10 Deadliest Plane Crashes in History

• 290 feared dead as Air India flight crashes into hostel in Ahmedabad

• Aircraft was headed to London with 242 people onboard

• Only one survivor pulled from fiery wreckage, officials confirm

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At least 290 people have been confirmed dead after an Air India passenger jet crashed moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India.

The plane, which was headed to London, lost altitude shortly after departure and slammed into a nearby hostel that housed doctors and medical students.

Here Are the 10 Deadliest Plane Crashes in Aviation History

1. Tenerife Airport Disaster — 583 Dead (1977)

This remains the worst aviation accident ever recorded. Two Boeing 747 jumbo jets — one operated by KLM and the other by Pan Am — collided on the runway at Tenerife Airport in Spain during heavy fog. A series of fatal miscommunications and assumptions led the KLM pilot to begin takeoff while the Pan Am jet was still taxiing. The resulting explosion was catastrophic, killing hundreds instantly in a fireball, many of them unable to evacuate.

2. Japan Airlines Flight 123 — 520 Dead (1985)

A catastrophic failure of the aircraft’s rear pressure bulkhead, improperly repaired years earlier, led to decompression and total hydraulic failure. The Boeing 747 flew uncontrollably for nearly 32 minutes before crashing into a remote mountain area in Japan.

The prolonged suffering of passengers, who were aware they were going to die, makes it one of the most chilling accidents in aviation history.

3. Charkhi Dadri Mid-Air Collision — 349 Dead (1996)

A Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747 collided mid-air with a Kazakh Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane near Delhi, India. Investigators blamed the Kazakh crew for descending below the assigned altitude due to poor English communication. The tragedy prompted major international changes in aviation language protocols and airspace management in India.

4. Ermenonville Air Disaster — 346 Dead (1974)

A design flaw in the cargo door of a Turkish Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-10 led to sudden decompression mid-flight. The floor of the passenger cabin collapsed, severing control cables and causing the aircraft to crash near Paris. The accident shocked the world and triggered a global recall of the DC-10 fleet for safety upgrades.

5. Ahmedabad Air India Crash — 290 Dead (2025)

The aircraft, bound for London, crashed just seconds after takeoff and slammed into a medical hostel packed with young doctors. The impact caused an instant explosion, fire, and building collapse. The sheer scale of destruction — both in the air and on the ground — makes this one of the worst peacetime civil aviation tragedies in Indian history. Many victims were trapped in burning rooms, while others perished in their sleep.

READ ALSO: Helicopter Crash Leaves 7 Dead Days After 270 Perished in India Plane Crash

6. Iran Air Flight 655 — 290 Dead (1988)

The aircraft was mistakenly shot down by the USS Vincennes, a U.S. Navy guided missile cruiser, over the Persian Gulf. All passengers were civilians, and most were Iranian pilgrims. The political outrage and human tragedy that followed made this incident one of the darkest moments in civil aviation history.

7. Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 — 298 Dead (2014)

This Boeing 777 was brought down by a surface-to-air missile while flying over conflict-ridden eastern Ukraine. International investigators confirmed the missile was launched from a Russian-backed rebel-controlled area. Among the dead were dozens of children, families, and AIDS researchers heading to a global health summit — magnifying the global sorrow.

8. Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 — 239 Dead (2014)

The Boeing 777 disappeared from radar en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing and has never been fully found. The absence of wreckage, unanswered questions, and suspected pilot suicide led to widespread speculation and fear. It remains the greatest aviation mystery of the 21st century, with families left in torment.

9. 9/11 Terrorist Attacks — 2,977 Dead (2001)

Four passenger planes were hijacked and weaponised by al-Qaeda terrorists. Two were flown into the World Trade Center towers, one into the Pentagon, and another crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers resisted. The attack killed nearly 3,000 people and changed global aviation forever, ushering in sweeping security reforms and anti-terror protocols.

10. Air India Flight 855 — 213 Dead (1978)

The aircraft crashed into the Arabian Sea just minutes after departing from Mumbai. Investigators cited disorientation caused by faulty instruments and poor cockpit resource management.

The crash killed all on board and exposed serious gaps in pilot training and reliance on instrument readings without cross-verification.

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