Traveling by plane is said to be one of the safest forms of travel, mostly because of the highly trained personnel piloting the plane, the fact that there’s a wide open space to fly and there are umpteen safety precautions built into the aircraft themselves. However, throughout history there have been quite a few airplane crashes and disasters that have ended the lives of hundreds of passengers on board the plane at the time. It is sad to read about so many people dying all at once, but one cannot help but be glad they were not flying at the time. Here are six of the most horrific aviation disasters in history.
6. Ermenonville Air Disaster – 346 dead
When a Moroccan baggage handler was unable to read proper latching instructions, he left it as is. When the plane took off, the latch blew off and the plane crashed into the Ermonville forest near Paris, France. 346 died in the fireball.
5. Charkhi Dadri Mid-Air Collision – 349 dead
5. Charkhi Dadri Mid-Air Collision – 349 dead
Known as the deadliest mid-air collision in history, Saudi Arabian airlines collided with a Kazakhstan airline west of New Delhi, killing all 349 passengers who were riding on both planes.
4. Tenerife Airport Disaster – 583 dead
4. Tenerife Airport Disaster – 583 dead
When it comes to the number of passenger and crew killed during a collision, the disaster between two Boeing 747s on the Island of Tenerife is thought to be the worst in history. In total, 583 people were killed.
3. American Airlines Flight 191 – 273 dead
3. American Airlines Flight 191 – 273 dead
Moments after taking off, the left engine of Flight 191 from Chicago to Los Angeles fell from the plane. The airplane rolled, turned upside down, and then crashed into a field. There were no survivors, leaving all 273 passengers and crew dead.
2. Iranian Air Force – 275 dead
2. Iranian Air Force – 275 dead
On February 19, 2003 an Iranian Air Force plane carrying Revolutionary Guards was involved in an unknown crash near Kerman in the mountains. No one survived the attack, with 275 dead in total.
1. Lockerbie Bombing – 270 dead
1. Lockerbie Bombing – 270 dead
On December 21, 1988, a bomb aboard Pan Am Flight 103 from London to New York City went off near Lockerbie, Scotland. Eleven people on the ground died due to the crash, resulting in a total of 270 individuals dying.
