From the first steps in the development of aviation, aircraft designers paid attention not only to the aerodynamic qualities of aircraft, but also to the safety of the crew and passengers. And the safety of passenger aircraft is doubly necessary. Surely many wondered whether it is dangerous to fly on airplanes, because every year we hear reports of aviation tragedies. Aircraft crash can be caused by various reasons, from a simple technical malfunction to the notorious human factor. Consider the largest air crashes in the last 10 years, as well as a little deeper into history, highlighting the most terrible world air crashes.
Rigid landing of the Superjet in Sheremetyevo (05/05/2019)
On May 5, 2019, an Aeroflot Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft operating on a Moscow – Murmansk flight made an emergency landing at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, which caught fire. And although the evacuation of passengers was quite quick, the victims could not be avoided. According to the latest data from the Investigative Committee of Russia, 41 people were killed in the crash, including two children.
Numerous videos of this tragedy, including even videos from the salon of a burning liner, can be found in many social networks.
The crash of An-26 in Syria, Khmeimim (03/06/2018)
A transport plane of the Russian Armed Forces crashed on March 6, 2018, without flying 500 meters to the runway of the Syrian military base Khmeimim, where the Russian Air Force aerospace group is based.
Thirty-three passengers and six crew members flew in the An-26 cabin, and, unfortunately, as a result of the crash, none of them survived. The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that only military personnel were flying in a combat vehicle, among which there were 26 officers, including a major general and “contract soldiers”.
A preliminary version of the crash of the transporter was declared a technical malfunction of the aircraft.
By the way, on thebiggest.ru you can see a list of the safest aircraft in the world.
Flight 703, Moscow Region (02/11/2018)
There are frequent cases when new equipment is also subject to accidents. So, on February 11, 2018, the An-148 Saratov Airlines plane crashed in Moscow suburbs, flying from Moscow to Orsk. The plane went through all the pre-flight tests, the ship left the assembly line in 2010, i.e. it was relatively new.
The exact cause of the accident is still being established, but according to preliminary data, the icing of the full pressure sensor is the fault, as a result of which the crew received incorrect data on the height of the vessel. 71 people became victims of this disaster.
The tragedy near Sochi (12/25/2016)
The crash of Russian aircraft, unfortunately, have become quite common. So, the Tu-154 airliner of the Russian Armed Forces flew from Sochi airport, and headed to Latakia. After 1 minute 10 seconds, the plane, according to the recorders, crashed into the Black Sea. Ninety-two people flying to Syria on this flight died.
In a plane crash near Sochi, performers of the ensemble named after Aleksandrov, military, public figures, workers of Russian television companies, and twelve crew members were killed.
Two years later, the reasons for the crash were not officially announced, but the Russian Ministry of Defense puts forward a version of the pilot’s mistake.
Flight 981 FlyDubai, Rostov-on-Don (03/19/2016)
This tragedy happened, probably due to the mistake of the crew, which in extreme weather conditions made the wrong decision. The Boeing 737-800 (8KN) was flying from Dubai to Rostov-on-Don, and it was not possible to land the plane the first time. Carrying out the second landing attempt, the pilots made some controversial actions, which led to a sharp crash of the aircraft.
The airliner dived into the airport runway and crashed, killing 62 lives.
Fell on the city, Medan (06/30/2015)
The worst thing is that they are not safe from plane crashes and are on the ground. On June 30, 2015, a military transport aircraft C-130 of the Air Force of Indonesia after a few minutes of flight fell on residential buildings in the city of Medan.
Officially, 37 people died. Twelve aboard the transporter, and twenty-five guests of the hotel, on which the wreckage of the plane fell.
The investigation found that the main cause of such an unexpected fall was a technical malfunction. There was no evidence that an explosive device worked on the plane, although many who saw the crash spoke of the explosion.
Flight A321-231 Kogalymavia, Sinai (10.31.2015)
Unfortunately, a terrorist attack on airlines has become quite common. This happened with the Russian Airobus A320 airliner on October 31, 2015. The terrible tragedy over the Sinai, claimed the lives of 224 people flying from Sharm el-Sheikh to the city of St. Petersburg.
An investigation conducted jointly by Russian and Egyptian intelligence agencies revealed that a bomb had been detonated on board and the crash was seen as a terrorist act. After that, Russia closed flights to Egypt.
The improvised explosive device was in the tail of the airbus, and exploded at 23 minutes of flight. Responsibility for the terrorist attack a few days later took over the Sinai unit of ISIS.
Tragedy in the Alps (03.24.2015)
In this plane crash, and this is already known for sure, only one person is to blame - the pilot of the Airbus A-320 of the German low-cost airline “Germanwings” Andreas Lubitz. He specially directed the airliner, flying from Spain to Dusseldorf, down, thus committing suicide due to a quarrel with his girlfriend.
The tragedy that occurred on March 24, 2015, among the mountain peaks of the French Alps, and claimed the lives of 150 people. There you have the human factor. How could a person treated for depression be allowed to fly, and the doctors knew that the guy was suicidal?
The worst thing is that, according to the documents, Andreas was on sick leave that day and did not have the right to land at the helm of the airbus.
Plane crash in the sky of Donbass, Donetsk region (06/17/2014)
On July 17, 2014, in the sky over Donetsk, near the village of Grabovo, a Boeing 777 of Malaysian Airlines crashed, killing 297 people.
From the first hours it became clear that the plane flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down, because its route ran over the territory where the fighting was conducted. And the question is for the Ukrainian side, why this area was not closed to civil aviation flights.
In 2017, a commission investigating the cause of the crash said the plane was shot down. But the final results were not made public, and today it is the most resonant tragedy in the history of aviation, because the investigation did not establish who shot down the plane in the sky over the Donbass.
Missing airliner, South China Sea (03/08/2014)
In the history of aviation, cases of the mysterious disappearance of aircraft are not uncommon. Another tragedy that occurred with the company «Malaysia Airlines». On March 8, 2014, the airliner flying from the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, disappeared from radars over the South Korean Sea.
They tried to establish a connection with the Boeing 777-200ER, but to no avail. A large-scale search operation did not detect either the crash site or its debris. It was not possible to establish the reasons for the disappearance.
A version was put forward that a plane carrying 239 people was hijacked in order to carry out a terrorist act. It may have been terrorism, but an explosion in an airplane with ground-based instruments was not recorded.
Accident A320, Java Sea (12.28.2014)
On Sunday, December 28, 2014, an airliner of the Indonesian company Indonesia AirAsi disappeared from radar over the Java Sea.
As the investigation later found out, the pilots tried to get around the thunderstorm front. The plane crashed into the sea, and its wreckage was discovered 2 days after the start of the search.
The cause of the disaster, in which 162 people died, the commission of inquiry called the weather factor, as well as the unqualified actions of the pilots at the time of emergency danger.
The wreck in Kazan (10.17.2013)
Statistics show that most accidents occur during approach. This happened with the Boeing-737 of Tatarstan Airlines, which crashed while landing at Kazan Airport on November 17, 2013.
The investigation concluded that the cause of the crash of the Boeing was the mistake of the pilots. It was their wrong actions that led to a loss of speed, as a result of which the plane went off at a peak.
All 50 people who flew from Domodedovo to Kazan died. As always in such cases, the relative paid compensation from the airline and the state.
Crash on take-off, Tyumen (2.04.2012)
A UTair aircraft with 43 passengers on board took off at the Roshchino airport in Tyumen. On that day, April 2, 2012, there were extremely adverse weather conditions.
As a result of icing, as the commission of inquiry later found out, the plane crashed and crashed. Killed 33 people.
The investigation also found that the cause of the tragedy, in addition to weather conditions, was the mistake of the aircraft pilots who made the wrong decision.
Commercial flight 9J-992, Lagos (06/03/2012)
The plane MD-83 of the Nigerian company Dana Airs made a commercial flight on June 3, 2012 from the airport of the city of Abuja to the city of Lagos.
When approaching the destination airport, the engine of the car failed two engines, as a result of which it crashed into residential areas and caught fire. All on board 153 people died.
But the death toll in destroyed houses ranges from 30 to 60 people. In the fall, MD-83 destroyed not only residential buildings, but also the printing house, as well as the church.
Crash near Petrozavodsk (06/20/2011)
The uncoordinated actions of the crew in a critical situation of difficult weather conditions led to the crash of the Tu-134 on June 20, 2011 near the city of Petrozavodsk.
The liner of the RusAir company, with low cloudiness and fog thickening over the airfield, touched the tops of the trees with its wings and fell.
Only 5 passengers out of 52 people who were on board the aircraft managed to survive. 44 people died on the spot, and then another 3 people died in the hospital, injured and burned as a result of the crash.
Liner of the Polish Air Force, Smolensk (04/10/2010)
Another resonant tragedy, the echoes of which are still heard today, occurred on April 10, 2010 in the sky near Smolensk. The Tu-154, owned by the Armed Forces of Poland, crashed while landing.
On this board, the President of Poland Lech Kaczynski, as well as the entire high command of the European country, flew to the ceremony of commemorating the victims of Katyn. The dispatcher was informed of the crew about heavy fog, but the Polish pilots decided to land in Smolensk.
Incorrectly assessing the situation, the pilots sharply lowered the airliner, hooked the trees, which ultimately led to the crash. All 96 people aboard the airliner were killed.
Crashed into a mountain, Islamabad (07.28.2010)
A Pakistani commercial airline Airbus A321-231 operated a domestic flight with 146 passengers on board.
At approximately 9.43 local time on July 28, 2010, flight ED202 disappeared from all radars when it approached Islamabad airport. The vessel answered all the dispatchers' questions in complete silence. As it turned out, the plane crashed into a mountain 20 km from the airport, and a fire broke out at the crash site.
None of the passengers, including 12 crew members of the Pakistani airliner, were killed. The investigation found that the cause of the crash was the erroneous actions of pilots and controllers.
Rolled out for the runway, Mangalore (05/22/2010)
There is an accident in the history of aviation accidents such as rolling out of the runway. May 22, 2010 Boeing-737 when landing at the airport in the Indian city of Mangalore rolled out of the strip.
Tragedy could have been avoided, but the liner caught fire, resulting in the deaths of 158 people. Six managed to survive in this terrible disaster. A large number of victims is explained by the fact that emergency exits were damaged during the accident.
As the investigative commission found out, the reason for the roll-out of the aircraft was the mistake of the aircraft commander, who, after landing the plane, made an attempt to enter the second round. Engineers carefully examined the wreckage of a burnt liner, and they were able to establish that the speed levers of the liner were set to the maximum speed position.
The crash of the Tu-154 near Qazvin (09/15/2009)
Tu-154, which is operated by the Iranian company Caspian Airlines, made a flight from the capital of Iran to Yerevan on July 15, 2009. At about the second minute of take-off, the engine caught fire on the plane, and the crew began to abruptly change course.
As a result, having lost speed after three minutes from the start of the fire, the plane crashed in an open field. None of those on board had a chance to survive, as the plane simply fell apart and caught fire.
The cause of the tragedy, which claimed the lives of 168 people, was a technical malfunction in the left engine of the air liner. It was his failure that led to a decrease in speed, which led to a sharp drop in the liner.
Flight SBI1812, Black Sea (10/04/2001)
A similar tragedy occurred in the sky over the Black Sea when the Tu-154 of Siberia Airlines, which made a flight on October 4, 2001, Tel Aviv-Novosibirsk, was shot down by a rocket.
At the training ground of Crimea, the Ukrainian military conducted exercises, practicing missile launches, and the sky was not closed to flights. All passengers and crew of the Russian liner died.
The investigation confirmed that the plane was shot down, but the Ukrainian side denies this fact. The relatives of 78 dead Russian citizens did not even pay compensation, but did not even apologize formally.
Flight IR655, Persian Gulf (07/03/1988)
Tragic events occurred in the summer of 1988 over the Persian Gulf in mid-air. The Airbus A300 flying from Tehran to Dubai was shot down by a missile launched from the American cruiser Vincennes.
The commander of a warship incorrectly determined the target, mistaking it for a fired missile. As a result, 290 passengers died.
The plane exploded over the water, so there was practically no chance of surviving on the airliner. The US authorities did not admit their mistake, but, after some time, in order to avoid an international scandal, they paid compensation to the relatives of the victims.
Flight No. 198 American Airlines, Chicago (05/25/1979)
The largest catastrophe ever to occur in the history of US civil aviation occurred in 1979. The liner, flying out of Chicago, failed the engine.
The liner continued to fly, but the faulty engine, unable to withstand the loads, came off. The malfunction arose due to poor installation after repair. Its fragments damaged the wing, which led to the crash. The pilots hoped to make an emergency landing, but did not have time to bring the liner to the airport.
The death toll amounted to 273 people, that is, everyone who was on board at the time of the tragedy.
And about the largest aircraft in the world, read our article on thebiggest.ru.
Tragedy on the runway, Tenerife (03/27/1977)
The biggest catastrophe that occurred in 1977 with two aircraft is considered to be a tragedy in the Spanish Tenerife, but it happened not in the sky, but on the runway.
As a result of the confusion, a terrifying collision of two airbuses occurred at the time of their acceleration to take-off. Two Boeing 747s, which belonged to US and Dutch aviation companies, were redirected to Tenerife due to a terrorist attack in the town of Gran Canaria.
Similar aircraft crashes are rare, but this time the air traffic controllers took two planes to take off, where they collided. In both aircraft, 583 people died, and only 61 passengers from two colliding airliners managed to survive.
Flight JAL 123, Tokyo (08/12/1985)
But the tragedy that happened near Tokyo in August 1985 is considered the largest catastrophe of an individual aircraft.
The Boeing 747 made an internal flight from the capital of Japan to the city of Osaka, but after twelve minutes of flight, the tail stabilizer fell off the airliner.For thirty-two minutes, the pilots heroically held the liner on the fly, but on approaching Tokyo the car simply did not have enough height, and it crashed into a mountain range.
524 people died in a terrible plane crash, and today it is the largest number of victims of air tragedies. The Japanese airline company took full blame and responsibility for what happened, and without even waiting for the official results of the investigation, it paid large compensation to the relatives of the victims.
In conclusion
As you can see, airline crashes are quite common, and the number of plane and train crashes is terrifying. Of course, I want this list of the most terrible falls and plane crashes to no longer be supplemented, but, as you know, no one is safe from tragedies. You just need to remember that the sky does not forgive mistakes, but let them be as few as possible.
And let no one be afraid of the number of disasters presented, thebiggest.ru wishes everyone a happy flight!
Authors of the article: Valery Skiba, Alexey Shcherbakov