The first airplane fatality occurred in 1908 when Lt. Thomas Selfridge was killed in this plane piloted by Orville Wright.  The accident was caused by propeller separation.  Orville Wright suffered broken ribs, pelvis and a leg. (September 17, 1908)

Wreckage of Will Rogers' and Wiley Post's plane after it crashed at Point Barrow, Alaska in fog due to engine failure.  Both were killed instantly. (August 15, 1935)

Wreckage of  a Trans Continental & Western Airways DC-3 at Mt. Potosi, near Las Vegas.  Actress Carole Lombard, her mother and press agent were killed along with 19 other people aboard.  The captain failed to follow the prescribed course. (January 16, 1942)

Wreckage of a RAF Short Sunderland in which the Duke of Kent was killed. (August 25, 1942)

A U.S. Army Air Force B-25 crashed into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building in New York in heavy fog. The crash killed both crew members and eleven people in the building. (July 28, 1945)

Wreckage of a Canadian Pacific Airlines  DC-3 in Quebec, Canada on which Albert Guay placed a dynamite bomb in order to collect on an were killed.  He, along with two accomplices were executed for the crime. (September 9, insurance policy on his wife.  All 23 people aboard 1949)

The front section of the C-54 that crashed into the Potomac River after a midair collision with a U.S. Air Force P-38.  U.S. Representatives George Bates from Massachusetts and Michael Kennedy from New York were killed in the crash along with all 53 others aboard. (November 1, 1949)

This picture was taken shortly after a  Miami Airlines Curtiss C-46 took off from Newark Airport.  It crashed shortly after while attempting an emergency landing killing all 56 aboard. (December 16, 1951)

This KLM Super Constellation crashed into the Shannon River near Foynes shortly after takeoff.  Twenty-eight out of 56 people were killed. Pilot error was to blame. (September 5, 1954)

The upper left picture is what's left of a United Air Lines DC-6B airliner after John Graham (right) placed a bomb aboard in order to collect on an insurance policy on his mother in.  All 44 people aboard were killed.  He was executed for the crime one year later. (November 1, 1955)

Wreckage of a United Airlines DC-7 after it collided with a TWA Constellation over the Grand Canyon in Arizona.  All 128 people on both planes were killed. (June 30, 1956)

Remains of Northeast Airlines Flight 823 on Rikers Island, New York which crashed shortly after taking off from La Guardia Airport in a snowstorm.  The accident was attributed to pilot error.  Twenty-one of the 101 aboard were killed. (February 1, 1957)

Wreckage of a British European Airways Ambassador at Munich, Germany that killed 23 of 44 aboard including eight members of the Manchester United football team. (February 6, 1958)

Wreckage of film director Mike Todd's Lockheed Lodestar after it crashed near Grants, New Mexico in fog, snow and thunderstorms, killing all 4 aboard. (March 22, 1958)

Wreckage of the Beechcraft Bonanza that killed Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper near Mason City, Iowa.  The accident was most likely caused by icing and the decision of the pilot to fly into deteriorating weather conditions when he was not instrument rated. (February 3, 1959)

Wreckage of a United Air Lines DC-8 that crashed into the streets of Brooklyn, New York after colliding with a TWA  Super Constellation over Staten Island in 1960.   All 128 people aboard both planes were killed along with 6 on the ground.  The accident occurred after DC-8 flew past its holding pattern at twice the speed it was authorized to go. (December 16, 1960)

Wreckage of country-western singer Jim Reeves' Beechcraft Debonair which crashed near Nashville during a heavy rainstorm.  It took searches 2 days to find the wreckage. (July 31, 1964)

A Pakistan Airlines Boeing 720 crashed during an approach to Cairo, Egypt.  The descent rate was triple of what was normal until the plane struck the ground. (May 20, 1965)

An All Nippon Boeing 727 crashed 7 miles short of the runway into Tokyo Bay killing all 133 people aboard.  Although the official cause was not determined, excessive sink rate was suspected. (February 4, 1966)

A British Overseas Airways Boeing 707 is seen in its last stages of being torn apart by clear air turbulence over Mt. Fuji, Japan.  The plane flew into a mountain wave after the captain decided to give the passengers a close-up view of Mt. Fuji.  All 124 people aboard were killed.  (March 3, 1966)

This British Airways Boeing 707 lost its No. 2 engine shortly after taking off from Heathrow Airport.  After an emergency landing, the wing tank exploded killing 5 of 122 people aboard. (April 8, 1968)

Wreckage of a Cessna 172 in which boxer Rocky Marciano and two others were killed when it  crashed in Newton, Iowa.  The pilot, who was not instrument rated and had minimum night flying experience,  took off  at night despite warnings of a building storm front. (August 31, 1969)

Wreckage of a Tarom Antonov 24 after it crashed into the Apuseni Mountains of Romania, killing 21 of 22 people aboard. (February 4, 1970)

This Air Canada DC-8 exploded and crashed after the co-pilot inadvertently deployed the spoilers at a height of 60 feet over the runway while attempting to land.  The plane landed hard on the runway and the impact caused the No.4 engine to break away.  While going around for another landing attempt, the plane exploded killing all 109 people aboard. (July 5, 1970)

Wreckage of a Hughes Airwest DC-9 in the San Gabriel mountains after colliding with a Marine Air Corps jet.  All 49 people aboard were killed. (June 6, 1971)

Wreckage of a Beechcraft D-18 in which Jim Croce and four others were killed after hitting trees during  takeoff at Natchitoches, Louisiana. (September 20, 1973)

Not many pieces of wreckage larger than 3 feet long could be found after a Turkish Airlines DC-10 crashed into a forest at a high rate of speed at Ermenonville, France. A defective latching mechanism on the cargo door caused it to fail in flight resulting in decompression and loss of all hydraulic control.  All 346 people aboard were killed in the accident.  (March 3, 1974)

Remains of a KLM 747 in Tenerife, Canary Islands in the worst aviation disaster in history, which killed a total of 583 people.  The KLM 747 collided with a Pan Am 747 after the captain of the KLM plane started his takeoff roll without clearance. (March 27, 1977)

This National Airlines Boeing 727 landed short of the runway in 12 feet of water at Pensacola, Florida, killing 3 of 58 aboard. Pilot error was to blame. (May 8, 1978)

A Pacific Southwest Airlines Boeing 727 as it goes down over San Diego, California after a mid-air collision with a Cessna.  All 135 aboard the Boeing 727 and 2 on the Cessna as well as 7 people on the ground were killed. (September 25, 1978)

This picture was taken by an amateur photographer seconds before an American Airlines DC-10 crashed in Chicago, after losing an engine during takeoff. Below is the resulting explosion.  Two-hundred-seventy-one people aboard were killed as well as 2 on the ground. (May 25, 1979)

Wreckage of a Western Air Lines DC-10 that crashed at Mexico City in after landing on a closed runway killing 72 of 88 people aboard. (October 31, 1979)

What started out as a Antarctic sightseeing tour ended in disaster when this  Air New Zealand DC-10 crashed into Mt. Erebus killing all 257 aboard in.  A incorrect computer-stored flight plan led to a navigation error. (November 28, 1979)

Burned out hull of a Saudi Arabian Lockheed L-1011. Although the plane landed safely, all 301 aboard died before rescue crews could reach them.  The fire started in the aft cargo compartment and the crew failed to take immediate steps to evacuate the plane after landing. (August 19, 1980)

An Index Adria MD-80 crashed into Mt. San Pieto in France in heavy fog, killing all 180 people aboard. (December 1, 1981)

Remains of a VASP Boeing 727 after it crashed into a mountain.  The captain ignored 2 altitude alerts and his co-pilots warnings of mountains ahead.  All 137 aboard killed. (June 8, 1982)

Windshear cause this Pan American Boeing 727 to crash outside of Kenner, Louisiana seconds after takeoff, killing all 145 aboard. (July 9, 1982)

Twenty-three of 46 people aboard died in this Air Canada DC-9 after fire broke out in the rear lavatory.  The crew underestimated the fire severity and gave conflicting fire progress reports to the captain. (June 2, 1983)

Procedural errors by the crew led to the crash of this AVIANCA Boeing 747 while attempting to land at Madrid, Spain.  One-hundred-eighty-one out of 192 aboard were killed. (November 27, 1983)

Wreckage of an Iberia Airlines Boeing 727 after it crashed into an antenna tower on Mt. Oiz in Spain.  All 148 aboard were killed. (February 19, 1985)

A Delta Airlines, Lockheed 1011 touched down 6,000 feet short of the runway at Dallas/Ft. Worth Texas, crossed a highway and crashed into two 2 million gallon water tanks after encountering windshear.  One-hundred-thirty-four of 163 people aboard were killed. (August 2, 1985)

Wreckage of a Japan Airlines Boeing 747 that crashed on Mt. Osutaka, Japan.  Five-hundred twenty people out of 524 aboard were killed.  Improper repairs by Boeing after a tail strike 7 years before led to a rupture of the pressure bulkhead and loss of all controls. (August 12, 1985)

This DC-8 crashed at Gander Newfoundland while attempting to takeoff, killing all 256 military passengers and crew aboard.  Icing was the most likely cause although some believe a bomb was planted aboard the aircraft. (December 12, 1985)

An Aeromexico DC-9 going down over Cerritos, California after colliding with a Piper Archer. 

All 64 aboard the DC-9, 3 on the Cessna and 15 on the ground were killed. (August 31, 1986)

This Northwest Airlines MD-82 crashed shortly after takeoff because the crew failed to extend the flaps and slats.  One-hundred-fifty-four people aboard died.  One 4 year-old girl survived. (August 16, 1987)

Wreckage of an South African Airways Boeing 747 after it crashed into the Indian Ocean after experiencing an uncontrollable fire in a cargo hold, killing all 159 people aboard. (November 28, 1987)

An Aloha Airlines Boeing 737 landed safely after fatigue cracking caused the top portion of the fuselage to peel away. Everyone survived except for a flight attendant who was sucked out of the plane and lost at sea. (April 28, 1988)

An Air France Airbus A-320 as it clips trees just before crashing during a demonstration at an air show at Habsheim, France.  Miraculously only 3 out of 136 aboard were killed. (June 26, 1988)

The cockpit section of Pan Am Flight 103 which crashed at Lockerbie, Scotland after a bomb, planted by Libyan terrorists, exploded in the forward cargo area.  All 259 aboard including 11 on the ground were killed. (December 21, 1988)

A United Air Lines DC-10 that crashed in Sioux City, Iowa after an engine explosion caused the total loss of all hydraulics. One-hundred-eleven out of 298 aboard were killed. (July 19, 1989)

A UTA DC-10 crashed near Bilma, Niger after a bomb exploded in the forward cargo hold.  All 171 aboard were killed. (September 19,1989)

This Avianca Boeing 707 ran out of fuel and crashed in the woods of Cove Neck, New York after the crew, which spoke very little English, failed to declare an emergency after running low on fuel.  Seventy-three of the 158 aboard were killed. (January 25, 1990)

Wreckage of Pennsylvania Senator John Heinz's plane which crashed in a school yard killing him along with 4 others.  Also killed were 2 children playing in the school yard. The plane crashed after the blades of a helicopter performing an in-air inspection of the landing gear struck the bottom of the plane. (April 4, 1991)

Lauder Air Flight 004 crashed into the jungles of Thailand after the No. 1 reverse thruster inadvertently deployed while the aircraft was at 31,000 feet.  All 223 people aboard were killed. (May 26, 1991)

Wreckage of the helicopter in which rock promoter Bill Graham was killed after it hit a transmission tower after taking off in high winds and heavy rain. (October 25, 1991)

Wreckage of an El Al cargo plane that crashed in Holland all killing 4 aboard and 47 people on the ground. The separation of the No. 3 engine was initiated by fatigue (corrosion) in the inboard midspar fuse pin. (October 4, 1992)

Wreckage of a China Airlines Airbus 300 which crashed after the first officer inadvertently triggered the TOGA lever during a landing attempt at Nagoya Airport.  Only 7 out of the 271 passengers and crew aboard survived. (April 26, 1994)

All that remains of an American Eagle ATR-72 after it went into a high speed dive and crashed near Roselawn, Indiana.  All 68 aboard were killed. Icing caused the crew to lose control of the plane and crash. (October 31, 1994)

The remains of an American Airlines Boeing 757 after it crashed in the mountains near Buga, Colombia after the crew's confusion led to an navigation error causing the plane to impact a mountain. All but 4 out of 164 aboard were killed. (December 20, 1995)

Wreckage of the Boeing 737 in which U.S. Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown was killed along with 34 others.  The plane crashed into a mountainside after the pilot used an unapproved approach. (April 3, 1996)

Wreckage of a Cessna 177 in which trainee pilot  Jessica Dubroff, her father and instructor were killed while engaging in a trans-continental record attempt. The accident was caused by the instructor pilot's improper decision to take off into deteriorating weather conditions which resulted in stall. (April 11, 1996)

The wreckage of a Valujet DC-9 lies beneath this sawgrass swamp near Miami Florida. The plane crashed after an uncontrollable fire broke out in the cargo hold which resulted from illegally transporting oxygen generators lacking safety caps. (May 11, 1996)

Wreckage and fuel from TWA Flight 800 burns in the Atlantic off East Moriches, New York.  All 230 people aboard the Boing 747 perished in the crash after the center fuel tank exploded. (July 17, 1996)

The remains of a Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747 after a midair collision with a Kazastan Airlines Ilyushin 76 over New Delhi, India resulting in the loss of 349 lives. (November 12, 1996)

Wreckage of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767 along a beach on Moroni, Comoros.  The plane ran out of fuel and ditched 500 feet offshore after being hijacked.  Out of 175 aboard, 125 lost their lives. (November 23, 1996)

This Korean Airlines Boeing 747 crashed while attempting to land at Guam in heavy ran.  Crew error was blamed on the accident.  Two-hundred-twenty-eight out of 254 aboard were killed. (August, 6, 1997)

The motor from John Denver's plane is recovered from the Pacific Ocean under 40 feet of water off  Pacific Grove, California.  Denver lost control of the plane after reaching around to switch fuel tanks. (October 12, 1997)

Debris from Swissair 111 floats on the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.  The MD-11 crashed killing all 229 people aboard after a uncontrollable fire broke out near the cockpit area. (September 2, 1998)

Wreckage of actor William Gardner Knight's plane which crashed at Edgewater, Maryland.  The plane most likely ran out of fuel. (November 21, 1998)

Wreckage of American Airlines Flight 1420 after it slid off the end of the runway while attempting to land in heavy rain and thunderstorms at Little Rock, Arkansas. Eleven of the 145 aboard were killed. (June 1, 1999)

Wreckage of golfer Payne Stewart's Learjet that hit the ground at over 600 mph creating a 10 foot deep crater. A pressurization failure rendered all aboard unconscious. (October 25, 1999)

Wreckage of race car driver, Tony Bettenhausen's Beech Baron that crashed near Leesburg, Kentucky. (Feburary 14, 2000)

An Air Philippines Boeing 737 crashed into a coconut plantation on Samal Islands, Philippines while attempting to land, killing all 131 aboard. (April 19, 2000)

An Air France Concorde takes off from Charles de Gaulle airport with port engines ablaze.  Moments later it crashed into a hotel-restaurant complex killing all 109 aboard along with 4 on the ground. (July 25, 2000)