Ahmedabad plane crash: 7 deadliest aviation disasters in the world
Edited By Tarun Mishra
Published: Jun 13, 2025, 01:43 IST | Updated: Jun 13, 2025, 01:43 IST
From runway collisions to mid-air explosions, these 7 air disasters mark the deadliest in aviation history, shaping safety protocols and exposing critical failures in global air travel.
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(Photograph: AI generated)
Tenerife Airport Disaster (1977) - Fatalities: 583
Two Boeing 747s, one operated by KLM and the other by Pan Am, collided on the runway in dense fog due to miscommunication between the pilots and air traffic control. It remains the deadliest aviation accident involving two aircraft.
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(Photograph: Kyodo)
Japan Airlines Flight 123 (1985) - Fatalities: 520
A Boeing 747 suffered explosive decompression due to a faulty repair. The aircraft crashed into a mountain after 32 minutes of uncontrolled flight, resulting in the worst single-aircraft accident in history.
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(Photograph: AI generated)
Charkhi Dadri Mid-Air Collision (1996) - Fatalities: 349
A Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747 and a Kazakhstan Airlines Ilyushin Il-76 collided mid-air due to a communication lapse and incorrect altitude assignment. The crash remains the world’s deadliest mid-air collision.
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(Photograph: Reddit)
Turkish Airlines Flight 981 (1974) - Fatalities: 346
A McDonnell Douglas DC-10 crashed shortly after takeoff from Paris due to a cargo door failure that caused decompression and loss of control. The disaster led to major design changes in cargo door mechanisms.
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(Photograph: WikiCommons)
Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 163 (1980) - Fatalities: 301
After an onboard fire forced an emergency landing, the crew failed to evacuate the aircraft in time. All passengers and crew died due to smoke inhalation, even though the aircraft landed intact.
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(Photograph: WikiCommons)
Air India Flight 182 (1985) - Fatalities: 329
A bomb placed by Sikh extremists exploded onboard the Boeing 747 en route from Canada to India. It remains the deadliest aviation attack involving a commercial airliner before 9/11.
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(Photograph: WikiCommons)
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 (2014) - Fatalities: 298
The Boeing 777 was shot down by a surface-to-air missile while flying over a conflict zone. Investigations attributed the missile to Russian-backed separatists. The tragedy led to major changes in global flight route planning over war zones.
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