Boeing 737 plane crashes
The following are significant events involving the aircraft model. The numbered events are those involving at least one passenger death where the aircraft flight had a direct or indirect role, and where at least one of the dead passengers was not a stowaway, hijacker, or saboteur.
- 5 July 1972; Pacific Southwest 737-200; San Francisco, CA: The aircraft was on a scheduled flight from Sacramento to San Francisco when shortly before landing it was hijacked by two armed men who intended to have the aircraft fly to the Soviet Union. After landing in San Francisco, the aircraft was directed to an isolated part of the airport while the hijackers negotiated with authorities. Later, an armed FBI agent posing as the pilot that would fly the aircraft to the Soviet Union entered the aircraft while, unknown to the hijackers, three other armed FBI agents were able to position themselves near the front entry door. As the three outside FBI agents began to climb the stairs to enter the aircraft, a gun battle broke out which resulted in the deaths of both of the hijackers and one of the 77 passengers. Two other passengers were wounded, but survived. None of the seven crew members were injured. While there were many US hijacking events in the 1970s, this was one of only two that resulted in passenger deaths.
- 8 December 1972; United Air Lines 737-200; N9031U, flight 553; Midway Airport, Chicago:
The aircraft had been on a scheduled domestic flight from National Airport near Washington, DC to Midway Airport in Chicago, IL.
During approach, the crew allowed the airspeed to deteriorate and the aircraft to stall and lose altitude.
The crew initiated a missed approach and had increased thrust and retracted the landing gear, but the aircraft crashed into a residential area and caught fire.
Three of the six crew and 40 of the 55 passengers were killed. Two people on the ground were also killed.
More on this accident - 31 May 1973; Indian Airlines 737-200; near New Dehli, India: The aircraft crashed and caught fire during landing. The crash killed five of the seven crew members and 43 of the 58 passengers.
- 4 December 1977; Malaysian Airline System 737-200; near Johore Strait, Malaysia: The aircraft was hijacked and subsequently destroyed by an in flight explosion. All seven crew members and 93 passengers were killed.
- 11 February 1978; Pacific Western Airlines 737-200; Cranbrook Airport, Canada: The aircraft crashed after thrust reversers did not fully stow following a rejected landing that was executed in order to avoid a snowplow. The crash killed four of the crew members and 38 of the 44 passengers.
- 10 May 1980; Indian Airlines 737-200; near Rampur Hat, India: The aircraft experienced severe en route turbulence. Two of the 132 passengers were killed.
- 22 August 1981; Far Eastern Air Transport 737-200; near Sanyi, Taiwan: The aircraft experienced in flight structural failure. The crash killed all six crew members and 104 passengers.
- 13 January 1982; Air Florida 737-200; Washington, DC: The crew did not activate heaters on engine sensors during icing conditions. The crew subsequently did not adjust the engines to allow sufficient thrust for takeoff and the aircraft stalled and crashed into the frozen Potomac River. The crash killed four of the five crew members and 70 of the 74 passengers.
- 25 May 1982; VASP 737-200; Brasilia, Brazil: The aircraft had a hard landing in a rainstorm and broke in two. The crash killed two of the 112 passengers.
- 11 July 1983; TAME 737-200; near Cuenca, Ecuador: The aircraft hit high ground during approach. The crash killed all eight crew members and 111 passengers.
- 23 September 1983; Gulf Air 737-200; Mino Jobel Ali, near Abu Dhabi, UAE: Crashed during approach after a bomb had exploded in the baggage compartment. The crash killed all six crew members and 105 of 111 passengers.
- 8 November 1983; TAAG Angola Airlines 737-200; Lubango, Angola: The aircraft crashed 900 meters short of the runway. The crash killed all five crew members and 121 of 126 passengers.
- 30 August 1984; Cameroon Airlines 737-200; Douala, Cameroon:
While on the ground, one of the engines had an uncontained failure which ruptured a fuel tank and started fire.
Two of the 108 passengers were killed.
- 15 April 1985; Thai Airways 737-200; Phuket, Thailand: The aircraft hit high ground in darkness and was destroyed by the impact and subsequent fire. The crash killed all four passengers and seven crew members.
- 22 August 1985; British Airtours 737-200; Manchester Airport, England: The crew rejected the takeoff due to an uncontained engine failure. The failure led to a punctured fuel tank and a fire that spread to the cabin. The accident killed 53 of 131 passengers and two of six crew members.
- 23 November 1985; Egyptair 737-200; SU-AYH; flight 648; Valletta, Malta:
The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Athens, Greece to Cairo, Egypt, when the aircraft was hijacked.
A security agent exchanged gunfire with the hijackers, and in the process the fuselage was punctured and the cabin depressurized.
The aircraft then diverted to Malta.
After several hours of negotiations, Egyptian troops stormed the aircraft.
During the ensuing battle, the three hijackers threw several hand grenades.
The aircraft was severely damaged by the explosions and fire.
A total of two of the six crew members, two of the three hijackers, and 56 of the 89 passengers were killed.
More about this event
EgyptAir plane crashes
7 December 1985; Aer Lingus 737-200; EI-ASA; flight 156; Dublin, Ireland:
The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Dublin, Ireland, to London, England. The aircraft struck a number of birds shortly after takeoff, and one of those birds caused a complete power loss and severe damage to one engine. The crew was able to return to the departure airport, and none of the six crew members or 117 passengers were injured. None of the 88 passengers and five crew members were injured.
Aer Lingus plane crashes - 28 January 1986; VASP 737-200; São Paulo, Brazil:
The crew attempted to fly in bad weather and rejected the takeoff .
One of the 60 passengers and none of the four crew members were killed.
- 16 February 1986; China Airlines 737-200; flight 2265; Pescadores Islands, Taiwan: The aircraft touched down on the runway, but crashed into the sea several miles from the airport during an attempted go around. All six passengers and seven crew members were killed.
- 25 December 1986; Iraqi Airways 737-200; Over Saudi Arabia: The aircraft was en route between Iraq and Jordan when hijackers set off grenades and started a gunfight with security forces on board the aircraft. The aircraft crashed near Arar Saudi Arabia, killing 67 of the 107 passengers.
- 4 August 1987; LAN Chile 737-200; Calama, Chile: The gear failed during landing and the aircraft broke in two and caught fire. One of the 27 passengers were killed.
- 31 August 1987; Thai Airways 737-200; HS_TBC; light 365; Phuket, Thailand: While descending during a daylight approach in good weather, the crew lost control of the aircraft and crashed into sea, apparently due to a combination of errors by the flight crew and air traffic control. All of the nine crew members and 74 passengers were killed.
- 2 January 1988; Condor 737-200; Izmir, Turkey:
The Condor flight (at the time, a subsidiary of Lufthansa), was on a non-scheduled international flight from Stuttgart, Germany when it crashed during approach to Adnan Airport in Izmir, Turkey.
The aircraft struck high ground about 10.5 kilometers from the runway near Seferihisar, Turkey.
The probable cause of the accident was the use of incorrect navigational aids during approach.
All five crew members and 11 passengers were killed.
28 April 1988; Aloha 737-200; N73711; flight 243; near Maui, HI: The aircraft, with 90 passengers and five crew members on board, was on a scheduled flight from Honolulu to Hilo, Hawaii. The aircraft experienced an explosive decompression and structural failure at about 24,000 feet due to metal fatigue in an upper cabin area. A roughly 18-foot long section of the fuselage separated from the aircraft a flight attendant who was standing in the aisle at the time of the structural failure was ejected out of the aircraft.
The crew was able to execute a successful emergency landing with a significant portion of the upper fuselage missing. In addition to the fatally injured flight attendant, seven passengers were seriously injured. This event made metal fatigue a major area of concern for the FAA, especially for older aircraft.
Note: Even though no passengers were killed and therefore not a fatal airline event, this mishap is included in this list because of the effect it had on air safety practices. As a result of this accident, there were a number of regulatory changes involving inspection requirements for older aircraft such as the one involved in this event. The following resources provide more information about this accident:
Independent analysis of the accident by Hawaiian Steam Engineering
More about this event - 15 September 1988; Ethiopian Airlines 737-200; ET-AJA; flight 604; Bahar Dar, Ethiopia:
The aircraft, which was on a scheduled domestic flight from Bahar Dar to Asmara, ingested numerous pigeons into both engines during takeoff.
One engine lost thrust almost immediately and the second lost thrust during the emergency return to the airport, leading the crew to execute a wheels-up landing.
As a result of the crash landing, all six crew members survived, but 35 of the 98 passengers were killed.
Other Ethiopian Airlines crashes - 19 October 1988; Indian Airlines 737-200; Ahmedabad, India: The aircraft hit an electric mast five miles (eight km)out on approach in poor visibility. All six crew members and 124 of 129 passengers were killed.
- 8 January 1989; British Midland Airways 737-400; near East Midlands Airport, UK:
A fan blade failure at top of climb damaged one engine and the crew mistakenly performed a precautionary engine shutdown on the wrong engine.
The damaged engine lost power shortly before landing and the flight crew was unable to restart the good engine prior to striking the ground.
47 of the 118 passengers were killed.
9 March 1989; Piedmont 737-200; near Dayton, OH: The aircraft lost cabin pressurization at 31,000 feet (9450 meters). The aircraft executed an emergency descent and landed at Dayton, OH. One of the 70 passengers was taken from the plane to a local hospital and died less than seven hours later. Note: The local medical authorities declared the death due to natural causes. The NTSB also lists this event as an incident and not a fatal accident. - 3 September 1989; Varig 737-200; PP-VMK; flight 254; near São Jose do Xingu, Brazil:
The aircraft had been on a domestic flight from Marabá to Belem Bélem when the crew made a forced landing due to fuel exhaustion.
The flight crew had inadvertently entered a 27 degree heading into the flight computer rather than the correct heading value of 270 degrees.
By the time the crew had discovered the error, the aircraft was too far away from a suitable landing option. Twelve of the 48 passengers were killed in the emergency landing. The six crew members all survived. The survivors were found about two days later. - 20 September 1989; USAir 737-400; La Guardia Airport, New York: The crew incorrectly trimmed the rudder for takeoff and were forced to abort the takeoff. The aircraft overran the runway and was partially submerged in water. Two of the 55 passengers were killed.
- 26 October 1989; China Airlines 737-200; flight 204; near Hualien, Taiwan:
The crew took off on an incorrect runway and was using an departure procedure for that incorrect runway.
The aircraft struck cloud-shrouded high ground at 7000 feet (2130 meters).
All seven crew members and 49 passengers were killed.
More about this event
China Airlines plane crashes - 11 May 1990; Philippine Airlines 737-300; Manila, Philippines: While the aircraft was taxiing, one of the fuel tanks exploded. Eight of the 113 passengers were killed.
- 2 October 1990; Xiamen Airlines 737-200; B2510; flight 8301; Guangzhou, China:
The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Xiamen to Guangzhou, China, when it was hijacked shortly after takeoff.
The captain was attempting to make an emergency landing at Guangzhou, and there was a struggle in the cockpit of the Xiamen aircraft during the latter part of the approach, which caused the aircraft to depart the runway and hit a China Southwest 707 prior to hitting the China Southern 757.
On the China Southern 757, all 12 crew members survived, but 46 of the 110 passengers were killed. On the Xiamen 737, seven of the nine crew members, as well as 74 of the 93 passengers, were killed in the crash. The hijacker was killed in the crash. No one on the China Southwest 707 was killed. - 1 February 1991; USAir 737-300; Los Angeles, CA: The USAir flight was cleared to land on a runway which also had a Skywest Metro III on the runway awaiting takeoff. The aircraft collided and burst into flames. Two of the six crew members and 20 of the 83 passengers on the USAir jet were killed. All 10 passengers and two crew members on the Metro III were killed.
- 3 March 1991; United Air Lines 737-200; Flight 585; near Colorado Springs, CO:
This was a scheduled domestic flight from Denver, CO to Colorado Springs, CO. During the approach, the aircraft departed from controlled flight and crashed about four miles from the airport. All five crew members and 20 passengers were killed. The NTSB determined that the probable cause was the movement of the rudder in a direction opposite to what was commanded by the pilots due to failure of the rudder's main power control unit.
More about this accident
NTSB accident report - 16 August 1991; Indian Airlines 737-200; near Imphal, India: The aircraft hit high ground during descent about 30 km from the airport. All six crew members and 63 passengers were killed.
- 6 June 1992; COPA Panama 737-200; HP-1205CMP; flight 201; near Ticutí, Panama: The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Panama City, Panama and Cali, Colombia. According to the accident investigation report, during the flight there was an intermittent failure of the main attitude indicator due to a short circuit. This was not noticed by the flight crew, and as a result, the crew adjusted the aircraft attitude based on the malfunctioning attitude indicator. The aircraft was in cruise at FL250 when it went into an uncontrolled high speed dive and broke up several thousand feet above the ground. All seven crew members and 40 passengers were killed.
- 24 November 1992; China Southern Airlines 737-300; B2523; flight 3943; Guangzhou, China: The aircraft was on an unscheduled domestic flight from Guangzhou to Guilin, China. During the approach to Guilin, the aircraft experienced an asymmetrical thrust condition that was not corrected by the crew. The aircraft rolled to right, and the crew was unable to regain control before the aircraft impacted hit the ground. All 10 crew members and 131 passengers were killed.
- 26 April 1993; Indian Airlines 737-200; Aurangabad, India: The flight crew initiated their liftoff late and the aircraft struck a large vehicle on a road just outside the airport. The vehicle strike damaged one engine and the aircraft later hit power lines and crashed. Four of the six crew members and 52 of the 112 passengers were killed. The administrators of the airport were also cited for failing to regulate traffic on that same road.
- 26 July 1993; Asiana Airlines 737-500; near Mokpo, Korea: The aircraft struck high ground in poor weather about 4 km from the runway while it was making its third attempt at a landing. Four of the six crew members and 64 of the 104 passengers were killed.
- 8 September 1994; USAir 737-300; near Pittsburgh, PA:
The aircraft lost control at about 6,000 feet (1830 meters) during approach.
All five crew members and 127 passengers were killed.
AirSafe.com Accident Links - 29 December 1994; THY Turkish Airlines 737-400; Flight 278; near Van, Turkey: This was a scheduled domestic flight from Ankara to Van. The aircraft hit a hill four km from the airport during the plane's fourth landing attempt. Five of the seven crew members and 52 of the 69 passengers were killed.
More about this event - 9 August 1995; Aviateca 737-200; near San Salvador, El Salvador: The aircraft struck a volcano at night in heavy rain and thunderstorms. All seven crew members and 58 passengers were killed
- 13 November 1995; Nigeria Airways 737-200; 5N-AUA; flight 357; Kaduna, Nigeria: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Jos to Kaduna, Nigeria. The crew executed an unstabilized approach, and decided to continue with the landing rather than executing a missed approach maneuver. The aircraft touched down about halfway down the runway, and later entered an uncontrollable skid and departed the runway off to the left side of the runway. The right wing then hit the ground causing, the fuel tanks to rupture. The aircraft was subsequently destroyed by fire. All 14 crew members survived, but 11 of the 124 passengers were killed. The event happened in daylight and the runway was dry.
- 3 December 1995; Cameroon Airlines 737-200; Douala, Cameroon: The aircraft was on a flight from Cotonou, Benin and crashed in darkness about three miles (4.8 km) short of the runway in a swamp. The crew members reportedly aborted the first landing attempt and they were on their second approach when the accident occurred. Four of the six crew members and 68 of the 72 passengers were killed.
- 29 February 1996; Faucett Airlines 737-200; Arequipa, Peru:
The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic night flight from Lima to Arequipa when it crashed several miles from the airport.
All 117 passengers and six crew members were killed.
2 April 1996; U.S. Air Force 737-T43; near Dubrovnik, Croatia: The aircraft struck mountainous terrain while attempting to land at the airport under conditions of reduced visibility. The flight crew was using an unapproved approach. All six crew members and 29 passengers were killed. Among the passengers were a number of U.S. corporate executives and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Ron Brown. The aircraft is a military version of the 737 that was used to transport military and civilian VIPs.
Note: Although not a fatal airline event, it is included due to the circumstances of the crash.
Commentary from Dr. Peter Ladkin of the University of Bielefeld - 8 May 1997; China Southern Airlines 737-300; B2925; flight 3456; Shenzhen, China: The aircraft had a hard landing at night during a heavy rainstorm at Shenzhen-Huangtian airport after a scheduled domestic flight from Chongqing. The crew attempted to land a second time, but the aircraft landed at high speed, veered off the runway, and caught fire. Two of the nine crew members and 33 of the 65 passengers were killed.
- 19 December 1997; SilkAir 737-300; 9V-TRF; flight 185; near Palembang, Indonesia:
The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Jakarta, Indonesia to Singapore.
While cruising at FL350, the aircraft rapidly descended, broke up in flight, and crashed in a river about 35 miles (56 km) north of Palembang while en route between Jakarta and Singapore.
The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder ceased recording prior to the rapid descent.
All seven crew members and 97 passengers were killed.
5 May 1998; Occidental Petroleum 737-200; near Andoas, Peru: The aircraft, which was a private charter flight, crashed near the Andoas airport during a rainstorm after a flight from Iquitos. The aircraft was executing an NDB approach at the time of the accident. Five of the seven crew members and 69 of the 80 passengers were killed. The aircraft had been leased by Occidental Petroleum from the Peruvian Air Force in order to ferry its workers to the Andoas area.
7 April 1999; THY Turkish Airlines 737-400; Flight 5904; near Ceyhan, Turkey: The aircraft crashed near Ceyhan, Turkey shortly after takeoff from Adana, Turkey. This was a repositioning flight from Adana, Turkey to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and did not have any passengers on board. All six crew members were killed.
More on this accident - 31 August 1999; LAPA 737-200; Buenos Aires, Argentina:
The aircraft settled back onto the runway just after takeoff, overran the runway, hit two cars on a nearby road, and caught fire.
The crew had continued the takeoff in spite of a configuration alarm.
There were 65 fatalities among the 98 passengers and five crew members.
Two of the occupants in the cars were also killed.
5 March 2000; Southwest Airlines 737-300; N668SW; flight 1455; Burbank, CA: The aircraft was on a scheduled flight from Las Vegas to Burbank. On arrival, the aircraft overran the end of the runway after after landing, coming to rest on a street adjacent to the airport. None of the five crew members and 137 passengers were killed. Two passengers sustained serious injuries.
NTSB accident brief
Southwest Airlines plane crashes - 19 April 2000; Air Philippines 737-200; near Davao, Philippines: The aircraft crashed on Samal Island near the city of Davao during its second approach to Davao's airport. The aircraft had begun its flight in Manila. All 124 passengers and seven crew members were killed in the crash.
- 17 July 2000; Alliance Air 737-200; Patna, India:
The aircraft was on a domestic flight from Calcutta to Patna and was making a second approach when the aircraft crashed into a residential area about 2 km (1.25 miles) from the airport.
All six crew members and 45 of the 52 passengers were killed.
Five people on the ground were also killed.
11 August 2000; Southwest Airlines 737; flight 1763; en route from Las Vegas, NV to Salt Lake City, UT: The aircraft was on a scheduled flight from Las Vegas to Salt Lake City when about 20 minutes before landing, a 19 year old passenger became belligerent and attempted to enter the cockpit. While being escorted back to his seat, the 19 year old attacked another passenger. A number of other passengers subdued him until the aircraft landed. After landing, the now unconscious passenger was removed from the aircraft and he died several hours later.
The medical examiner found traces of drugs in the dead passenger's system, but listed the cause of death as suffocation. The death was classified as a homicide, but none of the passengers involved in the incident were charged with a crime. No other crew members or passengers were seriously injured or killed.
More on this event
Safety events for Southwest Airlines
3 March 2001; Thai Airways 737-400; Bangkok, Thailand: While the aircraft was being serviced prior to a flight, the center fuel tank exploded, killing one of the five cabin crew members on board at the time. Three ground crew members on board at the time also escaped. The prime minister of Thailand along with 148 other passengers were scheduled to board the aircraft for a domestic flight to Chaing Mai. It was determined that the explosion and fire was not due to a deliberate act.
According to an NTSB press release of 11 April 2001, the FBI was unable to find any trace of an explosive. The NTSB also stated in this press release that CVR recording from the recent explosion had features that were similar to recorded features of a Philippine Airlines 737-300 center wing fuel tank explosion in May 1990.
This was not the only time that a center fuel tank exploded on a airliner in similar circumstances. Like this event, in the 17 July 1996 event involving TWA Flight 800 the air conditioning packs on the Thai aircraft had been in operation on the ground. These packs on both the 737 and 747 are located close to the center wing fuel tank.
Related Information
11 March 2007 Seattle Post-Intelligencer story on related FAA actions
Philippine Airlines Fatal Events
Thai Airways Fatal Events
TWA crashes
Note: Even though no passengers were killed and therefore not a fatal airline event, this mishap is included in this list because it involved the explosion of a fuel tank, an issue that had become a major safety concern after the 1996 explosion involving a TWA 747.
16 January 2002; Garuda Indonesia Airways 737-3Q8; PK-GWA; flight 421; near Surakarta, Indonesia: The aircraft had been on a scheduled domestic flight from Ampenan to Yogyakarta, Indonesia and encountered severe thunderstorms. About 90 seconds after entering the thunderstorm while through 18,000 feet, both engines flamed out as a result of ingesting water and hail, and the crew was unable to restart the engines. The crew elected to ditch the aircraft in a shallow portion of the Bengawan Solo River. All 54 passengers survived but one the six crew members was killed.
More about this crash
Garuda plane crashes - 7 May 2002; EgyptAir 737-500; SU-GBI; flight 843; near Tunis, Tunisia:
The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Cairo, Egypt to Tunis, Tunisia.
The crew was attempting an approach reduced visibility conditions due to fog and sandstorms, and the aircraft crashed into high ground about 6 km (3.8 mi) from the arrival airport.
Three of the six crew members and at 11 of the 56 passengers were killed.
More about this event
Plane crashes for Airlines of the Middle East and Africa
EgyptAir plane crashes - 6 March 2003; Air Algerie 737-200; near Tamanrasset, Algeria:
The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff on a domestic flight from Tamanrasset to Ghardaia.
One of the engines reportedly caught fire during takeoff.
Five of the six crew members and all 97 passengers were killed.
The sole survivor of the crash was 28-year-old Youcef Djillali.
Sole survivor crashes
Crashes for airlines of the Middle East and Africa - 15 March 2003; Air China 737-300; en route Hong Kong to Beijing:
In the 18 December 2003 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine,
the authors of a study concluded that five people who died from SARS most likely contracted the disease after exposure to an infected passenger during a three-hour flight from Hong Kong to Beijing.
The 72-year-old male passenger who had SARS symptoms when he boarded the flight in Hong Kong was hospitalized after arrival in Beijing and died five days later.
Investigations in Singapore, Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan revealed that a total of 20 passengers and two flight attendant contracted SARS due to their exposure on that flight. The 20 passengers and one flight attendant were in the economy section of the aircraft and the other fight attendant was in the first class section. There was a total of 112 passengers and eight crew members on the flight.
One of those 20 infected passengers, one of the five from that flight that eventually died, infected a passenger on a Bangkok to Beijing flight on 23 March 2003 and caused two passengers on that flight to become infected. One of the two infected passengers on the Thai Air flight also died.
Sources:
1. Olsen, S.J., Chang, H., Cheung, T.Y., et al, "Transmission of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome on Aircraft," New England Journal of Medicine, 349(25):2416-2422, 18 December 2003.
2. Lakshmanan, I.A.R, "Air China Flight 112: Tracking the Genesis of a Plague," Boston Globe, 18 May 2003, sec. 1A, p. 1.
Fatal Events for Airlines of Asia and Australasia
Fatal Events for Air China Since 1988
Background Information on SARS - 8 July 2003; Sudan Airways 737-200C; near Port Sudan, Sudan:
The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff on a domestic flight from Port Sudan to Khartoum.
The flight crew reported technical difficulties shortly after takeoff and the aircraft crashed about three miles (five km) from the airport.
All 11 crew members and 105 of the 106 passengers were killed.
The sole survivor was a three-year old boy, Mohamed al-Fateh , who suffered major injuries, including a severed right leg.
The boy's mother was killed in the crash as well.
Fatal Events with a sole survivor
Fatal Events for Airlines of the Middle East and Africa - 3 January 2004; Flash Airlines 737-300; SU-ZCF; flight 604; near Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt:
The aircraft was on a nonscheduled domestic flight from Sharm El-Sheikh to Cairo, Egypt.
The aircraft crashed into the Red Sea shortly after takeoff in an area of the sea about nine miles (15 km) south of the city.
All 135 passengers and 13 crew members were killed.
More on this event
Animation of flight and crash by the French accident investigation authority (BEA)
Crashes for Airlines of the Middle East and Africa - 3 February 2005; Kam Air 737-200; near Kabul, Afghanistan:
The aircraft was approaching Kabul on a domestic flight from Herat when it crashed in mountainous terrain about 20 miles (32 km) from its destination.
The aircraft was scheduled domestic flight from Herat to Kabul and was diverted from landing at Kabul due to the effects of a severe snowstorm.
The crew had sought clearance to land in Peshawar, Pakistan prior to losing contact with air traffic control.
All eight crew members and 96 passengers were killed.
Although this was a domestic flight within Afghanistan, the airline was based in Kyrgyzstan.
Fatal Events for Airlines of the Middle East and Africa
Fatal Events for Airlines of the former Soviet Union - 14 August 2005; Helios Airways 737-300; Grammatikos, Greece:
The aircraft was on an international flight from Larnaca, Cyprus to Athens, Greece.
Air traffic control lost contact with the airliner shortly after the crew reported an air conditioning problem.
Greek F-16 aircraft were sent to intercept the airliner and reportedly observed at least one person who was not a flight crew member inside of the cockpit.
The first officer appeared to be unconscious and the captain was not seen in the cockpit.
The aircraft appeared to have run out of fuel and crashed in a mountainous area about 25 miles (40 km) from Athens.
All six crew members and 115 passengers were killed.
Fatal Events for Airlines from Europe - 23 August 2005; Transportes Aéreas Nacionales de la Selva (TANS) 737-200; Pulcallpa, Peru:
The aircraft was on a domestic flight from Lima to Pulcallpa when the aircraft encountered severe weather conditions during the approach.
The aircraft caught fire after crashing and breaking up in a swampy area about three miles (4.8 km) from the Pulcallpa airport.
Four of the six crew members and 35 of the 92 passengers were killed.
Fatal Events for Airlines from Latin America and the Caribbean - 5 September 2005; Mandala Airlines 737-200; Medan, Indonesia:
The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff, hitting several houses in a residential area about half a kilometer from the runway.
The aircraft was on a domestic flight from Medan to Jakarta.
All five crew members and 97 of the 112 passengers were killed.
About 47 people on the ground were also killed.
Plane crashes for airlines of Asia - 22 October 2005; Bellview Airlines 737-200; 5N-BFN; flight 210; near Lissa, Nigeria:
The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Lagos to Abuja, and air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft about five minutes after takeoff.
The aircraft crashed about 30 miles (48 km) from Lagos near the town of Lissa.
All six crew members and 111 passengers were killed.
Plane crashes for airlines of Nigeria
8 December 2005; Southwest Airlines 737-700; N471WN; flight 1248; Chicago, IL: The aircraft was on a scheduled flight from Baltimore to Chicago's Midway Airport. After landing, the crew was unable to stop the aircraft on the runway, going off the runway, through the airport's barrier fence and onto a nearby street. At some point during this event, the nose wheel collapsed. The aircraft struck at least two vehicles, with the impact causing fatal injuries to a six year old boy who was a passenger in one of the vehicles. None of the five crew members or 95 passengers were seriously injured. This was the first serious accident involving the 737-700. Because this event did not cause a passenger fatality, it is not counted as a fatal event as defined by AirSafe.com.
NTSB final report
Safety events for Southwest Airlines - 29 September 2006; Gol Transportes Aéreos 737-800; PR-GTD; flight 1907; 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 experienced an inflight breakup and crashed 30 about kilometers (19 miles) north of the Peixoto de Azevedo municipality.
The Legacy 600 was on the first leg of a delivery flight to the US.
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.
Latin America crashes
Embraer plane crashes
Midair collisions - 29 October 2006; ADC 737-200; 5N-BFK; flight 053; Abuja, Nigeria: The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff on a scheduled domestic flight from Abuja to Sokoto, Nigeria. There was a storm in the area, and the aircraft experienced windshear conditions shortly after takeoff. The crew's response led to a stall and a roll to the left of over 90 degrees, followed by a crash. Four of the five crew members and 92 of the 100 passengers were killed.
- 1 January 2007; Adam Air 737-400; near Polewali, Indonesia: Air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft while it was at cruising altitude about halfway into its scheduled two-hour flight from Surabaya to Manado. Wreckage from the aircraft was later found in the ocean about 80 km (50 miles) off the west coast of Sulawesi island. All six crew members and 96 passengers were killed.
- 7 March 2007; Garuda Indonesia Airways 737-400; PK-GZC; flight 200; Yogyakarta, Indonesia:
The aircraft had been on a scheduled domestic flight from Jakarta and overran the runway after landing at Yogyakarta.
The aircraft went through the airport's perimeter fence, crossed and road and an embankment, and caught fire as it came to rest in a nearby rice paddy.
One of the seven crew members and 20 of the 133 passengers were killed.
More about this crash
Garuda plane crashes - 5 May 2007; Kenya Airways 737-800; near Douala, Cameroon:
The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Douala, Cameroon to Nairobi, Kenya.
The aircraft crashed into a swampy area near the airport less than one minute after takeoff.
The aircraft departed just after midnight local time and the aircraft sent at least one communication to the control tower prior to the crash.
All nine crew members and 105 passengers were killed.
Fatal Events Involving Kenya Airways - 28 June 2007; TAAG Angola Airlines 737-200; M'Banza Congo, Angola:
The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Luanda to M'Banza Congo.
The aircraft crashed and broke apart during the landing.
One of the seven crew members and four of the 71 passengers were killed, as well as one other on the ground.
20 August 2007; China Airlines 737-800; flight 120; Naha, Japan: Shortly after landing at Naha on the island of Okinawa, the left engine caught fire and the crew initiated an emergency evacuation. Although the aircraft was destroyed by fire, all 157 passengers (including two toddlers) and eight crew members survived.
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- 24 August 2008; Itek Air 737-200; flight 6895; Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan: The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to Tehran, Iran. About 10 minutes after takeoff, the crew turned back to the departure airport and also reported some kind of technical problem, crashing short of the runway. There were about 83 passengers and seven crew on the aircraft, including 17 members of Kyrgyzstan's national basketball youth team. Seven team members reportedly survived. At least 65 of those on board, including five of the seven crew members, were killed.
Itek Air had been banned from operating in the EU according to a list published on 24 July 2008.
Fatal events involving Itek Air
More about this event- 14 September 2008; Aeroflot-Nord 737-500; flight 821; near Perm, Russia: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Moscow to Perm, Russia. Contact with the aircraft was lost shortly before landing when the aircraft was about 3,600 feet, or about 1100 meters, above the ground. The aircraft was completely destroyed in the crash, coming down outside of the city of Perm and near the tracks of the Trans-Siberian Railway. All 82 passengers and six crew members were killed in the crash. There were seven children, including one infant, among the passengers.
Fatal events involving Airlines of the former Soviet Union
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10 November 2008; Ryanair 737-800; flight 4102; Rome, Italy: The aircraft, on a scheduled international flight from Frankfurt, Germany to Rome, Italy encountered a flock of birds during approach to Rome, sustaining damage to both engines, the wings, and the nose. The crew was able to land on the runway, but aircraft had a collapsed landing gear and serious damage to the rear of the fuselage. All six crew members, and 166 passengers survived.
20 December 2008; Continental Airlines 737-500; flight 1404; Denver, CO: The aircraft, which was on a scheduled domestic flight from Denver, CO to Intercontinental Airport in Houston, TX, departed the runway during takeoff and skidded across a taxiway and a service road before coming to rest in a ravine several hundred yards from the runway. The aircraft sustained significant damage, including a post crash fire, separation of one engine and separated and collapsed landing gear. There were about 38 injuries among the 110 passengers and five crew members, including two passengers who were seriously injured.
Continental Airlines plane crashes
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- 25 February 2009; Turkish Airlines 737-800; Flight 1951; Amsterdam, Netherlands: The aircraft, on a scheduled international flight from Istanbul, Turkey, to Amsterdam, Netherlands crashed in a field about a mile (1.6 km) short of the runway. Four of the seven crew members, including both pilots, were killed, as were five of the 128 passengers.
Turkish Airlines Plane Crashes
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13 July 2009; Southwest Airlines 737-300; N387SW; flight 2294; near Charleston, WV: The aircraft was on a scheduled flight Nashville, TN to Baltimore, MD. The aircraft lost cabin pressure about 25 minutes after takeoff, while the aircraft was passing through 35,000 feet, due to a rupture of the fuselage skin near the vertical stabilizer. The rupture created an approximate 18-inch by 12-inch flap in the skin. The crew diverted to Charleston, WV, and there were no serious injuries among the 126 passengers and five crew members. The NTSB determined that the fuselage skin failure was due to preexisting fatigue at a chemically milled step.
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22 December 2009; American Airlines 737-800; N977AN; flight 331; Kingston, Jamaica: The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Miami, FL to Kingston, Jamaica. The aircraft landed during a rainstorm, and was unable to stop on the runway. After departing the runway, the aircraft went beyond the airport fence, and crossed a road before coming to rest on a beach. The landing gear collapsed, both engines separated from the wings, and there were two major breaks in the fuselage, but all 148 passengers and six crew members survived. The landing was carried out with a slight tail wind
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American Airlines plane crashes/p>- 25 January 2010; Ethiopian Airlines 737-800; Flight 409; near Beirut, Lebanon: The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Beirut, Lebanon to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and crashed into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after takeoff. All 82 passengers and eight crew members were killed.
More information on the Ethiopian Airlines Crash
Ethiopian Airlines crashes- 22 May 2010; Air India Express; 737-800; VT-AXV; flight 812; Mangalore, India: The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Dubai, UAE, to Mangalore, India, arriving just after 6 a.m. local time. The aircraft landed on one of the runways at Mangalore airport, but was unable to stop on the runway, crashing into a gorge. All six crew members and 152 of the 160 passengers were killed.
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Air India crashes- 16 August 2010; Aires Colombia; 737-700; HK-4682; San Andres Island, Colombia: The airliner was on a scheduled domestic flight from Bogota to San Andreas Island, Colombia. San Andreas Island lies off the east coast of Nicaragua. The aircraft took off from Bogota just after midnight and was attempting to land just before 2 a.m. local time during a storm.
The aircraft was reportedly struck by lightning just before touchdown. The airplane struck the runway and broke up into three large pieces. One of the 125 passengers was killed, and all six crew members survived.
30 July 2011; Caribbean Airlines; 737-800; flight BW523; Georgetown, Guyana: The aircraft (9Y-PBM) was on a scheduled international flight from Port of Spain, Trinidad, arriving at about 1:25 a.m. local time at Georgetown, Guyana. The flight had originated at New York's JFK airport.
After landing, the aircraft departed the runway and broke into two large sections. While there were several serious injuries among the 156 passengers and six crew members, no one was killed in this crash. Reportedly, the aircraft narrowly missed rolling into 200-foot deep ravine.
This plane crash resulted in no fatalities, and is not a fatal event as defined by AirSafe.com, but is included because of the seriousness of the event.
1 April 2011; Southwest Airlines 737-300; N632SW; flight 812; near Yuma, AZ: The airliner, with 118 passengers and a crew, was on a scheduled flight from Phoenix, AZ to Sacramento, CA, when it experienced a rapid loss of cabin pressure after a rupture developed in the upper fuselage about 18 minutes after takeoff when the aircraft was climbing through 34,000 feet. After the loss of cabin pressure, the crew was able to divert to Yuma, AZ without further incident. There were no serious injuries among the 118 passengers and crew members on board. The rupture was about five feet long and about a foot wide. Because no passengers were killed, this event was not counted as a fatal event as defined by AirSafe.com.
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- 20 August 2011; First Air; 737-200; flight 6560; Resolute Bay, Canada: The aircraft (C-GNWN) was on a chartered domestic Canadian flight from Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories to to Resolute Bay in Nunavut Territory. The aircraft crashed near the runway during a landing attempt and broke up.
There were four crew members and 11 passengers on board. Both pilots were killed, and only one passenger, a seven-year-old girl, survived. Her six-year-old sister was among the 10 passengers who did not survive.
Prior to this fatal crash, the airline had two prior serious, though nonfatal, incidents involving of their 737 fleet. In 2001, a First Air 737 landed short of the runway Yellowknife and was seriously damaged. While the aircraft was too damaged to be repaired, none of the 98 passengers or six crew members were injured. In a 2004 landing incident in Edmonton, Alberta, the aircraft landed to the side of the runway and struck a number of lights and a sign before the crew was able to come to a stop on the runway. This aircraft returned to service, and was the same one involved in the fatal Resolute Bay crash.- 20 April 2012; Bhoja Airlines; 737-200; AP-BKC; flight B4 213; Islamabad, Pakistan: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight Karachi to Islamabad, Pakistan, and crashed in a residential area near the airport. The aircraft was completely destroyed in the crash, and all six crew members and 121 passengers were killed. Among those killed were several children and one newlywed couple. This was the airline's inaugural flight on this route.
- 17 November 2013; Tartarstan Aircompany 737-500; VQ-BBN; flight 383; Kazan, Russia: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Moscow to Kazan, Russia, and crashed during a landing attempt. Early reports indicated that it was at least the second landing attempt. All 44 passengers and six crew members were killed in the crash and subsequent fire.
Other crashes involving airlines of the former Soviet Union
AirSafe.com YouTube channel- 19 March 2016; flydubai 737-800; A6-FDN; flight FZ981; Rostov-on-Don, Russia: The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Dubai, UAE to Rostov-on-Don, Russia. The aircraft aborted its first landing approach, and entered a holding pattern for roughly an hour before its second attempt. During the second landing attempt, the crew indicated that they planed to execute a go-around procedure, the aircraft then entered a steep descent, and then crashed on the edge of the runway. All seven crew members and 55 passengers were killed.
Aviation Herald article about the crash
More on this flydubai crash - 24 August 2008; Itek Air 737-200; flight 6895; Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan: The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to Tehran, Iran. About 10 minutes after takeoff, the crew turned back to the departure airport and also reported some kind of technical problem, crashing short of the runway. There were about 83 passengers and seven crew on the aircraft, including 17 members of Kyrgyzstan's national basketball youth team. Seven team members reportedly survived. At least 65 of those on board, including five of the seven crew members, were killed.