List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft
Appearance
Accidents and incidents on commercial aircraft grouped by the year that the incident or accident occurred. This list is also available grouped: by airline, by location, alphabetically, by death toll.
See also: Accidents and incidents in aviation.
This list is not complete. For more exhaustive lists, see the Aircraft Crash Record Office or the Air Safety Network. Airlines seem to be remembered by their worst accidents, and in that sense this list presents a good overview, but it is far from being complete.
1930
1931
- March 31 - Transcontinental & Western Air flight 599, Fokker F-10 Trimotor, crashes near Cottonwood Falls, Kansas, killing all eight aboard, including University of Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne.
1933
- October 10 – A United Airlines Boeing 247 is destroyed by a bomb over Chesterton, Indiana in the first proven case of air sabotage on a commercial aircraft; all seven on board are killed.
1937
- May 6 – A Deutsche Zeppelin Reederei flight, the Zeppelin Hindenburg, LZ-129, bursts into flames and crashes while attempting a landing at Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst in New Jersey; of the 97 people on board, 35 are killed, and one person on the ground.
- November 16 – A Sabena Junkers Ju 52 crashes near Ostende, Belgium killing all 11 on board, including the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Hesse.
1938
- January 10 - Northwest Airlines Flight 2 crashes near Bozeman, Montana, killing all ten on board; the machine with which the manufacturer measured aircraft component vibration is found to be inaccurate, causing the aircraft to be more prone to flutter than thought.
1939
- January 13 - Northwest Airlines Flight 1 crashes on takeoff from Miles City, Montana, killing all four on board. The aircraft's cross-feed fuel valve leaked fuel into the cockpit and an intense fire broke out.
1940
- June 14 - Kaleva Incident, An Aero Junkers Ju52-3/mge flying from Tallinn, Estonia to Helsinki, Finland was shot down by two Soviet bombers over the Gulf of Finland. At the time, Finland was not at war with any country.
1941
- February 26 - Eastern Air Lines Flight 21, a Douglas DC-3, crashes while descending to land at Atlanta, Georgia killing 16 of 25 aboard; World War I hero and Eastern Air Lines president Eddie Rickenbacker was among the survivors.
1943
- June 01 - BOAC Flight 777, a Douglas DC-3, is shot down by German fighter aircraft over the Bay of Biscay, killing 17 passengers and crew, including actor Leslie Howard. It has been speculated that the flight was attacked because German intelligence believed that British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was on the flight.
1945
- July 12 – An Eastern Air Lines flight en route from Boston, Massachusetts to Miami with stops in Washington, DC and Columbia, SC collides with a US Army B-25 Mitchell bomber about 3,000 feet above Syracuse, SC; the commercial pilot lands in a cornfield nearby, but one passenger, an infant, is killed; the bomber explodes, killing two, one parachutes safely.
1947
- August 12 – British South American Airways Avro Lancastrian Star Dust disappears over the Andes after transmitting an enigmatic coded message ("STENDEC"); the fate of the plane remained a mystery until the crash site was located in 2000. The crew of four and nine passengers were killed.
1948
- January 28 - A flight chartered by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service crashes in the hills west of Coalinga, California, killing 32. The crash becomes the impetus of the Woody Guthrie song "Deportee" [1]
- January 30 - British South American Airways Avro Tudor IV "Star Tiger" G-AHNP en route from the Azores to Bermuda with 25 on board, disappears without trace. At last contact the plane was estimated to be just under two hours away from landing.
- March 12 - Northwest Airlines Flight 4422 crashes into Mount Sanford, Alaska Territory killing 30.
- June 17 - United Airlines Flight 624 DC-6 NC37506 crashes near Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, after an on-board fire. All 43 on board die.
- July 17 - Catalina seaplane "Miss Macao" (VR-HDT), operated by a Cathay Pacific subsidiary, with 23 passengers and three crew on board flying from Macau to Hong Kong is hijacked mid-way over the Pearl River Delta by a group of four hijackers attempting to rob the passengers on board. The pilot is attacked and loses control during the ensuing struggle in the cockpit. The subsequent crash kills all on board except one passenger, who is later identified to be the lead hijacker. This is the first known case of airliner hijack.
- October 2, Bukken Bruse disaster. Flying boat crashes upon landing in Trondheim. Bertrand Russell is among the survivors.
- October 20 – KLM Constellation air disaster (Prestwick, Scotland)
1949
- May 4 - Superga air disaster. A plane carrying the Torino F.C. football team (see also Grande Torino) crashes into the Superga hills near Turin, killing all 31 on board, including 18 players.
- May 7 - A Philippine Air Lines aircraft is destroyed by a time bomb, killing all 13 aboard.
- September 9 – Canadian Pacific Airlines DC-3 explodes in mid-flight en route from Quebec City to Baie-Comeau, Quebec as the result of an on board bomb, killing all 23 on board. See Albert Guay affair.
- October 27 – Air France Lockheed Constellation crashes in the Azores; 48 die including French boxing star Marcel Cerdan and young concert violinist Ginette Neveu.
- November 1 – Eastern Airlines Flight 537, a Douglas DC-4, collides with a P-38 fighter on its final approach to National Airport. All 55 people on board the DC-4 die, including Congressman George J. Bates, New Yorker cartoonist Helen Hokinson, and former Congressman Michael J. Kennedy.
- November 29 - American Airlines Flight 157, a Douglas DC-6 enroute from New York City to Mexico City, veers off the runway and strikes buildings after the flight crew loses control of the aircraft during its final approach to Dallas Love Field. 26 passengers and 2 crew members are killed.
1950
- June 24 – Northwest Airlines Flight 2501 with 58 people on board disappears without a trace over Lake Michigan.
- August 31 – TWA Flight 903, a Lockheed Constellation 749A, crashes in the desert about 65 miles NNW of Cairo, Egypt, while returning due to an engine fire. All 55 on board are killed.
- April 25 – Cubana de Aviacion Flight 493, a Douglas DC-4 en route from Miami, Florida to Havana, Cuba, collides in midair with a United States Navy Beech SNB-1 Kansan (39939) at an altitude of 4000 feet off Key West. All 39 on board the DC-4 and all four on board the SNB-1 are killed.
- June 22 – Pan Am Flight 151, a Lockheed L-049 Constellation named the "Clipper Great Republic" en route from Accra, Ghana, to Monrovia, Liberia, crashes at an altitude of 1,050 feet into a hill near Sanoye, Liberia while on approach 54 miles from the airport. There are no survivors amongst the 31 passengers and nine crew members.
- July 21 – A Canadian Pacific Airlines Douglas C-54A-10-DC departs Vancouver, British Columbia for Anchorage, Alaska, but disappears en route without a trace. All 37 on board are eventually declared legally dead.
- December 16 – A Miami Airlines Curtiss C-46F-1-CU departs Newark, New Jersey, bound for Tampa, Florida, but catches fire and crashes in Elizabeth, New Jersey, while attempting to return to the airport. All 56 people on board die.
- April 28 - Pan Am Flight 202, a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, crashes in a remote area of Brazil on its way from Buenos Aires, Argentina to New York City via Rio de Janeiro, Brazil after a propeller fails and causes damage to various control surfaces. All 50 on board are killed.
- May 26 – BOAC four-engined Handley Page Hermes IV G-ALDN crash-lands in the Sahara Desert with 10 passengers on board, 1,300 miles off-course on a flight between Tripoli and Kano. All passengers and crew survive the initial crash landing, but the First Officer later dies of injuries sustained in the crash.
1953
- March 3 - A de Havilland Comet of Canadian Pacific Airlines crashes on take-off from Karachi, Pakistan, killing 11 on board, the world's first jetliner crash fatalities. The accident is attributed to crew inexperience.
- May 2 – A de Havilland Comet crashes in a severe storm soon after take-off from Calcutta in the second of a series of crashes that leads to the grounding of Comet 1 fleet and signals the beginning of the end for Britain's pioneering jetliner.
- September 1 - Air France Lockheed 749C Constellation flies into Mt Cemet in the French Alps, killing all 42 people on board, including renowned French classical violinist Jacques Thibaud.
- October 29 - British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines Flight 304, a Douglas DC-6 VH-BPE named Resolution, crashes into King’s Mountain at an altitude of 1,950 feet, 7-1/2 miles southeast of Half Moon Bay, on its approach to the San Francisco International Airport. The accident kills all 11 passengers, including American pianist William Kapell, and the crew of eight.
1954
- January 10 - BOAC Flight 781, a de Havilland Comet (G-ALYP) flying from Rome to London on the last leg of a flight from Singapore, disintegrates in mid-flight, killing all 29 passengers and six crew members. The accident is eventually discovered to have been caused by metal fatigue from repeated pressurization and depressurization (flexing) of the fuselage.
- March 13 - BOAC Lockheed Constellation, "Belfast", arrives at Singapore from Sydney, Australia, and crashes on landing at the Kallang Airport, killing 32 passengers and one crew member.
- April 8 - South African Airways Flight 201, a de Havilland Comet (G-ALYY) flying from Rome to Cairo bound for Johannesburg, disintegrates in mid-flight, killing all 14 passengers and seven crew members. The cause of the disaster is determined to be the same metal fatigue problem that brought down BOAC Flight 781 on January 10 of the same year.
- September 5 - KLM Flight 633, KLM Lockheed Super Constellation "Triton", ditches after takeoff from Shannon Airport in Ireland, killing 28.
- February 19 - TWA Flight 260, a Martin 404, crashes into the Sandia Mountains near Albuquerque, New Mexico, killing all 16 on board.
- April 11 - Air India "Kashmir Princess" flight is bombed. 16 people are killed and three survive.
- October 6 – United Airlines Flight 409 crashes near Centennial, Wyoming, killing all 66 onboard.
- November 1 – United Airlines Flight 629 is bombed by Jack Gilbert Graham over Denver, Colorado. All 44 on board are killed.
- April 2 - Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2, a Boeing Stratocruiser, ditches into Puget Sound after takeoff from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport after the cowl flaps are incorrectly set for takeoff. Four passengers and one flight attendant die, likely of hypothermia while waiting for rescue.
- June 30 – United Airlines Flight 718, a DC-7 flying from Los Angeles to Chicago, and TWA Flight 2, a Constellation flying from Los Angeles to Kansas City, collide over the Grand Canyon. The 58 passengers and crew on the DC-7 and the 70 passengers and crew on the Constellation are all killed. The crash occurs in uncontrolled airspace and is attributed to the pilots not seeing each others' aircraft.
- July 9 - a Trans-Canada Air Lines Vickers Viscount, CF-TGR, sheds a propeller blade over Flat Rock, Michigan. The blade enters the passenger cabin, killing one. This is the first known incident in which a turbo-prop engine sheds a propeller in passenger service.
- December 9 — Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810, a Canadair Northstar, crashes near Hope, British Columbia, Canada, killing all 62 people on board. The wreckage is not located until almost a year later.
- February 1 – Northeast Airlines Flight 823 crashes during a snowstorm shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport.
- February 6 – British European Flight 609 crashes during take-off from Munich-Riem airport, killing 23, including eight Manchester United footballers.
- April 6 - Capital Airlines Flight 67 crashes at Tri-City Airport (now MBS International Airport) near Freeland, Michigan, killing all 47 passengers and crew. An undiscovered ice buildup on the plane and windy conditions were possible causes.
- August 14 - KLM Flight 607-E en route from Brussels to New York crashes into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after take-off from Shannon Airport in Ireland, killing all 99 passengers and crew on board, including six members of the Egyptian fencing team; the probable cause is undetermined but is thought to be an overspeeding propeller.
- February 3 – American Airlines Flight 320 crashes into the East River, New York City, due to pilot error. 65 passengers and crew are killed.
- February 17 - The Prime Minister of Turkey, Adnan Menderes, survives a plane crash near London, England. 12 others are not so fortunate.
- October 30 - Piedmont Airlines Flight 349, DC-3 N55V, crashes on Bucks Elbow Mountain near Charlottesville, Virginia, killing the crew of three and 23 of 24 passengers. Sole survivor was seriously injured. Cause was a navigational error during an Instrument Landing System approach.
- November 16 - National Airlines Flight 967 crashes into the Gulf of Mexico while on a flight from Tampa to New Orleans; reportedly caused by a bomb planted on the aircraft by Dr Richard Spears. All 40 on board perish.
- January 6 – National Airlines Flight 2511 from New York to Miami, a propeller-driven DC-6B, explodes in mid-air and crashes near Bolivia, North Carolina. The accident was caused by a bomb allegedly planted by Julian A. Frank, a New York lawyer, who was heavily insured; all 34 people on board are killed.
- March 17 – A Northwest Airlines Lockheed Electra lost a wing due to propeller whirl mode and crashed in southern Indiana near Tell City. All 63 on board including the crew perished. The victims were impacted in a 30-foot-deep crater, which became their final resting place. A monument with the names of the victims and the date of the tragedy marks the grave.
- October 4 - Eastern Air Lines Flight 375 crashed on takeoff from Boston's Logan International Airport. The aircraft had struck a flock of starlings seconds after lifting off, damaging three engines, clogging the Pitot tubes, and obstructing the pilots' view. The aircraft crashed into Winthrop Bay; 62 of 72 aboard died.
- December 16 – The 1960 New York air disaster: United Airlines Flight 826, a DC-8, and TWA Flight 266, a Super Constellation, collided over Staten Island in New York. All 128 on board the two planes and six people on the ground were killed.
- January 3 - Aero DC-3 Flight 311 that was being flown by a drunken pilot stalled and crashed in the woods in the village of Koivulahti (Kvevlax in Swedish) near Vaasa, Finland. All 25 on board were killed. The accident remains the worst in Finnish aviation history.
- February 15 – Sabena Flight 548, a Boeing 707, crashes on approach in Brussels, Belgium, killing 73, including the entire United States figure skating team. A runaway stabilizer is thought to have been the cause. The crash was the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 707 in regular passenger service.
- September 17 - Northwest Airlines Flight 706, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, crashed on takeoff from Chicago, Illinois, killing 37. A maintenance error caused the ailerons to become detached from the control wheels.
- March 1 – American Airlines Flight 1, a Boeing 707, crashed in Jamaica Bay, Queens, New York and 95 died.
- March 4 – Caledonian Flight 153, a Douglas DC-7C, crashed into a jungle swamp at Douala, Cameroon, 111 died.
- March 16 – Flying Tiger Line Flight 739, chartered by the US military, disappeared over the western Pacific. It was carrying 96 US soldiers en route to South Vietnam.
- May 22 – Continental Airlines Flight 11, a Boeing 707, broke up after a bomb exploded in the right rear lavatory while the flight was near Unionville, Missouri. The bomb was an act of sabotage by one of the passengers. All 45 on board died.
- June 3 – Air France Charter Flight Chateau de Sully, a Boeing 707, skidded and burned after the pilot aborted take-off at Orly Airport killing many of Atlanta Georgia's civil and cultural leaders. In total, 130 died; only two flight attendants survived. At the time, it was the worst-ever disaster involving a single aircraft.
- November 23 - United Airlines Flight 297, a Vickers Viscount 745D, crashes near Ellicott City, Maryland, USA after a bird strike, killing all 17 people on board.
- November 30 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 512 crashes due to pilot error on missed approach, killing 25 on board.
- February 1 - Middle East Airlines Flight 265 - Vickers Viscount and Turkish Air Force C-47 CBK28 collide in Ankara, Turkey killing 87.
- August 21 - Soviet Aeroflot Tupolev 124 ditching in Neva river in Leningrad
- July 3 – Mohawk Airlines Flight 121, a Martin 404, crashes near Rochester, New York while attempting a takeoff killing seven of the 43 people on board.
- November 8 A Finnair DC-3 crashed near Mariehamn, Åland Islands, during poor visibility, due to a malfunctioning altimeter, killing 22 passengers and crew.
- November 29 Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 831, a Douglas DC-8, crashes shortly after takeoff from Montréal/Dorval Airport, killing all 118 people on board.
- December 8 – Pan Am Flight 214 struck by positive lightning and crashed near Elkton, Maryland.
- May 7 – Pacific Air Lines Flight 773, a Fairchild F27, crashed near San Ramon, California after a passenger shot both the pilot and co-pilot before turning the gun on himself, killing all 44 aboard.
- November 15 - Bonanza Air Lines Flight 114, a Fairchild F27, crashed into a mountain in poor weather while on a nighttime approach to Las Vegas, Nevada. All 29 aboard perished when the plane impacted only 10 feet (3 m) below a ridge. Initially blamed on the pilot misreading his approach chart, years later the chart maker agreed to pay a settlement of US$490,000 to some of the victim's heirs after it was shown the chart had incorrect markings.
- November 20 - Linjeflyg flight 277, a Convair CV-340, crashed during the approach to Engelholm, Sweden, when in instrument conditions the crew abandoned the set procedure and began the landing too soon. 31 people were killed.
- December 24 - Flying Tiger Line Flight 282 crashed near San Bruno, California after an unexplained course deviation.
- February 8 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 663 forced to take evasive action on takeoff to avoid colliding with another commercial aircraft, lost control and crashed. All 84 persons on board are killed.
- March 31 – Iberia Airlines Convair CV-440-62, crashes into the sea on approach to Tangier killing 50 of 53 occupants; the crash is blamed on a stall due to 'undetermined reasons'.
- August 6 – Braniff Flight 250 flies into an active squall line and the plane breaks apart in midair. Crashes near Falls City, Nebraska. All 42 on board killed.
- November 15 – Pan Am Flight 708 crashes near Berlin, Germany. All three crewmembers were killed.
- March 9 – TWA Flight 553 collides with a Beechcraft Baron near Dayton, Ohio killing all 26 on both planes.
- June 4 – Stockport Air Disaster, Stockport, UK. A British Midland Canadair C4 Argonaut carrying passengers returning from Palma de Mallorca was on the approach to Ringway Airport when an engine lost power due to a design failure in the aircraft's fuel system. 72 of 84 on board died.
- June 23 – Mohawk Airlines Flight 40, a BAC One-Eleven, crashes in Blossburg, Pennsylvania killing all 34 people on board.
- July 19 - Piedmont Airlines Flight 22, a Boeing 727 from Asheville, North Carolina to Roanoke, Virginia crashes shortly after departure, after colliding in midair with a twin-engine Cessna 310 on instrument approach to the same airport, killing all 82 passengers and crew on both aircraft.
- March 24 – Aer Lingus Flight 712 crashes off the Irish coast.
- May 3 - Braniff Flight 352, a Lockheed L-188A Electra enroute from Houston, Texas to Dallas, crashes in a thunderstorm, killing its 5 crew and 80 passengers.
- July 1 – Seaboard World Airlines Flight 253 is forced to land in the Soviet Union. On board are over 200 American troops bound for Vietnam.
- October 25 - Northeast Airlines Flight 946 crashes near Etna, New Hampshire, killing 32 passengers and crew.
- February 18 – Hawthorne Nevada Airlines Flight 708, a Douglas DC-3, crashes near Lone Pine, California, killing all 35 people on board.
- April – In the Seaboard World Airlines landing at Marble Mountain incident a Douglas DC-8 Super 63 lands at a helicopter airstrip in Vietnam
- September 9 – Allegheny Airlines Flight 853 DC-9 (N988VJ) collided in flight at 3550 feet with a Piper PA-28 and crashed near Fairland, Indiana killing all 83 occupants aboard the two aircraft.
- November 19 – Mohawk Airlines Flight 411 crashes near Glens Falls, New York killing all 14 people on board.
- February 15 – Dominicana DC-9 air disaster Contaminated fuel causes dual engine failure shortly after takeoff.
- February 21 – Swissair Flight 330 Convair CV-990 Bomb in cargo hold detonates 9 minutes after takeoff.
- March 31 – Japan Airlines Flight 351 Boeing 727 Domestic JAL flight hijacked to North Korea by Red Army Faction
- May 2 - ALM Flight 980, a DC-9 operated by Overseas National Airways, ditched near St. Croix, Virgin Islands, killing 23 including 2 infants and 1 crewmember; 40 including 4 crewmembers survived.
- July 5 – Air Canada Flight 621 Douglas DC-8 exploded following a failed landing at Toronto International Airport (now Pearson), with 109 fatalities.
- August 9 - LANSA Cuzco Crash - LANSA Lockheed Electra OB-R-939 crashed and burned shortly after takeoff from Cuzco, Peru, killing 99 people on the plane and 2 on the ground; among the dead were 49 American high school exchange students
- September 6 – Dawson's Field hijackings of El Al 219, Pan Am 93, SwissAir 100, TWA 741, and (on September 9) BOAC 775. This event triggered a civil war in Jordan.
- November 14 – Southern Airways Flight 932, a chartered DC-9-31, N97S, crashed on approach at Tri-State/Milton Ferguson Airport in Huntington, West Virginia, en route from Kinston, North Carolina, killing all 75 on board, including the entire coaching staff and 37 members of the Marshall University football team. (See also We Are Marshall, a 2006 film about the aftermath of the crash.) Cause was determined to be descending too low without visual contact with the runway, despite the absence of an ILS glide slope system at the airport. Rapidly falling barometric pressure may have caused the altimeter to read higher than the true altitude.
- June 6 - Hughes Airwest Flight 706, a McDonnell-Douglas DC-9-31 commercial flight was flying from Los Angeles, California, to Salt Lake City, Utah. Following a mid-air collision with a United States Marine Corps F-4B Phantom II jet fighter, the flight crashed into the San Gabriel Mountains near Duarte, California, killing all 49 people aboard. The pilot of the Phantom also died. The radar intercept officer successfully bailed out.
- November 24 – A man using the name Dan Cooper hijacked Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305, a Boeing 727, out of Portland, Oregon. In exchange for $200,000 and four parachutes he released the passengers. The crew took off and he parachuted from the plane. He was never found although a roll of bills from his ransom was found in a riverbed many years later.
- December 24 – LANSA Flight 508, a Lockheed Electra OB-R-941 enroute from Lima to Pucallpa, Peru, breaks apart in mid-air after being set aflame by lightning. It crashes in the Amazonian rainforest and 91 people die; the sole survivor is Juliane Koepcke, a 17-year old girl who survives a fall from 2 miles and a 10-day walk through the jungle before being found by hunters. Her mother, famous ornithologist Maria Koepcke, dies; director Werner Herzog had narrowly missed being on the same flight.
- January 26 – JAT Yugoslav Flight 364, a DC-9, suffers a bomb explosion while en route from Copenhagen to Zagreb. One survivor was entered in the Guinness Book of World Records for surviving the longest fall without a parachute, over ten thousand meters.
- March 3 – Mohawk Airlines Flight 405, a Fairchild FH227B twin-engine turboprop, crashes near Albany, New York while descending to land, killing 16 people on board and 1 on the ground.
- May 30 – Delta Air Lines Flight 9570 crashes at Greater Southwest International Airport due to wake turbulence from a leading DC-10.
- June 12 – American Airlines Flight 96, a DC-10, suffers explosive decompression when one of its cargo doors fails in flight. The crew manages an emergency landing at Detroit, Michigan, and everyone on board evacuates safely.
- June 15 – Cathay Pacific Flight 700Z, a Convair CV-880, suffers an in-cabin suitcase bomb explosion at an altitude of 29,000 feet over Vietnam.
- June 18 – British European Airways Flight 548 (Staines air disaster) encounters a series of stalls followed by a deep stall due to pilot error.
- June 24 – Prinair Flight 191 is overrotated due to pilot error.
- October 13 – Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 (Andes flight disaster) crashes in the Andes mountains. See also Alive: The Miracle of the Andes.
- December 8 – United Airlines Flight 553 crashes after a second landing attempt at Chicago Midway International Airport, killing 43 of 60 people on board and two people on the ground. Among those killed was Watergate conspirator E. Howard Hunt's wife Dorothy Hunt.
- December 23 – Braathens Flight 239 (Asker air disaster) crashes in Asker upon landing at Fornebu airport, Oslo, Norway, killing 40 of 45 people on board. The aircraft was four nautical miles off course in bad weather conditions, possibly due to pilot error.
- December 29 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 401, a Lockheed L-1011, crashes in the Florida Everglades. The crew is distracted by a faulty gear-down light, resulting in controlled flight into terrain. First crash of a widebody aircraft.
- February 21 – Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114, a Boeing 727, flew off course and was shot down by Israeli jets in the Sinai war zone.
- July 11 – Varig Flight 820, a Boeing 707, experienced an on-board fire and crashed near Paris, France.
- September 11 - A Yugoslav Airlines Sud SE-210 Caravelle struck a mountain at 6300 feet while descending from 9000 feet to 6000 feet near Podgorica in instrument meteorological conditions. All 41 on board died.
- December 17 – Pan Am Flight 110, a Boeing 707, was firebombed by Palestinian militants while at gate in Rome, Italy. 29 of 68 passengers and crew were killed. The militants then hijacked a Lufthansa Boeing 737 to Athens. In total, 33 died as a result of the firebombing and hijacking.
- March 3 – Turkish Airlines Flight 981 DC-10 crashes in the Ermenonville forest near Senlis, France after the rear underfloor cargo door was incorrectly latched; 346 on board die.
- September 8 – TWA Flight 841 is destroyed by a bomb in the cargo hold; 88 on board are killed.
- September 11 - Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 DC-9 crashes on approach to the Charlotte, North Carolina airport; 72 people are killed.
- September 15 – Air Vietnam Flight 706 is hijacked and crashes; 75 on board die.
- November 20 – Lufthansa Flight 540 crashes shortly after takeoff, the first ever crash involving a Boeing 747; 59 of 157 on board are killed.
- December 1 - TWA Flight 514, a Boeing 727 inbound to Dulles International Airport crashes into Mount Weather in Bluemont, Virginia.
- December 4 – A chartered Martinair DC-8 Series 55F hits the Seven Virgins mountain range in Maskeliya, Sri Lanka; 191 are killed.
- June 24 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 Boeing 727 encountered wind shear on final approach and struck approach lights at New York Kennedy.
- September 30 – Malév Flight 240 Tupolev Tu-154 was shot down near Lebanon.
- January 1 - Middle East Airlines Flight 438, a Boeing 720, crashed in Saudia Arabia when bomb exploded in the forward baggage compartment killing 81.
- April 27 – American Airlines Flight 625, a Boeing 727, crashed on approach to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
- July 28 - ČSA Flight OK-NAB, a Ilyushin Il-18 crashed near Bratislava in Czechoslovakia.
- September 10 – A mid-air collision occurs between a British Airways Trident and an Inex-Adria DC-9, near Zagreb, Yugoslavia killing 176.
- September 19 - A THY Boeing 727 crashed into a mountain in Turkey killing 154.
- October 6 – Cubana Flight 455, a Douglas DC-8, bombed by Anti-Castro terrorists.
- January 15 – A Skyline Sweden Vickers Viscount 838 crashes in Kälvesta, Sweden just outside Stockholm killing all 22 on board.
- March 27 – KLM Flight 4805 and Pan Am Flight 1736 collide in the Tenerife disaster, the worst accident in the history of commercial aircraft, killing 583 people.
- April 4 - Southern Airways Flight 242 DC-9 crash-landed on a highway after dual engine failure encountered in a thunderstorm, 62 out of 85 aboard killed, 8 ground fatalities.
- April 28 - An Aviateca Convair 240 crashes near Guatemala City, Guatemala killing all 28 people on board
- May 14 - an IAS Cargo Boeing 707 crashes near Lusaka, Zambia, killing all 6 on-board.
- May 27 - an Aeroflot Ilyushin, crashes on approach in Havana. It remains the second worst accident in Cuba's history.
- September 28 – Japan Airlines Flight 472, a Douglas DC-8, is hijacked after taking off from Mumbai, India by Japanese Red Army (JRA) terrorists. The terrorists forced the plane to land in Dhaka, Bangladesh were they demanded a US$6 million and the release of nine imprisoned JRA members being held in Japan. The Japanese government complied and all of the hostages were eventually released.
- October 13 – Lufthansa Flight 181 is hijacked by four Palestinians, members of the PFLP.
- October 20- Lynyrd Skynyrd's chartered Convair 240 airliner, registered N55VM, departs from Greenville, South Carolina's Downtown Airport, runs out of fuel en route to next concert and crashes five miles north of Gillsburg, Mississippi in a swampy pine forest while trying to reach an alternate airport. They were only 48 miles short of the destination, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when they had fuel starvation. Four members of the band and crew are killed, as are both pilots. Lead singer and founder of the band, Ronnie Van Zant, dies at the crash site.
- November 19 - TAP Boeing 727 overran runway at Funchal, Madeira Islands and exploded killing 131.
- December 4 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 653 hijacked in mysterious circumstances.
- December 13 – National Jet Services Douglas DC-3 charter crashed on takeoff from Evansville, Indiana en route to Nashville International Airport (BNA), killing all 29 on board, including the entire University of Evansville basketball team.
- January 1 – Air India Flight 855 crashed into the Arabian Sea due to instrument malfunction and pilot error.
- April 20 – Korean Air Flight 902 shot down by Soviet fighter planes.
- May 8 - National Airlines Flight 193 landed short on approach into Pensacola, Florida in Escambia Bay due to pilot error.
- June 26 – Air Canada Flight 189 crashed on takeoff due to tire failure.
- September 25 – Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182 collided with a Cessna over San Diego.
- November 15 – Icelandair DC-8 Super 63CF ploughs into a coconut plantation in Katunayake, Sri Lanka, 184 killed, 78 survivors.
- December 28 – United Airlines Flight 173 ran out of fuel while circling near Portland, Oregon to investigate a light indicating a problem with the landing gear. The plane crashed in a wooded area, killing 10 and injuring 24 of the 181 on board.
- Feb 12 - Air Rhodesia Flight 827, a Vickers Viscount shot down by a SAM-7 missile shortly after take-off from Kariba Airport, Rhodesia, 59 killed.
- May 25 – American Airlines Flight 191, a Douglas DC-10, crashed on takeoff from O'Hare International Airport after catastrophic mechanical failure, killing all 271 on board and two on the ground; worst pre-9/11 aviation disaster in U.S. history.
- August 11 - Collision of two Aeroflot Tupolev aircraft. ATC separation error. 178 killed.
- November 26 - Pakistan International Airlines Flight 740, a Boeing 707 (AP-AWZ) crashed after fire in the cabin. All 156 on board died (145 passengers and 11 crew).
- November 28 – Air New Zealand Flight 901, a Douglas DC-10 hit high ground Mount Erebus, Antarctica, 257 killed. Known as the Mount Erebus disaster.
- June 27 – Itavia Flight 870 crashed into the sea near Italy, in controversial circumstances.
- July 7 – Aeroflot Tupolev TU-154B crashed on takeoff from Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan. All 166 passengers and crew aboard were killed.
- August 19 - Saudia Flight 163 lands at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia when a fire breaks out, killing all 301 onboard.
- August 22 - Far Eastern Air Transport Boeing 737-222 broke up during flight. Severe corrosion in the fuselage structure which led to an explosive decompression and breakup at high altitude. All 110 on board were killed.
- October 6 - NLM Cityhopper Flight 431 destroyed by a tornado near Rotterdam.
- November 16 - Aeroflot Tupolev TU-154B crashed while on final approach to Norilsk after the elevator failed. 99 on board were killed.
- December 1 - Inex-Adria Aviopromet MD-80 crashed into Mt. San Pietro while approaching Campo Dell'Oro Airport in Ajaccio, Corsica killing all 173 passengers and 7 crew. It was and still is the worst accident involving an MD-80.
- January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737, crashed into frozen Potomac River after take-off from Washington National Airport. Cause was improper power-settings due to incorrect instrument readings - engine de-icing heat had been inadvertently left off.
- January 23 – World Airways Flight 30, a DC-10, overshot the runway at Boston, Massachusetts, two missing presumed dead.
- April 26 - CAAC Trident 2E crashed into a mountain while on approach to Guilin, killing all 112 people on board.
- June 8 - VASP Flight 168, a Boeing 727, crashed into a hillside in Brazil, killing all 137 on board.
- June 23 – British Airways Flight 9, a Boeing 747-200 flew through cloud of volcanic dust south of Java; all engines failed. Was able to restart engines and make safe landing.
- July 9 – Pan Am Flight 759, crashed in Kenner, Louisiana shortly after takeoff. All 145 on board were killed as well as 8 people on the ground.
- June 2 – Air Canada Flight 797, a DC-9, caught fire in air over Kentucky. 23 out of 41 passengers died from smoke inhalation even after the crew successfully landed the aircraft at Cincinnati, Ohio. Renowned Canadian folk singer Stan Rogers died while helping other passengers evacuate the aircraft.
- July 11 – a TAME Boeing 727 scrapes a mountain peak and explodes while attempting to land at Cuenca, Ecuador. All 118 people on board died.
- July 16 – a British Airways Sikorsky S-61 helicopter crashed into the sea off the Isles of Scilly. Twenty people died, making it the worst helicopter accident in the UK for several years and sparking a review of helicopter safety. It later became known as the Sikorsky S-61 disaster.
- July 23 – Air Canada Flight 143, a Boeing 767, ran out of fuel above Manitoba due to a miscalculation. The crew successfully glided the aircraft to a safe landing at a former air force base at Gimli, Manitoba, hence the aircraft became known as the Gimli Glider.
- September 1 – Korean Air Flight 007, a Boeing 747, was shot down by Soviet fighter planes near Sakhalin island after accidentally violating Soviet airspace. All 269 people on board were killed.
- September 23 – Gulf Air Flight 771, a Boeing 737, crashed near Mina Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates after a bomb planted by the Abu Nidal Organisation detonated on board. All 117 people on board perished.
- November 8 – an Angola Airlines Boeing 737 was shot down over Huíla province, Angola by rebels. All 130 passengers and crew died.
- November 27 – Avianca Flight 11, a Boeing 747, impacted a hill while attempting to land at Madrid, Spain, due to a navigational error. Of the 192 passengers and crew aboard, 11 survived.
- December 7 – Iberia Flight 350 a Boeing 727 collided with Aviaco Flight 134 (a DC-9) which had strayed onto its takeoff runway at Madrid, Spain during heavy fog. 51 on the 727 and all 42 aboard the DC-9 were killed.
- January 10 – a Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Tupolev Tu-134 crashed into a forest near Sofia, Bulgaria during a snowstorm. All 50 people on board died.
- March 22 – Pacific Western Airlines Flight 501, a Boeing 737 suffered a catastrophic mechanical failure during takeoff from Calgary. All passengers and crew were safely evacuated, but the plane burned to the ground
- August 5 – a Biman Bangladesh Airlines Fokker F-27 crashed while attempting to land at Dacca, Bangladesh. All 49 passengers and crew were killed.
- August 5 – an Aeroflot Antonov An-12 flew into a hailstorm over Nawabshah, Pakistan which damaged its engines. The plane broke up during a steep descent, killing all 24 passengers and crew.
- October 11 – Aeroflot Flight 3352, a Tupolev Tu-154, hit two cleaning vehicles on the runway while taking off from Omsk, Russia. Four crew and one passenger out of 179 survived.
- December 23 – Aeroflot Flight 3519, a Tupolev Tu-154, crashed while attempting to land at Krasnoyarsk, Russia, after an engine caught fire. All 110 people on board died.
- January 1 - Eastern Air Lines Flight 980 impacted Mount Illimani in Bolivia at 19,600 feet killing 29
- January 21 – Galaxy Airlines Flight 203, a Lockheed L-188 Electra 4-engine turboprop, crashes in Reno, Nevada while attempting to return to the airport to troubleshoot a noise, killing 70 of the 71 people on board; it is later discovered the air start door was not properly secured.
- February 19 - an Iberia Boeing 727 crashed after hitting a television antenna installed on the summit of Monte Oiz while landing in Bilbao, killing 148 people.
- February 19 - China Airlines Flight 006 encountered an engine flameout off the coast of California and plunged 30,000 feet before regaining control and landing in San Francisco.
- June 14 – TWA Flight 847, a Boeing 727, was hijacked by Lebanese militants. One passenger was murdered during the three-day ordeal.
- June 23 – Air India Flight 182 "Kanishka", a Boeing 747, was bombed by Sikh extremists. It crashed into the ocean near Ireland, killing all 329 people on board.
- August 2 – Delta Air Lines Flight 191, a Lockheed Tristar crashed on approach to Dallas-Fort Worth airport due to wind shear from a sudden thunderstorm. Of the 163 passengers and crew aboard, 29 survived.
- August 12 – Japan Airlines Flight 123, a Boeing 747, crashed into Mount Osutaka after catastrophic failure of the tailplane severed all hydraulic lines and rendered the aircraft uncontrollable. 520 people were killed. To date, it is the worst single-aircraft disaster in history.
- August 22 – British Airtours Flight 28M, a Boeing 737, aborted its takeoff from Manchester, England due to an engine fire. While 63 passengers and crew escaped alive, 53 were killed, most from smoke inhalation.
- September 4 – Ariana Afghan Airlines Antonov An-26 shot down by terrorists near Kandahar, killing all 47 passengers and 5 crew.
- September 6 – Midwest Express Airlines Flight 105, a DC-9 crashed after takeoff from Milwaukee due to engine failure and pilot error. All 31 people on board were killed.
- November 23 – EgyptAir Flight 648, a Boeing 737 was hijacked by Palestinian militants. It was stormed on Malta by Egyptian special forces. The incident killed 58 out of 90 passengers, and all but one of the hijackers.
- December 12 – Arrow Air Flight 1285, a DC-8 crashed after takeoff in Newfoundland due to unknown causes. All 256 passengers and crew died, making it the worst air disaster to occur in Canada as of January 2007.
- March 31 – Mexicana Flight 940, a Boeing 727 crashed into high ground near Maravatio, Mexico. 167 passengers and crew were killed.
- April 2 – TWA Flight 840, a Boeing 727 was bombed by Palestinian militants, killing four passengers. The plane managed to land safely in Athens.
- August 31 – Aeromexico Flight 498, a DC-9, collided with a Piper Cherokee light aircraft over Los Angeles. 82 people died, including 15 on the ground.
- September 5 – Pan Am Flight 73, a Boeing 747, was hijacked on the ground at Karachi Airport, Pakistan by Palestinian militants. About twenty passengers and crew died during a shootout inside the plane.
- December 25 – Iraqi Airways Flight 163, a Boeing 737, was hijacked by Hezbollah militants en route to Amman, Jordan. An on board shootout with security forces caused the plane to crash, killing 63 of the 106 people on board.
- January 3 – Varig Flight 797, a Boeing 707, crashed into the jungle near Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire due to an engine fire. 51 people died.
- May 9 – LOT Flight 5055, an Ilyushin Il-62, crashed near Warsaw, Poland, after an engine fire. All 183 people on board died.
- August 16 – Northwest Airlines Flight 255, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashed on takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Michigan, 25 miles west of Detroit due to pilot error. 154 died, one person (a four year old girl) survived.
- August 31 – Thai Airways Flight 365, a Boeing 737, crashed into the ocean off the coast of Thailand due to pilot error. All 83 passengers and crew perished.
- November 28 – South African Airways Flight 295, a Boeing 747 crashed into the Indian Ocean after a fire in the cargo hold. All 159 aboard 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.
- March 17 – Avianca Flight 410, a Boeing 727, crashed into terrain near Cúcuta, Colombia after takeoff due to pilot error. All 142 people on board died.
- April 28 – Aloha Airlines Flight 243, a Boeing 737 suffered explosive decompression inflight, but landed safely. One stewardess was blown out of the plane and killed, several passengers were injured.
- July 3 – Iran Air Flight 655, an Airbus A300 was controversially shot down over Iranian waters by the missile cruiser USS Vincennes near Dubai. All 290 people on board were killed.
- August 31 – Delta Air Lines Flight 1141, a Boeing 727, crashed on takeoff from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport due to pilot error, killing ten passengers and two crew members.
- December 21 – Pan Am Flight 103, a Boeing 747, crashed near Lockerbie, Scotland after a terrorist bomb exploded on board. All 259 people on board, plus 11 on the ground, were killed. The incident became known as the Lockerbie air disaster.
- January 8 – British Midlands Flight 92, a Boeing 737 crashed near Leicester after one of its engines lost a fan blade and failed. Of the 118 passengers and 8 crew, 79 survived. The incident became known as the Kegworth air disaster.
- February 24 – United Airlines Flight 811, a Boeing 747, suffered an explosive decompression shortly after takeoff from Honolulu, Hawaii, caused by a cargo door which burst open during flight. Nine passengers were sucked out of the plane, but the pilots managed to land safely at Honolulu.
- March 10 – Air Ontario Flight 1363, a Fokker F-28, crashed immediately after takeoff from Dryden, Ontario due to icing on the wings. 24 people were killed.
- June 7 – Surinam Airways Flight PY764, a DC-8, crashed while attempting to land in heavy fog at Paramaribo, Suriname. The plane hit trees and flipped upside down, killing 176 people.
- July 19 – United Airlines Flight 232, a Douglas DC-10, suffered a complete hydraulics failure over Iowa. Despite the crew's attempts to control the aircraft using only the throttle, it crashed on the runway of Sioux City, Iowa, killing 111 of the 296 people on board.
- September 3 – Varig Flight 254, a Boeing 737, ran out of fuel due to incorrect navigation and crashed in the Brazilian jungle, killing 12 of the 48 passengers on board.
- September 8 – Partnair Flight 394, a Convair 580, crashed into the North Sea after its tail section fell off in midair. All 55 people on board perished.
- September 19 – UTA Flight 772, a DC-10, exploded in mid-air over the Sahara desert when a bomb hidden in its forward cargo hold exploded. All 170 people on board were killed. Responsibility for the bombing was later traced back to Abdullah Sanussi, the brother-in-law of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, whose government in 2003 agreed to pay compensation to the victims.
- November 27 – Avianca Flight 203, a Boeing 727, exploded in mid-air over Colombia, killing 107 people on board as well as several on the ground. The Medellín Cartel claimed responsibility for the attack.
- January 25 – Avianca Flight 52, a Boeing 707, ran out of fuel and crashed while attempting to land at New York. Of the 158 people on board, 85 survived.
- February 14 - Indian Airlines Flight 605 crashes on its final approach to Bangalore airport. 92 persons are killed on board the airplane, an Airbus A-320.
- June 10 – British Airways Flight 5390, a BAC One-Eleven, suffered explosive decompression over Didcot, Oxfordshire, England when one of the front windscreen panes blew out, blowing the pilot partially out of the cockpit. The co-pilot managed to land the aircraft safely at Southampton Airport.
- August 2 – British Airways Flight 149, a Boeing 747, was captured and later destroyed by Iraqi soldiers in the opening stages of the invasion of Kuwait. There were no documented fatalities.
- February 1 – USAir Flight 1493, a Boeing 737, hit a Fairchild Metro commuter plane waiting to take off from the same runway the Boeing plane was landing on (at Los Angeles). 34 people, including all the Metro and 22 of the USAir passengers were killed.
- March 3 – United Airlines Flight 585, a Boeing 737, crashed while attempting to land at Colorado Springs, Colorado, killing all 25 people on board. The cause was never clearly identified, although problems with the 737's control system were suspected.
- March 26 – Singapore Airlines Flight 117 was hijacked by Pakistani militants en route to Singapore, where, upon landing, it was stormed by Singapore Special Operations forces. All the hijackers were killed in the operation, with no fatalities amongst the passengers and crew.
- May 26 – Lauda Air Flight 004, a Boeing 767, disintegrated in mid-air over Uthai Thani Province, Thailand, killing all 223 people on board. It was later found that a thrust reverser had accidentally deployed in flight, causing the disaster.
- July 11 - A Nationair DC-8-61 chartered by Nigeria Airways to transport Nigerian pilgrims to Mecca caught fire and crashed shortly after takeoff from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, killing all 261 on board. Underinflated tires burst and caught fire during the takeoff roll, and were subsequently retracted into the fuselage. Here the fire spread, leading to a progressive failure of the aircraft systems and its structure before the aircraft could return to the airport for an emergency landing.
- September 11 - Continental Express Flight 2574 crashed on descent in Eagle Lake, Texas, September 11, 1991, killing all 14 people on board. Maintenance crews switched during repairs to the horizontal stabilizer, leaving 47 bolts missing. Reformers pointed to this error and called for development of a "safety culture".
- December 27 – Both engines of Scandinavian Airlines Flight 751, a MD-81, failed shortly after takeoff from Stockholm, Sweden. The pilots successfully made an emergency landing in a nearby field, injuring 25 passengers but not incurring a single fatality.
- March 22 – USAir Flight 405, a Fokker F-28 crashed on takeoff from New York due to ice buildup. The aircraft was headed to Cleveland. Twenty-seven of the 51 people on board were killed. The then-president of Cleveland's renowned Cleveland Clinic was among the passengers who survived.
- July 30 – TWA Flight 843 aborted takeoff at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The Lockheed L-1011 turned off the runway onto grass in order to avoid striking a concrete barrier; it was severely damaged by fire shortly after all 292 passengers and crew evacuated with no loss of life.
- July 31 – A Thai Airways Airbus A310 crashed 22.5 miles (36 km) from Kathmandu, Nepal. All 14 crew and 99 passengers were killed.
- September 28 – Pakistan International Airlines Flight 268, an Airbus A300 crashed near Kathmandu, Nepal, killing all 12 crew and 155 passengers.
- October 4 – El Al Flight 1862 (a Boeing 747 cargo) crashed into high-rise apartment buildings in Amsterdam when two of its engines detached from the wing. Forty-three people, including the plane's crew of 3, were killed. The incident became known as the Bijlmerramp (Bijlmer disaster).
- December 21 – Martinair MP 495 crashed in Faro, Portugal killing 54 people and injuring 106.
- April 26: Indian Airlines Flight 491, a Boeing 737-200, strikes a large vehicle on a road just outside the Aurangabad airport and crashes subsequently, killing 55 of the 118 people onboard.
- September 14 – Lufthansa Flight 2904, an Airbus A320, crashes after overrunning the runway in Warsaw, Poland, killing 2 people on board.
- September 21 – Transair Georgian Airline Crash (21 September) - An airliner was hit on approach to Sukhumi-Babusheri Airport by a surface-to-air missile. The plane crashed into the Black Sea, killing all five crew members and 22 passengers.
- September 22 – Transair Georgian Airline Crash (22 September) - Another plane, carrying refugees from the besieged city, was shot down on take-off from the airport. The plane crashed on the runway, killing 106 of the 132 people on board.
- 4 November A China Airlines Boeing 747-409 overran the Kai Tak Airport runway 13 while landing during a typhoon. The wind was gusting to gale force at the time. Despite the plane's unstable approach the captain did not go around. It touched down more than 2/3 down the runway and was unable to stop before the runway ran out.
- March 23 - Aeroflot Flight 593, an Airbus A310, crashed into a wooded hillside in Siberia. All 75 passengers and crew were killed.
- April 26 – China Airlines Flight 140, an Airbus A300, crashed while landing at Nagoya, Japan due to pilot error. 264 people of the 271 on board died.
- July 2 – USAir Flight 1016, a DC-9, crashed while attempting to land at Charlotte, North Carolina during a thunderstorm. 37 of the 51 people on board were killed.
- July 19 – Alas Chiricanas Flight 00901, an Embraer EMB-110, exploded in mid-air over Panama, killing all 21 people on board. Investigators concluded that a suicide bomber had caused the plane to explode, although motives and affiliation of the bomber remain unclear.
- September 8 – USAir Flight 427, a Boeing 737, crashed while attempting to land at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, killing all 133 people on board. Investigations showed a fault in the aircraft's rudder was to blame for the crash.
- October 31 – American Eagle Flight 4184, an ATR 72, crashed while waiting to land at Chicago, Illinois, due to ice buildup on its wings. All 68 people on board died.
- December 11 – a bomb exploded on board Philippine Airlines Flight 434, a Boeing 747, killing one passenger. The crew succeeded in making an emergency landing at Naha, Okinawa.
- December 24 – Air France Flight 8969, an Airbus A300 was hijacked on the tarmac at Algiers, Algeria by the militant group GIA. After a two-day standoff, the plane was allowed to fly to Marseille, France, where it was stormed by French commandos.
- January 11 – Intercontinental de Aviación Flight 256, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, bursts into flame and crashes while descending to land at Cartagena, Colombia. Of the 52 people on board, 51 were killed.
- March 31 – Tarom Flight 371, an Airbus A310, crashes near Baloteşti, Romania killing all 60 on board.
- June 5 – Ansett New Zealand Flight 703 crashes during a landing approach and crashes near Tararua Range, New Zealand killng four of the 21 people on board.
- August 9 – Aviateca Flight 901, a Boeing 737, crashes into Mt. Chichontepec, El Salvador during a thunderstorm killing all 65 people on board.
- August 21 – Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529, an Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia, crashes in a field near Carrollton, Georgia in the United States. Of the 29 people on board, ten were killed.
- September 9 – A SATENA CASA C.212 Aviocar crashes during an attempted landing near La Macarena, Colombia killing 21 of the 22 people on board.
- September 15 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 2133, a Fokker F50 overruns the runway in Tawau, Malaysia killing 34 of the 53 people on board.
- September 21 – An MIAT Mongolian Airlines Antonov An-24 crashes into a mountain near Mörön, Mongolia killing 42 of the 43 people on board.
- November 13 – Nigeria Airways Flight 357, a Boeing 737, veers off the runway and catches fire in Kaduna, Nigeria. Of the 137 people on board, nine are killed.
- December 3 – Cameroon Airlines Flight 3701, a Boeing 737, crashes during an attempted landing near Douala, Cameroon killing 72 of the 78 on board.
- December 5 – An Azerbaijan Airlines Tupolev Tu-134 crashes shortly after takeoff while attempting to make an emergency landing near Nakhichevan City, Azerbaijan killing 54 of the 82 people on board.
- December 7 – Dalavia Far East Airways Flight 3949, a Tupolev Tu-154, crashes a mountain near Grossevichi, Russia killing all 98 people on board.
- December 13 – A Romavia Flight 166, an Antonov An-24 crashes shortly after taking off from Verona, Italy killing all 50 people on board.
- December 18 – A Trans Service Airlift Lockheed L-188 Electra crashes after taking off from Jamba, Angola, due to overloading. Of the 144 people on board, 141 were killed.
- December 20 – American Airlines Flight 965, a Boeing 757, crashes into a mountain while approaching Santiago de Cali, Colombia. Of the 164 people on board, only 4 people and a dog survived.
- January 8 - An African Air Antonov An-32 crashed into a busy street market after failing to take off in Kinshasa, Zaire. Of the six people on board, two were killed as well as 225-350 people on the ground.
- February 6 – Birgenair Flight 301, a Boeing 757 with 189 people on board crashes into the ocean off Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic shortly after taking off. All of the passengers and crew members on board were killed.
- February 29 – Compañia de Aviación Faucett Flight 251, a Boeing 737, crashes into a hill while attempting to land at Arequipa, Peru. All 123 people on board died.
- April 5 – A Krasnoyarskie Avialinii Ilyushin Il-76 near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia due to fuel starvation killing all 20 people on board.
- May 3 – A Federal Airlines Antonov An-24 crashes near Haj Yousif, Sudan during a sand storm killing all 53 people on board.
- May 11 – ValuJet Airlines Flight 592, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashed near Miami, Florida, due to a fire in its cargo hold. All 110 people on board were killed.
- June 13 – Garuda Indonesia Flight 865, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, over runs the run way during a takeoff attempt in Fukuoka, Japan killing three of the 275 people on board.
- July 6 – Delta Air Lines Flight 1288, a McDonnell Douglas MD-80, experiences an engine failure during takeoff at Pensacola, Florida. The left engine sustained an uncontained failure, causing pieces of the engine to penetrate the cabin, killing 2 of the 142 people on board.
- July 17 – TWA Flight 800, a Boeing 747, explodes in mid-air above the ocean off East Moriches, New York, killing all 230 people on board.
- August 29 – Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801, a Tupolev Tu-154 crashes into a mountain on Spitsbergen, an island in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, killing all 141 on board.
- October 2 – Aeroperu Flight 603, a Boeing 757, crashes into the ocean off Pasamayo, Peru, due to a maintenance error. All 70 people on board were killed.
- November 12 – Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 763, a Boeing 747, collided in mid-air with an Air Kazakhstan Ilyushin Il-76 cargo jet near Charkhidadri, India killing all 312 on board the Boeing 747 and all 37 on board the Ilyushin Il-76.
- November 23 – Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961, a Boeing 767, is hijacked over Kenya. The aircraft ran out of fuel, and the pilot attempted to ditch the aircraft in the ocean off Moroni, Comoros. Of the 175 people on board, 123 were killed.
- January 9 – Comair Flight 3272, an Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia crashes near Ida, Michigan in Monroe County during a snowstorm killing all 29 on board.
- February 1 – An Air Senegal Avro 748 crashes shortly after takeoff in Tambacoumba, Senegal killing 25 of the 52 on board.
- March 18 – A Stavropol Airlines Antonov An-24 crashes near Cherkessk, Russia killing all 50 on board.
- May 8 – A China Southern Airlines Boeing 737 made a hard landing at Huangtian, China during poor weather and crashed. Of the 74 on board 35 were killed.
- June 6 – A Bazair Vickers Viscount crashes near Irumu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after a cabin fire. All 27 on board died.
- July 11 – A Cubana de Aviación Antonov An-24 crashes into the ocean shortly after taking off from Santiago de Cuba, Cuba killing all 44 on board.
- July 17 – A Sempati Air Fokker F27 crashes in Bandung, Indonesia while attempting an emergency landing after an engine fire. Of the 50 people on board, 30 died.
- August 6 – Korean Air Flight 801, a Boeing 747, crashes while attempting to land in heavy rain in Hagåtña, Guam. Of the 254 people on board, 228 died.
- September 3 – A Vietnam Airlines Tupolev Tu-134 crashes in Phnom Penh, Cambodia while attempting to land in heavy rain. Of the 66 passengers and crew members only one survived.
- September 12 – A TMK Air Commuter de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter flies into a hill near Uvira, Democratic Republic of the Congo killing all 22 on board.
- September 26 – Garuda Indonesia flight 152, an Airbus A300, crashes into a mountain near Buah Nabar Indonesia killing all 234 on board
- October 10 – Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 2553, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashes in Nuevo Berlín, near Fray Bentos, Uruguay, killing all 74 on board.
- December 9 – A Tajikistan Airlines Tupolev Tu-154 crashes while attempting to land in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates killing 85 of the 86 people on board.
- December 16 - Air Canada Flight 646 - crashes after a failed go-around attempt in Fredericton. All passengers and crew survived.
- December 17 – An Aerosweet Airlines Yakovlev Yak-42 crashes into Mount Olympus near Fotina, Greece killing all 70 people on board.
- December 19 – SilkAir Flight 185, a Boeing 737, abruptly crashed into the Musi River near Palembang, Indonesia killing all 102 people on board.
- December 28 – A United Airlines Boeing 747 encounters turbulence over the Pacific Ocean off Japan killing one person.
- January 13 – An Ariana Afghan Airlines Antonov An-12 crashed near Tor Kach, Pakistan after it ran out of fuel in poor weather. All 51 people on board died.
- January 27 – A Myanmar Airways Fokker F27 crashed while taking off from Yangon, Myanmar killing 16 of the 45 people on board.
- February 2 – Cebu Pacific Flight 387 crashes into a mountain near Pagalungan in the Philippines. All of the 104 passengers and crew members were killed.
- February 16 – China Airlines Flight 676, an Airbus A300, crashed into a residential area while attempting to land in Taipei, Taiwan. All 196 people on board were killed, in addition to seven on the ground.
- March 19 – An Ariana Afghan Airlines Boeing 727 hit a mountain near Charasyab, Afghanistan while descending to land. All 45 on board died.
- March 22 – Philippine Airlines Flight 137, an Airbus A320, overshot the end of the runway while landing at Bacolod City in the Philippines, plowing through several houses. None of the passenger were harmed, but three people on the ground were killed, and several more injured.
- April 20 – Air France Flight 422, a Boeing 727 leased from TAME, crashed directly into a mountain east of Bogotá, Colombia, shortly after take-off in poor weather and low visibility due to pilot's failure to follow standard take-off procedures and the failure of ATC to warn the aircraft of the deviation. All 53 people on board were killed.
- May 26 – An MIAT Mongolian Airlines Antonov An-24 crashed into a mountain near Erdenet, Mongolia. All 28 people on board died.
- August 21 – A Lumbini Airways de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter crashed in a mountainous region near Ghorepani, Nepal. All of the 18 people on board were killed.
- August 24 – A Myanmar Airways Fokker F27 crashed in Manibagi, Myanmar during poor weather. All 44 people on board were killed. It has also been reported that there may have been survivors that were tortured to death by local villagers that thought the aircraft carried military personnel.
- August 29 – A Cubana de Aviación Tupolev Tu-154 crashed during takeoff into buildings in Quito, Ecuador. Seventy-five of the 90 people on board died as well as 10 on the ground.
- September 2 – Swissair Flight 111, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11, crashed into the sea near Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada, due to a fire in the cockpit. All 229 people on board perished.
- September 2 – A Permaviatrans Antonov An-26 was shot down by UNITA rebels over Angola. All 24 people on board were killed.
- September 25 – A Paukn Air BAe 146 crashed near Nador, Morocco killing all 38 people on board.
- September 29 – A Lion Air Antonov An-2 was shot down by LTTE rebels and crashed into the sea off Mannar, Sri Lanka. All 55 people on board were killed.
- October 10 – A Congo Airlines Boeing 727 was shot down by Tutsi rebels near Kindu in the Democratic Republic of Congo. All 41 on board died.
- December 11 – Thai Airways Flight 261, an Airbus A-310, crashed during poor weather near Surat Thani, Thailand. Of the 146 people on board, 102 were killed.
- February 24 – A China Southwest Airlines Tupolev Tu-154 crashes in Rui'an, China while descending to land at an airport. All 61 passengers and crew members were killed.
- June 1 – American Airlines Flight 1420, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, skidded off the runway on landing at Little Rock, Arkansas during strong winds. Eleven of 145 on board died.
- July 24 – All Nippon Airways Flight 61, a Boeing 747 was hijacked by a passenger, Yuji Nishizawa, wielding a knife. After fatally stabbing the captain, he was overpowered by the crew and the co-pilot landed the plane safely at Haneda, Japan.
- August 7 – A TACV Cabo Verde Airlines Dornier Do 228 (charter from the Cape Verde Coast Guard) crashed into a cliff on Santo Antão, Cape Verde during poor weather. All 18 people on board were killed.
- August 22 – Mandarin Airlines Flight 642, an McDonnell Douglas MD-11, crashed on landing at Hong Kong during Tropical Storm Sam. Of the 315 people on board, three died.
- August 24 – On board an Uni Air McDonnell Douglas DC-9 a fire starts in an overhead luggage compartment over Hualien Taiwan. The fire was cause by the accidental ignition fumes from a bottle of household cleaner. One person died.
- August 31 – LAPA Flight 3142 Boeing 737 overshoots the runway in Buenos Aires, Argentina and crashes into a golf course. Of the 103 people on board, 64 are killed as well as ten on the ground.
- September 14 – Britannia Airways Flight BY226A, a Boeing 757, veers off the runway at Gerona, Spain while landing in a thunderstorm and comes to rest in a field.
- September 23 – Qantas Flight 1, a Boeing 747, overshoots the runway upon landing in Bangkok, Thailand. None of the 410 people on board were seriously injured.
- October 31 – EgyptAir Flight 990, a Boeing 767 on its way to Cairo, Egypt, was deliberately crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Nantucket, Massachusetts by the co-pilot as a way of committing suicide. All 217 passengers and crew members on board were killed.
- November 9 – TAESA Flight 725, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashes near Uruapan, Mexico killing all 18 on board.
- December 11 – A SATA International British Aerospace APT crashed on São Jorge Island in the Azores. All 35 people on board were killed.
- December 21 – A Cubana de Aviación McDonnell Douglas DC-10 overshot the runway in Guatemala City, Guatemala and crashes into homes. Of the 314 people on board, 16 die as well as two people in the homes.
- December 24 – Indian Airlines Flight 814 was hijacked en route to Delhi, India. After stopovers in Amritsar, Lahore, and Dubai, it landed in Kandhar (Afghanistan), where after several days of negotiations, all the hostages were released in exchange for the release of three senior Islamic terrorists held by India. One passenger was killed by the hijackers.
- December 25 – A Cubana de Aviación Yakovlev Yak-42 crashed into a mountain near Bejuma, Venezuela killing all 22 on board.
- January 10 - Crossair Flight 498, a Saab 340, crashes two minutes after takeoff in Niederhasli, Switzerland, killing all ten people on-board.
- January 13 – An Avisto Shorts 360 ditches in the ocean near Marsa el-Brega, Libya after both engines failed; 22 of the 41 people on board died.
- January 30 – Kenya Airways Flight 431, an Airbus A310, carrying 169 passengers and 10 crew members, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Côte d'Ivoire after takeoff from Abidjan. Only ten people survived.
- January 31 – Alaska Airlines Flight 261, a McDonnell-Douglas MD-83, crashes into the Pacific Ocean off Point Mugu, California after problems with its horizontal stabilizer. All 83 passengers and 5 crew members are killed.
- March 5 – Southwest Airlines Flight 1455, a Boeing 737, overran the runway in Burbank, California. Of the 142 people on board 43 are injured, two seriously.
- April 19 – Air Philippines Flight 541, a Boeing 737, crashes in Samal Island in the Philippines during a landing attempt. All 131 on board were killed.
- May 21 – An Executive Airlines BAe Jetstream 3101-31 near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania killing all 19 on board.
- June 22 – A Wuhan Airlines Xian Yunshuji Y-7-100C is struck by lightning over Shitai, China and explodes. Part of the plane crashes into a farmhouse and another into the Hanjiang River. All 44 people on the aircraft were killed as well as seven people who drowned after their boat capsized when the aircraft hit the river.
- July 8 – An Aerocaribe British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 32EP crashed in heavy fog near Villahermosa, Mexico. All 19 people on board were killed.
- July 17 – Alliance Air Flight 7412, a Boeing 737, crashed into government housing in Patna, India as it approached the airport, killing 55 of the 58 on board and five people on the ground. The crash was blamed on loss of control due to pilot error.
- July 25 – Air France Flight 4590, an Aerospatiale-BAC Concorde, crashed during takeoff from Paris, France after its fuel tank caught fire. All 9 crew members and 100 passengers were killed as well as four people on the ground. This crash led to the Concorde being grounded for two years, and, indirectly, to its eventual retirement.
- July 27 – A Royal Nepal Airlines de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter crashes into the Siwalik Hills range near Jodhura, Nepal, killing all 25 on board.
- August 12 – A Staer Air Antonov An-26 crashes near Tshikapa, Democratic Republic of the Congo during an attempted landing. All 21 passengers and six crew members are killed.
- August 23 – Gulf Air Flight 072, an Airbus A320, crashes into the Persian Gulf off Manama, Bahrain while attempting to land. All 143 passengers and eight crew members were killed.
- October 6 – AeroMéxico Flight 250, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, misses the runway while landing at Reynosa, Mexico during bad weather. All of the 88 people on board survived, but four people on the ground were killed when the aircraft crashed into homes and vehicles.
- October 31 – An Aca-Ancargo Antonov An-26 explodes in flight near Monaquimbundo, Angola. UNITA rebels claim to have shot it down. All 44 people on board died.
- October 31 – Singapore Airlines Flight 006, a Boeing 747 hits construction equipment after using a closed runway for takeoff in Taipei, Taiwan and crashes, killing 83 out of 179 people on board.
- November 15 – An Asa Pesada Antonov An-26 crashes near Luanda, Angola. All 57 people on board are killed.
- November 20 – An American Airlines Airbus A300 takes off from Miami, Florida and goes back and lands after the cabin pressure could not be maintained at 16,000 ft. Upon landing, the aircraft fails to depressurize and a door explodes open, killing a flight attendant.
- January 25 – A Rutaca Douglas DC-3 aircraft crashes shortly after taking off from Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela, killing all 20 passengers and four crew members.
- March 24 – Air Caraïbes Flight 1501, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, crashes into a home while attempting to land on the island of Saint-Barthélemy. All of the 17 passengers and two crew members die as well as one person on the ground.
- March 29 - An Avjet charter flight, a Gulfstream III jet with 15 passengers and 3 crew, crashes on approach into Aspen, CO, killing all on board
- May 17 – A Qeshm Air Yakovlev Yak-40 aircraft crashes into a mountain during poor weather conditions near Sari, Iran, killing all 25 passengers and five crew members on board.
- July 3 – A Vladivostok Avia Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft crashes while attempting to land at Irkutsk, Russia, killing all 145 on board.
- August 24 – Air Transat Flight 236 runs out of fuel over the Atlantic Ocean and makes an emergency landing in the Azores islands. Upon landing some of the tires blow out, causing a fire that is extinguished by emergency personnel on the ground. None of the 304 people on board the Airbus A330 are seriously injured.
- September 11 – Four coordinated hijackings with intent to crash the planes into buildings.
- American Airlines Flight 11, a Boeing 767, with 92 people on board is hijacked after taking off from Boston, and is flown into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. All on board are killed as well as many more on the ground and in the building.
- United Airlines Flight 175, a Boeing 767, with 65 people on board is hijacked after taking off from Boston and is flown into the south tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. All on board are killed as well as many more on the ground and in the building. The collapse of both towers brings the total death toll from the two crashes to at least 2,759 including the hijackers and 343 firefighters.
- American Airlines Flight 77, a Boeing 757, with 64 people on board is hijacked after taking off from Dulles International Airport and is flown into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia. All on board are killed as well 125 people in the building and on the ground.
- United Airlines Flight 93, a Boeing 757, with 44 people on board is hijacked after taking off from Newark, New Jersey. After passengers struggle with the hijackers, the aircraft crashes in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing all on board.
- September 12 – A charted Aero Ferinco LET 410 aircraft crashes after taking off from Chichen Itza, Mexico, killing all 19 on board.
- October 4 – Siberia Airlines Flight 1812, a Tupolev Tu-154, is shot down by Ukrainian missile over the Black Sea. All 66 passengers and 12 crew members are killed.
- October 8 – Scandinavian Airlines Flight 686, an McDonnell Douglas DC-9 crashes into a Cessna business jet on take-off from Milan, Italy. The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 then swerves into a baggage handling building and catches fire. All 110 people on board Scandinavian Airlines Flight 686 die as well as all four in the Cessna. Four people on the ground are also killed.
- November 12 – American Airlines Flight 587, an Airbus A300, crashes into a Queens neighborhood in New York City when the plane's vertical tail fin snaps just after take off. All 251 passengers and nine crew members on board are killed as well as five people on the ground.
- November 19 – A chartered IRS Aero Ilyushin Il-18 aircraft crashes in Kalyazin, Russia, killing all 27 on board.
- November 24 – Crossair Flight 3597, a BAe 146, crashes at Birchwil, Switzerland, while attempting to land in Zürich. Of the 28 passenger and five crew members on board, 21 passengers and three crew members die.
- December 22 – On board American Airlines Flight 63, a Boeing 767, a passenger, Richard Reid, attempts to detonate explosives hidden in his shoe, but fails and is subdued by passengers and crew. The plane lands safely in Boston.
- January 14 – Lion Air Flight JT-386, a Boeing 737, crashes while attempting to take off from Riau, Indonesia. All 103 on board survived.
- February 12 – Iranair Tours Flight 956, a Tupolev Tu-154 crashes into a mountain near Khorramabad, Iran. All 108 passengers and 9 crew members are killed.
- February 27 – Ryanair Flight 296, a Boeing 737, catches fire on one of its engines while landing in London. All passengers and crew are safely evacuated with no injuries.
- April 15 – Air China Flight 129, a Boeing 767, crashes into a hill during a landing attempt at Busan, South Korea in misty conditions. Of the 155 passengers and 11 crew, 38 survived.
- May 4 – EAS Airlines Flight 4226, a BAC 1-11 crashes into a number of buildings in Kano, Nigeria after taking off. Of the 77 people on board the aircraft, 74 were killed along with 75 on the ground.
- May 7 – China Northern Airlines Flight 6136, a McDonnell-Douglas MD-82, crashed near Dalian, China, after a passenger apparently set fire to the cabin with gasoline. All 103 passengers and 9 crew members were killed.
- May 7 – EgyptAir Flight 843, a Boeing 737, crashes near Tunis, Tunisia while landing in rough weather. Of the 62 people on board, 14 died.
- May 25 – China Airlines Flight 611, a Boeing 747, disintegrated above the Taiwan Strait, apparently due to metal fatigue. All 206 passengers and 19 crew members were killed.
- July 1 – Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937, a Tupolev 154 with 57 passengers and 14 crew members on board collided with a DHL Boeing 757 cargo plane with 2 pilots on board near Lake Constance, Germany. All people on both planes perished.
- July 1 - America West Airlines Flight 556, an Airbus 319, was ordered back to the terminal at Miami, Florida after security screeners reported the pilots were drunk. The passengers were allowed to fly to Phoenix, Arizona on other airlines, while the pilots were eventually sentenced to prison.
- July 4 – A Prestige Airlines Boeing 707 en route to Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo from N'Djamena, Chad crashes while trying to perform an emergency landing due to a mechanical problem in Bangui, Central African Republic. Of the 27 people on board, 25 were killed.
- August 30 – A Rico Taxi Aéreo Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia crashes in Rio Branco, Brazil while attempting to land during a rain storm. Only eight of 31 on board survive.
- November 6 – Luxair Flight 9642, a Fokker 50, crashes short of the runway while landing near Niederanven, Luxembourg in foggy conditions. Of the 19 passengers and three crew members on board, only two survive.
- November 11 – Laoag International Airlines Flight 585, a Fokker F27 ditches into Manila Bay after the pilot declares an emergency. Nineteen of the 35 people on board were killed.
- December 23 – An Aeromist-Kharkiv Antonov An-140 crashes near Isfanan, Iran killing all 38 passengers and six crew members.
- January 8 – A Turkish Airlines Avro RJ-100 aircraft crashes during landing near Diyarbakir, Turkey killing 71 of the 75 passengers and four of the five crew members.
- January 8 – Air Midwest Flight 5481, a Beechcraft 1900D crashes on takeoff from Charlotte North Carolina in the United States; all 19 passengers and 2 pilots were killed.
- January 9 – A TANS Peru Fokker F28 crashes into a mountain close to its destination Chachapoyas, Peru killing all 46 on board.
- March 6 – Air Algerie Flight 6289, a Boeing 737 veers off the runway on takeoff in Tamanrasset, Algeria; 96 of the 97 passengers and all 6 crew members perish.
- April 1 – A Cubana de Aviación Antonov An-24 was forced to fly to Key West, Florida by a man with hand grenades. No one was injured.
- May 26 – A Ukrainian-Mediterranean Airlines Yakovlev 42D crashes near Macka, Turkey killing all 75 on board.
- May 29 - Attempted hijacking of Qantas Flight 1737 in Australia by a mentally-ill passenger who intended to crash the plane in Tasmania. He was overpowered by flight crew and passengers, but injured three people who were stabbed with sharpened wooden stakes.
- July 8 – Sudan Airways Flight 139, a Boeing 737, crashes shortly after taking off from Port Sudan, Sudan. The plane crashed into a hill while attempting an emergency landing; 116 of the 117 people on board were killed.
- July 19 – A Ryan Blake Air Charter Swearingen SA-226T Metro II carrying tourists crashes into Mount Kenya, Kenya killing all 14 on board.
- August 24 – Tropical Airways Flight 1301 crashes after taking off from Cap-Haïtien, Haiti; all 19 passengers and two crew members are killed.
- November 22 - An Airbus A300 is struck by a missile in Iraq, and loses all its surface controls. The crew employ differential thrust, and land the plane safely at Baghdad International Airport.
- December 25 – Union des Transports Aériens de Guinée Flight 141, a Boeing 727, overshoots the runway upon landing at Cotonou, Benin and crashes onto the beach on the Bight of Benin, killing 151 of the 163 occupants.
- January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 604, a Boeing 737, crashes into the Red Sea, killing all 135 passengers and 13 crew members.
- January 13 – An Uzbekistan Airways Yakovlev Yak-40 aircraft crashes while attempting to land in Tashkent, Uzbekistan killing all 32 passengers and six crew members.
- February 10 – A Kish Air Fokker F-50 crashes during landing at Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; 43 of the 46 people on board died.
- May 9 – American Eagle Flight 5401 is damaged by high winds during landing in San Juan, Puerto Rico injuring 13 people.
- May 14 – A Rico Linhas Aereas Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia crashes near Manaus, Brazil killing all 33 on board.
- June 8 – A Gabon Express Avro 748 aircraft crashes shortly after taking off from Libreville, Gabon killing 19 of the 30 people on board.
- August 13 – Air Tahoma Flight 185, a Convair 580, crashes near Covington, Kentucky, while descending to land, killing the first officer.
- August 24 – Russian aircraft bombings of August 2004
- Siberia Airlines Flight 1047, a Tu-154 explodes in midair while flying over Rostov Oblast, Russia killing all 38 passengers and 8 crew members on board.
- Volga-AviaExpress Flight 1303, a Tu-134 explodes in midair while flying over Tula Oblast, Russia killing all 34 passengers and 9 crew members on board the aircraft.
- October 14 - An MK Airlines Boeing 747 cargo plane destined for Spain explodes into flames and crashes shortly after takeoff from Halifax International Airport (now Halifax Stanfield International Airport), killing all 7 crew members. Investigators believe that the cause of the accident was a combination of overloading, low takeoff speed, and the snapping of the aircraft's tail before takeoff due to the weight load.
- October 19 – Corporate Airlines Flight 5966, a Handley Page Jetstream, crashes near Kirksville, Missouri in the United States; 13 of the 15 people on board died.
- November 21 – China Eastern Flight 5210, crashed near Baotou, China after takeoff due to snow and ice on control surfaces. All 53 on board and two people on the ground killed.
- November 30 – Lion Air Flight 538, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crash lands in Solo City, Indonesia, killing 25 of the 154 people on board.
- February 3 – Kam Air Flight 904, a Boeing 737, crashes in a snowstorm in Afghanistan. All 96 passengers and eight crew members died.
- March 16 – A Regional Airlines Antonov An-24 aircraft carrying oil workers to Varandey, Russia crashed five kilometers from the runway. A mixture of bad weather and pilot error caused the crash. Twenty-six of the 45 passengers died as well as two of the seven crew members.
- April 12 – A GT Air de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 100 aircraft crashes in Indonesia, all 18 on board die.
- May 3 – Airwork Flight 23, a Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner crashes in Taranaki, New Zealand killing both crew members.
- May 25 – A chartered Maniema Union Antonov An-28 aircraft, owned by Victoria Air, crashed into a mountain near Walungu, Democratic Republic of the Congo about 30 minutes after takeoff. All of the 22 passengers and 5 crew members were killed.
- June 9 – US Airways Flight 1170 and Aer Lingus Flight 132 almost collide on a runway at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts. None of the 381 people on either planes are harmed.
- July 16 – An Ecuatair Antonov An-24 crashed shortly after takeoff from Baney, Equatorial Guinea killing all 54 passengers and 6 crew members.
- August 2 – Air France Flight 358, an Airbus A340 skids off a runway in Toronto, Ontario, while landing and catches fire; all 309 on board escaped without fatalities or serious injuries, but the aircraft was completely destroyed by the fire.
- August 6 – A Tuninter ATR-72 crashes in the Mediterranean Sea off Palermo, Italy, killing 16 of the 39 on board.
- August 10 – A Copterline Sikorsky S-76 helicopter crashes off Tallinn, Estonia killing all 14 on board.
- August 14 – Helios Airways Flight 522, a Boeing 737 crashes near Kalamos, Greece with 115 passenger and 6 crew members on board; there were no survivors.
- August 16 – West Caribbean Airways Flight 708, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashes in western Venezuela. All on board, 152 passengers and 8 crew members, died.
- August 23 – TANS Peru Flight 204, a Boeing 737, crashes near Pucallpa, Peru. Of the 92 passengers on board, 40 died as well as four of the six crew members.
- September 5 – Mandala Airlines Flight 091, a Boeing 737, crashes in Medan, Indonesia, killing 103 of the 111 passengers and all 5 crew members on the plane and an additional 47 people on the ground.
- September 21 – JetBlue Airways Flight 292, an Airbus A320, makes an emergency landing in Los Angeles, California in the United States. All 139 passengers and six crew-members escaped unharmed.
- October 22 – Bellview Airlines Flight 210, a Boeing 737, crashes in central Nigeria killing all of the 114 people on board.
- December 7 – A passenger disembarking American Airlines Flight 924, a Boeing 757, in Miami, Florida is shot and killed by an air marshal when the marshal believes he hears the man say he has a bomb.
- December 8 – Southwest Airlines Flight 1248, a Boeing 737, slides off the runway during landing at Chicago Midway International Airport in Chicago, Illinois in heavy snow. None of the people on board were injured, but the plane hit two automobiles on the ground, killing a six-year-old boy in one of them.
- December 10 – Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 with 110 people on board, crashes during landing in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Of the 110 all but three are killed.
- December 19 – Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101, a Grumman Mallard, crashes off the coast of Miami Beach, Florida, killing all 20 on board.
- December 23 – An Azerbaijan Airlines Antonov An-140 crashes into the Caspian Sea shortly after taking off from Baku, Azerbaijan; all 23 on board were killed.
- May 3 – Armavia Flight 967, an Airbus A320, crashes into the Black Sea near the Russian city of Sochi, killing all 113 on board.
- July 9 – S7 Airlines Flight 778, an Airbus A310, crashes into a concrete barricade and catches fire on landing in Irkutsk, Russia. Of the 203 people on board, 128 are killed.
- July 10 – Pakistan International Airlines Flight 688, a Fokker F27, crashes into a wheat field near Multan, Pakistan 10 minutes after taking off, killing all 41 passengers and 4 crew members on board.
- August 22 – Pulkovo Airlines Flight 612, a Tupolev Tu-154, crashes near Donetsk, Ukraine, killing all 170 people on board.
- August 27 – Comair Flight 5191, a CRJ-100, crashes during takeoff near Lexington, Kentucky killing 49 of the 50 people on board.
- September 1 – An Iran Air Tours Tu-154 carrying 148 people crashes while attempting to land in Mashad, Iran killing 29 people.
- September 29 – Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907, a Boeing 737, collides with an Embraer Legacy business jet and crashes in Mato Grosso, Brazil. The Embraer Legacy, with seven on board, lands safely with no reported injuries. All 154 people on board the Boeing 737 perish.
- October 3 – Turkish Airlines Flight 1476, a Boeing 737, is hijacked over Greece. The plane landed in Brindisi, Italy. None of the 113 people on board are hurt.
- October 10 – Atlantic Airways Flight 670, a BAe 146, slides off the runway at Stord, Norway killing four of the 16 people on board.
- October 29 – ADC Airlines Flight 53, a Boeing 737, crashes near Abuja, Nigeria killing 97 of the 104 people on board.
- January 1 – Adam Air Flight 574, a Boeing 737 with 102 people on board, crashes into the ocean off the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, killing all on board.
- January 9 – An AerianTur-M Antonov An-26 crashes near Balad, Iraq, killing 34 of the 35 people on board.
- January 24 – Air West Flight 612, a Boeing 737 with 103 people on board, is hijacked over Sudan shortly after taking off from Khartoum but lands safely in N'Djamena, Chad.
- February 15 – A Air Mauritanie Boeing 737 is hijacked after taking off from Nouakchott, Mauritania, but lands safely in Las Palmas, Spain without any serious injuries amoung the 79 people aboard.
- February 21 – Adam Air Flight 172, a Boeing 737, suffers structural damage while landing near Surabaya, Indonesia. None of the 149 people on board are seriously injured, but six of Adam Air's Boeing 737s are grounded for safety concerns.
- March 7 – Garuda Indonesia Flight 200, a Boeing 737, overshoots the runway and crashes while landing at Yogyakarta, Indonesia killing 22 of 140 the people onboard.
- March 17 – UT Air Flight 471, a Tupolev Tu-134, suffers severe structural damage while landing in Samara, Russia killing 6 of the 63 people on board.
- March 23 – A Transaviaexport Cargo Airline Ilyushin Il-76 crashes in Mogadishu, Somalia; the plane is thought to have been shot down and all 11 people on board are believed to have been killed.