Naturally, a list of the deadliest airplane crashes in history should serve as a reminder that life is fragile. Airline travel is considered as being one of the safest means of transportation, with the least amount of deaths per miles traveled. However, from time to time, stories of horrific airplane crashes do make the news. History has had its fair share of aviation catastrophes and we have compiled the ten worst tragedies, according to the toll that each crash took.
Let’s take a look:
No. 10: 1983 – Korean Airlines Flight 007
Fatalities: 269
An incorrect use of the navigation system lead to the Korean Airlines Flight 007 being deviated from its route to Seoul and left it heading straight towards the Soviet Union. The flight was ultimately shot down by a Soviet fighter aircraft, which had allegedly mistaken the plane for a military spy.
No. 9: 1988 – Pan American Flight 103
Fatalities: 270
Following the explosion of a bomb, the Pan American Flight 103 blew up over Scotland. Some time after the incident, a Libyan agent was ultimately convicted for the act.
No. 8: 1979 – American Airlines Flight 191
Fatalities: 271
The 1979 flight of a DC-10 operated by American Airlines represents, to this day, the deadliest airplane crash on US ground. Upon takeoff, the engine fell off, cutting a large portion of the left wing, which left pilots unable to manage the aircraft that ultimately crashed into a field, killing everyone on board.
See the rest of history’s deadliest airplane crashes:
