List of mid-air collisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of notable accidents and incidents involving mid-air collisions.[1][2][3]

In aviation, a mid-air collision is an accident in which two or more aircraft come into unplanned contact during flight. Owing to the relatively high velocities involved and the likelihood of subsequent impact with the ground or sea, very severe damage or the total destruction of at least one of the aircraft usually results.

The potential for a mid-air collision is increased by miscommunication, mistrust, error in navigation, deviations from flight plans, lack of situational awareness, and the lack of traffic collision-avoidance systems. Although a rare occurrence in general due to the vastness of open space available, collisions often happen near or at airports, where large volumes of aircraft are spaced more closely than in general flight.

Involving civilians

More information Date, Fatalities ...
Date Fatalities[N 1]Survivors[N 2] Flights involved Phase of flight Country Site
April 7, 192270 CGEA Farman F.60 / Daimler Hire Ltd. de Havilland DH.18A 492 ft (150 m) France Picardy
April 21, 192960 Maddux Airlines Ford 5-AT-B Trimotor / US Army Air Corps Boeing PW-9D) 2,000 ft (610 m) United States San Diego, California
May 18, 1935450 Tupolev ANT-20 Maxim Gorky VVS Polikarpov I-5 Cruise Russian SFSR, Soviet Union Moscow
August 24, 19385 + 80 ground fatalities Japanese Flying School (Hanriot HD-1) and Japan Airlines Transportation (Fokker Super Universal) Unknown Japan Ōmori, Tokyo
October 23, 1942122 American Airlines Flight 28 / US Army Air Force B-34 Ascent/descent (9,000 ft (2,700 m)) United States Chino Canyon, California
July 12, 1945320 Eastern Airlines Flight 45 / US Army Air Force A-26 Invader Descent United States Florence, South Carolina
April 22, 194790 Delta Air Lines Survey (Douglas DC-3C) / Vultee BT-13 Valiant Descent United States Muscogee County Airport
April 5, 1948150 British European Airways Vickers VC.1 Viking / Soviet Air Force Yakovlev Yak-3 fighter Approach Germany RAF Gatow, Berlin
July 4, 1948390 Scandinavian Airlines System DC-6 / RAF Avro York Descent United Kingdom Northwood, London
January 30, 1949233 Pan Am Flight 100 (Lockheed L-749 Constellation) / Cessna 140 Climb United States Port Washington, New York
February 19, 1949140 BEA Douglas Dakota / RAF Avro Anson Cruise United Kingdom Exhall
November 1, 1949551 Eastern Air Lines 537 / Lockheed P-38 test flight Approach United States Washington, DC
April 25, 1951430 Cubana de Aviación 493 / US Navy flight Cruise/climb United States Key West, Florida
June 28, 1952260 American Airlines Flight 910 / private Temco Swift Approach United States Dallas, Texas
April 8, 1954370 Trans-Canada Airlines Flight 9 / RCAF Harvard Cruise Canada Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
January 12, 1955150 TWA Flight 694 / Private DC-3 Climb United States Boone County, Kentucky
June 30, 19561280 UA Flight 718 / TWA Flight 2
 Cruise United States Grand Canyon, Arizona
January 31, 195780 Douglas Aircraft Company DC-7B / Northrop F-89J Scorpion Cruise United States Pacoima, Los Angeles, California
April 21, 1958490 United Air Lines Flight 736 / USAF F-100 Super Sabre Cruise United States Las Vegas, Nevada
May 20, 1958131 Capital Airlines Flight 300 / Air National Guard flight Descent United States Brunswick, Maryland
October 22, 1958311 British European Airways Flight 142 / Italian Air Force F-86 Sabre jet fighter Descent Italy Near Anzio
February 25, 1960613 Real Transportes Aéreos DC-3 / US Navy R6D flight Descent Brazil Rio de Janeiro
May 19, 1960138 Air Algérie Sud Aviation SE210 Caravelle 1A / Stampe SV.4 Approach France Paris-Orly
December 16, 19601340 UA Flight 826 / TWA Flight 266 Descent United States New York City
February 1, 19631040 MEA Flight 265 / Turkish Air Force flight Descent Turkey Ankara
December 4, 19654108 TWA Flight 42 / Eastern Airlines Flight 853 Descent United States Carmel, New York
March 9, 1967260 TWA Flight 553 / Private flight Descent United States Urbana, Ohio
July 19, 1967820 Piedmont Airlines Flight 22 / Lanseair Inc. flight Climb/descent United States Hendersonville, North Carolina,
March 27, 1968249 Ozark Air Lines Flight 965 / Private flight Approach United States St. Louis, Missouri
August 4, 1968312 North Central Airlines Flight 261 / Private flight Descent/Cruise United States Wind Lake, Wisconsin
June 23, 19691200 Aeroflot Flight 831/ Soviet Air Force flight Cruise Soviet Union Yukhnovsky District
September 9, 1969820 Allegheny Airlines Flight 853 / Private flight Descent United States Fairland, Indiana
June 6, 1971501 Hughes Airwest Flight 706 / F-4 Phantom Climb United States San Gabriel Mountains, California
July 30, 19711621 ANA Flight 58 / JASDF flight Cruise Japan near Shizukuishi
August 4, 1971098 Continental Airlines Flight 712 / Private Flight 3,950 ft (1,200 m) United States Compton, California
June 29, 1972130 North Central Airlines Flight 290 / Air Wisconsin Flight 671 Cruise United States Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin
July 29, 1972380 Avianca Flight 630  / Avianca Flight 626[4][5] Cruise Colombia Near Las Palomas
March 5, 197368107 Iberia Flight 504 / Spantax Flight 400[6] Cruise France near Nantes
August 9, 197430 RAF Phantom FGR2 / Piper Pawnee crop duster Low level United Kingdom Fordham Fen, Norfolk
November 1, 1974380 Antonov An-2 / Mil Mi-8 Approach Soviet Union Near Surgut, Soviet Union
January 9, 1975140 Golden West Airlines Flight 261 / Private flight Climb United States near Whittier, California
September 9, 1976700 Aeroflot Flight 31 / Aeroflot Flight 7957 Cruise Soviet Union near Anapa, Russian SFSR
September 10, 19761760 British Airways Flight 476 / Inex-Adria Flight 550 Cruise Yugoslavia near Zagreb, SR Croatia
September 25, 19781440 PSA Flight 182 / Private flight Descent United States San Diego, California
August 11, 19791780 Aeroflot Flight 7628 / Aeroflot Flight 7880 Cruise Soviet Union Dniprodzerzhynsk, Ukrainian SSR
July 28, 198131 Transporte Aéreo Rioplatense CL-44 / Soviet Air Force Sukhoi Su-15 Cruise Soviet Union Yerevan, ASSR
August 24, 1981371 Aeroflot Flight 811 / Soviet Air Force Tupolev Tu-16K Cruise Soviet Union Zavitinsk, Russian SFSR,
April 18, 19841916 Two VOTEC Servicios Aéreos Regionais Flights[7][8] Approach Brazil Near Imperatriz Airport
August 24, 1984170 Wings West Airlines Flight 628 / Rockwell Commander 112 Descent/climb United States Near San Luis Obispo, California
May 3, 1985940 Aeroflot Flight SSSR-65856  / Soviet Air Force Antonov An-26 Descent Soviet Union Zolochev, Ukrainian SSR
June 18, 1986250 Grand Canyon Airlines Flight 6  / Private helicopter flight Low level United States Grand Canyon
August 31, 1986820 Aeroméxico Flight 498 / Private flight Descent/climb United States Cerritos, California
January 15, 1987100 SkyWest Airlines Flight 1834 / Private flight Approach United States Kearns, Utah
August 28, 19883 + 67 ground fatalities0 3 Aermacchi MB-339PAN of the Frecce Tricolori Air show Germany Ramstein Air Base
April 9, 199027 ASA Flight 2254 / Private flight Climb/descent United States Gadsden, Alabama
April 4, 19915 + 2 ground fatalities0 Lycoming Air Piper Aerostar / Sun Oil Company Bell 412 Low level United States Merion, Pennsylvania
December 22, 19921572 Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 1103 / Libyan Air Force MiG-23 jet fighter Approach Libya Tripoli
February 8, 19931330 Iran Air Tours Tupolev Tu-154M / Iranian Air Force Sukhoi Su-24 Climb/approach Iran Tehran
November 26, 199340 NZ Police Eagle / NZ Police traffic patrol Low level New Zealand Auckland
November 12, 19963490 Saudia Flight 763 / Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907 Climb/descent India Charkhi Dadri
July 30, 1998150 Proteus Airlines Flight 706 / Private flight Low level Quiberon Bay, France
February 8, 200030 Zlin 242L / Cessna 172 Descent United States Zion, Illinois
July 1, 2002710 Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937 / DHL Flight 611 Cruise Germany Überlingen
January 18, 200512 Air Tractor AT-502B  / US Air Force Cessna T-37B Cruise United States Hollister, Oklahoma
September 29, 20061547[9] Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 / ExcelAire flight Cruise Brazil Amazon rainforest
March 5, 200780 Aérospatiale SA 332 Super Puma / private Diamond DV20 Katana Low level Austria Zell am See Airport
July 27, 200740 KNXV-TV news helicopter / KTVK news helicopter Low level United States Phoenix, Arizona
September 1, 200720 Two Zlin Z-526Fs of the AZL Żelazny Aerobatic display Poland Near Radom
August 8, 200990 Piper PA-32 / Eurocopter AS350 helicopter Low level United States Hudson River, New York
September 20, 20124200 Syrian Arab Airlines Flight RB-501 / Syrian Air Force Mil Mi-8 helicopter Climb Syria Damascus
November 2, 2013011 Cessna 182L / Cessna 185F Cruise United States Superior, Wisconsin[10][11]
October 23, 201432 Cirrus SR22 / Robinson R44 II Approach/Climb United States Frederick, Maryland[12][13]
March 9, 2015100 Two Eurocopter AS350 helicopters Climb Argentina La Rioja Province
July 7, 201521 USAF F-16 / Cessna 150 Approach / Climb United States Moncks Corner, South Carolina
September 5, 20157112 Ceiba Intercontinental Airlines Flight 71 / Senegalair business jet Cruise Senegal Eastern
September 23, 201703 Piper PA-28 Cherokee / Robinson R22 Landing United States Clearwater Air Park
May 13, 2019610 Mountain Air Service DHC-2 / Taquan Air DHC-3 Descent United States George Inlet, Alaska
July 31, 202070 de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver / Piper PA-12 Climb United States Soldotna, Alaska
May 12, 202103 Key Lime Air Flight 970 / Private Cirrus SR22 flight Approach United States Arapahoe County, Colorado
July 17, 202240 Piper PA-46 Malibu / Cessna 172 Approach United States North Las Vegas, Nevada
September 17, 202230 Cessna 172 / Sonex Xenos Cruise United States Longmont, Boulder County, Colorado
September 24, 202220 Zlín Z-526 / Zlín Z-526 Aerobatic display Germany Gera
January 2, 202349 Two Eurocopter EC130 helicopters Climb/descent Australia Gold Coast Seaway, Queensland
January 6, 202320 Air Tractor AT-504 / AT-502 Aerobatic display Panama Guabito, Changuinola district
March 7, 202340 Piper PA28-161 Cadet / Piper J-3 Cub Climb/Descent United States Winter Haven, Florida
March 5, 2024244 De Havilland Canada Dash 8 / Cessna 172 Climb/Approach Kenya Nairobi National Park
June 2, 202411 Yakovlev Yak-52 / Yakovlev Yak-52 Descent Portugal Beja, Alentejo Region
June 14, 202411 Air Tractor AT-502B / Air Tractor 502-B Cruise United States Near Whiteface, Texas
June 20, 202411 Air Tractor AT-802 / Air Tractor AT-502B Cruise United States Arco, Idaho
July 11, 202411 Air Tractor AT-802A / Air Tractor AT-502B Cruise United States Near Bonita, Louisiana
July 25, 202420 Robinson R22 Beta / Robinson R22 Beta Approach Australia Mount Anderson Station near Camballin, Western Australia
October 26, 202430 Cessna 182 / Jabiru UL-450 Cruise Australia Belimbla Park, New South Wales
January 29, 2025670 American Eagle Flight 5342 / U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter Approach United States Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, United States
February 19, 202522 Lancair 360 MK II / Cessna 172 Cruise United States Marana Regional Airport, United States
May 17, 202550 Robinson R44 / Robinson R44 Cruise Finland Eura
July 8, 202520 Cessna 172 / Cessna 152 Approach Canada Steinbach, Manitoba
August 31, 202513 Extra EA-300/LC / Cessna 172M Skyhawk II Approach United States Fort Morgan Municipal Airport
October 4, 202522 Cessna R172K Hawk XP / Cessna 172Q Cutlass En route Bolivia Near Santa Ana del Yacuma
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Purely military

XB-70 Valkyrie 62-0207 following the mid-air collision on 8 June 1966: The XB-70 can be seen at the far left of the image, missing one of its vertical stabilizers, while the large fireball is the F-104 Starfighter with which it collided.
More information Date, Fatalities ...
Date Fatalities[N 1]Survivors[N 2] Aircraft involved Site
September 29, 194004 Two Avro Ansons of the RAAF Brocklesby, New South Wales, Australia
January 15, 1953260 RAF Vickers Valetta / RAF Avro Lancaster Mediterranean Sea near Sicily
August 11, 1955660 Two USAF C-119 Flying Boxcars near Stuttgart, Germany
February 5, 195804 USAF B-47 Stratojet / USAF F-86 Sabre Tybee Island, Georgia, U.S.
June 15, 1965180 Two U.S. Army UH-1D Iroquoises Fort Benning, Georgia, U.S.
January 17, 196674 USAF B-52G Stratofortress / USAF KC-135 Stratotanker Mediterranean Sea near Palomares, Almería, Spain
April 12, 1973161 NASA Convair C-990 Coronado / US Navy P-3 Orion

Sunnyvale, California

May 1, 198303 Israeli Air Force F-15 Eagle / A-4 Skyhawk Negev, Israel
December 1, 199213[14]0 Two C-141B Starlifter North Central Montana, U.S.
March 23, 199424[N 3]7 F-16 Fighting Falcon / C-130 Hercules Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina, U.S.
February 4, 1997730 Two IAF Sikorsky CH-53 helicopters She'ar Yashuv, Israel
September 13, 1997330 USAF C-141B Starlifter / German Air Force Tupolev Tu-154M Off the coast of Namibia
September 3, 199812[15]0 2 USAF HH-60G Pavehawk Nevada Test & Training Range
April 1, 2001124 USN Lockheed EP-3E / PLAN Shenyang J-8II South China Sea near Hainan Island, PRC
August 16, 200911 Two Sukhoi Su-27s of the Russian Knights Moscow, Russia
October 30, 200990 USCG C-130 / USMC Cobra Helicopter Off the coast of California, U.S.
March 1, 20111[16]1 Two SLAF IAI Kfir Yakkala, Gampaha, Sri Lanka
September 11, 2013 1 1 Two SEPECAT Jaguar Rakhyut, Oman
June 23, 20142[17]1 Learjet 35A / Eurofighter Typhoon Olsberg, Germany
December 6, 20186 [18]2 KC-135J Stratotanker / F/A-18 Hornet Iwakuni, Japan
November 25, 2019130 French Armed Forces Eurocopter Tiger / Eurocopter AS532 Cougar Ménaka, Ménaka Region, Mali
November 12, 202260 B-17 Flying Fortress / Bell P-63 Kingcobra Dallas, Texas, U.S.
January 28, 20231[19]2 Sukhoi Su-30 MKI / Dassault Mirage 2000H Near Morena, Madhya Pradesh, India
March 29, 2023 9 0 2 HH-60 Blackhawk Helicopers Fort Campbell, Kentucky, U.S.
April 27, 20233[20]1 Two AH-64 Apache Healy, Alaska, U.S.
July 1, 202311 Two T-27 Tucano Villavicencio, Meta, Colombia
August 25, 20233[21]? Two L-39 Albatros Zhytomyr oblast, Ukraine
April 20, 20248[22]0 Two Mitsubishi SH-60K Near Tori-shima Island, Izu Islands, Japan
April 23, 202410[23]0 AgustaWestland AW139 / Eurocopter Fennec RMN Lumut Naval Base, Lumut, Perak, Malaysia
March 7, 2025 2[24] 0 Two SIAI-Marchetti S.208 Guidonia, Lazio, Italy
March 12, 2026 6 [25][26] 0 Two Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker Over western Iraq
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See also

Notes

  1. [1]
    All deaths directly attributable to the collision are counted as fatalities.
  2. [2]
    In general, only occupants of an aircraft directly involved in the mid-air collision are counted as survivors. Bystanders who received nonfatal or no injuries, such as airshow spectators, participants in a military exercise, occupants of nearby noninvolved aircraft, and/or airport ground crew, are not included unless their involvement in the incident is particularly notable.
  3. [3]
    All ground fatalities, refer to main article.

References

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