10 Deadliest Plane Crashes in the World
10. Air France Flight 447 (2009)
228 fatalities. The Airbus A330 stalled and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean northeast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, due to pilot error and sensor malfunction.
9. Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 (1997)
234 fatalities. The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 crashed into a mountain near Medan, Indonesia, during approach in poor visibility.
8. Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 (2014)
239 presumed fatalities. The Boeing 777 mysteriously disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, with its fate still unknown.
7. Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 163 (1980)
301 fatalities. The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar suffered a fire in one of its engines during takeoff from Riyadh Airport, Saudi Arabia, leading to a crash near the airport.
6. Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 763 (1991)
312 fatalities. The Boeing 747 attempted a landing in bad weather at Trivandrum Airport, India, and overran the runway, crashing into a hill.
5. American Airlines Flight 191 (1979)
273 fatalities. The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 suffered a tail engine separation and loss of control after takeoff from Chicago OHare Airport, crashing in Des Plaines, Illinois.
4. Turkish Airlines Flight 981 (1974)
346 fatalities. The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 suffered an explosive decompression and cargo door failure mid-flight, leading to a crash near Ermenonville, France.
3. Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision (1996)
349 fatalities. A Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747 and a Kazakhstan Airlines Ilyushin-76 collided mid-air over Charkhi Dadri, India, due to a controller error. It remains the deadliest mid-air collision.
2. Japan Airlines Flight 123 (1985)
520 fatalities. The Boeing 747 lost its vertical stabilizer mid-flight due to improper repair, leading to a 12-hour controlled flight into mountainous terrain. It remains the deadliest single-aircraft disaster.