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In aviation terminology, an airplane accident refers to an event that results in the death or injury of passengers and crew, along with damage to the aircraft. In contrast, an incident refers to any event that could have led to an accident, but did not. For example, a collision is classified as an accident, while a malfunction like the cockpit display going off during a flight is considered an incident.
Since the Wright brothers' historic first powered flight in 1903, numerous incidents and accidents have occurred. Yet, some of these events stand out as particularly eerie and extraordinary, warranting special attention.
10. Brocklesby Midair Collision
On September 29, 1940, two Avro Anson aircraft from the Royal Australian Air Force collided midair during a training exercise over Brocklesby, New South Wales, Australia. The pilot and reconnaissance officer of the lower aircraft immediately parachuted out, along with the reconnaissance officer of the upper plane.
This left only Leading Aircraftman Leonard Fuller, the pilot of the upper aircraft, still on board. Surprisingly, neither airplane plummeted in a steep dive as expected. Instead, they stayed aloft, interlocked with one plane above the other.
Although the engines of the upper plane, controlled by Fuller, had stopped, the aircraft remained in the air due to the lower plane's engines. Fuller soon realized he could control the lower aircraft's engines by maneuvering his own plane.
Fuller managed to fly both planes for 8 kilometers (5 miles) before landing in Brocklesby. The lower aircraft was deemed irreparable after the landing, but the upper plane was repaired and put back into service.
9. British Airways Flight 5390
On June 10, 1990, British Airways Flight 5390, traveling from Birmingham, England to Malaga, Spain, suffered a catastrophic cockpit windshield failure at over 5,200 meters (17,000 feet). The sudden decompression caused Captain Timothy Lancaster to be pulled from his seat, but flight attendant Nigel Ogden acted quickly, grabbing him by the waist and preventing him from being sucked out.
In the chaos, Lancaster’s legs struck the controls, disengaging the autopilot and causing the plane to plunge. The first officer managed to recover the aircraft, but over half of Lancaster’s body remained outside the plane. The drastic pressure change also began pulling Ogden out, only for another flight attendant to save him by holding onto his belt.
At this point, Lancaster’s face was slamming against the side of the cockpit’s windshield, and the crew feared he was dead. One crew member even suggested releasing him, but they ultimately held onto him to prevent him from being sucked into the engine and causing further damage.
The plane made an emergency landing in Southampton, England, where Lancaster was found alive. He suffered fractures and frostbite but survived the ordeal without further significant injuries.
8. Philippine Airlines Flight 812
On May 25, 2000, Philippine Airlines Flight 812, with 278 passengers and 13 crew members onboard, was en route from Davao City to Manila when it was hijacked by a man armed with a gun and a hand grenade, in a manner similar to D.B. Cooper's infamous hijacking. The hijacker, later identified as Augusto Lakandula, forced the pilots to return to Davao, but when they explained they didn't have enough fuel, he ordered them to lower their altitude so he could jump.
Before leaping, Lakandula robbed the passengers and requested the crew's assistance in learning how to operate his makeshift parachute. A quick-thinking pilot noticed the parachute lacked a ripcord and swiftly fashioned one from a curtain sash. The pilots then decompressed the cabin, opened a rear door, and one of the crew members pushed Lakandula out of the plane. He left behind his gun and one shoe.
Lakandula did not survive his jump. His body was found in a forest, though the stolen money was missing. It was believed that his subpar parachute may have initially deployed, but failed later, causing him to fall to his death.
7. Israeli Air Force F-15 and A-4 Midair Collision
In 1983, the Israeli Air Force was conducting mock aerial combat exercises over the Negev desert when an F-15 Eagle collided midair with an A-4 Skyhawk. The impact caused a massive explosion and forced the Skyhawk pilot to eject.
Meanwhile, the F-15 spiraled out of control and headed toward the ground. Trainee pilot Zivi Nedivi ignored the ejection orders and attempted to regain control of the jet, unaware that his aircraft had lost its right wing.
Nedivi successfully landed the damaged jet at a nearby air base and only realized the full extent of the damage when he turned to shake his instructor’s hand. The incident was so extraordinary that McDonnell Douglas, the manufacturers of the F-15, initially claimed it was impossible to fly the jet with only one wing. The F-15 was eventually fitted with a new wing and returned to service two months later.
6. Aerolinee Itavia Flight 870
On June 27, 1980, Aerolinee Itavia Flight 870, which was en route from Bologna to Palermo, tragically crashed into the sea near Ustica Island, killing all 77 passengers and 4 crew members. To this day, the cause of the disaster, which is referred to as the 'Ustica Massacre' in Italy, remains unsolved. Initially, mechanical failure and terrorism were considered as possible explanations, but an investigation in 1989 concluded that the plane had been shot down by a missile.
At the time, Italian President Francesco Cossiga claimed that the plane had been struck by a French missile, although evidence later suggested an Italian missile was involved. It is believed that the aircraft got caught in the crossfire between NATO and Libyan planes. This theory gained more support after the wreckage of a Libyan MiG-23 was discovered in Calabria weeks after the crash.
The Italian government has faced accusations of covering up the crash, and five Italian Air Force officials connected to the event mysteriously died. In 2011, a Palermo civil tribunal ruled that the plane was indeed downed by a missile and ordered the Italian government to pay €100 million in compensation for failing to protect its airspace, concealing the facts, and destroying evidence.
5. British Airways Flight 009
On June 24, 1982, British Airways Flight 009, traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Perth, lost all four of its engines while flying over Java, Indonesia. Prior to the engine failure, Captain Eric Moody observed smoke rising from the airplane's floor, accompanied by a strange odor and a mysterious glow known as St. Elmo's fire.
St. Elmo's fire occurs when static electricity builds up on the aircraft's windshield. Simultaneously, the cabin crew noticed the engines glowing as if they were burning from the inside.
The aircraft began to lose its engines one by one, eventually transforming into a massive glider carrying 247 passengers. Seizing the moment, Moody calmly informed the passengers that all engines had stopped, urging them to remain composed while he and his first officer worked to restart the engines. After 15 tense minutes, the pilots successfully restarted the engines and rerouted the plane to Jakarta.
Investigations revealed that volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Galunggung had severely damaged and clogged the engines. The pilots only managed to restart them after the ash had solidified and detached from the engine parts.
4. Uberlingen Midair Collision
On July 1, 2002, a Russian Bashkirian Airlines Tupolev 154, carrying 69 passengers and crew, including 45 students, was en route to Spain when it collided with a DHL Boeing 757 cargo plane above Uberlingen, Germany. The crash was the result of a discrepancy between the instructions issued by the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) in the Tupolev 154 and those from Swiss air traffic controller monitoring the flight.
Both airplanes' TCAS systems had issued collision warnings, instructing the DHL plane to descend and the Tupolev to ascend. However, Swiss air traffic controller Peter Nielsen, unaware of the DHL cargo plane's location, directed the Tupolev to descend as well.
The tragic collision resulted in the deaths of all 69 individuals aboard the Tupolev, as well as the two pilots in the DHL cargo plane. Swiss air traffic control was held responsible for the crash, as their collision avoidance system was deactivated, and only Nielsen was staffing two stations that night.
Russian architect Vitaly Kaloyev, who lost his wife and two children in the crash, was consumed by grief. He hired a detective to find the address of Peter Nielsen, the Swiss air traffic controller responsible for the disaster. Kaloyev then flew to Nielsen's home and murdered him in a violent act of vengeance.
3. EgyptAir Flight 990
On October 31, 1999, EgyptAir Flight 990, en route from New York to Cairo, inexplicably broke apart while still in US airspace, resulting in the deaths of all 217 passengers and crew members.
The US government maintains that the plane's breakup was caused by excessive stress. It claims that pilot Gamil el-Batouty tried to take his own life by forcing the plane into a dive. Reports suggest that Captain Ahmed el-Hai intervened, regaining control and leveling the plane at 7,300 meters (24,000 ft), but the stress eventually led to the breakup.
Egypt rejects this narrative, asserting that el-Batouty never intended to take his life. Instead, they propose that an explosion caused by a bomb, planted by Israel's Mossad, led to the breakup. The intended targets were reportedly 34 Egyptian generals and 20 pilots who had just completed training on advanced US-made weapons that Israel viewed as a potential threat to its security.
2. US Navy KA-6D Partial Ejection
On July 9, 1991, a US Navy KA-6D, a tanker variant of the Grumman A-6 jet fighter, took off from the USS Abraham Lincoln for a midair refueling mission. Lieutenant Mark Baden, the pilot, and Lieutenant Keith Gallagher, the bombardier and navigator, were onboard. Shortly after takeoff, Gallagher was ejected from his seat and became trapped between the aircraft's glass canopy and the cabin.
The upper part of Lieutenant Gallagher's body was ejected through the canopy, leaving him dangling outside the plane, while the lower half remained inside. His helmet was knocked off, exposing him to harsh winds that made breathing difficult. Desperate, he tried to eject himself further, but he failed. Six minutes later, Lieutenant Baden landed the aircraft, and both men realized the gravity of the situation.
Gallagher had only partially ejected because his parachute had become entangled with the aircraft's tail fin. Baden was awarded an Air Medal for his quick thinking during the emergency, while Gallagher suffered a shoulder injury and temporary paralysis that sidelined him for six months.
1. Helios Airways Flight 522
On August 14, 2005, Helios Airways Flight 522, en route from Cyprus to Prague, crashed in Greece, tragically claiming the lives of all 121 people aboard. Investigations later revealed that nearly everyone on the flight had lost consciousness several hours before the crash.
It seems that some technicians had serviced the aircraft prior to takeoff but failed to adjust a critical setting in the air conditioning system. This oversight led to dangerously low oxygen levels, which caused the passengers and crew to lose consciousness once the plane was airborne. Unfortunately, both pilots misinterpreted the issue when the warning alarm was triggered.
The cabin crew grew increasingly concerned as the plane, on autopilot, continued to climb instead of descending, despite the automatic deployment of oxygen masks. However, they were unable to reach the pilots or enter the cockpit due to the locked bulletproof doors, a security measure implemented after the 9/11 attacks.
The flight continued on autopilot for two hours before being intercepted by two F-16s from the Hellenic Air Force. One pilot of the F-16s later reported seeing flight attendant Andreas Prodromou entering the cockpit. Tragically, it was too late—the plane ran out of fuel and crashed. Autopsies later revealed that many of the passengers and crew members were unconscious but alive at the time of the crash.
