew were released. The plane then flew to Denver, Colorado, where the hijacker surrendered. All 75 occupants survived.
  • March 16 – Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 107, a Tupolev Tu-134, crashed near the village of Gabare, Bulgaria, killing all 73 people on board.
  • April 20 – Korean Air Lines Flight 902, a Boeing 707, was shot down by Soviet fighter planes; the plane crash-landed near the Soviet Union's border with Finland; two of the 109 people on board were killed; the rest were subsequently released.
  • May 8 – National Airlines Flight 193, a Boeing 727, on approach to Pensacola, Florida, United States, ditched in Escambia Bay, as a result of pilot error; three passengers out of 58 people on board drowned.
  • May 19 – Aeroflot Flight 6709, a Tupolev Tu-154, crashed in a field near Maksatikha, Russia, after all three engines failed due to fuel starvation, killing four of 134 on board.
  • May 23 – A Tupolev Tu-144D crash-landed during a test flight. The aircraft experienced an in-flight fire due to a fuel leak, which also caused two engines to shut down. With another engine having failed, the plane made a belly landing in a field near Yegoryevsk, killing two out of eight occupants.
  • June 26 – Air Canada Flight 189, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashed on takeoff in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, because of tire failure; two of the 107 passengers and crew on board died.
  • June 26 – Helikopter Service Flight 165, a Sikorsky S-61, crashed into the North Sea while en route to Statfjord oil field, due to a fatigue failure of a rotor, killing all 18 on board.
  • June 28 – Vietnam Civil Aviation Flight 501, a Douglas DC-4, was hijacked by four men armed with Makarov pistols, knives and grenades. The hijackers engaged in a gunfight with the crew and security personnel. The plane safely landed at Da Nang International Airport.. Of the 67 onboard, 4 hijackers died in the second hijacking of a Vietnam Airlines plane.
  • August 9 – Olympic Airways Flight 411, a Boeing 747-200, nearly crashed in downtown Athens following an uncontained engine failure during takeoff. The plane regained enough speed to return safely to Ellinikon International Airport, and none of the 418 passengers or crew suffered serious injuries.
  • August 30 – In the LOT Polish Airlines Flight 165 hijacking, two East German citizens hijacked a Tupolev Tu-134 and forced it to land at Tempelhof Airport; there were no casualties to the 63 passengers on board.
  • September 3 – Air Rhodesia Flight 825 from Kariba to Salisbury was shot down by an SA-7 surface-to-air missile; 18 of the 56 passengers initially survived the emergency landing; 10 were subsequently killed by Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army militants.
  • September 7 - An Air Ceylon HS 748 was bombed on the ground at Jaffna Airport. All three crew members on board survived.
  • September 25 – Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182, a Boeing 727, collided with a Cessna 172 over San Diego, California, United States; all 135 on board the airliner, both pilots of the Cessna, and seven people on the ground were killed, making this the worst aviation disaster in California history, and the deadliest mid-air collision in North America.
  • September 26 – Air Caribbean Flight 309, a Beechcraft Model 18, crashed on approach to San Juan, Puerto Rico, due to wake turbulence caused by an L-1011. All six people on board were killed.
  • September 30 – Finnair Flight 405 was hijacked during a domestic flight from Helsinki to Oulu. The Sud Aviation Caravelle was flown to Amsterdam in the Netherlands where, after being paid, the hijacker released all 49 people on board.
  • October 7 – Aeroflot Flight 1080, a Yakovlev Yak-40, crashed shortly after takeoff from Koltsovo Airport, due to an engine failure caused by ice ingestion, killing all 38 on board.
  • October 23 – Aeroflot Flight 6515, an Antonov An-24B, crashed after entering an uncontrolled dive due to an engine failure, killing all 26 on board.
  • November 15 – Icelandic Airlines Flight 001, a Douglas DC-8 on a charter flight, crashed into a coconut plantation while on approach to Katunayake, Sri Lanka, for a refuelling stop; 183 out of 262 people on board were killed.
  • December 4 – Rocky Mountain Airways Flight 217, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300, crashed near Buffalo Pass, Colorado, after encountering severe weather conditions. Two out of the 22 on board were killed.
  • December 17 – Indian Airlines Flight 403, a Boeing 737-2A8, overshot the runway after entering a stall during takeoff, killing one out of 132 on board and three more on the ground.
  • December 20 – Indian Airlines Flight 410, a Boeing 737-200, was hijacked by two people who claimed to be members of the Indian Youth Congress. None of the 132 occupants died.
  • December 21 – Robin Oswald hijacked TWA Flight 541 in order to free Garrett Brock Trapnell. He then surrendered after negotiations, and all 87 on board survived.
  • December 23 – Alitalia Flight 4128, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32, crashed into the Tyrrhenian Sea when on approach to Palermo International Airport, Italy. Of the 129 passengers and crew, 108 died.
  • December 28 – United Airlines Flight 173, a Douglas DC-8, ran out of fuel while circling near Portland, Oregon, United States, as the crew investigated a light indicating a problem with the landing gear; the plane crashed in a suburban area damaging two unoccupied houses, killing 10 and injuring 24 of the 181 on board.

1979

  • January 30 – Varig Flight 967, a Boeing 707 bound for Rio de Janeiro–Galeão International Airport, disappeared over the Pacific Ocean after takeoff from Narita International Airport, Japan; the cause remains unknown, as neither survivors nor wreckage have ever been found.
  • February 7 – Vietnam Civil Aviation Flight 226, an Antonov An-24, carying 36 people, was hijacked by 6 people to take refuge. A lieutenant killed 4 hijackers and the other two surrendered, ending the hijack
  • February 12 – Air Rhodesia Flight 827, a Vickers Viscount on a flight between Kariba and Salisbury, was shot down shortly after takeoff by Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army militants using an SA-7 surface-to-air missile in similar circumstances to Flight 825 five months earlier; all 55 passengers and four crew were killed.
  • February 17 – Air New Zealand Flight 4374, a Fokker F-27 Friendship, crashed while on approach into Auckland International Airport, New Zealand. The captain and one passenger were killed.
  • March 13 – Alia Royal Jordanian Airlines Flight 600, a Boeing 727, crashed following a missed approach at Doha International Airport, Qatar; 44 of the 64 on board were killed.
  • March 17 – Aeroflot Flight 1691, a Tupolev Tu-104, crashed near Vnukovo International Airport while attempting to make an emergency landing after a fire alarm was reported; 58 of 119 on board died.
  • March 26 – An Interflug Ilyushin Il-18 crashed on takeoff from Luanda, Angola, killing all 10 people on board.
  • March 29 – Quebecair Flight 255, a Fairchild F-27 bound for Montreal, crashed minutes after takeoff from Quebec City as it was attempting to return to the airport following the explosion of its number two engine, killing 17 of the 24 people on board.
  • April 4 – TWA Flight 841, a Boeing 727, went into a dive over Saginaw, Michigan, plunging in altitude within 63 seconds. The plane made an emergency landing in Detroit after the first officer regained control of the plane at ; all 89 passengers and crew survived
  • April 23 – SAETA Flight 011, a Vickers Viscount, crashed in a mountainous region of Pastaza, Ecuador, killing all 57 people on board.
  • May 25 – American Airlines Flight 191, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, crashed upon takeoff from O'Hare International Airport after its left engine detached from the wing, killing all 271 on board and two on the ground in the worst single-aircraft accident on U.S. soil.
  • May 30 – Downeast Flight 46, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, crashed on approach into Knox County Regional Airport, Maine. Of the 18 occupants, 17 were killed.
  • June 17 – Air New England Flight 248, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, crashed near Camp Greenough, Massachusetts, while on approach to Barnstable Municipal Airport, killing the pilot.
  • June 20 – American Airlines Flight 293, a Boeing 727, was hijacked shortly before it landed in Chicago. After letting the passengers and most of the crew members go, the hijacker forced the remaining crew members to fly back to New York City, where he demanded and received a Boeing 707 to fly him initially to Johannesburg, South Africa, but later to Ireland. After arriving at Shannon Airport, he surrendered to the Irish authorities.
  • July 11 – A Garuda Indonesian Airways Fokker F-28 struck a mountain while on approach to Medan, Indonesia, killing all 61 on board.
  • July 26 – Lufthansa Cargo Flight 527, a Boeing 707, crashed into a mountain shortly after takeoff from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, killing all three crew members.
  • July 31 – Dan-Air Flight 0034, a Hawker Siddeley HS 748, failed to become airborne at Sumburgh Airport, Scotland, due to a maintenance error, killing 17 of 44 on board.
  • August 11 – The 1979 Dniprodzerzhynsk mid-air collision between two Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-134s killed 178.
  • August 29 – Aeroflot Flight 5484, a Tupolev Tu-124, broke up in mid-air after experiencing loss of control due to an unexplained release of the flaps, killing all 63 people on board.
  • September 14 – Aero Trasporti Italiani Flight 12, a Douglas DC-9, crashed into a rocky mountainside during an attempted landing at Cagliari-Elmas Airport, Italy, killing all 31 people on board.
  • October 7 – Swissair Flight 316, a Douglas DC-8-62, crashed after overshooting the runway at Athens-Ellinikon International Airport, killing 14 of the 154 passengers and crew.
  • October 31 – Western Airlines Flight 2605, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, struck a vehicle on a closed runway in dense fog at Mexico City, Mexico; 72 of the 88 on board died.
  • November 11 – Transportes Aéreos Españoles Flight 297, a Sud Aviation Caravelle flying from Salzburg to Las Palmas, was forced to make an emergency landing in Valencia after the crew reportedly spotted a UFO on a collision course with the plane. All 109 passengers of the plane were unharmed.
  • November 15 – American Airlines Flight 444, a Boeing 727, took off with a bomb planted in the cargo hold by the Unabomber. The bomb failed to detonate, instead giving off large quantities of smoke. Twelve passengers were treated for smoke inhalation, and all 78 on board survived.
  • November 26 – Pakistan International Airlines Flight 740, a Boeing 707, crashed after a fire in the cabin in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; all 145 passengers and 11 crew died.
  • November 28 – Air New Zealand Flight 901, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, crashed into Mount Erebus, Antarctica, during a sightseeing flight, killing all 257 people on board; this crash is also known as the Mount Erebus Disaster.
  • December 23 – A Turkish Airlines Fokker F28 crashed on a hillside near Kuyumcuköy, Ankara, Turkey, while on approach to Esenboğa Airport; of the 45 on board, only four survived.

1980s

1980

  • January 21 – Iran Air Flight 291, a Boeing 727, crashed in the Alborz Mountains near Tehran, Iran, amid a snowstorm, on approach to Mehrabad International Airport, killing all 128 people on board.
  • February 21 – Advance Airlines Flight 4210 a Beechcraft Super King Air 200, crashed shortly after takeoff from Sydney Airport, Australia, following a failure of one engine due to water in the fuel, killing all 13 people on board.
  • February 27 – China Airlines Flight 811, a Boeing 707, landed short of the runway at Manila International Airport and caught fire. Two of the 135 passengers and crew were killed.
  • March 14 – LOT Polish Airlines Flight 007, an Ilyushin Il-62, crashed near Warsaw, Poland, after the number two engine disintegrated and severed the elevator and rudder control lines; all 87 on board were killed.
  • April 12 – Transbrasil Flight 303, a Boeing 727, crashed into a hill near Florianópolis, Brazil, killing 55 of 58 on board.
  • April 25 – Dan-Air Flight 1008, a Boeing 727, crashed into a mountain near Tenerife, Spain, killing all 138 passengers and eight crew on board.
  • April 27 – Thai Airways Flight 231, a Hawker Siddeley HS 748, crashed while on approach to Don Mueang International Airport, Bangkok, Thailand, in severe weather, killing 44 of 53 on board.
  • June 12 – Aeroflot Flight Sh-88, a Yakolev Yak-40 en route from Leninabad to Dushanbe, crashed in mountainous terrain in western Tajikistan. All 29 people on board were killed.
  • June 12 – Air Wisconsin Flight 965, a Swearingen Metro II, crashed after a catastrophic engine failure in poor weather en route to Lincoln Municipal Airport, Nebraska; 13 of the 15 passengers and crew were killed.
  • June 27 – Itavia Flight 870, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashed into the Tyrrhenian Sea near Italy, killing all 81 people on board.
  • July 8 – Aeroflot Flight 4225, a Tupolev Tu-154, crashed shortly after takeoff from Almaty International Airport, killing all 166 people on board.
  • August 19 – Saudia Flight 163, a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, made an emergency landing at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after a fire broke out on board; the evacuation of the plane was delayed and all 301 on board died.
  • September 12 – In the Florida Commuter Airlines crash, a Douglas DC-3 ditched into the Atlantic Ocean near the Bahamas, killing all 34 on board.
  • November 3 – In the Latin Carga Convair CV-880 crash, a Convair CV-880 crashed shortly after taking off from Caracas Airport, Venezuela. All four crew members were killed.
  • November 19 – Korean Air Flight 015, a Boeing 747, crashed on landing at Gimpo International Airport; 15 of the 226 passengers and crew on board were killed.
  • December 21 – A Transportes Aéreos del Cesar Sud Aviation Caravelle operating the route Bogotá-Barranquilla-Valledupar-Riohacha-Medellín-Bogotá crashed near Riohacha, Colombia. All 70 people on board were killed.
  • December 22 – Saudia Flight 162, a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, suffered an explosive decompression over Qatar, killing two passengers who were blown out of the aircraft; the cause was traced to a fatigue failure of a main landing gear wheel flange.

1981

  • February 12 – An Aeroflot Ilyushin Il-14 crashed on Heiss Island, after a flight from Moscow. Two of the 13 people on board were killed.
  • February 20 – Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 342, a Boeing 707-387B, nearly hit the transmitting antenna of the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City during its approach to John F. Kennedy International Airport. All 58 occupants survived.
  • March 2 – Pakistan International Airlines Flight 326, a Boeing 720, was hijacked by the militant insurgency group Al-Zulfiqar for 13 days. One passenger was killed amongst 144 people on board.
  • March 28 – Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 206, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, was hijacked by Komando Jihad; the pilot was killed; all others survived.
  • May 2 – Aer Lingus Flight 164, a Boeing 737, was hijacked while on approach to London Heathrow Airport. The hijacker demanded to be taken to Iran. The plane landed at Le Touquet – Côte d'Opale Airport. After a nearly 10-hour stand-off, the hijacker was arrested. All 108 people survived.
  • May 7 – Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 901, a BAC One-Eleven, crashed near Aeroparque Jorge Newbery after losing control in a thunderstorm, killing all 31 on board.
  • June 14 – Aeroflot Flight 498, an Ilyushin Il-14, crashed into a mountain on the Holy Nose Peninsula in Lake Baikal due to crew error, killing all 48 on board.
  • June 26 – Dan-Air Flight 240, a Hawker Siddeley HS 748, crashed near Nailstone, Leicestershire, due to a failure of the baggage door, causing rapid decompression and loss of control; all three crew on board died.
  • July 18 – A Soviet Air Defence Forces Sukhoi SU-15 collided with an Argentine Canadair CL-44 operating an international cargo flight between Iran and Cyprus; the SU-15 pilot ejected and survived the incident, but all four occupants of the CL-44 were killed.
  • July 20 – Somali Airlines Flight 40, a Fokker F27 Friendship, crashed shortly after takeoff from Mogadishu International Airport. All 50 passengers and crew were killed.
  • July 27 – Aeromexico Flight 230, a DC-9, made a hard landing at Chihuahua Airport, broke up and caught fire, killing 32 of the 66 people on board.
  • August 13 – In the G-ASWI North Sea ditching, a Bristow Helicopters Westland Wessex suffered an engine failure and ditched in the North Sea, killing all 13 on board.
  • August 22 – Far Eastern Air Transport Flight 103, a Boeing 737, disintegrated en route and crashed near Taipei, Taiwan; severe corrosion in the fuselage structure led to explosive decompression and disintegration at high altitude; all 110 on board were killed.
  • August 24 – Aeroflot Flight 811, an Antonov An-24, collided in mid-air with a Soviet Air Force Tupolev Tu-16 over the Zavitinsky District, Russia, killing 31 of 32 on board the An-24 and all six on board the Tu-16.
  • August 26 – Aeropesca Colombia Flight 221, a Vickers Viscount, flew into Mount Santa Elena, killing all 50 people on board.
  • September 18 – In the 1981 Zheleznogorsk mid-air collision, a Yakovlev Yak-40 collided with a Mil Mi-8 helicopter, both operated by Aeroflot, near Zheleznogorsk-Ilimskiy Airport due to ATC errors, killing all 40 occupants of both aircraft.
  • September 22 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 935, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, made an emergency landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, after one engine exploded severing three out of four hydraulic lines; all 201 on board survived.
  • September 29 – Indian Airlines Flight 423, a Boeing 737 operating a domestic flight from Delhi to Amritsar in India, was hijacked by Sikh extremists and forced to land in Lahore, Pakistan, where special forces stormed the aircraft; there were no fatalities.
  • October 6 – NLM CityHopper Flight 431, a Fokker F28 Fellowship, was destroyed in flight by a tornado near Rotterdam, killing all 17 people on board.
  • November 8 – Aeroméxico Flight 110, a Douglas DC-9, suffered a cabin decompression and crashed near Zihuatanejo while attempting to make an emergency landing at Acapulco International Airport, killing all 18 on board.
  • November 17 – Aeroflot Flight 3603, a Tupolev Tu-154, crashed while attempting to land at Norilsk Airport, killing 99 of the 167 passengers and crew.
  • December 1 – Inex-Adria Aviopromet Flight 1308, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashed in the mountains while approaching Campo dell'Oro Airport in Ajaccio, Corsica, killing all 180 on board making this the worst crash of the MD-80 series.

1982

  • January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737, crashed into the frozen Potomac River after takeoff from Washington National Airport, Virginia, United States; five on board survived; 74 on board and four on the ground died, including one initial survivor who died after ensuring that the other crash survivors were rescued from the frozen river.
  • January 23 – World Airways Flight 30H, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, overshot the runway at Boston, Massachusetts, United States; two passengers were reported missing when part of the plane plunged into Boston Harbor and were presumed to have drowned.
  • February 9 – Japan Airlines Flight 350, a Douglas DC-8-61, crashed on approach to Tokyo International Airport, Japan; of the 166 passengers and eight crew, 24 passengers were killed.
  • February 21 – Pilgrim Airlines Flight 458, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6-100, made a forced landing on the frozen Scituate Reservoir near Providence, Rhode Island, after a fire broke out in the cockpit and cabin. One passenger was killed, and eight of the remaining nine passengers, as well as both crew members, were seriously injured.
  • March 11 – Widerøe Flight 933, a de Havilland Canada Twin Otter, crashed into the Barents Sea near Gamvik, Norway, killing all 15 on board; this accident sparked conspiracy theories in Norway.
  • March 20 – A Garuda Indonesian Airways Fokker F-28 overshot the runway while landing in bad weather at Bandar Lampung, Indonesia; all 27 on board were killed.
  • March 26 – Aeropesca Colombia Flight 217, a Vickers Viscount, hit a mountain in Colombia; all 21 on board were killed.
  • April 26 – CAAC Flight 3303, a Hawker Siddeley Trident, crashed into a mountain near Yangsuo while on approach to Guilin Liangjiang International Airport, China, in bad weather; all 112 on board died.
  • May 25 – VASP Flight 234, a Boeing 737-2A1, suffered a runway excursion, killing two of the 118 occupants.
  • June 8 – VASP Flight 168, a Boeing 727, crashed into a hillside in Brazil, killing all 137 on board.
  • June 12 – A TABA Fairchild FH-227 crashed at Tabatinga Airport, Brazil; all 44 on board were killed.
  • June 21 – Air India Flight 403, a Boeing 707, crashed at Sahar International Airport in Bombay, India, while landing during a heavy rainstorm; 15 of 99 passengers and two of 12 crew were killed.
  • June 24 – British Airways Flight 009, a Boeing 747-200, flew through a cloud of volcanic ash south of Java; all engines failed, forcing the plane to glide; the crew were able to restart the engines and make a safe landing.
  • June 28 – Aeroflot Flight 8641, a Yakovlev Yak-42, broke up in mid-air and crashed near Mozyr, Belarus, due to a failure in the jackscrew mechanism caused by metal fatigue, killing all 132 on board in the first loss of and the deadliest accident involving the Yak-42. The crash remains the worst in Belarus.
  • July 6 – Aeroflot Flight 411, an Ilyushin Il-62, crashed after takeoff from Sheremetyevo International Airport, Russia; all 90 on board were killed.
  • July 9 – Pan Am Flight 759, a Boeing 727, crashed in Kenner, Louisiana, United States, shortly after takeoff; all 145 on board and eight people on the ground were killed.
  • August 11 – A bomb placed under a seat cushion exploded on board Pan Am Flight 830, a Boeing 747-100 flying from Tokyo, Japan, to Honolulu, Hawaii; one passenger was killed and the plane made an emergency landing in Honolulu.
  • August 26 – Southwest Air Lines Flight 611 overshot the runway and caught fire at Ishigaki Airport, Japan, after a flight from Naha. All 138 occupants survived, but 67 were injured.
  • September 1 – An Aerolíneas Cóndor de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou flew into high ground in the Andes, Ecuador; all 44 on board were killed.
  • September 13 – Spantax Flight 995, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, was destroyed by a fire after an aborted takeoff at Málaga Airport, Spain; 50 of the 294 on board died.
  • September 17 – Japan Air Lines Flight 792, a Douglas DC-8-61, overshot the runway due to broken hydraulics that made the brakes inoperable. All 124 occupants survived.
  • September 29 – Aeroflot Flight 343, an Ilyushin Il-62, veered off the runway while landing at Luxembourg Findel Airport, killing seven of 77 on board.
  • December 9 – Aeronor Flight 304, a Fairchild F-27, crashed near La Florida Airport, Chile; all 46 on board were killed.
  • December 24 – CAAC Flight 2311, an Ilyushin Il-18 which had landed at Baiyun Airport in Guangzhou, China, caught fire on the runway; 25 of the 69 on board died.

1983

  • January 11 – United Airlines Flight 2885, a Douglas DC-8-54F, crashed shortly after taking off from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Michigan. All three crew members were killed.
  • January 16 – Turkish Airlines Flight 158, a Boeing 727, landed about short of the runway at Ankara Esenboğa Airport, Turkey, in driving snow, broke up and caught fire; 47 passengers were killed; all seven crew and 13 passengers were injured.
  • March 7 – Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 013, an Antonov An-24, was hijacked by four men with knives. The hijackers were tricked into believing they were going to Vienna, Austria, while the plane was diverting to Varna, Bulgaria. At Varna, the plane was stormed and one hijacker was killed.
  • March 11 – Avensa Flight 007, a Douglas DC-9, crashed at Barquisimeto Airport, Venezuela, killing 22 passengers and one crew member.
  • April 19 – Aeroflot Flight E-46, a Yakovlev Yak-40, crashed into the slopes of Mount Shishtepe, killing all 21 on board. The crew deviated from the flight path and descended outside the aerodrome scheme. Moreover, the flight controllers didn't manage the aircraft and arbitrarily permitted the descent.
  • May 5 – CAAC Flight 296, a Hawker Siddeley Trident 2E, was a scheduled domestic passenger flight in China that was hijacked by six Chinese nationals and forced to land at Camp Page, a US military base in Chuncheon, South Korea. The hijackers were detained by the Korean authorities; all 114 occupants survived.
  • May 5 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 855, a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, lost power from all engines 30 minutes after takeoff from Miami International Airport; the pilot was able to return to Miami after restarting one engine; no casualties were reported on board.
  • June 2 – On board Air Canada Flight 797, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, a fire began in a lavatory while the plane was flying over Kentucky; 23 of 46 passengers died after a plume of fire engulfed the cabin, triggered by a flashover caused by the plane's doors opening after successfully landing in Northern Kentucky. The 23 survivors suffered from smoke inhalation and sustained minor injuries.
  • June 8 – Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8, a Lockheed L-188C Electra en route from Cold Bay, Alaska, to Seattle, Washington, United States, experienced damage to the flight controls after one of the propellers broke away from its engine and struck the fuselage. The pilots were able to make a successful emergency landing.
  • July 1 – A Chosonminhang Ilyushin Il-62 crashed in mountainous terrain near Labé, Guinea, killing all 23 on board.
  • July 11 – TAME Flight 173, a Boeing 737-200 on a domestic flight in Ecuador, crashed into a mountain, killing all 119 on board.
  • July 16 – A British Airways Sikorsky S-61 helicopter crashed into the sea off the Isles of Scilly; 20 of 26 people on board died, in the worst helicopter accident in the United Kingdom to date. The accident resulted in a review of helicopter safety.
  • July 23 – Air Canada Flight 143, a Boeing 767, ran out of fuel over Manitoba because of a miscalculation; the crew successfully glided the aircraft to a safe landing at a former Air Force base at Gimli, Manitoba; the aircraft became known as the Gimli Glider.
  • August 30 – Aeroflot Flight 5463, a Tupolev Tu-134A, crashed into a mountain while approaching Alma-Ata Airport, killing all 90 on board.
  • September 1 – Korean Air Lines Flight 007, a Boeing 747, was shot down by Soviet fighter planes near Sakhalin and Moneron Island after straying into Soviet airspace; all 269 people on board were killed.
  • September 14 – In the 1983 Guilin Airport collision, a PLAAF Harbin H-5 bomber collided with a CAAC Hawker Siddeley Trident 2E as it taxied for takeoff at Guilin Qifengling Airport, China; 11 of the 106 occupants of the Trident were killed. How many casualties, if any, occurred on board the Harbin H-5 is unknown
  • September 23 – Gulf Air Flight 771, a Boeing 737, crashed near Al Buraimi, Oman, after a bomb planted by the Abu Nidal Organization detonated on board; all 112 people on board died.
  • October 11 – Air Illinois Flight 710, a Hawker Siddeley HS 748, crashed near Pinckneyville, Illinois, due to electrical problems. All 10 passengers and crew were killed.
  • November 8 – TAAG Angola Airlines Flight 462, a Boeing 737-200, crashed shortly after takeoff from Lubango Airport, killing all 130 on board; UNITA guerillas claimed to have shot the aircraft down, while Angolan authorities concluded that the aircraft suffered a mechanical failure.
  • November 18 – Aeroflot Flight 6833, a Tupolev Tu-134, was hijacked by seven Georgians attempting to defect from the Soviet Union. The aircraft was stormed by Alpha Group, who arrested four hijackers; three were executed, while the fourth received a jail sentence. Of the 71 on board, eight died, and the aircraft was written off.
  • November 27 – Avianca Flight 011, a Boeing 747, struck a hill because of a navigational error while attempting to land in Madrid, Spain; of the 192 passengers and crew, 11 survived.
  • November 28 – Nigeria Airways Flight 250, a Fokker F28 Fellowship, crashed on approach to Enugu airport after a flight from Lagos; 53 of the 72 people on board were killed.
  • December 7 – In the Madrid runway disaster, Iberia Flight 350, a Boeing 727, collided with Aviaco Flight 134, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, on a runway at Madrid–Barajas Airport; 51 people on board the Boeing 727 and all 42 people on board the DC-9 were killed.
  • December 14 – A TAMPA Colombia Boeing 707-300 crashed shortly after takeoff from Medellin. All three crew members were killed, as well as 22 people on the ground.
  • December 18 – Malaysian Airline System Flight 684, an Airbus A300, crashed at Kuala Lumpur Airport in Malaysia. All 247 people on board survived.
  • December 20 – Ozark Air Lines Flight 650, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, collided with a snow plow in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. All on board survived, but the driver of the snow plow was killed.
  • December 23 – In the 1983 Anchorage runway collision, Korean Air Lines Flight 084, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, collided with SouthCentral Air Flight 59, a Piper PA-31-350, on a runway at Anchorage International Airport, Alaska, United States; all 12 occupants of both aircraft survived.
  • December 24 – Aeroflot Flight 601, an Antonov An-24, crashed on approach to Leshukonskoye Airport due to pilot error, killing 44 of 49 on board.

1984

  • January 10 – A Balkan Bulgarian Tupolev Tu-134 crashed into a forest near Sofia, Bulgaria, during a snowstorm, killing all 50 people on board.
  • February 3 – Serviços Aéreos Cruzeiro do Sul Flight 302, an Airbus A300B4-203, was hijacked while flying from Rio de Janeiro to Manaus and then diverted to Cuba. There were no fatalities among the 176 on board.
  • February 28 – Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 901, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, crashed into a ditch after overshooting the runway at John F. Kennedy Airport, New York, due to pilot error; all 177 passengers and crew survived the incident.
  • March 22 – Pacific Western Airlines Flight 501, a Boeing 737, suffered an uncontained engine failure during takeoff from Calgary, Canada; all passengers and crew were safely evacuated, but the plane was destroyed by fire.
  • June 28 – In the 1984 Transportes Aéreos Regionais Bandeirante accident an Embraer EMB-110 Bandeirante crashed near São Pedro de Aldeia in Brazil, killing all 18 people on board.
  • July 5 – Nine Sikhs belonging to the Khalistan movement forced Indian Airlines Flight 405, an Airbus A300 on a domestic flight from Srinagar to Delhi with 254 passengers and 10 crew on board, to fly to Lahore Airport in Pakistan. The demands of the hijackers were not met and they ultimately surrendered to Pakistani authorities on July 6.
  • August 2 – Vieques Air Link Flight 901A, a BN-2 Islander flying from Puerto Rico to the US Virgin Islands, crashed into the Caribbean Sea, killing all nine on board.
  • August 5 – A Biman Bangladesh Airlines Fokker F27-600 crashed into a marsh near Zia International Airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh, while landing in poor weather. With a total death toll of 49 people, it is the deadliest aviation disaster to occur on Bangladeshi soil.
  • August 24 – Seven Sikh hijackers forced Indian Airlines Flight 421, a Boeing 737 flying from Delhi to Srinagar, to fly to the United Arab Emirates, where that country's defence minister negotiated the release of the passengers. The incident was related to the Sikh secessionist struggle in the Indian state of Punjab.
  • August 30 – Cameroon Airlines Flight 786, a Boeing 737 with 109 passengers and seven crew on board, suffered an uncontained engine failure while taxiing prior to takeoff at Douala International Airport, Cameroon; all on board were able to evacuate the aircraft but two people died in the fire that had started outside, and the plane was destroyed.
  • September 18 – Aeroservicios Ecuatorianos Flight 767-103, a Douglas DC-8-55F, crashed after failing to get airborne at Mariscal Sucre International Airport, Quito, Ecuador. All four crew, as well as 49 on the ground, were killed.
  • October 11 – Aeroflot Flight 3352, a Tupolev Tu-154B, crashed on landing at Tsentralny Airport, Omsk, Russia, killing 174 passengers and four people on the ground.
  • October 19 – Wapiti Aviation Flight 402, a Piper PA-31 en route from Edmonton to Peace River, Canada, crashed on approach to its stopover in High Prairie. Six of the ten people on board were killed.
  • December 3 – Kuwait Airways Flight 221, an Airbus A310, was hijacked by four armed Lebanese Shia militants. The plane diverted to Mashhad, Iran, and the hostages were released there. Two of the 161 occupants were killed; those who died were American and employees of USAID. The incident raised suspicions of Iranian involvement in the hijacking, and also intensified the Iran-Iraq War.
  • December 6 – Provincetown-Boston Airlines Flight 1039, an Embraer 110 Bandeirante with 13 passengers and crew on board, crashed upon takeoff at Jacksonville, Florida, killing all on board.
  • December 23 – Aeroflot Flight 3519, a Tupolev Tu-154B, crashed at Krasnoyarsk Airport while attempting an emergency landing following an engine fire, killing 110 of 111 on board.

1985

  • January 1 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 980, a Boeing 727 en route from Paraguay to Florida, United States, hit Mount Illimani in Bolivia while descending for a scheduled stopover at El Alto International Airport, killing all 29 people on board.
  • January 18 – CAAC Flight 5109, an Antonov An-24B, crashed near Jinan while flying from Shanghai to Beijing; 38 of the 41 people on board were killed.
  • January 21 – Galaxy Airlines Flight 203, a Lockheed L-188 Electra bound for Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, crashed shortly after takeoff from Cannon International Airport in Reno, Nevada, due to an air start access door being improperly secured; 70 of the 71 people on board were killed.
  • February 1 – Aeroflot Flight 7841, a Tupolev Tu-134 operating a domestic flight in the Soviet Union, crashed east of Minsk National Airport after both engines failed due to ice ingestion, killing 58 of the 80 on board.
  • February 19 – China Airlines Flight 006, a Boeing 747SP en route from Taoyuan International Airport, Taiwan, to Los Angeles in the United States, suffered an engine flameout off the coast of California and dived before regaining control; the aircraft landed safely in San Francisco and all 274 occupants survived, with 24 passengers injured.
  • February 19 – Iberia Flight 610, a Boeing 727 operating a domestic flight in Spain, crashed into a television broadcast antenna installed on the summit of Monte Oiz while approaching Bilbao Airport, killing all 141 passengers and seven crew.
  • February 22 – An Air Mali Antonov An-24 crashed on takeoff from Timbuktu airport after suffering an engine failure; 51 of the 52 people on board were killed.
  • May 3 – Aeroflot Flight 8381, a Tupolev Tu-134 operating a domestic flight in the Soviet Union, collided with a Soviet Air Force Antonov An-26; both aircraft crashed near Zolochev, Ukraine, killing all 94 people on board the two aircraft.
  • June 14 – Trans World Airlines Flight 847, a Boeing 727 operating a multi-leg flight from Cairo, Egypt, to San Diego, California, United States, was hijacked by Lebanese militants shortly after taking off from Athens in Greece; one passenger was murdered during the three-day ordeal.
  • June 21 – Braathens SAFE Flight 139, a Boeing 737 operating a domestic flight in Norway, was hijacked by a political activist who demanded to speak to the Norwegian Prime Minister Kåre Willoch; all crew and passengers survived unharmed.
  • June 23 – Air India Flight 182, a Boeing 747 en route from Montréal–Mirabel International Airport to London Heathrow Airport, was destroyed over the Atlantic Ocean off the southwest coast of Ireland by a bomb planted by Sikh extremists; all 329 people on board died.
  • July 10 – Aeroflot Flight 7425, a Tupolev Tu-154B operating a domestic flight in the Soviet Union, stalled while cruising at over Uzbekistan and entered an unrecoverable spin, killing all 200 people on board.
  • August 2 – Delta Air Lines Flight 191, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar flying from Florida to California in the United States, crashed on approach to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport after experiencing wind shear from a sudden microburst thunderstorm; 136 of the 163 people on board were killed, as well as a motorist whose car was struck by the aircraft.
  • August 12 – Japan Air Lines Flight 123, a Boeing 747 operating a domestic flight in Japan, crashed into Mount Takamagahara after suffering a rapid decompression that severed all hydraulic lines and rendered the aircraft uncontrollable; with the loss of 520 of the 524 people on board, this is the deadliest single-aircraft disaster in history to date.
  • August 22 – British Airtours Flight 28M, a Boeing 737 bound for Corfu International Airport, Greece, aborted its takeoff from Manchester Airport, England, because of an engine fire; 55 of the 137 on board were killed, mostly due to smoke inhalation.
  • August 25 – Bar Harbor Airlines Flight 1808, a Beech 99 operating a domestic multi-leg flight from Boston, Massachusetts, to Bangor, Maine, United States, crashed on approach to Auburn/Lewiston Municipal Airport, where it was about to make an unscheduled flag stop; all six passengers, including "Goodwill Ambassador" Samantha Smith, and two crew died.
  • September 4 – A Bakhtar Afghan Airlines Antonov An-26 was shot down over Afghanistan by a ground-to-air missile, while operating a domestic flight from Kandahar to Farah; all 52 people on board were killed.
  • September 6 – Midwest Express Airlines Flight 105, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 bound for Atlanta, Georgia, crashed shortly after takeoff from Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, Wisconsin, due to engine failure and pilot error, killing all 31 people on board.
  • September 23 – Henson Airlines Flight 1517, a Beechcraft Model 99 operating a domestic flight from Maryland to Virginia in the United States, crashed on approach to Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport, killing all 14 passengers and crew.
  • November 23 – EgyptAir Flight 648, a Boeing 737 operating a flight between Greece and Egypt, was hijacked by Palestinian militants and forced to land on the island of Malta, where Egyptian Special Forces stormed the aircraft; the incident resulted in the deaths of 56 of the 89 passengers, two of the six crew members, and all but one of the hijackers.
  • November 25 – An Aeroflot Antonov An-12 was shot down over Angola. All 23 people on board were killed.
  • December 12 – Arrow Air Flight 1285, a Douglas DC-8 operating a multi-leg charter flight from Cairo, Egypt, to Kentucky in the United States, crashed shortly after takeoff from Gander International Airport, Newfoundland, killing all 256 passengers and crew, making it the worst air disaster to occur on Canadian soil to date.
  • December 19 – Aeroflot Flight 101/435, an Antonov An-24 operating a multi-leg domestic flight in the Soviet Union, was hijacked by the co-pilot and diverted to China; the aircraft landed safely at Qiqihar Airport in northeast China and all 51 on board were unharmed.

1986

  • January 18 – In the 1986 Aerovías Guatemala air crash, a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle crashed into a hill on approach into Santa Elena Airport, Guatemala. All 93 passengers and crew were killed.
  • January 28 – VASP Flight 210 ran off the end of the taxiway from which it had mistakenly tried to take off in São Paulo, Brazil, then collided with an embankment, killing one passenger.
  • February 16 – China Airlines Flight 2265 crashed into the Pacific Ocean during a go-around after touching the ground at Penghu Airport, killing all 13 on board. The wreckage was found on March 10.
  • March 2 – Aeroflot Flight F-77, an Antonov An-24B, banked sharply to the left after the left engine failed due to system malfunction. The plane entered a stall and failed to recover, killing all 38 on board.
  • March 31 – Mexicana de Aviación Flight 940, a Boeing 727, crashed into high ground near Santiago Maravatío, Mexico. All 167 passengers and crew were killed in the worst ever air disaster involving the Boeing 727.
  • April 2 – TWA Flight 840, a Boeing 727, was bombed by Palestinian militants, killing four of the 121 people on board; the plane managed to land safely in Athens.
  • May 3 – Air Lanka Flight 512, a Lockheed L-1011, was bombed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, killing 21 of 148 on board.
  • May 3 – China Airlines Flight 334, a Boeing 747, was hijacked by the pilot, who subdued the two other crew members and changed heading to land in Guangzhou. All three on board survived.
  • June 18 – Grand Canyon Airlines Flight 6, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, collided with a Bell 206 helicopter over the Tonto Plateau, killing all 25 on board both aircraft.
  • July 2 – Aeroflot Flight 2306, a Tupolev Tu-134, crashed near Syktyvkar, Russia, while attempting an emergency landing following a fire in the cargo hold, killing 54 of 92 on board.
  • August 3 – LIAT Flight 319, a DHC-6 Twin Otter, crashed into the sea en route to E. T. Joshua Airport, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. All 13 passengers and crew were killed.
  • August 16 – A Sudan Airways Fokker F-27 was shot down by SPLA militia while flying from Malakal to Khartoum. All 60 people on board were killed.
  • August 31 – Aeroméxico Flight 498, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, collided with a Piper Cherokee over Cerritos, California, killing all 67 people on board both aircraft and 15 people on the ground.
  • September 5 – Pan Am Flight 73, a Boeing 747, was hijacked on the ground at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan, by Palestinian militants. Twenty people died in a shootout inside the plane.
  • September 20 – Aeroflot Flight 36075, a Tupolev Tu-134, was hijacked by two deserting Internal Troops soldiers at the Ufa International Airport. Three out of 83 occupants were killed; two of them were shot dead immediately at the beginning of the hijacking, and a hijacker died in the ensuing shootout.
  • October 5 – A Corporate Air Services Fairchild C-123 was shot down over Nicaragua while operating a cargo flight. Three of the four people on board were killed.
  • October 20 – Aeroflot Flight 6502, a Tupolev Tu-134, crashed in Kuybyshev, Russia, due to pilot error, killing 70 of 94 people on board.
  • October 26 – A grenade exploded on board Thai Airways International Flight 620, an Airbus A300B4-601 flying from Bangkok to Osaka. No one died, but 109 of the 247 occupants were injured. The plane landed safely at Osaka and was later repaired.
  • November 6 – In the 1986 British International Helicopters Chinook crash, a Boeing 234LR Chinook crashed on approach to Sumburgh Airport, Shetland Islands; of 47 people on board, 45 died.
  • November 17 – Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1628 incident, a Boeing 747-200F cargo plane flying from Paris to Narita was involved in a UFO incident. No casualties were reported. The plane landed safely at Narita International Airport.
  • December 12 – Aeroflot Flight 892, a Tupolev Tu-134A, crashed near Schonefeld Airport, East Berlin, after the crew misunderstood instructions from ATC, killing 72 of 82 on board; two initially survived but died later.
  • December 25 – Iraqi Airways Flight 163, a Boeing 737, was hijacked by Hezbollah militants while en route to Amman, Jordan. A confrontation with security forces caused the plane to crash, killing 63 of the 106 people on board.

1987

  • January 3 – Varig Flight 797, a Boeing 707, crashed near Abidjan, Ivory Coast, because of engine failure. Of the 52 passengers and crew, only one survived.
  • January 15 – Skywest Airlines Flight 1834, a Swearingen Metro II, collided in mid-air with a private Mooney M-20 near Salt Lake City, killing all 10 on board both aircraft.
  • January 16 – Aeroflot Flight U-505, a Yakovlev Yak-40, crashed at Tashkent, Uzbekistan, after encountering a wake vortex from an Ilyushin Il-76 that had taken off one and a half minutes earlier, killing all nine on board.
  • March 4 – Northwest Airlink Flight 2268, a CASA 212, crashed while attempting to land at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Detroit, Michigan, killing nine of the 19 passengers and crew.
  • April 4 – Garuda Indonesia Flight 035, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashed in bad weather during its approach to Medan, Indonesia; 23 of 45 on board died.
  • May 8 – American Eagle Flight 5452, a CASA C-212, crashed while landing at Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, due to maintenance issues and pilot error. All four passengers survived, but both crew were killed.
  • May 9 – LOT Polish Airlines Flight 5055, an Ilyushin Il-62M, crashed near Warsaw during landing because of engine failure. All 183 passengers and crew members died in the worst aviation accident in Polish history.
  • May 19 – Air New Zealand Flight 24, a Boeing 747-200, was hijacked on the tarmac at Nadi International Airport, Fiji, while making a scheduled refuelling stop. The hijacker boarded the aircraft and demanded the release of deposed Fijian prime minister Dr. Timoci Bavadra and his 27 ministers who were being held under house arrest. The flight crew eventually overpowered the hijacker and handed him over to local police. There were no deaths or injuries reported.
  • June 11 – A Bakhtar Afghan Airlines Antonov An-26 was shot down by the Afghan mujahideen; 53 of the 55 people on board were killed.
  • June 19 – Aeroflot Flight N-528, a Yakovlev Yak-40, overshot the runway on landing at Berdyansk, Ukraine, killing eight of 29 on board.
  • June 21 – A Burma Airways Fokker F27 crashed near Hopong, Myanmar, while en route from Heho to Monghsat. All 45 people on board were killed.
  • June 26 – Philippine Airlines Flight 206, a Hawker Siddeley HS 748, crashed on the slopes of Mount Ugo, Benguet, as it began its approach to Loakan Airport in Baguio City; all 50 passengers and crew were killed. Poor visibility was blamed for the crash.
  • July 24 – Air Afrique Flight 056, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30, was hijacked and diverted to Geneva Airport, Switzerland, by a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The hijacker killed one passenger and injured a flight attendant before being apprehended; 29 people were injured during the evacuation.
  • July 30 – In the 1987 Belize Air International C-97 Mexico City crash, a Boeing C-97G Stratofreighter crashed on to a highway shortly after taking off from Mexico City International Airport, Mexico. Five of the twelve passengers and crew were killed, as well as 44 on the ground.
  • August 16 – Northwest Airlines Flight 255, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashed on takeoff from Detroit as a result of pilot error. Of 155 people on board, four-year-old Cecelia Cichan was the only survivor. Two people in a car on the ground were also killed.
  • August 31 – Thai Airways Flight 365, a Boeing 737, crashed into the ocean off the coast of Thailand as a result of pilot error. All 83 passengers and crew died.
  • October 11 – A Burma Airways Fokker F27 crashed on a hill near Pagan, Myanmar. All 49 people on board were killed.
  • October 15 – Aero Trasporti Italiani Flight 460, an ATR 42-312, crashed into a mountain 15 minutes after takeoff due to pilot error. All 37 on board died.
  • November 15 – Continental Airlines Flight 1713, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashed on takeoff during a snowstorm at Denver's Stapleton International Airport, killing 25 passengers and three crew.
  • November 23 – Ryan Air Service Flight 103, a Beechcraft 1900C, crashed on landing at Homer Airport, Alaska, after a flight from Kodiak, due to improper loading; 18 of the 21 people on board were killed.
  • November 28 – South African Airways Flight 295, a Boeing 747, crashed into the Indian Ocean after a fire in the cargo hold. All 159 on board died.
  • November 29 – Korean Air Flight 858, a Boeing 707, crashed into the Andaman Sea after a bomb exploded on board. All 115 people on board were killed.
  • December 7 – Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771, a BAe 146, was hijacked and deliberately crashed near Cayucos, California, by a disgruntled airline employee. All 43 people on board, including the hijacker, were killed.
  • December 8 – In the 1987 Alianza Lima plane crash, a chartered Peruvian Navy Fokker F-27 crashed into the Pacific Ocean from Jorge Chávez International Airport, whilst carrying the Peruvian football team Alianza Lima. Of the 44 people on board, only the pilot survived.
  • December 13 – Philippine Airlines Flight 443, a Shorts 360–300, crashed into Mt. Gurain on the island of Mindanao. All 15 passengers and crew were killed.
  • December 21 – Air Littoral Flight 1919, an Embraer EMB-120, struck trees during approach to Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport. All 16 passengers and crew were killed.
  • December 23 – Finnair Flight 915, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, was the target of an attempted missile attack by the Soviet Union. The allegations came out in 2014 when Finnish media reported a claim by two of the flight's pilots that the missile exploded less than 30 seconds before impact. It caused outrage in Finland among those politicians and civil servants to whom it should have been reported at the time.

1988

  • January 2 – Condor Flugdienst Flight 3782, a Boeing 737, crashed into a mountain near Seferihisar, Turkey, due to a navigation error, killing all 16 on board.
  • January 18 – China Southwest Airlines Flight 4146, an Ilyushin Il-18, crashed while on approach to Chongqing Airport in China due to loss of control following an in-flight fire; all 108 on board died.
  • January 18 – Aeroflot Flight 699, a Tupolev Tu-154, landed hard and crashed at Turkmenbashi International Airport due to pilot error, killing 11 of 146 on board.
  • January 19 – Trans-Colorado Airlines Flight 2286, a Swearingen SA227AC Metro III, crashed while on approach to Durango-La Plata Airport. Nine of the 17 passengers and crew were killed.
  • January 24 – Aeroflot Flight 29674, an Aeroflot Yak-40, crashed due to engine problems after takeoff from Nizhnevartosk Airport, killing 27 of the 31 on board.
  • February 3 – American Airlines Flight 132, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83, suffered an inflight fire due to improperly stored hazardous material in the cargo hold. The plane was headed from Dallas Fort Airport to Nashville International Airport. Of the 126 people on board, no one was killed, but 18 people were injured.
  • February 8 – Nürnberger Flugdienst Flight 108, a Swearingen Metroliner III, crashed while en route to Düsseldorf Airport, Germany. The crew become disorientated after the aircraft was struck by lightning, leading to an uncontrollable spin. The aircraft disintegrated in mid-air, resulting in the deaths of all 21 passengers and crew.
  • February 19 – AVAir Flight 3378, a Swearingen Metroliner III, crashed on takeoff from Raleigh-Durham Airport due to pilot error, killing all 12 on board.
  • February 27 – A Boeing 727-200 operated by Talia Airways crashed in the Kyrenian mountains, in northern Cyprus, killing all 15 people on board.
  • March 1 – Comair Flight 206, an Embraer EMB-110 Bandeirante, crashed near Germiston in South Africa after a bomb exploded on board. All 17 people on board were killed.
  • March 4 – TAT Flight 230, a Fairchild FH-227, crashed near Fontainebleau, France, killing all 23 on board; an electrical problem was suspected.
  • March 8 – Aeroflot Flight 3739, a Tupolev Tu-154B, was hijacked by 11 members of the Ovechkin family attempting to escape the Soviet Union. The pilots diverted to a Soviet air base at Veshchevo, where the aircraft was stormed. Out of 84 people on board, eight people died during the storming, and a flight attendant was killed during the landing, bringing the total death toll to nine.
  • March 17 – Avianca Flight 410, a Boeing 727, crashed near Cúcuta, Colombia, after takeoff, as a result of pilot error. All 143 people on board died.
  • April 5 – Kuwait Airways Flight 422, a Boeing 747 en route from Bangkok to Kuwait, was hijacked by Lebanese guerillas demanding the release of Shi'ite prisoners held by Kuwait, leading to a hostage crisis lasting 16 days and encompassing three continents. The flight, initially forced to land at Mashhad in northeastern Iran, flew 3,200 miles to Larnaca, Cyprus, and finally to Algiers. Two passengers were shot dead by the hijackers. The remainder of the 112 passengers and crew, including three members of the Kuwaiti royal family, were eventually released and the hijackers allowed to leave Algeria.
  • April 15 – Horizon Air Flight 2658, a de Havilland Canada DHC-8-102, suffered an engine fire shortly after takeoff from Seattle. The aircraft landed back on the runway but veered off the side of it and collided with several jetways. None of the 40 occupants were killed.
  • April 28 – Aloha Airlines Flight 243, a Boeing 737 en route from Hilo to Honolulu in Hawaii, suffered explosive decompression during flight but managed to land safely. Of 95 people on board, one flight attendant was blown out of the plane and killed, and several passengers were injured.
  • May 6 – Widerøe Flight 710, a Dash 7, crashed in Torghatten, Norway, in thick fog, killing all 36 passengers in the worst-ever Dash 7 accident.
  • May 23 – LACSA Flight 628, a Boeing 727-22, aborted takeoff and overran the runway, collided with a fence, crossed a ditch, struck a hill and caught fire at Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José, Costa Rica. There were no fatalities.
  • May 24 – TACA Flight 110, a Boeing 737, suffered dual engine failure due to water ingestion; the aircraft landed safely at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans; all on board survived.
  • June 12 – Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 46, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashed short of the runway at Libertador General Jose de San Martin Airport, Argentina, killing all 22 on board.
  • June 26 – Air France Flight 296, an Airbus A320, made a low pass over Mulhouse-Habsheim Airport in landing configuration during an air show and crashed into trees at the end of the runway. Of 130 passengers on board, three died.
  • July 3 – Iran Air Flight 655, an Airbus A300, was shot down over Iranian waters by the missile cruiser USS Vincennes; all 290 people on board were killed.
  • July 13 – The 1988 British International Helicopters Sikorsky S-61N crash: a Sikorsky S-61 ditched in the North Sea due to an engine fire; all 21 on board survived.
  • August 31 – CAAC Flight 301, a Hawker Siddeley Trident operating a flight from Guangzhou Baiyun Airport to Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport, ran off the runway. Seven of the 89 passengers and crew were killed.
  • August 31 – Delta Air Lines Flight 1141, a Boeing 727, crashed on takeoff from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport as a result of pilot error and the poor design of Boeing's mechanical failsafe system; of 108 people on board, 12 passengers and two crew members were killed.
  • September 9 – Vietnam Airlines Flight 831, a Tupolev Tu-134, crashed on approach to Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok; 76 of the 90 passengers and crew were killed.
  • September 15 – Ethiopian Airlines Flight 604, a Boeing 737, crashed on takeoff after suffering multiple bird strikes; 35 of 98 passengers died but all six crew survived.
  • September 29 – A man hijacked VASP Flight 375 and demanded to go to Brasilia and to then crash the plane into Planalto Palace. The aircraft landed safely in Goiana, and the only fatality was the first officer.
  • October 7 – Shanxi Airlines Flight 4218, an Ilyushin Il-14P on a sightseeing flight, crashed into a restaurant due to mechanical failure and passenger overloading, killing 44 of the 48 occupants, plus two people on the ground.
  • October 17 – Uganda Airlines Flight 775, a Boeing 707-338C, crashed while attempting to land at Rome's Fiumicino Airport; 33 of the 52 passengers and crew were killed.
  • October 19 – Indian Airlines Flight 113, a Boeing 737, crashed 2.6 km short of the runway in Ahmedabad, India, due to poor visibility, killing 133 of the 135 people on board.
  • November 2 – LOT Polish Airlines Flight 703, an Antonov An-24, crashed on approach to Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport, killing one passenger.
  • December 21 – Pan Am Flight 103, a Boeing 747, disintegrated in the air over Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, after a terrorist bomb exploded on board. All 259 people on board and 11 on the ground were killed. The incident is also known as the Lockerbie air disaster.

1989

  • January 8 – British Midland Airways Flight 092, a Boeing 737, crashed near Kegworth, Leicestershire, United Kingdom, after one of its engines lost a fan blade and failed. Of the 118 passengers and eight crew, 79 survived. The incident became known as the Kegworth air disaster and was the first loss of a Boeing 737-400.
  • February 8 – Independent Air Flight 1851, a Boeing 707, crashed into a hill on approach to Santa Maria, the Azores. All 144 people on board were killed.
  • February 19 – Flying Tiger Line Flight 066, a Boeing 747, crashed near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on approach to land, killing all four on board. The crash was caused by miscommunication between ATC and the crew.
  • February 24 – United Airlines Flight 811, a Boeing 747, suffered an explosive decompression shortly after takeoff from Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, caused by a cargo door that burst open during flight. Of 355 people on board, nine passengers were blown out of the plane, but the crew managed to land safely at Honolulu.
  • March 10 – Air Ontario Flight 1363, a Fokker F28, crashed immediately after takeoff from Dryden, Ontario, Canada, because of ice on the wings, killing 24 of 69 people on board.
  • March 18 – Evergreen International Airlines Flight 17, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashed in Saginaw, Texas, killing both pilots, while attempting to return to Carswell Air Force Base after the main cargo door burst open immediately after takeoff.
  • March 21 – Transbrasil Flight 801, a Boeing 707, crashed in a residential area after the flight crew lost control during an expedited approach to São Paulo Guarulhos International Airport. All three crew members and 22 people on the ground were killed.
  • April 10 – Uni-Air International Flight 602, a Fairchild FH-227 flying from Valence-Chabeuil to Paris, crashed on Col de Tourniol. All 22 people on board were killed.
  • June 7 – Surinam Airways Flight 764, a Douglas DC-8, crashed while attempting to land in heavy fog at Paramaribo, Suriname. The plane hit trees and flipped upside down, killing 176 of 187 people on board.
  • June 17 – Interflug Flight 102, an Ilyushin Il-62, overran the runway whilst taking off from Berlin Schönefeld Airport, East Germany, killing 21 of 113 people on board.
  • July 19 – United Airlines Flight 232, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, suffered a complete hydraulic system failure over Iowa, United States, after the tail-mounted engine disintegrated. The crew maintained partial control of the aircraft using differential throttle, bringing it to a crash landing on the runway at Sioux City, Iowa. Of the 296 people on board, 112 died.
  • July 21 – Philippine Airlines Flight 124, a BAC One-Eleven, overran the runway during landing at Manila International Airport, due to heavy rain. No one on board was killed but 8 people on the ground perished.
  • July 27 – Korean Air Flight 803, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, crashed while attempting to land in heavy fog at Tripoli, Libya; 75 of the 199 passengers and crew were killed, along with four people on the ground.
  • August 3 – Olympic Aviation Flight 545, a Shorts 330–220, crashed into Mount Kerkis in Greece. All 34 passengers and crew were killed.
  • August 15 – China Eastern Airlines Flight 5510, an Antonov An-24, crashed on takeoff from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport due to an engine failure. All six crew members and 28 of the 34 passengers were killed.
  • August 25 – Pakistan International Airlines Flight 404, a Fokker F27, disappeared on a flight with 54 on board; the wreckage has never been found.
  • September 3 – Cubana de Aviación Flight 9046, an Ilyushin Il-62M, crashed while trying to take off from José Martí International Airport in Havana, Cuba. All 126 people on board plus 24 people on the ground were killed in the crash.
  • September 3 – Varig Flight 254, a Boeing 737, ran out of fuel because of incorrect navigation and crashed in the Brazilian jungle, killing 12 of the 54 people on board.
  • September 8 – Partnair Flight 394, a Convair 580, crashed into the North Sea after its tail section fell off in mid-air. All 55 people on board died. The disaster was blamed on counterfeit aircraft parts.
  • September 19 – UTA Flight 772, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, exploded in mid-air over the Sahara Desert when a bomb hidden in its forward cargo hold detonated. All 170 people on board were killed. Responsibility for the bombing was later traced back to Abdullah Senussi, the brother-in-law of Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi, whose government in 2003 agreed to pay compensation to the victims.
  • September 20 – USAir Flight 5050, a Boeing 737, crashed in Bowery Bay, New York City, after it overran the runway at LaGuardia Airport while attempting to abort takeoff after a tire on a nosewheel burst due to a mistrimmed rudder; two passengers died.
  • October 21 – TAN-SAHSA Flight 414, a Boeing 727, crashed into a mountain known as Cerro de Hula near Tegucigalpa, Honduras, due to pilot error; 131 of 146 on board died.
  • October 26 – China Airlines Flight 204, a Boeing 737, crashed into a mountain in the Chiashan range after takeoff from Hualien Airport, due to pilot error; all 54 on board died.
  • October 28 – Aloha Island Air Flight 1712, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 registered as N707PV, crashed into a mountain at night, killing all 20 occupants.
  • November 21 – Aeroflot Flight 37577, an Antonov An-24B, struck trees with its right wing, causing the plane to gain asymmetric thrust. Despite the crew's efforts to recover, the plane banked right rapidly, entered a stall, and crashed into a highway embankment, killing 32 out of 40 on board.
  • November 25 – Korean Air Flight 175, a Fokker F28 Fellowship 4000, crashed shortly after takeoff from Gimpo International Airport, due to icing. There were no injuries or fatalities among the 48 on board.
  • November 27 – Avianca Flight 203, a Boeing 727, exploded 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.
  • November 27 – a Tepper Aviation Lockheed L-100 Hercules operating a cargo flight from Kamina, Democratic Republic of the Congo, to Jamba, Angola, crashed during the approach to its destination, killing all five people on board.
  • December 15 – KLM Flight 867, a Boeing 747 flying from Amsterdam to Anchorage, Alaska, flew through a cloud of volcanic debris, subsequently losing power from all four engines. The crew were able to restart the engines and land the plane safely.
  • December 26 – United Express Flight 2415, a BAe Jetstream 31 operated by North Pacific Airlines, crashed while attempting to land at Tri-Cities Airport, Washington. All six passengers and crew were killed.