Flights Gone Wrong

Real stories. Deeper understanding.

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Every event we cover, by year.

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25 events

  1. Photo: Eduard Marmet / CC BY-SA 3.0

    TWA Flight 800

    A fuel tank explosion off Long Island

    Open event

    TWA Flight 800, a Boeing 747-131 bound from New York to Paris, broke apart off Long Island on 17 July 1996, about 12 minutes after takeoff, when fuel vapour in its nearly empty centre wing tank exploded. All 230 people on board were killed, and the investigation led to new rules on fuel tank wiring and to nitrogen inerting systems in airliner fuel tanks.

    2 video perspectives

  2. Photo: Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland / CC BY-SA 2.0

    Swissair Flight 551

    Cockpit smoke after leaving Munich

    Open event

    Ten minutes after Swissair Flight 551 left Munich for Zurich on 16 October 1993, an overheating emergency power switch filled the MD-81's cockpit with dense smoke and knocked out the captain's instruments. The pilots flew back to Munich almost blind and landed 13 minutes after asking to return, and all 95 people on board survived the evacuation, 15 of them with minor injuries.

    1 video perspective

  3. Photo: Paul Seymour / CC BY-SA 4.0

    United Airlines Flight 232

    The DC-10 steered with engine power to Sioux City

    Open event

    On 19 July 1989 United Airlines Flight 232, a DC-10 flying from Denver to Chicago and Philadelphia, lost all three hydraulic systems when its tail engine's fan disk shattered at 37,000 feet. The crew steered it to Sioux City, Iowa, using only the two remaining engines, and 184 of the 296 people on board survived the crash landing.

    3 video perspectives

  4. Photo: Kambui / CC BY 2.0

    Pan Am Flight 103

    The Lockerbie bombing

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    Pan Am Flight 103, a Boeing 747 flying from London Heathrow to New York, was destroyed by a bomb in its forward cargo hold over Lockerbie, Scotland, on 21 December 1988. All 259 people on board and 11 residents of Lockerbie were killed, and a Libyan intelligence officer was later convicted of their murder.

    2 video perspectives

  5. Photo: Bill Abbott / CC BY-SA 2.0

    Aloha Airlines Flight 243

    A fuselage failure over Hawaii

    Open event

    On 28 April 1988 about 18 feet of the upper fuselage of an Aloha Airlines Boeing 737 tore away at 24,000 feet between Hilo and Honolulu, after fatigue cracks along a lap joint linked up. The crew landed at Kahului on Maui 13 minutes later, and 94 of the 95 people on board survived, but flight attendant Clarabelle "C.B." Lansing was swept out of the aircraft and never found.

    3 video perspectives

  6. Photo: Harcmac60 / CC BY-SA 3.0

    Japan Air Lines Flight 123

    The 747 that lost its tail fin over Japan

    Open event

    On 12 August 1985 Japan Air Lines Flight 123, a Boeing 747 flying from Tokyo to Osaka with 524 people on board, lost most of its tail fin and all four hydraulic systems when its rear pressure bulkhead burst, 12 minutes after takeoff. The crew kept it flying for more than 30 minutes using engine power before it struck a mountain ridge in Gunma Prefecture, and 520 people were killed; four passengers survived.

    3 video perspectives

  7. Photo: Andrew Thomas from Shrewsbury, UK / CC BY-SA 2.0

    Delta Air Lines Flight 191

    The Dallas/Fort Worth microburst

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    On 2 August 1985 a Delta Air Lines Lockheed L-1011 TriStar flew into a microburst beneath a thunderstorm on final approach to Dallas/Fort Worth and struck the ground about a mile short of runway 17L. Of the 163 people on board, 134 were killed and 29 survived, and the driver of a car on the highway was also killed.

    2 video perspectives

  8. Photo: Andrew Thomas from Shrewsbury, UK / CC BY-SA 2.0

    Air Canada Flight 143

    The Gimli emergency landing

    Open event

    On 23 July 1983 an almost new Air Canada Boeing 767 ran out of fuel at 41,000 feet over northern Ontario, after its fuel load was worked out in pounds instead of kilograms. Captain Robert Pearson glided it to a landing on the disused air force runway at Gimli, Manitoba, and all 69 people on board survived.

    3 video perspectives

  9. Photo: Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland / CC BY-SA 2.0

    Eastern Air Lines Flight 855

    All three engines lost over the sea

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    On 5 May 1983 all three engines of an Eastern Air Lines Lockheed L-1011 lost their oil on a flight from Miami to Nassau, because mechanics had fitted the engines' chip detectors without their O-ring seals. The crew restarted one engine at about 4,000 feet after a powerless descent over the sea and landed back at Miami, and all 172 people on board were unhurt.

    1 video perspective

  10. Photo: Stuart Jessup / CC BY-SA 2.0

    American Airlines Flight 191

    The DC-10 that lost an engine on takeoff at O'Hare

    Open event

    On 25 May 1979 the left engine and pylon of American Airlines Flight 191, a DC-10 bound for Los Angeles, tore away from the wing as it lifted off from Chicago O'Hare, damage that maintenance work had caused weeks earlier. The aircraft rolled over and crashed just beyond the airport 31 seconds later, killing all 271 people on board and two people on the ground.

    3 video perspectives

  11. Photo: Rivet Joint / CC BY 2.0

    Olympic Airways Flight 411

    An engine failure over Athens

    Open event

    An engine failed as Olympic Airways Flight 411, a fully loaded Boeing 747 bound for New York, lifted off from Athens on 9 August 1978, and the jet barely climbed as it crossed the city at rooftop height. The crew nursed it out over the sea, dumped fuel and landed back at Athens about an hour later, and all 418 people on board survived.

    1 video perspective

  12. Photo: Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland / CC BY-SA 2.0

    Delta Air Lines Flight 1080

    A jammed elevator, flown on thrust

    Open event

    On 12 April 1977 a Delta Air Lines Lockheed L-1011 TriStar pitched up uncontrollably after take-off from San Diego, because its left elevator had jammed fully up. Captain Jack McMahan controlled it with engine thrust and landed safely at Los Angeles, and all 52 people on board were unhurt.

    1 video perspective