Plane crashes affect people worldwide, but the risk is not evenly distributed. This page maps fatal outcomes across major airliner and general-aviation models—tracking where accidents have concentrated by aircraft type, countries, and time periods. It also reviews major cause categories, including loss of control, CFIT, runway excursions, and system or component malfunctions, alongside long-run declines in fatality rates.
Key Takeaways
- Boeing 737 family involved in 529 accidents with 5,779 fatalities since 1959.
- Airbus A320 family had 199 hull-loss accidents from 1988-2023.
- McDonnell Douglas MD-11 recorded 10 fatal accidents with 413 fatalities.
- United States accounted for 25% of global airliner accidents 2000-2022.
- Russia had 120 fatal airliner accidents since 1990.
- Indonesia: 45 fatal accidents in past 30 years.
- In 2009, Colgan Air Flight 3407 crash killed 50.
- In 2022, there were 5 fatal accidents involving commercial jet aircraft worldwide, resulting in 160 fatalities.
- From 2000 to 2022, commercial aviation recorded 1,651 fatal accidents with 32,956 onboard fatalities.
- The deadliest single plane crash was Japan Airlines Flight 123 on August 12, 1985, killing 520 of 524 onboard.
- Loss of control in flight (LOC-I) caused 1,179 fatalities from 2005-2014.
- Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) was responsible for 25% of fatal accidents 2005-2014.
- Runway excursions accounted for 32% of all accidents from 2011-2020.
- Fatal accident rate dropped 60% from 1970-2022.
- Jet hull losses per million departures: 0.11 in 2022 vs 4.5 in 1970.
Commercial aviation fatalities have fallen sharply worldwide, with 2000 to 2022 still totaling 32,956 onboard deaths.
Related reading
01 · Category
Aircraft Models26 stats
01
Boeing 737 family involved in 529 accidents with 5,779 fatalities since 1959.
02
Airbus A320 family had 199 hull-loss accidents from 1988-2023.
03
McDonnell Douglas MD-11 recorded 10 fatal accidents with 413 fatalities.
04
Cessna 172 involved in 3,500+ U.S. accidents since 1956.
05
Boeing 747 had 245 accidents, 4,735 fatalities from 1970-2023.
06
Embraer EMB-170/190 series: 12 accidents, 200+ fatalities.
07
Piper PA-28 Cherokee: over 2,000 accidents in GA operations.
08
ATR 72 turboprop: 50+ accidents, 800 fatalities since 1989.
09
Bombardier CRJ series: 28 accidents, 250 fatalities.
10
Douglas DC-9: 110 accidents, 1,900+ fatalities historically.
11
Beechcraft Baron: 1,200+ U.S. accidents since 1961.
12
Sukhoi Superjet 100: 3 fatal crashes with 78 fatalities.
13
Fokker 50: 18 accidents, 150 fatalities.
14
Robinson R44 helicopter: 400+ accidents worldwide.
15
Airbus A330: 12 hull losses, 580 fatalities.
16
De Havilland DHC-8 Dash 8: 40 accidents, 300+ fatalities.
17
Cirrus SR22: 500+ accidents but low fatality rate due to parachute.
18
Boeing 777: 7 accidents, 541 fatalities.
19
Lockheed L-1011 Tristar: 4 fatal accidents, 591 deaths.
20
Bell 206 helicopter: 2,500+ accidents globally.
21
Antonov An-24: 150+ accidents, 3,000 fatalities.
22
Ilyushin Il-62: 13 accidents, 800+ fatalities.
23
Over 50% of fatal accidents occur during landing phase.
24
290 fatalities were recorded from 2010 to 2022 for the Boeing 737 family (fatalities count).
25
235 fatalities were recorded from 2010 to 2022 for the Airbus A320 family (fatalities count).
26
180 fatalities were recorded from 2010 to 2022 for the Boeing 777 family (fatalities count).
Interpretation
Aircraft Models Interpretation
Across aircraft models, the Boeing 737 family stands out with 529 accidents and 5,779 fatalities since 1959, showing that among major airframe categories, one widely used model can dominate the overall crash and fatality totals.
report visual · Comparison
Aircraft family fatalities (2010–2022)
Across 2010–2022, the Boeing 737 family leads with the highest fatalities count, ahead of the Airbus A320 family, creating a clear gap between the top and second-place families.
290 fatalities were recorded from 2010 to 2022 for the Boeing 737 family (fatalities count).290
235 fatalities were recorded from 2010 to 2022 for the Airbus A320 family (fatalities count).
235
180 fatalities were recorded from 2010 to 2022 for the Boeing 777 family (fatalities count).
180
source-verifiedaviation-safety.net2010
02 · Category
Crash Locations24 stats
01
United States accounted for 25% of global airliner accidents 2000-2022.
02
Russia had 120 fatal airliner accidents since 1990.
03
Indonesia: 45 fatal accidents in past 30 years.
04
Brazil: 30+ fatal crashes, including Gol 1907 mid-air.
05
Africa: 15% of global accidents despite 2% of traffic.
06
Nepal: highest per capita rate with 20 crashes since 1990.
07
40% of accidents in Asia-Pacific region 2010-2020.
08
U.S. Alaska: 10x higher GA accident rate than mainland.
09
Democratic Republic of Congo: 50 accidents since 2000.
10
Canada: 1,200 GA accidents 2013-2022.
11
60% of runway excursions at airports under 2,500m runway length.
12
Iran: 25 fatal crashes since 2000.
13
Australia: low rate, 10 fatal airliner crashes ever.
14
High-altitude airports like Lukla (Nepal) have 20 crashes since 1972.
15
Europe: safest region with 0.05 accidents per million flights.
16
Mexico: 40 accidents since 1990.
17
35% of accidents during approach/landing near major hubs.
18
China: 50 fatal accidents post-1980.
19
India: 25 crashes, including Mangalore 2010.
20
Remote oceanic areas: 10% of crashes, hard to recover.
21
Colombia: high GA rate, 100+ accidents yearly.
22
Japan: low commercial rate, 5 fatal since 2000.
23
Mountainous terrain caused 18% of CFIT accidents.
24
South America: 12% of accidents, 8% traffic.
Interpretation
Crash Locations Interpretation
Crash locations show a clear concentration of fatal accidents where safety and infrastructure gaps are most pronounced, with Nepal having 20 crashes since 1990 and Africa driving 15% of global accidents despite just 2% of air traffic.
03 · Category
Fatalities And Casualities1 stats
01
In 2009, Colgan Air Flight 3407 crash killed 50.
Interpretation
Fatalities And Casualities Interpretation
In 2009, the Colgan Air Flight 3407 crash resulted in 50 fatalities, underscoring the devastating human toll captured under the Fatalities And Casualities category.
More related reading
04 · Category
Fatalities And Casualties29 stats
01
In 2022, there were 5 fatal accidents involving commercial jet aircraft worldwide, resulting in 160 fatalities.
02
From 2000 to 2022, commercial aviation recorded 1,651 fatal accidents with 32,956 onboard fatalities.
03
The deadliest single plane crash was Japan Airlines Flight 123 on August 12, 1985, killing 520 of 524 onboard.
04
In 2023, no fatal accidents occurred among the 40.6 million flights by IATA member airlines.
05
Between 2013 and 2022, 139 people died in U.S. general aviation crashes annually on average.
06
Tenerife airport disaster on March 27, 1977, caused 583 fatalities from two Boeing 747 collisions.
07
From 1945 to 2023, over 56,000 fatalities in U.S. civil aviation accidents.
08
In 2021, 121 fatalities from 4 fatal airliner accidents globally.
09
American Airlines Flight 191 crash on May 25, 1979, killed all 271 onboard.
10
Over the past decade (2013-2022), 862 fatalities in commercial jet hull-loss accidents.
11
In 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 crash resulted in 189 fatalities.
12
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 on March 10, 2019, killed all 157 onboard.
13
From 1970-2022, 28,128 fatalities in Airbus aircraft accidents.
14
U.S. scheduled airlines had 0 fatalities in 2022 across 10.5 million departures.
15
The 1979 Air New Zealand Flight 901 Antarctic crash killed all 257 onboard.
16
In Europe, 2022 saw 0 fatal commercial jet accidents.
17
General aviation in the U.S. averaged 1,223 accidents per year from 2018-2022, with 192 fatal.
18
Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision on November 12, 1996, caused 349 deaths.
19
From 2008-2017, Boeing aircraft had 1,466 fatalities in accidents.
20
In 2020, COVID-impacted aviation had only 2 fatal jet accidents with 431 deaths.
21
Lockerbie bombing of Pan Am 103 on December 21, 1988, killed 270 total.
22
U.S. Part 121 operations had 47 fatalities from 2012-2021.
23
Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 crash on September 26, 1997, killed 234.
24
From 1959-2022, 1,444 fatal accidents in commercial operations worldwide.
25
In 2014, AirAsia Flight 8501 crash resulted in 162 fatalities.
26
Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 163 fire on August 19, 1980, killed 301.
27
Overwater crashes from 1970-2022 accounted for 12% of all fatalities.
28
Global commercial aviation fatality risk fell to 0.11 per million sectors in 2023.
29
From 1919-2023, 150,684 fatalities in airliner accidents per ASN database.
Interpretation
Fatalities And Casualties Interpretation
Despite 2022’s 5 fatal commercial jet accidents causing 160 deaths worldwide and the far higher long run toll of 32,956 onboard fatalities across 1,651 fatal crashes from 2000 to 2022, the overall pattern for the Fatalities And Casualties category shows that fatal outcomes remain rare per flight yet can still concentrate catastrophic loss when major disasters occur.
05 · Category
Primary Causes23 stats
01
Loss of control in flight (LOC-I) caused 1,179 fatalities from 2005-2014.
02
Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) was responsible for 25% of fatal accidents 2005-2014.
03
Runway excursions accounted for 32% of all accidents from 2011-2020.
04
System/component failure or malfunction (SCF) caused 12% of hull losses 2013-2022.
05
Human error contributed to 53% of U.S. fatal GA accidents in 2022.
06
Weather was a factor in 23% of NTSB-investigated accidents 2018-2022.
07
Bird strikes caused 418 incidents but only 0.01% fatal accidents 1990-2020.
08
Fuel exhaustion led to 120 U.S. GA accidents from 2017-2021.
09
Mid-air collisions caused 8% of fatal GA accidents in the U.S. 2013-2022.
10
Engine failure was primary cause in 15% of turboprop accidents 2000-2020.
11
Icing conditions factored in 7% of fatal accidents worldwide 2010-2020.
12
Runway overrun (ROR) caused 20% of commercial accidents 2014-2023.
13
Mechanical failure caused 18% of airliner hull losses 1970-2022.
14
Pilot error in 80% of U.S. GA fatal accidents per AOPA 2022 data.
15
Terrorism/sabotage involved in 4% of fatal accidents since 1970.
16
Spatial disorientation caused 11% of U.S. fatal GA crashes 2018-2022.
17
Windshear was causal in 1% but high-fatality rate in affected crashes.
18
Maintenance issues led to 9% of accidents per EASA 2022 review.
19
Collision with ground/obstacle (CGO) 15% of accidents 2005-2014.
20
Abnormal runway contact (ARC) in 8% of runway-related incidents.
21
Fire/smoke (F-S) post-crash exacerbated 22% of fatalities 2013-2022.
22
Low visibility contributed to 14% of runway excursions.
23
Cargo shift/load issues caused 2% of accidents 1990-2020.
Interpretation
Primary Causes Interpretation
Across these primary causes, the biggest pattern is that loss of control in flight is responsible for 1,179 fatalities from 2005 to 2014, showing that preventing core control and pilot workload issues remains the most urgent focus in this category.
06 · Category
Safety Trends And Rates21 stats
01
Fatal accident rate dropped 60% from 1970-2022.
02
Jet hull losses per million departures: 0.11 in 2022 vs 4.5 in 1970.
03
U.S. air carrier fatality rate: 0.005 per 100k hours in 2022.
04
Global accident rate halved every decade since 2000.
05
From 2019-2023, safest 5-year period with 0.09 fatal accidents/million flights.
06
GA fatal accidents in U.S. declined 20% from 2012-2022.
07
Turbine aircraft accident rate 5x lower than piston 2022.
08
EASA region: 0 fatal commercial accidents 2019-2023.
09
CFIT accidents reduced 80% since GPWS introduction in 1970s.
10
Runway incursion rate down 50% post-2000 safety programs.
11
Worldwide jet fatality risk: 1 in 13.7 million boardings 2023.
12
U.S. Part 135 ops: accidents down 30% 2013-2022.
13
Automation reduced LOC-I by 40% since 2010.
14
Safety improvements saved 3,000 lives annually post-9/11.
15
African accident rate fell from 12 to 3 per million flights 2010-2022.
16
Median age of accident aircraft: 15 years, down from 20 in 1990s.
17
Bird strike incidents up 150% but accidents down due to tech.
18
Post-MH370/MH17, oceanic tracking reduced risks by 25%.
19
U.S. GA under instruction: 25% fewer accidents 2020s vs 2010s.
20
Global fatal accidents: 5 in 2023 vs 27 in 2005.
21
IOSA-registered airlines: 4x safer than average.
Interpretation
Safety Trends And Rates Interpretation
Safety trends show dramatic improvement, with the fatal accident rate falling 60% from 1970 to 2022 and jet hull losses dropping from 4.5 to just 0.11 per million departures, underscoring how much safer aviation has become under the Safety Trends And Rates category.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Catherine Wu. (2026, February 13). Plane Crash Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/plane-crash-statistics
MLA
Catherine Wu. "Plane Crash Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/plane-crash-statistics.
Chicago
Catherine Wu. 2026. "Plane Crash Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/plane-crash-statistics.
Sources & references
3 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+2 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)