The deadliest plane crashes in UK aviation history

Metro

12-06-2025

An Air India plane carrying 242 people bound for London has crashed near Ahmedabad airport shortly after taking off.
On board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner were 53 British, 169 Indian, seven Portuguese and one Canadian nationals.
Fire and thick black smoke was seen shortly after the aricraft went down near student accommodation at a nearby medical university at 1.39pm local time.
Follow Metro's blog for live coverage and updates from the Air India crash
Crashes like this are rare – but when they happen, the consequences are catastrophic.
Below, we look back at some of the worst air disasters in UK aviation history.
Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Dumfries and Galloway while cruising at 31,000 feet on December 21, 1988, crashing onto the town of Lockerbie.
All 259 people on board and 11 people on the ground were killed when the Boeing 747, flying from Heathrow to New York, was bombed.
The explosion tore a 20-inch hole in the fuselage, causing the aircraft to disintegrate instantly.
Among the vitims were 35 American students flying home for Christmas and the crash remains the deadliest terrorist attack on UK soil.
A joint investigation by Scottish police and the FBI concluded the bombing was carried out by Libyan Intelligence Services in revenge for the 1986 US bombing of Tripoli.
Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was later convicted for placing the bomb in a suitcase disguised with clothing and an umbrella.
A British European Airways Trident crashed shortly after takeoff from Heathrow en route to Brussels on June 18, 1972, killing all 118 people on board.
Three minutes into the flight, the plane entered a deep stall. Investigators found that the crew had failed to maintain sufficient speed and did not properly deploy the aircraft's high-lift devices.
The cockpit voice recorder captured an argument between the captain and co-pilot moments before the crash. Weather conditions were also poor, with turbulence, strong crosswinds, heavy rain and low cloud.
A Canadair C-4 Argonaut operated by British Midland Airways crashed near the centre of Stockport on June 4, 1967, killing 72 of the 84 people on board.
The aircraft was returning from Palma de Mallorca and came down just a few miles short of its destination, Manchester Airport. Two of its four engines failed due to fuel starvation caused by a design flaw in the fuel system.
Investigators also cited pilot fatigue as a contributing factor, noting that the flight crew were likely operating under significant exhaustion at the time of the crash.
On August 22, 1985, a British Airtours Boeing 737-236 bound for Corfu aborted takeoff at Manchester Airport after control staff warned one of its engines was on fire.
Passengers started evacuating, but the fire spread rapidly. All deaths were caused by the inhalation of toxic smoke. Most of their bodies were found near the overwing exit. Fifty-five of the 137 people on board were killed.
The disaster led to sweeping aviation reforms, including fire-resistant seat materials, improved cabin wall and ceiling panels, floor lighting for evacuation, better on-board extinguishers, and revised emergency procedures.
On January 5, 1969, an Ariana Afghan Airlines flight from Kabul crashed into a house during its final approach to Gatwick Airport, killing 50 people – 48 on board and two on the ground
The aircraft descended too quickly after a flap adjustment caused the nose to pitch downward. By the time the flight crew recognised the error, it was too late to recover.
The plane struck the home of William and Ann Jones, who died in the crash – but their baby miraculously survived. Fourteen people on the flight, including the captain, first officer and flight engineer, also lived.
On January 8, 1989, British Midland Flight 92 from Belfast to Heathrow crashed short of the runway at East Midlands Airport during an attempted emergency landing, killing 47 of the 126 people on board.
The Boeing 737 had been cruising at 35,000 feet when a fan blade on the left engine fractured due to metal fatigue.
The crew mistakenly shut down the working engine, and moments before impact a final announcement instructed passengers to 'prepare for crash landing.'
The plane struck the ground, bounced over the M1, and tore through trees and a lamppost. Investigators found that the aircraft's new engines had been tested only in labs, not under real-flight conditions.
Both pilots were seriously injured and later dismissed by the airline amid criticism of cockpit decision-making.
An Iberia Airlines flight from Malaga to Heathrow flew into the southern slope of Blackdown Hill in West Sussex on November 4, 1967. More Trending
The plane was on approach to Heathrow when it clipped trees before skidding across a field and killing 88 grazing sheep.
Investigators could not find out why the plane did not stick to its assigned flight level and audio recordings showed no evidence of any failure in the aircraft.
A theory remains that the flight crew misread their altitude meter, which warns pilots when the altitude falls below 10,000 feet.
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