List of deadliest aircraft accidents and incidents

This article lists the deadliest aircraft accidents and incidents, including commercial passenger and cargo flights, military passenger and cargo flights, and general aviation flights involved in ground or mid-air collision. These events help us understand how to make air travel safer for everyone.

As of 14 April 2026, there have been 208 accidents and incidents with at least 100 fatalities. Among these, 35 had at least 200 fatalities, 8 had at least 300 fatalities, and 4 had at least 500 fatalities. Studying these events is important for improving aviation safety and preventing future tragedies.

History

The history of aviation includes many accidents and incidents. The first known fatality in powered flight happened in 1908 when Thomas Selfridge died while flying with Orville Wright. Over time, as airplanes grew larger and could carry more people, the number of fatalities in accidents also increased.

Some of the deadliest aviation accidents include the collision of two airplanes at Tenerife North–Ciudad de La Laguna Airport in 1977, which killed 583 people, and the crash of Japan Air Lines Flight 123 in 1985, which killed 520 people. Studies show that while many accidents have happened over the years, the rate of accidents has been decreasing in recent times.

Definitions

The rules for flying airplanes say an accident happens when something goes wrong during a flight and someone gets hurt badly or the plane gets damaged. An incident is when something scary happens during a flight but no one gets hurt badly or the plane isn’t damaged. These rules are used by groups that watch over flying safety around the world, like the FAA, NTSB, and ICAO.

Table key

This table shows the worst airplane accidents and incidents where many people sadly lost their lives. It includes commercial, military, and general aviation flights that crashed or collided either in the air or on the ground. As of April 14, 2026, there have been 208 such events with at least 100 deaths, 35 with at least 200 deaths, 8 with at least 300 deaths, and 4 with at least 500 deaths. These numbers help us understand how rare but very serious airplane accidents can be.

Table

This table shows some of the worst airplane accidents and incidents where many people sadly lost their lives. These events involved commercial, military, or general aviation flights that crashed or collided either in the air or on the ground.

As of April 14, 2026, there have been 208 accidents and incidents with at least 100 deaths, 35 with at least 200 deaths, 8 with at least 300 deaths, and 4 with at least 500 deaths. These numbers remind us of the importance of safety in air travel.

Notes regarding table data columns

This section explains how the data in the table is organized.

Deaths

Total (Tot): The total number of people who died in the accident or incident.
Crew (C): The number of crew members who died.
Passenger (P): The number of passengers who died.
Ground (G): The number of people on the ground who died.
Notes (N): A cross (†) means everyone on the plane died. A one with an asterisk (1*) means there was only one survivor.

Type

Accidents and incidents are grouped into two main types:

Accidents and related incidents

"COM": Commercial aircraft
"MIL": Military aircraft

If a commercial and a military aircraft collide, it is coded as COM.

Attacks and related incidents

"INB": An attack inside the plane with a pre-planned bomb (without hijacking).
"INH": An attack to take control of the plane, possibly using weapons.
"EXG": An attack from the ground, like ground to air missiles or destroying the plane while on the runway.
"EXS": An attack from the sky, like intentional downing by a military aircraft.

Location

The location details show how far the crash site was from a nearby place:

none: The crash was within 20 km (12.5 mi) of the location.
"off": Used for crashes in water within 20 km (12.5 mi) of the location aquatic.
"near": The crash was about 20 km to 50 km (12.5 mi to 31 mi) from the location.
"area of": The crash was over 50 km (31 mi) from the location.

Phases of flight

The phases of flight describe what the plane was doing when the accident happened:

Standing (STD): Before taking off or after landing, when the plane is parked.
Taxi (TXI): Moving on the ground before takeoff or after landing.
Take off (TOF): The start of the takeoff, from pulling back on controls to 10 m (35 ft) altitude, pulling back on controls.
Initial climb (ICL): From the end of takeoff to either reducing power, reaching 300 m (1000 ft) altitude, or starting a flight under visual flight rules.
En route (ENR): From the end of the initial climb through cruising and descending to either the initial approach fix (IFR) or 300 m (1000 ft) above the runway for visual flight rules (VFR).
Maneuvering (MNV): For low altitude flights like observation or aerobatics.
Approach (APR): From the initial approach fix or 300 m (1000 ft) elevation to the landing flare.
Landing (LDG): From the landing flare to exiting the runway.
Unknown (UNK): When the phase of flight cannot be determined.

Airports and distance

Airports linked to accidents at all flight phases (except en route) are shown by their three-letter IATA code. If no IATA code exists, a four-letter ICAO code is used. For some airports, like closed military bases, three asterisks "***" are used instead. The distance from the crash to the airport runway is given for accidents during the initial climb (ICL) and approach (APR). Sometimes, it is also given for takeoff (TOF) and landing (LDG) if the plane crashed within the aerodrome but not on the runway.