The largest plane crashes
As the world waits with bated breath for information on what happened to Malaysian Flight MH370, it is worth remembering that air travel remains the safest form of transport. Although major accidents are very rare, they are most often fatal, which attracts global attention and international publicity. This collection contains information on the 10 largest plane crashes in the history of air travel.
American Airlines Flight 191 (273 casualties)
This domestic flight from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1979 never made it to its destination, crashing just after taking off from O "Hare International. Poor service caused one of the engines on the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 liner to fail and literally broke away from the wing, seriously damaging it.Despite the ability to control the aircraft, the pilots did not orient themselves and quickly lost control, the aircraft banked and crashed near the runway, killing 273 people.
Iranian Air Force 15-2280 (275 casualties)
In February 2003, an Il-76MD aircraft, operated by the Iranian Air Force, crashed. The plane was airlifting members of the Revolutionary Guard when it crashed into the mountains 22 miles southeast of Kerman, Iran. Due to the military nature of the flight, it was difficult to obtain accurate information from Iran, so very few details are known. The official report of the incident notes that there was strong wind and fog at the time of the disaster. The real reasons for the tragedy are not known, although the Abu Bakr Brigades terrorist group claimed responsibility for the accident.
Iran Air flight 655 (IR655)
In July 1988, an Airbus A300 flew from Tehran to Dubai over the Persian Gulf and was shot down in Iranian airspace by surface-to-air missiles launched by the USS Vincennes. The US government claims that the ship's crew misidentified the aircraft as the Iranian military Tomcat F-14, which ignored requests to change course. These requests were broadcast on military radio channels that the civilian liner was unable to receive. The United States paid $ 61.8 million in compensation to the families of 290 Iranian victims in 1996, although it did not apologize or plead guilty to the incident.
Accident of L-1011 Flight 163 (301 casualties)
After stopping in Riyadh on a flight from Karachi, Pakistan, this Saudi aircraft took off on August 19, 1980 en route to its final destination, Jeddah. Just seven minutes after takeoff, the crew received a fire signal in the cargo hold. After declaring an emergency and returning to Riyadh airport, the plane landed successfully but did not stop at the runway where fire brigades were waiting. For some unknown reason, the engines were not immediately turned off and the plane went far away from the rescuers, and the emergency evacuation did not take place. Rescuers did not dare to approach the plane for fear of an explosion, helplessly watching the fire. 23 minutes after the engines were turned off, the plane burst into flames. All passengers and crew on board died from burns or suffocation.
Air India Flight 182 (329 casualties)
In June 1985, at an altitude of 9.5 kilometers over the Atlantic, in Irish airspace, a bomb planted by Canadian Sikh fighters in the luggage of a Boeing 747 exploded. from Ireland. Most of the passengers on board were Canadians. This catastrophe was the largest mass murder in Canadian history.
Turkish Airlines Flight 981 (346 casualties)
Known as the Ermenonville plane crash, after the forest in which the DC-10 landed, this tragedy occurred in March 1974 and was the deadliest in France. After leaving Istanbul, the plane was flying quietly to Paris, from where it was supposed to fly to London Heathrow. Shortly after takeoff from Paris, an improperly fixed cargo hatch at the rear of the aircraft could not withstand the load and opened, causing rapid decompression and damage to the aircraft's control systems. Just 72 seconds later, the plane crashed into the forest.
Accident over Charkhi-Dadri (349 victims)
In 1996, a Boeing 747-100B of Saudi Airlines and an Il-76 of Kazakhstan Airlines collided in airspace about 60 miles west of Delhi, India. After descending from 15,000 to 14,000 feet without permission, the tail of a Kazakh aircraft rammed the Boeing's left wing and stabilizer, and both aircraft crashed. Ilyushin remained intact but lost control, and the Boeing fell apart while still in the air. No one survived - the passengers and crew of both liners were killed.
Japan Airlines Flight 123 (520 casualties)
Just 12 minutes after takeoff on August 12, 1985, a Japanese Airlines Boeing 747 experienced mechanical problems while flying from Tokyo to Osaka, Japan. The plane's keel came off, and after 32 minutes of trying to stabilize the situation, the plane ultimately went completely out of control, began to dramatically change altitude and lurch. Ultimately, he grazed the Takamagahara ridge before colliding with the second ridge and fell on his back. 520 people on board were killed and only 4 survived.
Accident at Tenerife airport (583 casualties)
The worst accident in civil aviation history was when two Boeing 747s crashed on a runway at Los Rodeos Airport on the Spanish island of Tenerife in March 1977. A KLM plane attempted to fly over a Pan Am flight in dense fog, which was heading to meet him and did not managed to get off the taxiway. All KLM passengers and crew were killed and only 61 of Pan Am's 396 passengers survived. These two planes were not supposed to be at Tenerife airport at all, but were redirected here from Las Palma airport after the terrorist attack in Gran Canaria.
