1. TWA Flight 800 (1996)
- Date: July 17, 1996
- Location: Atlantic Ocean off East Moriches, New York
- Fatalities: 230
- How It Happened: Sparks from a wire caused an explosion in mid-air just moments after takeoff.
- Reason for the Accident: Design flaws in wiring and fuel tankage.
- Damage Details: The explosion killed all 230 passengers and crew onboard.
2. JAL Flight 123 (1985)
- Date: August 12, 1985
- Location: Mount Takamagahara, Japan
- Fatalities: 520
- How It Happened: Explosive decompression resulted from the failure of the rear pressure bulkhead.
- Reason for the Accident: Poor repairs and negligent maintenance.
- Damage Details: Out of 524 onboard, only 4 survived, making it the deadliest single-aircraft accident in history.
3. Tenerife Airport Disaster (1977)
- Date: March 27, 1977
- Location: Tenerife North Airport, Canary Islands
- Fatalities: 583
- How It Happened: A collision between two Boeing 747s on the runway due to communication breakdowns and poor visibility.
- Reason for the Accident: Inadequate communication and poor weather conditions.
- Damage Details: The worst aviation disaster, with 583 fatalities.
4. Air India Flight 182 (1985)
- Date: June 23, 1985
- Location: Atlantic Ocean, near Ireland
- Fatalities: 329
- How It Happened: A terrorist-planted bomb exploded mid-air.
- Reason for the Accident: Politically motivated terrorism.
- Damage Details: All 329 passengers and crew onboard died.
5. Pan Am Flight 103 (1988)
- Date: December 21, 1988
- Location: Lockerbie, Scotland
- Fatalities: 270
- How It Happened: A terrorist bomb caused the plane’s fuselage to break apart mid-air.
- Reason for the Accident: Politically motivated terrorist attack.
- Damage Details: 259 passengers and crew onboard died, along with 11 on the ground.
6. Alaska Airlines Flight 1866 (1980)
- Date: February 24, 1980
- Location: Near Monterey, California
- Fatalities: 2
- How It Happened: The aircraft impacted the ground during an aborted landing attempt due to ice on the wings.
- Reason for the Accident: Heavy rain and inadequate de-icing techniques.
- Damage Details: 73 passengers were affected, leading to new regulations for de-icing planes.
7. United Airlines Flight 553 (1972)
- Date: December 8, 1972
- Location: Chicago, Illinois
- Fatalities: 45
- How It Happened: A crash landing due to pilot error and poor visibility.
- Reason for the Accident: Failure to monitor altitude during approach.
- Damage Details: 45 fatalities prompted investigations into pilot training.
8. Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 (1972)
- Date: December 29, 1972
- Location: Everglades, Florida
- Fatalities: 101
- How It Happened: The crew was distracted by a faulty landing gear indicator light, leading the plane to crash in the swamp.
- Reason for the Accident: Crew resource management and situation awareness issues.
- Damage Details: 75 survived, highlighting the need for improved crew training.
9. Turkish Airlines Flight 981 (1974)
- Date: March 3, 1974
- Location: Ermenonville Forest, France
- Fatalities: 346
- How It Happened: The rear cargo door opened mid-air, causing rapid decompression and loss of control.
- Reason for the Accident: Design flaws in the cargo door mechanism.
- Damage Details: All 346 passengers and crew died.
10. Helios Airways Flight 522 (2005)
- Date: August 14, 2005
- Location: Grammatiko, Greece
- Fatalities: 121
- How It Happened: Loss of cabin pressure caused hypoxia, leaving the crew and passengers unconscious.
- Reason for the Accident: Poor pre-flight checks and maintenance.
- Damage Details: All onboard perished, emphasizing the importance of cabin pressure control.
11. Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 (2014)
- Date: March 8, 2014
- Location: Indian Ocean
- Fatalities: 239
- How It Happened: Disappeared from radar mid-flight.
- Reason for the Accident: Cause unknown; theories include mechanical failure or hijacking.
- Damage Details: The wreckage was not immediately discovered, making it one of aviation’s biggest mysteries.
12. Air France Flight 447 (2009)
- Date: June 1, 2009
- Location: Atlantic Ocean, near Brazil
- Fatalities: 228
- How It Happened: Loss of control due to turbulence and incorrect responses to stall warnings.
- Reason for the Accident: Poor management of aircraft speed and inadequate training.
- Damage Details: All 228 onboard died, leading to new stall recovery training protocols.
13. Lion Air Flight 610 (2018)
- Date: October 29, 2018
- Location: Java Sea, Indonesia
- Fatalities: 189
- How It Happened: Crashed minutes after takeoff due to faulty flight control software.
- Reason for the Accident: Design flaws in the Boeing 737 MAX and insufficient pilot training.
- Damage Details: Grounding of all 737 MAX aircraft globally.
14. Colgan Air Flight 3407 (2009)
- Date: February 12, 2009
- Location: Buffalo, New York
- Fatalities: 50
- How It Happened: Crashed during approach due to mechanical failure and icing on the wings.
- Reason for the Accident: Loss of control of speed and altitude.
- Damage Details: All onboard died, prompting new pilot training regulations.
15. China Airlines Flight 611 (2002)
- Date: May 25, 2002
- Location: Taiwan Strait
- Fatalities: 225
- How It Happened: The aircraft disintegrated mid-air due to insufficient repair work.
- Reason for the Accident: Maintenance failures and inadequate supervision.
- Damage Details: All onboard perished.
16. Korean Air Flight 007 (1983)
- Date: September 1, 1983
- Location: Sea of Japan
- Fatalities: 269
- How It Happened: Shot down after entering prohibited Soviet airspace.
- Reason for the Accident: Pilot error and geopolitical tensions.
- Damage Details: No survivors; increased international tensions.
17. Swissair Flight 111 (1998)
- Date: September 2, 1998
- Location: Near Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Fatalities: 229
- How It Happened: In-flight fire caused by electrical arcing.
- Reason for the Accident: Use of flammable insulation materials.
- Damage Details: All onboard perished.
18. American Airlines Flight 191 (1979)
- Date: May 25, 1979
- Location: Chicago, Illinois
- Fatalities: 273
- How It Happened: Engine failure during takeoff led to loss of control.
- Reason for the Accident: Inadequate maintenance.
- Damage Details: Worst U.S. aviation disaster.
19. EgyptAir Flight 990 (1999)
- Date: October 31, 1999
- Location: Atlantic Ocean, near Massachusetts
- Fatalities: 217
- How It Happened: Plunged into the sea shortly after takeoff.
- Reason for the Accident: Possible deliberate action by the co-pilot.
- Damage Details: No survivors.