The world's worst air crashes in recent years
LONDON, June 12 (Reuters) - At least 30 people were killed when an Air India plane bound for London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from India's western city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, with the toll expected to climb, authorities said.
Below are some of the fatal crashes that have occurred in recent years.
UNITED STATES
More than 60 people were killed when an American Airlines (AAL.O), opens new tab regional passenger jet collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on January 29 and crashed into the frigid Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
SOUTH KOREA
Jeju Air international flight 7C2216 crashed at Muan International Airport on Dec. 29, 2024, killing all 175 passengers and four of the six crew in the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil.
Azerbaijan Airlines international flight J2-8243, an Embraer (EMBR3.SA), opens new tab E190, crashed on December 25 after being diverted from Russia to Kazakhstan, killing 38 people. Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev said in December the plane had been damaged by accidental shooting from the ground in Russia. Moscow has not confirmed this.
A Japan Airlines (JAL) (9201.T), opens new tab plane collided with a smaller Coast Guard aircraft on the runway of Tokyo's Haneda airport on January 2. All 379 people aboard the JAL plane, an Airbus (AIR.PA), opens new tab A350-941 flight, escaped the burning airliner. Five of six crew on the smaller aircraft were killed.
CHINA
A China Eastern Airlines (600115.SS), opens new tab Boeing 737-800 crashed into a mountainous region in the southwestern Guangxi region on March 21, 2022, killing all 132 people on board, in China's deadliest aviation disaster in 28 years.
IRAN
Iran's Revolutionary Guards shot down a Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) Boeing 737-800 on Jan. 8, 2020 shortly after it took off from Tehran Airport, killing all 176 people on board. Iran's civil aviation body blamed a misaligned radar and an error by an air defence operator.
ETHIOPIA
A Boeing 737-MAX 8 Ethiopian Airlines [RIC:RIC:ETHA.UL] jet crashed on March 19, 2019 minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa for Nairobi, killing all 157 people on board.
Soon after, the Boeing 737 MAX global fleet was grounded over safety concerns.
INDONESIA
A Boeing 737 MAX Lion Air plane crashed into the Java Sea soon after taking off from Jakarta on October 29, 2018, killing all 189 people on board.
MALAYSIA
Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 departed from Amsterdam for Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014, and was shot down over eastern Ukraine as fighting raged between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces. All 298 passengers on board were killed.
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 went missing on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014. The remains of the Boeing 777 and the 239 people have not been found.
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Daily Mirror
32 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Tiny detail in Brit survivor's memory of Air India plane crash may solve mystery
Vishwash Ramesh was the only survivor from the Air India plane that crashed shortly after take off from Ahmedabad airport and he has given an insight into what may have caused the accident A British man who was the only survivor of the Air India plane crash has given a clue as to what may have caused the horrific accident. Vishwash Ramesh has told of watching people 'dying in front of my eyes'. And speaking from his hospital bed he said 'I still can't believe how I survived'. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner struck a medical college as it crashed in a fireball on Thursday, killing the other 241 people on board, shortly after take off from Ahmedabad airport. It is one of the deadliest plane crashes in terms of the number of British nationals killed, and the first involving a 787. Mr Ramesh was in seat 11A, next to one of the aircraft's emergency exits. Addressing what happened before the incident, Mr Ramesh said: 'When the flight took off, within five to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air. 'Suddenly, the lights started flickering – green and white. The aircraft wasn't gaining altitude and was just gliding before it suddenly slammed into a building and exploded.' The flickering lights suggest that there could have been an electrical problem and it comes after a passenger who travelled on the plane the previous day said that electrical parts including screens on the back of seats weren't working. India's civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu posted on X that the black box of the plane was recovered within 28 hours from the crash site. Information will now be gathered from the black box and one of the theories which has been put forward by aviation experts is that there was an electrical failure. Mr Ramesh said: 'I can't believe how I came out of it alive. For a moment, I felt like I was going to die too. But when I opened my eyes and looked around, I realised I was alive. I still can't believe how I survived.' He told how he "saw an opening in the fuselage," and continued: 'I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening, and crawled out.' Commenting on his survival, Mr Ramesh said: 'I don't know how I survived. I saw people dying in front of my eyes – the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me … I walked out of the rubble.' Aviation experts have also speculated about other possible causes of the crash, from both engines failing – possibly due to a bird strike, as happened in the so-called Miracle on the Hudson in 2009 – to the flaps on the aircraft's wings not being set to the correct position for take-off. UK officials are being deployed to India to support the investigation, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said. US transportation secretary Sean Duffy confirmed US teams from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board were also heading to India with support from Boeing and GE Aerospace. He told reporters it was 'way too premature' to ground Boeing 787s in the aftermath of the crash.
Daily Mirror
38 minutes ago
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What will experts search for as UK investigators probe Air India crash disaster?
British aviation experts are in Ahmedabad to assist with investigations after Air India Flight 171 crashed into a medical school on Thursday, exploding into a fireball and killing at least 270 As search and recovery teams continue to scour the site of the horrific plane crash for a third day after the Air India Flight 171 fell from the sky killing at least 270 people on Thursday, British air accident experts are joining them in India to try and work out just what caused the crash. According to air traffic control at Ahmedabad Airport, the aircraft departed at 1:39pm local time and gave a Mayday call almost immediately, signalling an emergency. There was no response from the aircraft and footage shows the plane was only in the air for around 30 seconds before it appeared to run into trouble, according to the BBC. T READ MORE: Air India plane crash UPDATES: 270 bodies recovered as probe into tragedy continues What will investigators look at in order to gather evidence? There have been a number of theories as to what happened that day but investigators will take a look at the evidence to determine the exact cause. This will involve looking at radar, CCTV, the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) – to understand what factors were involved in the accident. Black boxes hold the key to aircraft crash investigations and are terms used to describe the Cockpit Voice Recorder and Digital Flight Data Recorder. In April 2025, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau set up a flight recorders laboratory at its premises for carrying out more effective probes into accidents and the crash is being probed by the AAIB. Investigators will want to know if the crash was a one-off or part of a wider problem with Dereamliner. If they find evidence of a problem that could jeopardise the safety of other aircraft they will announce their initial conclusions as soon as possible, according to The Independent. In the meantime, Air India's Boeing 787 fleet could be grounded temporarily. As always in the early stages of an investigation, aviation safety experts will consider a wide spectrum of possible factors that could have contributed to the crash. Bird strikes are a threat to flights Twin-engine aircraft like the Boeing 787 are engineered to be able to take off on a single engine, even if a bird strikes the engine. Investigators will be looking into the possibility of whether both engines could have been put out of action as the Air India aircraft climbed? It's happened before - in the 'Miracle on the Hudson' plane crash in 2009, both engines of a US Air aircraft lost power shortly after take off from New York's La Guardia airport. On that occasion, the plane had gained more altitude and was able to crash-land on water, so all passengers survived. Could a mechanical issue been the cause? As the investigators sift through the wreckage, they will be looking to see if there was some kind of failure, leaving the pilots helpless to control their aircraft in the crucial seconds after take off. Philip Baum, visiting professor of aviation security at Coventry University told The Independent it 'seems likely' the accident was caused by system or multiple systems failures. Was human error a factor in the crash? Taking off with a heavy load of fuel, passengers and cargo in hot weather is challenging and investigators will be looking into whether the pilots could have done something to jeopardise the safety of the aircraft. A captain for a leading US carrier said some focus should be given to the flap settings – the moveable panels on an aircraft's wings – used for take-off for 'a heavy airplane on a hot day, and resulting poor performance which ultimately may have led to a stall'. Malicious acts - but 'unlikely anything sinister at play' Tragically, over the years individuals and groups have repeatedly downed aircraft for reasons ranging from grudges to terrorism. But Professor Baum said it was 'unlikely there was anything more sinister at play' and it could have just been an accident. One thing's for sure - it's the worst air disaster in a decade. On March 8, 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people aboard. Despite an intense search in the southern Indian Ocean, the Boeing 777-200 was never found. Earlier this year, a new search for the plane was launched more than a decade after the plane went missing, Malaysian authorities said. Investigators concluded it ran out of fuel. And in 2001, an American Airlines Airbus A300 crashed in the New York City borough of Queens shortly after taking off, killing all 260 on board and five people on the ground. Flight 587 was bound for Saint-Domingue, in the Dominican Republic, departing from New York's John F. Kennedy airport. Investigators concluded the plane suffered from turbulence which was within tolerance levels, but the first officer's aggressive reactions to it led to the structural failure.
South Wales Guardian
40 minutes ago
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Girls orphaned when father died in Air India crash after scattering wife's ashes
Arjun Patoliya, 37, was killed 18 days after his wife Bharti had died from cancer, the GoFundMe page to support their daughters, aged four and eight, said. The Briton had travelled to Gujarat to fulfil his wife's 'final wish'. By Saturday afternoon more than £370,000 had been raised to help the girls. The fundraiser, organised by Mr Patoliya's colleague, said: 'Their mother, Bharti Patoliya, passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. 'Fulfilling her final wish, her husband Arjun Patoliya travelled to India to scatter her ashes in her homeland in Gujarat.' It added: 'Arjun left to bid farewell to his wife, never returned to the children they both raised. 'Now, these two beautiful young girls have been left without parents — their world turned upside down in just over two weeks.' Mr Patoliya worked at furniture manufacturer Inspired Elements Ltd, based in Stanmore, north-west London. The company, which organised the GoFundMe appeal, posted a tribute on social media saying: 'We are deeply saddened to share the (loss) of a cherished member of our team in the recent Air India flight tragedy. 'Our hearts are heavy with grief as we come to terms with this profound loss. 'Arjun was not just a colleague but also a dear friend. His dedication, kindness, and spirit has left a lasting mark on us all'. Mr Patoliya had attended Shree Swaminarayan Gurukul International School in Surat, western India. A teacher at the secondary school said on social media: 'It is with profound sorrow that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of our dear former student. 'This news has deeply saddened us all. Arjun was a cherished member of our Gurukul family, and his untimely departure is a great loss.' More than 8,700 donations had been made to the GoFundMe by Saturday afternoon, including many of more than £1,000, and one of £5,000. Money has been pledged to go towards providing a 'stable, nurturing home' for the girls and ensuring they can access education. Organisers said they will also use the donations to 'establish trusted long-term wellbeing care' and 'build a future rooted in love, healing, and opportunity. 'All funds raised will go directly to a legal trust or the appointed guardians to ensure every penny is dedicated to the girls' needs.' The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after take off on Thursday in what is one of the deadliest plane accidents in terms of the number of British nationals killed. It struck a medical college hostel in a residential part of Ahmedabad, killing 241 of the 242 people on board. At least 25 more bodies were found in the debris by recovery crews working at the site until Friday evening, officials said, and it is unclear whether they had been on the flight or on the ground. The Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad has received 270 bodies, Dr Dhaval Gameti told the Associated Press.
