Fatal Midair Collision Events

The following are midair collisions where at least one jet airliner passenger was killed. Excluded are events involving only jet airliners designed or built in the states of the former Soviet Union.

The passenger fatalities in the numbered events may be due to accidents, hijackings, sabotage, or military action. The events that are not numbered may or may not include fatalities, and are included because they meet the criteria of a significant event as defined by AirSafe.com

1. 19 May 1960, Air Algerie Caravelle, Paris, France: The aircraft was descending for landing when it collided with a small single engine aircraft. One of the 32 passengers was killed.

2. 16 December 1960, United Air Lines DC8 and Lockheed Constellation, New York, NY: The two aircraft collided over New York with the Constellation crashing in Staten Island and the DC8 crashing in Brooklyn. All seven crew members and 76 passengers on the DC8 were killed. All 50 occupants of the Constellation were also killed.

3. 9 March 1967; TWA DC9-14; Near Urbana, OH: The aircraft crashed after an in flight collision with a Beech Baron. All four crew members and 21 passengers on the DC9 were killed. The sole occupant of the Baron was also killed.

4. 19 July 1967; Piedmont 727; Hendersonville, NC: The 727 was climbing away from the Asheville airport when it hit a Cessna 310 about eight miles (13 km) from the airport. All five crew members and 74 passengers were killed. The three occupants of the Cessna were also killed.

5. 9 September 1969; Allegheny DC9-31; Near Fairland, IN: The DC9 had an in flight collision with a single engine Piper Cherokee during approach. All four crew members and 78 passengers on the DC9 were killed. The two occupants of the Piper were also killed.

6. 6 June 1971; Hughes Airwest DC9-31; Near Duarte, CA: The aircraft crashed after an in flight collision with a U.S. Navy F-4 fighter. All five crew members and 44 passengers were killed. One of the two F-4 crew members was also killed.

7. 30 July 1971; All Nippon Airways 727-200; northern Honshu, Japan, CA: The aircraft crashed after an in flight collision with a jet fighter. All seven crew members and 155 passengers were killed. The fighter pilot was able to bail out successfully.

8. 5 March 1973; Iberia DC9-32; Nantes, France: The aircraft had a midair collision with a Spantax Convair 990. All seven crew members and 61 passengers were killed. There were no fatalities on the Spantax aircraft.

9. 10 September 1976; Inex Adria DC9-32; Near Zagreb, Yugoslavia: The aircraft had a midair collision with a British Airways Trident 3B. All five crew members and 108 passengers on the DC9 were killed. All nine crew members and 54 passengers on the Trident were also killed as was one person on the ground.

10. 1 March 1978; Nigeria Airways F28-1000; Lagos, Nigeria: The aircraft had an in flight collision with a training aircraft. All five crew members and 11 passengers were killed.

11. 25 September 1978; Pacific Southwest 727-200; San Diego, CA: The aircraft had a midair collision with a single engine Cessna and crashed. All seven crew members, all 128 passengers, both occupants of the second aircraft, and seven others on the ground were killed.
    Fatal 727 crashes
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12. 31 August 1986; Aeromexico DC9-32; Cerritos, CA: The DC9 collided with a single engine Piper Archer which had made an unauthorized penetration of controlled airspace. All 6 crew members and 58 passengers were killed. The three occupants of the Piper and 15 people on the ground were also killed.
    Fatal DC9 crashes
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13. 22 December 1992; Libyan Arab Airlines 727-200; Near Tripoli, Libya: The aircraft collided with a MiG 23. There is no information on MiG crew or casualties, but all 10 crew members and 147 passengers on the 727 were killed.

14. 12 November 1996; Saudia 747-100; near New Delhi, India: The departing 747 had a midair collision with an inbound Kazakhstan Air Lines Ilyushin 76 cargo jet about seven minutes after the 747 had departed New Delhi. The collision occurred near Charkhi Dadri, about 60 miles (96 km) west of New Delhi. All 23 crew members and 289 passengers on the 747 were killed. The 10 crew members and 27 passengers on the Ilyushin were also killed.

15. 1 July 2002; Bashkirian Airlines Tupolev 154; near Ueberlingen, Germany: The aircraft was involved in a midair collision involving a DHL 757 while both aircraft were flying at about 36,000 feet (about 11,000 meters). Debris from both aircraft fell in an area near Lake Constance on the German-Swiss border. Both crew members on the DHL 757 and the 57 passengers and 12 crew members on the Tupolev 154 were killed. The 57 passengers on the Tupolev 154 included 44 children. The 757 departed Bahrain and was continuing on to Brussels after a stop in Bergamo in northern Italy. The Tupolev 154 was on a trip from Moscow to Barcelona and had made a stopover in Munich shortly before the accident.
    Fatal Midair Collision Events
    Fatal Events Involving Carriers from the Former Soviet Union
    Fatal 757 Events

16. 29 September 2006; Gol Linhas Aereas 737-800; near Peixoto de Azevedo, Brazil:
    The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Manaus to Brasilia when it had a midair collision in the area of São Félix do Xingu with an Embraer ERJ135 Legacy 600 executive jet operated by ExcelAire. The ExcelAire Legacy 600 jet had been on a flight from São José dos Campos to Manaus. After the collision, which damaged the left wing, left stabilizer, and left elevator of the executive jet, the crew of the damaged ExcelAire aircraft was able to land at a nearby military airfield at Cachimbo, Brazil. The 737 subsequently crashed 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of the Peixoto de Azevedo municipality. The Legacy 600 was on the first leg of a delivery flight to the U.S. The 737 aircraft was also relatively new, having come into service with the airline less than three weeks before the crash.
    
    All six crew members and 148 passengers on the 737 were killed. The two crew members and five passengers on the Legacy 600 were not injured.
    
    Fatal Events for Airlines of Latin America
    Fatal Events Involving the Boeing 737
    Fatal Events Involving Embraer Aircraft
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    8 August 2009; Eurocopter and Piper Saratoga, Hudson River, near New York City:A single-engine aircraft and a sightseeing helicopter collided early Saturday afternoon over the Hudson River near Manhattan. Three people were aboard the single-engine Piper PA-32R-300 (N71MC), and the flight plan indicated the aircraft was heading from Teterboro Airport in Teaneck, New Jersey to Ocean City, New Jersey. The Saratoga took off from Teterboro shortly before noon local time. On board were a pilot and two passengers, including one child. The Liberty Harbor Sightseeing Tours helicopter, a Eurocopter AS350 (N401LH), took off from Pier 30 in Manhattan, near West 30th Street, and reportedly had one pilot and five Italian tourists on board. All nine occupants were killed.
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