11 Devastating Plane Crashes Caused By Pilot Error

Statistically speaking, flying is still the safest way to travel. In fact, the N
ational Center for Health Statistics estimates the average person s odds of dying
in a plane crash at 1 in 20,000. Compare that to the odds of being struck by lig
htning (1 in 3,000) or dying in a car accident (1 in 100). Commercial airplanes
are highly regulated in most countries, and must pass extensive testing before b
eing approved for flight. Advancements in technology have outfitted modern plane
s with highly effective safety features that prevent catastrophic failures mid-f
light. But no matter how fit the vessel, or how advanced the technology, there i
s one element that is impossible to control: the human element. People, even hig
hly trained professionals, will make mistakes. Though major pilot error happens
rarely, the results can be truly devastating.
United Airlines Flight 173 (1978)
Suspecting a fault in the landing gear, the pilot of United 173 decided to abort
landing and assess the situation. Though this was a prudent move, it proved cos
tly. The crew became so absorbed with the suspected problem that they failed to
properly monitor fuel levels. The plane ran out of fuel and went down in a subur
ban Portland neighborhood, killing two crew members and eight passengers.
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TransAsia Flight 235 (2015)
Two minutes after takeoff, one of TransAsia 235 s engines suffered a type of failu
re known as a flameout. Ordinarily this would not lead to a crash, as modern air
planes are designed to run on one engine if necessary. Unfortunately, the pilot
mistook the functioning engine for the malfunctioning one and shut it off. This
left the plane powerless as the crew desperately scrambled to restart the engine
and avoid the heavily populated cityscape below. One of the wings clipped a bri
dge and the plane crashed into a nearby river. Dashcam footage reveals just how
close it came to wiping out the bridge out entirely.
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Tenerife Airport Disaster (1977)
The Tenerife Airport Disaster is remembered as the worst accident in aviation hi
story. After a bomb exploded at the Gran Canaria Airport, several flights to the
Canary Islands were rerouted to Los Rodeos, an airport on the island of Tenerif
e. Air traffic controllers struggled to keep up with the increased workload, and
heavy fog made visibility on the runway poor. The pilot of KLM 4805 mistakenly
believed he was clear for takeoff due to a miscommunication between his crew and
the air traffic controllers. The plane rammed Pan Am Flight 1736 at takeoff spe
ed, killing five hundred and eighty three people.
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Adam Air Flight 574 (2007)
While the flight crew was preoccupied with a malfunction of the internal referen
ce system, the plane s autopilot was inadvertently disabled and it began to descen
d. The pilot failed to correct a slow right roll which eventually caused complet
e loss of control. All one hundred and two passengers and crew aboard died when
the plane plummeted into the ocean. The crash prompted large-scale reforms to In
donesia s transportation industry. Adam Air was accused of gross negligence and ba
nned from flying in Indonesia. They declared bankruptcy shortly afterward.
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